Booing when your team doesn't win is part of the 'modern game' (don't you just love it!), and as far as I can tell, the performance of the team is largely irrelevant.
@Morris_Ital don't be pathetic. Stop trying to bully those who disagree with your constantly rosy assessment. All views are welcome here, especially when they're as cogent and eloquent as @sewanderer's. He (or she) makes an interesting point about Blackman. In Allsop's first match he was throwing the ball out to full backs but never did so again. Let's see if the same 'Wycombisation' happens to Jamal.
Watching Accy's slick crisp one touch passing, and then having to endure Bloomfield and Wood always needing 3 touches to get it under control, is extremenly unappertising.
Im frankly bored to tears, with our dull,high energy scuffling, the only tactic seems to either lump it forward, or try to gain an advantage from a set piece.
No doubt Ainsworth will soon blame it on lack of resources once more.
Slightly disappointed by the reaction in the stands and from some on here to last night's match. Feels like some people have got us a bit confused with Bayern Munich rather than a club that finished 13th in League Two last season, after a horrendous end to the campaign, that has now made a reasonable start to the new season despite a lengthy injury list and a small squad - to the extent that in our opening 4 matches we've already fielded 5 players that had never played a football league match previously.
There was a great deal to like about the first half performance last night against a good side. We consigned the pointless hoofball to the bin and played some neat, passing football. It is still very much work in progress, but we started to look a decent team.
Clearly it wasn't maintained after the break, in my opinion partly due to us running out of steam after a busy start to the season and because Accrington worked us out tactically. The midfield diamond not only gave us a lack of width going forward it also left the full-backs bereft of cover and Donacien and O'Sullivan made absolute mincemeat of JJ.
Why not a more conventional 4-4-2? It would suit the players we have better, particularly once PCH and O'Nien are fit again, and help us both defensively and offensively.
Overall though across the 90 mins we did okay and 4 points from two home games in 4 days following an unlucky exit from the League Cup is a decent return given the manager has had to use the same 14 players pretty much.
Looking ahead, we've seen decent initial contributions from novices Southwell, Freeman, De Havilland and Blackman, all of whom have real potential, while at the other end of the scale Akinfenwa looks an inspired signing. With PCH, Hayes, O'Nien, Weston, Rowe and Muller all having hardly featured yet, there’s plenty more to come.
The glass is more than half full and there’s no point throwing your hands up in the air just because we didn’t win a match. Hang in there a bit, it might well be worth it.
Once again we played most of the game with 4-1-3-2 which simply means that Harriman and Wood are well below par. This was an odd choice of formation to start with and then we went wide scored a goal we ease and I thought - ah GA will now push for width. Nope. Then the game continued and our full backs were overloaded by their wide men so I thought - ah GA will now push Woody and Harriman wide to stop this. Nope.
Then the subs started and I think the formation we ended with was largely 4-1-1-2-2. I don't think I can recall a narrower formation it was almost amusing. I am not sure whether the half time watering came with a warning to keep off this area of the pitch but we certainly did.
To the 'fans' who jeered when Woody was subbed you are jeering the wrong person. GA is asking him to play out of position and he is clearly not loving it, neither are we in fairness. To those who are knocking JJ you can't expect him to cope with 2 players constantly can you?
The formation just does not work. GA is behaving like a stubborn fool and it will be his downfall unless he changes. Accy are good side have no doubt but wow we made it easy for them as our midfield continued to run into each other in the middle of the park and they were able to break down the wings over and over. Maybe he should watch a game from the Woodlands to see how woeful it actually is.
Finally I love Matt Bloomfield but to play him behind the strikers, which I think is where he was playing Saturday and last night is almost funny. He is a great effort player but his scoring and even shooting record over the years is pitiful. I know he is filling that roll for Luke but Luke is not there so you can't ask a player who can't play that roll to play that roll.
All in all I wish I had stayed in to watch the Olympics.
You wouldn't guess that Gareth was an out and out right winger from watching his team play would you?
Teams often plump for a diamond formation when they've got a really dangerous player who can sit just behind a front two in the number 10 role. For them the compromise of having to go narrow elsewhere across the midfield is worth it because that player is absolutely fundamental to the way they attack.
I'm not sure we could ever regard Matt Bloomfield as being that kind of player. He and we would be much better off with a more conventional shape.
That said, I thought he actually had a largely decent game last night but a small tweak to a straight 4-4-2 would help the whole of the midfield.
@TheAndyGrahamFanClub I agree with all of that. I hate this formation, it's boring and ineffective.
