No idea if al-hamadi is any good yet but having a CF on definitely made a difference. Perhaps Wheeler as MF instead of Wing and a target man on might have worked better. Hindsight.
Yup, Tyla was fine first couple of games, hasn't been good today, but trouble is we needed and can't really expect him to be excellent as the rest of the team have been a shambles. Sort of game a vintage Stockdale or Taylor can get you a point but you know you've been lucky and let's not kid ourselves that they did it every week.
With the shape being crap I'd have expected Gape to have come in a bit earlier but maybe he's injured too.
Really interested to see if we bust out a panic buy or two or can get some people fit without rushing them back too quickly.
Dreadful result, not that we ever looked like we were going to get a result, we just couldn't cope with their press in the first half which is where we lost the game. Exeter were the better side and deserved the win.
We have looked disjointed for too much of this season, which is unacceptable even if as we have had to rely on second choice players. This should have been ironed out in training surely...
The lack of confidence at the back is particularly worrying, partly explainable by having Dickenson in goal and partly explainable by the makeshift nature of our backline so far this season. This is partly down to communication amongst the players & partly I suspect by the management/club making it clear they are still looking for a keeper.
I know we have injury issues but I struggle to understand playing Wing when he looks knackered after 15 minutes, he clearly is not fit.
To be fair Mawson has looked composed, albeit lacking a little in match sharpness. Al-Hamadi looks a decent prospect if very raw, Mellor likewise, though he looks better as a 10 than a 9. Nice to see Freeman & Gape get some game time & Pattenden making a reasonable cameo albeit out of position.
I agree. It's easy to question leadership when things are bad, but gone is the 'Close Quarters' feeling that some late magic was always around the corner. It felt very passive at the end.
We look like we've utterly got the preparations wrong this summer, and the season start has caught us out.
Not sorted the transfers, a few look unfit, and loads injured, maybe because they were pushed too hard too soon? Pure conjecture on the last bit.
Thankfully it's a long old season, and we've got 2 huge players to come back in - literally and metaphorically, and I dare say Gaz will be on the phone the rest of the week to force the keeper issue.
Gaz has been talking all summer about how great his medical team is. Last summer he said the better training pitch would result in fewer injuries. I can’t remember seeing an injury situation like this in recent history. He should be asking questions of our medical team.
In fairness that was a 15 min cameo against tiring legs. I do like what I’ve seen from AAH, but there’s obviously a reason GA/RD haven’t been starting him ahead of other options, so I wouldn’t pin our hopes on him.
Losing Vokes and Hanlan at the same time was the killer, there’s a noticeable step down in experience and quality below them in the pecking order.
Really poor tonight. We did at least create a bit in the 2nd half, but defend corners like we did tonight and you have no chance.
Some very below par performances all over the pitch. Probably only Mawson, who did ping some lovely passes and McCleary played up to an acceptable standard.
Forino looked a bit lost tonight. He was exposed on a number of occasions but the big surprise is how on earth did Wing stay on until very near the end.
Finally, the Scowen booking was a complete joke. He looked to get the ball to me.
Not good this evening. Poor defending at set pieces has cost us again - far too many free headers. Too many on here wanting that to fit their bash the young goalkeeper agenda. Who is our greatest loss - its not Stocko its Bayo. He used to close out games with his defensive heading and create chaos up front as a target man if we were chasing a game. Most worryingly for me was that we were second to every ball in the last 10 -12 minutes tonight. Despite being 3-1 down we never really chased the game at the end - we looked tired and that is not like Wycombe.
Even with an injury crisis, we shouldn't be this poor. We probably don't have the depth to challenge for promotion as it stands - but can we afford to improve that depth without splurging money we don't have? Rob is looking particularly silly right now.
When so many players have off days so often something is wrong. Lots of good players out there regardless of injuries. Your back 4 is pretty much your back 4. Your midfield would be a fair shout most weeks. So we missed Vokes. And yet we were a shadow of last season.
Hanlan was not an automatic pick last season. McCarthy was in the later part of the season. So injuries have limited our options but I don’t subscribe that THAT was due to injuries. It was down to bad match planning and bad squad planning.
Any side is relegation fodder without a senior keeper or a centre forward. We simply won’t score enough goals at one end and keep enough out at the other.
Yes a lot of key players out at present but chickens have come home to roost with the non signing of an experienced keeper and possibly a target man
As someone else has said there must be an awful lot of experienced keepers in the summer wanting regular football. The nature of the Position lends itself to supply exceeding demand I would guess. I would’ve thought once we knew stockdale was going filing that position would’ve been a priority. Not saying panic sign but certainly top of the to do list
we knew Bayo he’s going a year ago and although he was in many ways irreplaceable surely that would’ve been number two on the list
Bringing back Mawson was very good business but why wasn’t he in place a week or two before the start of the season ?
Of course the league season is a marathon not a Sprint and once we get key players back together with maybe signing one or two by the end of August things may look better
however football is all about momentum and at the moment looking at our next few games you struggle to see where the next win or point will come from
Happy to be proved wrong of course Very unlike me to have a downer on what’s going on the club but it is disappointing
I'm simply making the point that he needs to back his words up with actions or reconsider what he's said. A lot of people - quite rightly - are pretty pissed off.
