Heretical view - we are not playing that well.
This is not a topic I have suddenly raised in the light of us not gaining all 3 points on Saturday (which I cannot classify as 'dropping 2 points', as I'm not sure that we did enough to deserve them), but something I felt for some time because, despite the fantastic run of results, I honestly do not believe we have been playing that well this season.
The effort of the players and their determination to keep going is not in doubt and indicates a collective unity and spirit which I suspect reflects GA's wholehearted approach and effective man management. But have we actually played much class football? Have we threatened at any point to stuff teams (save for Chesterfield, who seem to have their own problems)? If you go back through the results and look at the performances, there are a number of games where we have done enough, taken our chances when they came (often via Akinfenwa / Kashket) and then seen the game out. In truth we have ground out a number of the results. That is the sign of a good team, which we undoubtedly are, but have we played well? In my opinion the examples of controlled, well-crafted pieces of play have been sporadic throughout many of the matches this year, including a number during our recent unbeaten run.
To my mind we are still crying out for someone creative in midfield. Someone who can put their foot on the ball and bring others into play. I also believe there has been a general lack of movement. JJ has been brilliant in getting forward and his accurate crosses have contributed to some great goals recently e.g. 2 assists for Akinfenwa, but can you remember many (any) similar openings made on the right flank recently, either by Harriman or Sido? There were times on Saturday, for example, when Luke or Dominic had a bit of time on the ball in midfield but no one moving to create outlets for them. This latter issue is possibly one that can be coached and encouraged, the creative midfielder issue is probably a fresh signing.
I'm delighted to be winning. I am delighted with the togetherness of the team. I just want us to transition from 'difficult to beat', into a classy 4th division team, worthy of automatic promotion.
Comments
Playing 'class football' doesn't mean the same as playing well, at least in my book. Playing well can be getting the ball quickly up to Akinfenwa who flicks it on to another attacker or holds up play just as much as it can be rolling the ball out to a full back who runs with it or puts in a nice pass. Whatever works and gets results.
As long as we're winning games (and we definitely seem to be at the moment) the style of football takes second place for me. I'd much rather grind out victories than see flowing football but with more draws or defeats. And as we are on the run we are on it would seem a strange time to be changing things around.
That being said I'd quite like us to sign Sam Saunders, please.
For me we look like a decent League Two team who could possibly get promoted...there are not many League Two teams who are not just grinding out results.
@Thicketblue Been thinking the same myself, Cheltenham being one in particular that we ground out, especially 2nd half.
This is league two football we are talking about isn't it?
None of it has been that pretty, but I thought we played some nice passing football in patches on Saturday...as we have most weekends...but if we played pretty football and did not win surely the sleeping forum tigers would be spitting phelgm all over the Gasroom about that as well?
Is there ever such a thing as a " classy 4th division team"? Seems a contradiction in terms.
I thought Weston played very well as well by the way...
I thought that was an excellent post by @Thicketblue. But I also agree with @Chris in the sense of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".
As I suggested a couple of weeks ago, one or two cracks may have started to appear as a result of injuries and seasonal health issues - e.g. Bayo Akinfenwa's cough/cold that he was struggling with on Saturday - but our great run owes an enormous debt to the boy wonder and I just hope his injury is as innocuous as I've been led to believe.
As @Chris knows, I am confident that a fit Dayle Southwell will score goals. Unlikely to be as prolific as Scott Kasket but then who would be?!
@Thicketblue brings up a good point, much like the team on Saturday and the timing means that the Gasroom can hopefully discuss it without the usual downers.
We are looking to be a team forging our way steadily up to League 1 and we have a decent backbone as has been stated before. More and more I have the feeling we are more likely to win than to lose as the pressure (and scorline) shows but there is something missing still.
I tend to agree with the creative midfielder theory and hope we can bring someone in to make scoring an inevitability. Interesting thoughts on right v left going forward and it seems that GA is looking to sign quality players who aldo give their all for the team.
The Luton game will be key to our season I feel. Too early to talk about six pointers?
Nobody plays great football at this level. We have an effective style that is a lot less ugly than previous seasons, but it's not exactly tikka-takka I'll give you that.
If plan A is to lump/hoof/pass the ball into Bayos' chest and Kashket to feed off the knockdowns, how will Southwell become a goalscorer? The games he played earlier in the season, he, to me, looked tidy, won a lot of headers, held up the ball & linked up play with the midfielders very well for a "novice". Just unsure how that fits into plan A, unless he can spearhead plan B?
From the small amount we saw of Southwell, surely there's not much chance he can do either the Kashket or Paris roles in this formation.