I'd add that the reason our defenders often resort to long hopeful hoofs forward is that no-one is showing for the ball. Stewart got so frustrated with his lack of options last night that he went on several solo runs himself.
They spend the warm up practising "pass and move" but when the game starts they stand like statues watching the man in possession struggle for an option.
Midfield really is Ainsworth's blind spot. I admire his loyalty to players - not wanting to change a winning team or demotivating those asked to play out of position by dropping them next match - but I really fail to see how Bloomfield merits a place ahead of Rowe, Bean and frankly even Freeman. We saw what Rowe can do at the end of last season. He needs a start. McGinn can play attacking midfield, so, I suspect, can Freeman. We have the players to produce a perfectly balanced midfield four or even a midfield five, even with O'Nien, PCH and Weston out. When we were our buccaneering best two seasons ago it was due to playing a balanced 4-4-2 with Murphy and Scowen majestic in the centre. How about we try something like that again?
Wasn't there last night, but agree about the 4-4-2, based on what I saw at Crawley and comparing last season to the one before that.
At least this interview with Ainsworth suggests he is keen for us to play more passing football and abandon the hoofball. Doesn't say anything about the formation though, although he does suggest he will 'freshen things up' in the penultimate paragraph, which could mean anything.
I thought Bloomfield was good last night, he certainly lacks quality but you can say the same for Bean. Rowe and Freeman would certainly not be like for like replacements for Bloomfield. It is obvious that we desperately miss O'Nein to play the attacking midfielder role. McGinn and O'Nein would be a pretty similar pairing to Scowen and Murphy and I think they will work well together.
I'm not naive enough to think we should be Bayern or Barca, but there are players that are capable of playing some form of football that's mildly entertaining.
I think the main problem of having such a small squad is that it must limit what they can do in training. Can they develop a style as there aren't enough players to do any phases of play during training? 7v7 or 6v6 not ideal to develop anything of note.
I know I'm coming across as completely negative, and hopefully GA is brave enough to unleash the wingers when they are fit - but I don't see that happening.
I don't see how our current style of play will get us anywhere. It might sneak us into the playoffs, and if promoted it wouldn't be successful in the league above, resulting in relegation (setting us back again).
Two minutes of injury time left, and the ball rolls towards our dug out. Ainsworth back heels into our dugout to waste time. That shows where we are at present, and frankly the whole coaching team perhaps should look at the dirge we serve up to the paying public from maybe a different vantage point at time to time.
Good value for my season ticket I got to watch two different games on one night. One where we played decent football on the deck, scored, had a number of chances to double the lead, defended effectively and one where we looked like a team of strangers without a clue. Thank the Lord for a point. Keeper looked good and confident, AP and AS were very good at the back I thought....we had a go for the whole first 45 which was good to see, despite JJ's problems...Southwell was very busy and needs a goal. Bloomy was running about but yet again did not appear to be up to it. From behind the away dug-out how the Stanley bench got away with all the abuse of officials I don't know.
@StrongestTeam I think the point about Woody and Harriman not controlling the ball is fair but they are not receiving the ball in familiar places. They are more comfortable with a line behind them and know that if the ball arrives to their feet they have 180 degrees to work with. Now they are expected to have 360 degrees to work with and it does not take 5 minutes to adjust to this new task. Its ok for a winger to take a heavier touch as that touch takes them flying down a wing.
I think the more worrying feature of their game was how many times they found themselves within 5 yards of each other just crowding out among themselves.
Woody is a confidence player and GA is doing a super job of destroying his confidence and we will reap the 'benefit'.
Last night we were crying out for PCH and Weston to play wide but I'm quite depressed thinking about them being played in a front three by Ainsworth.
He really doesn't like playing wide men. To play narrow enough to get beaten on the wings on a pitch already narrowed to the minimum amount is a fine effort.
The irony is that he made a career as a wide man. He also signed Harriman as a wide man, we already had Woody as a wide man, we then sign Thomson as a wide man, then PCH as a wide man, also Weston as a wide man finally Freeman as a wide man. What formation is he thinking of playing with six wide players in a paper thin squad?
To my mind either he has signed a shambles of a squad or he has lost confidence and does not want to lose at all costs.
Fundamentally, reading this thread it seems like we're all pretty much in agreement that Wood, Harriman and Jacobson are woefully out of form. They also happen to be 3 of our 4 "wide" players. Clearly not a coincidence and I don't think as fans we should abuse them for failing in unfamiliar roles.
