Swindon Town v Crewe Alexandra pre match chat and matchday thread

[Steak supper]

 Offloading Conroy has had nothing but a positive effect on the team

[TheDukeOfBanbury]

We passed the ball 570 times on Saturday
Passing the ball is not our issue

Really?
Ineffective going left to right.
We need a diagonal or a pass through the centre. I know teams set up with two tight banks of 4 but we have to find better defence splitting passes from the back or midfield.

[TheDukeOfBanbury]

Offloading Conroy has had nothing but a positive effect on the team

Not the biggest loss with Clayton but right now without Clayton or MacD we are struggling.

[Batch]

not sure I got an answer. How long is shade out for?

[TheDukeOfBanbury]

We are missing a lot of players.  Last seasons team beats this one and the team from a few years ago beats both of them.  The positions of each team tell the story.  I think if we had put this team together last season it would have made more sense, given the financial situation and the lack of a pre-season to sort out proper recruitment.  We have gone backwards a year - some of them will improve and be better players for next season but many are not really what you would base a top three challenge around.

Wellens team a million miles better than this one.

[TheDukeOfBanbury]

not sure I got an answer. How long is shade out for?

Only minor I believe.
Could feature at Crawley.

[Batch]

that's good, thanks

I'm not saying he's the saviour, but he is a sort of wildcard that's good to have as a 'something different' option

[TheDukeOfBanbury]

that's good, thanks

I'm not saying he's the saviour, but he is a sort of wildcard that's good to have as a 'something different' option

Just one of those of keep on willing for more.
I am sure there is a better player than what we have seen so far.

[Boeta]

I think it’s more Payne that we miss, I thought Darcy may be the player that could do that but it doesn’t look like it at the moment. Both Reed & Conroy were more longer passers of the ball, a bit like Gladwin this season, but we don’t seem to have anyone who can play that killer pass around the box.

Agree with this. Gladwin is the playmaker this season. He's different to Reed but having as big an impact as Reed did last year.

We don't miss Conroy as his legs have gone and the gap between how good he thought he was and reality was far too big. Just need Clayton and MacDonald back fit.

Darcy was the Payne replacement but nowhere near his output at the minute. However, Williams has gone up a gear and hidden some of that until the last couple of weeks.

Get the centre backs fit, Williams back, 442 diamond and then add another (more physical) striker and box to box centre mid in January and there's no reason we can't go up autos. Look at Rovers last year who were woeful first half of the season and then got it together.

[Batch]

wonder if being allowed to play 90 minutes and regularly has helped him (Williams)

to be fair a year of light touch may have been needed to get to this stage

[Boeta]

I should add - we need that extra box to box midfielder to be left footed, because FBT won't attack/cross particularly so need that other centre mid in a diamond to also be able to give us width.

With Darcy/another right footer that position will always cut in. Which is fine if you have a Nicky Cadden type overlapping, but it's not FBT's strength.

Cannot have Iandolo at LB/LWB again either - he cannot defend and although decent technically, instead of putting balls in with his left foot or taking players on down the channel, he just drifts inside to nothing repeatedly.

[DV]

Really?
Ineffective going left to right.
We need a diagonal or a pass through the centre. I know teams set up with two tight banks of 4 but we have to find better defence splitting passes from the back or midfield.

Fair point - however these issues aren’t exactly new.
These same issues were present last season with Reed and Conroy in the side; you could argue they added to this issue.

The difference makers with regards to the slow sideways passing last season were Payne and McKirdy - who evidently we miss (which is no surprise)

Added Reed & Conroy to Saturdays game wouldn’t have made an difference

[RobertT]

And we had either Simpson or Davison occupying defenders in the middle, regardless of opinions on either.  Both offer more than we are getting now.

[RobertT]

Just one of those of keep on willing for more.
I am sure there is a better player than what we have seen so far.

Not so sure, think what we see is what you get.  He probably looked amazing at younger youth levels but then quickly dropped off as everyone else got older/bigger.  I can see why we would have a shot at developing him, but I don't think he has much more to give.

[Peter Venkman]

Personally I still think there is a player in Shade.

I do think he (and Lindsey) doesn't know his best position though, from what I have seen hes pretty decent when he actually gets inside the box. Hes quick and has a bit of control but can't cross to save his life and his long shots are often (but not always) well wide of the mark, or straight at the keeper.

If I were Lindsey I would try him as a 2nd striker, defenders look like they struggle to control him when he has the ball but his final ball is often a shot, that when hes wide left, is almost always on his right foot cutting inside from 20 yards or so out.

If he is closer to the goal when he shoots then I think he would at least make the keeper make the save and then Jephcott/Wakeling could pounce on any rebounds in the 6 yard box.

So I wouldn't play him wide left or right but put him right in the middle alongside Jephcott, maybe push Wakeling out a bit wider left and Hutton wide right to get balls into the box for Jeff and Shade.

Is my take on Shade.