Meaning he either fills in for Bayo when tired/rested for midweekers, tries to do what Hayes tries to do when wide, or we change the formation.
So I fear for him a bit.
Let's not take Paris for granted...
Maybe Southwell gives GA other options coming of the bench. Personally I'm looking forward to seeing Dayle take his seat. Hoping he can soon pick up where he left off before getting injured.
We were in poor form when Southwell was starting games, but i didn't see the hype in him.
Happy to be proven wrong though!
And he wasn't truly fit for a while before his op.
Ditto. Hope he gets his chance. The showreel of his goals in non-league was very impressive, too early to write him off at L2 level.
I had the opposite opinion of that showreel - it showed him taking advantage of poor defending but nothing that really made him stand out for me.
I'm hoping that he was hindered by his injury and he comes back stronger, makes an impact and scores plenty of goals. But until that point I'm hesitant to assume he'll necessarily be a better option than Thompson.
It all boils down to goals at the end of the day (cliché alert!) and our dependence on Scott Cashket (pun alert) over the past couple of months makes us a little brittle (rhyme time). Scott's history of vulnerability to injury (sadly) means that we must have another proven goalscorer and, although Dayle Southwell scored for fun a couple of tiers below League 2, it is no guarantee that he will score on a regular basis in League 2. Of course not. But I'd be surprised if GA has not seen the potential (as I certainly have) for him to be second or third top scorer at our level.
I'm in absolute agreement with you @Thicketblue - slightly touched on it earlier, in that we haven't really played the swashbuckling football you want to see in a team that's been unbeaten in 14. We don't seem to have hundreds of missed chances, because we don't have a hugely creative midfielder.
The chances created are all in the same way - high press, Akinfenwa, then Kashket.
However, the start of the season was truly turgid, and anything is better than that. We're winning games, doing well, moving up the league, and the actually rarity of getting a side to play lovely football is quite high.
And, seeing the team-spirit is enough of a heart-warmer to make you forget some of the drossery.
Depressing thread IMHO. Pretty clear that as soon as the next difficult run comes along (and I fear that may be imminent, 13 points from next ten games?) and the same old moans will be heard one more. Its fourth division football played by a low budget team trying to compete with richer rivals for goodness sake. It isn't always going to be pretty. We will not always win.
I'm not sure that even last season's runaway champions Northampton played particularly great football, just very effective, physical football. The increased importance put on players' physical strength has changed football a lot in the lower divisions. Not sure I can imagine the likes of Dave Carroll weaving his way through today's beefed up midfields and defences.
@Chris, has it for me on the early worries with Southwell. Looks very tidy and can hold it a bit, but does he have that one stand out quality that all our best strikers have had.
Hopefully it's finishing, as we haven't exactly given him many chances yet.
But when you compare with Bayo (strength) and Kashket (sheer pace and movement, coupled with terrific finishing), you can't see that stand out threat, as of yet.
Broadly agree @Malone but the evidence on which we base judgement is so limited and constrained by circumstances at the time - Dayle's hernia (now repaired) and a squad lacking in confidence and ravaged by injuries - that it needs to be reserved.
We can all agree on that; I prefer to take an optimistic view. I don't think it helps if people talk down the lad's potential.
@micra , certainly. He'll hopefully find it much easier to come into a team in better shape, as well as having less expectations.
When he started the season, he was in effect the main striker! Which was a bit too much of a burden.
Now, Bayo is the main man up front, with Kashket able to do his thing under his wing.
I'm also looking forward to seeing what Southwell can do in a team that is in form and where he isn't being relied upon as the focal point of the attack. He seemed to me to be an intelligent player who knows where the goal is but had too much pressure on him too early.
With regards to having standout attributes mentioned above, I'd counter with Beavon, Devine, McGavin, West, to name a few forwards who have had a good deal of success with us without being especially tall/strong/fast. Having that football brain and eye for goal/the right pass can make all the difference, and I'm hoping that's what I saw glimpses of with Dayle earlier in the season.
We have to trust in GA I'm supposing. I'm struggling to remember so perhaps those with clearer memories can enlighten me...there are very few players Gaz has actually signed that have been complete and total disasters aren't there? I mean some never got much of a chance but I cannot recall thinking...bloody hell he's just awful. (Having said that if someone waves a set of keys in front of me nowadays it wipes my memory...)
A few come to mind who haven't impressed me at all - Jeffrey, Liburd, McGinn - but considering the budget his record of hit after hit signings both loanee and permanent (and loanee to permanent of course) is rather spectacular.
Nick Arnold is probably the worst of his signings that I can remember
Yes another worst players thread. Slow news day