I don't want to be too negative - it's early in the season and I think there is a nice mix in our squad of young, exciting players and older heads. However, if we refuse to play players in position and stick rigidly to a formation that's obviously been found out then it's not looking great. I also fear that narrowing the pitch could prove a major own-goal - no idea if we can change this mid-season...
It's not a case of being out of form. They are not being played to the strengths and experience they have. JJ is being left hopelessly exposed with the lack of width too.
For the foreseeable future though I think we are stuck with it.
@SEWanderer said:
I think the main problem of having such a small squad is that it must limit what they can do in training. Can they develop a style as there aren't enough players to do any phases of play during training? 7v7 or 6v6 not ideal to develop anything of note.
That's a really interesting point, and hadn't occurred to me at all. If the only chance they ever get to play 11v11 is on matchday, that surely has some knock on.
Quite understandable negativity as a result of this injury ravaged low budget team of world beaters/conference at best not able to trap a bag of cement players having the audacity to only secure 4 points out of 6 over the last four days. Useless, lazy, not fit to wear the shirts tw*ts. Mind you If only they weren't lead by a tactically naïve manager, who no doubt has lost the dressing room, we'd have the title wrapped up by now.
tough four games ahead. Unless we claim 12 points winning each game by a minimum of five goals each, I think we should be calling for the immediate appointment of Scotty.
Meanwhile the supporters cant even seem to reach a consensus on who should be this years prime target for the boo-boys. Come on guys get your act together, no time to waste in undermining at least one young lads confidence- I vote for JJ personally - seems to enjoy the game far to much for my liking - make him suffer.
Wasn't the much PR'd but quickly forgotten Youth Development Scheme designed to help with 11 v 11 training? It is a valid point certainly.
Usual mixture of assumptions and plain lies from DevC. All too happy to slag of the views of those who went to the game because, of course, those views are wrong.
I think we've been poor in the last two games. Grimsby were really poor too but Accrington looked a decent side at our level.
Comments
Booing when your team doesn't win is part of the 'modern game' (don't you just love it!), and as far as I can tell, the performance of the team is largely irrelevant.
@Morris_Ital don't be pathetic. Stop trying to bully those who disagree with your constantly rosy assessment. All views are welcome here, especially when they're as cogent and eloquent as @sewanderer's. He (or she) makes an interesting point about Blackman. In Allsop's first match he was throwing the ball out to full backs but never did so again. Let's see if the same 'Wycombisation' happens to Jamal.
@Glenactico what information were you asked for to buy a ticket?
Seeing as Anthony Stewart was our best attacking threat for the last 60 minutes last night I think the goalkeeper may continue to give him the ball!
@aloysius if anyone feels bullied by anything I've posted I apologise wholeheartedly I'm not here to put anyone down
Watching Accy's slick crisp one touch passing, and then having to endure Bloomfield and Wood always needing 3 touches to get it under control, is extremenly unappertising.
Im frankly bored to tears, with our dull,high energy scuffling, the only tactic seems to either lump it forward, or try to gain an advantage from a set piece.
No doubt Ainsworth will soon blame it on lack of resources once more.
Slightly disappointed by the reaction in the stands and from some on here to last night's match. Feels like some people have got us a bit confused with Bayern Munich rather than a club that finished 13th in League Two last season, after a horrendous end to the campaign, that has now made a reasonable start to the new season despite a lengthy injury list and a small squad - to the extent that in our opening 4 matches we've already fielded 5 players that had never played a football league match previously.
There was a great deal to like about the first half performance last night against a good side. We consigned the pointless hoofball to the bin and played some neat, passing football. It is still very much work in progress, but we started to look a decent team.
Clearly it wasn't maintained after the break, in my opinion partly due to us running out of steam after a busy start to the season and because Accrington worked us out tactically. The midfield diamond not only gave us a lack of width going forward it also left the full-backs bereft of cover and Donacien and O'Sullivan made absolute mincemeat of JJ.
Why not a more conventional 4-4-2? It would suit the players we have better, particularly once PCH and O'Nien are fit again, and help us both defensively and offensively.
Overall though across the 90 mins we did okay and 4 points from two home games in 4 days following an unlucky exit from the League Cup is a decent return given the manager has had to use the same 14 players pretty much.
Looking ahead, we've seen decent initial contributions from novices Southwell, Freeman, De Havilland and Blackman, all of whom have real potential, while at the other end of the scale Akinfenwa looks an inspired signing. With PCH, Hayes, O'Nien, Weston, Rowe and Muller all having hardly featured yet, there’s plenty more to come.
The glass is more than half full and there’s no point throwing your hands up in the air just because we didn’t win a match. Hang in there a bit, it might well be worth it.
Very much in agreement with @TheatreOfChairs! I am a lot more positive about this season already.
Once again we played most of the game with 4-1-3-2 which simply means that Harriman and Wood are well below par. This was an odd choice of formation to start with and then we went wide scored a goal we ease and I thought - ah GA will now push for width. Nope. Then the game continued and our full backs were overloaded by their wide men so I thought - ah GA will now push Woody and Harriman wide to stop this. Nope.
Then the subs started and I think the formation we ended with was largely 4-1-1-2-2. I don't think I can recall a narrower formation it was almost amusing. I am not sure whether the half time watering came with a warning to keep off this area of the pitch but we certainly did.
To the 'fans' who jeered when Woody was subbed you are jeering the wrong person. GA is asking him to play out of position and he is clearly not loving it, neither are we in fairness. To those who are knocking JJ you can't expect him to cope with 2 players constantly can you?
The formation just does not work. GA is behaving like a stubborn fool and it will be his downfall unless he changes. Accy are good side have no doubt but wow we made it easy for them as our midfield continued to run into each other in the middle of the park and they were able to break down the wings over and over. Maybe he should watch a game from the Woodlands to see how woeful it actually is.
Finally I love Matt Bloomfield but to play him behind the strikers, which I think is where he was playing Saturday and last night is almost funny. He is a great effort player but his scoring and even shooting record over the years is pitiful. I know he is filling that roll for Luke but Luke is not there so you can't ask a player who can't play that roll to play that roll.
All in all I wish I had stayed in to watch the Olympics.
I agree with much of that.
You wouldn't guess that Gareth was an out and out right winger from watching his team play would you?
Teams often plump for a diamond formation when they've got a really dangerous player who can sit just behind a front two in the number 10 role. For them the compromise of having to go narrow elsewhere across the midfield is worth it because that player is absolutely fundamental to the way they attack.
I'm not sure we could ever regard Matt Bloomfield as being that kind of player. He and we would be much better off with a more conventional shape.
That said, I thought he actually had a largely decent game last night but a small tweak to a straight 4-4-2 would help the whole of the midfield.
@TheAndyGrahamFanClub I agree with all of that. I hate this formation, it's boring and ineffective.
I'd add that the reason our defenders often resort to long hopeful hoofs forward is that no-one is showing for the ball. Stewart got so frustrated with his lack of options last night that he went on several solo runs himself.
They spend the warm up practising "pass and move" but when the game starts they stand like statues watching the man in possession struggle for an option.
Maybe it's a lack of confidence.
Midfield really is Ainsworth's blind spot. I admire his loyalty to players - not wanting to change a winning team or demotivating those asked to play out of position by dropping them next match - but I really fail to see how Bloomfield merits a place ahead of Rowe, Bean and frankly even Freeman. We saw what Rowe can do at the end of last season. He needs a start. McGinn can play attacking midfield, so, I suspect, can Freeman. We have the players to produce a perfectly balanced midfield four or even a midfield five, even with O'Nien, PCH and Weston out. When we were our buccaneering best two seasons ago it was due to playing a balanced 4-4-2 with Murphy and Scowen majestic in the centre. How about we try something like that again?
Wasn't there last night, but agree about the 4-4-2, based on what I saw at Crawley and comparing last season to the one before that.
At least this interview with Ainsworth suggests he is keen for us to play more passing football and abandon the hoofball. Doesn't say anything about the formation though, although he does suggest he will 'freshen things up' in the penultimate paragraph, which could mean anything.
http://www.getbucks.co.uk/sport/football/mental-strength-thats-missing-says-11760094
I thought Bloomfield was good last night, he certainly lacks quality but you can say the same for Bean. Rowe and Freeman would certainly not be like for like replacements for Bloomfield. It is obvious that we desperately miss O'Nein to play the attacking midfielder role. McGinn and O'Nein would be a pretty similar pairing to Scowen and Murphy and I think they will work well together.
I'm not naive enough to think we should be Bayern or Barca, but there are players that are capable of playing some form of football that's mildly entertaining.
I think the main problem of having such a small squad is that it must limit what they can do in training. Can they develop a style as there aren't enough players to do any phases of play during training? 7v7 or 6v6 not ideal to develop anything of note.
I know I'm coming across as completely negative, and hopefully GA is brave enough to unleash the wingers when they are fit - but I don't see that happening.
I don't see how our current style of play will get us anywhere. It might sneak us into the playoffs, and if promoted it wouldn't be successful in the league above, resulting in relegation (setting us back again).
Two minutes of injury time left, and the ball rolls towards our dug out. Ainsworth back heels into our dugout to waste time. That shows where we are at present, and frankly the whole coaching team perhaps should look at the dirge we serve up to the paying public from maybe a different vantage point at time to time.
Good value for my season ticket I got to watch two different games on one night. One where we played decent football on the deck, scored, had a number of chances to double the lead, defended effectively and one where we looked like a team of strangers without a clue. Thank the Lord for a point. Keeper looked good and confident, AP and AS were very good at the back I thought....we had a go for the whole first 45 which was good to see, despite JJ's problems...Southwell was very busy and needs a goal. Bloomy was running about but yet again did not appear to be up to it. From behind the away dug-out how the Stanley bench got away with all the abuse of officials I don't know.
@StrongestTeam I think the point about Woody and Harriman not controlling the ball is fair but they are not receiving the ball in familiar places. They are more comfortable with a line behind them and know that if the ball arrives to their feet they have 180 degrees to work with. Now they are expected to have 360 degrees to work with and it does not take 5 minutes to adjust to this new task. Its ok for a winger to take a heavier touch as that touch takes them flying down a wing.
I think the more worrying feature of their game was how many times they found themselves within 5 yards of each other just crowding out among themselves.
Woody is a confidence player and GA is doing a super job of destroying his confidence and we will reap the 'benefit'.
Did this really happen ChasHarps? I really do hope you were mistaken as this is disgusting if true.
Yes it happened, it was in the last 2 minutes of injury time and i saw it clearly as my seat is opposite the dug out.
Last night we were crying out for PCH and Weston to play wide but I'm quite depressed thinking about them being played in a front three by Ainsworth.
He really doesn't like playing wide men. To play narrow enough to get beaten on the wings on a pitch already narrowed to the minimum amount is a fine effort.
The irony is that he made a career as a wide man. He also signed Harriman as a wide man, we already had Woody as a wide man, we then sign Thomson as a wide man, then PCH as a wide man, also Weston as a wide man finally Freeman as a wide man. What formation is he thinking of playing with six wide players in a paper thin squad?
To my mind either he has signed a shambles of a squad or he has lost confidence and does not want to lose at all costs.
Wil he ever learn!!
Fundamentally, reading this thread it seems like we're all pretty much in agreement that Wood, Harriman and Jacobson are woefully out of form. They also happen to be 3 of our 4 "wide" players. Clearly not a coincidence and I don't think as fans we should abuse them for failing in unfamiliar roles.
I don't want to be too negative - it's early in the season and I think there is a nice mix in our squad of young, exciting players and older heads. However, if we refuse to play players in position and stick rigidly to a formation that's obviously been found out then it's not looking great. I also fear that narrowing the pitch could prove a major own-goal - no idea if we can change this mid-season...
It's not a case of being out of form. They are not being played to the strengths and experience they have. JJ is being left hopelessly exposed with the lack of width too.
For the foreseeable future though I think we are stuck with it.
That's a really interesting point, and hadn't occurred to me at all. If the only chance they ever get to play 11v11 is on matchday, that surely has some knock on.
Quite understandable negativity as a result of this injury ravaged low budget team of world beaters/conference at best not able to trap a bag of cement players having the audacity to only secure 4 points out of 6 over the last four days. Useless, lazy, not fit to wear the shirts tw*ts. Mind you If only they weren't lead by a tactically naïve manager, who no doubt has lost the dressing room, we'd have the title wrapped up by now.
tough four games ahead. Unless we claim 12 points winning each game by a minimum of five goals each, I think we should be calling for the immediate appointment of Scotty.
Meanwhile the supporters cant even seem to reach a consensus on who should be this years prime target for the boo-boys. Come on guys get your act together, no time to waste in undermining at least one young lads confidence- I vote for JJ personally - seems to enjoy the game far to much for my liking - make him suffer.
What did you make of the performance @DevC?
@DevC can you please point out to me which poster slated our players for being lazy? Also who said GA had lost the dressing room?
Wasn't the much PR'd but quickly forgotten Youth Development Scheme designed to help with 11 v 11 training? It is a valid point certainly.
Usual mixture of assumptions and plain lies from DevC. All too happy to slag of the views of those who went to the game because, of course, those views are wrong.
I think we've been poor in the last two games. Grimsby were really poor too but Accrington looked a decent side at our level.