Once we have signed an established goalkeeper, our squad is stronger than the one which started last season. We just haven't proven it yet because of injuries, lack of fitness and poor form.
Comments
I didn’t see generals out there tonight I’m afraid.
No idea if al-hamadi is any good yet but having a CF on definitely made a difference. Perhaps Wheeler as MF instead of Wing and a target man on might have worked better. Hindsight.
This should be tasty https://twitter.com/wwfcofficial/status/1559566899805036545
Our home form will keep us away from there. Pitch didn’t help us today. Neither do the vast number of injuries. But we’re not a bottom four side.
Yup, Tyla was fine first couple of games, hasn't been good today, but trouble is we needed and can't really expect him to be excellent as the rest of the team have been a shambles. Sort of game a vintage Stockdale or Taylor can get you a point but you know you've been lucky and let's not kid ourselves that they did it every week.
With the shape being crap I'd have expected Gape to have come in a bit earlier but maybe he's injured too.
Really interested to see if we bust out a panic buy or two or can get some people fit without rushing them back too quickly.
Rob might be regretting this ...
https://www.wwfc.com/news/2022/august/16/chairman-to-take-part-in-q-a-before-robins-clash/
Dreadful result, not that we ever looked like we were going to get a result, we just couldn't cope with their press in the first half which is where we lost the game. Exeter were the better side and deserved the win.
We have looked disjointed for too much of this season, which is unacceptable even if as we have had to rely on second choice players. This should have been ironed out in training surely...
The lack of confidence at the back is particularly worrying, partly explainable by having Dickenson in goal and partly explainable by the makeshift nature of our backline so far this season. This is partly down to communication amongst the players & partly I suspect by the management/club making it clear they are still looking for a keeper.
I know we have injury issues but I struggle to understand playing Wing when he looks knackered after 15 minutes, he clearly is not fit.
To be fair Mawson has looked composed, albeit lacking a little in match sharpness. Al-Hamadi looks a decent prospect if very raw, Mellor likewise, though he looks better as a 10 than a 9. Nice to see Freeman & Gape get some game time & Pattenden making a reasonable cameo albeit out of position.
If Vokes and Hanlan are both out for a while then I’d start with Al-Hamadi. He at least looks the part.
Liked the decision behind a triple change, but it unsettled marking for the corner, and we seemed to play no formation afterwards
He specifically said he wouldn’t be able to replace Bayo.
I agree. It's easy to question leadership when things are bad, but gone is the 'Close Quarters' feeling that some late magic was always around the corner. It felt very passive at the end.
We look like we've utterly got the preparations wrong this summer, and the season start has caught us out.
Not sorted the transfers, a few look unfit, and loads injured, maybe because they were pushed too hard too soon? Pure conjecture on the last bit.
Thankfully it's a long old season, and we've got 2 huge players to come back in - literally and metaphorically, and I dare say Gaz will be on the phone the rest of the week to force the keeper issue.
And this https://www.wwfc.com/news/2022/june/27/rob-270622/
Gaz has been talking all summer about how great his medical team is. Last summer he said the better training pitch would result in fewer injuries. I can’t remember seeing an injury situation like this in recent history. He should be asking questions of our medical team.
In fairness that was a 15 min cameo against tiring legs. I do like what I’ve seen from AAH, but there’s obviously a reason GA/RD haven’t been starting him ahead of other options, so I wouldn’t pin our hopes on him.
Losing Vokes and Hanlan at the same time was the killer, there’s a noticeable step down in experience and quality below them in the pecking order.
I'd forgotten Hanlan! That's a hell of a loss too.
Vokes, Tafa, a keeper, Hanlan, McCarthy and Thompson all out together. Plain madness.
Let's also not underestimate McCarthy being out injured. He adds a lot on the right and is another big character missing from the team.
Really poor tonight. We did at least create a bit in the 2nd half, but defend corners like we did tonight and you have no chance.
Some very below par performances all over the pitch. Probably only Mawson, who did ping some lovely passes and McCleary played up to an acceptable standard.
We obviously needed to replace Bayo but didn’t.
Forino looked a bit lost tonight. He was exposed on a number of occasions but the big surprise is how on earth did Wing stay on until very near the end.
Finally, the Scowen booking was a complete joke. He looked to get the ball to me.
Not good this evening. Poor defending at set pieces has cost us again - far too many free headers. Too many on here wanting that to fit their bash the young goalkeeper agenda. Who is our greatest loss - its not Stocko its Bayo. He used to close out games with his defensive heading and create chaos up front as a target man if we were chasing a game. Most worryingly for me was that we were second to every ball in the last 10 -12 minutes tonight. Despite being 3-1 down we never really chased the game at the end - we looked tired and that is not like Wycombe.
And KaiKai
Bayo's role was a unique and very difficult one to replace, but he's certainly not more important than the starting keeper, Taf or Vokes.
We'd have been losing this one comfortably before he even came on.
We should have done a better job signing a senior forward, but Bayo is irreplaceable.
Even with an injury crisis, we shouldn't be this poor. We probably don't have the depth to challenge for promotion as it stands - but can we afford to improve that depth without splurging money we don't have? Rob is looking particularly silly right now.
When so many players have off days so often something is wrong. Lots of good players out there regardless of injuries. Your back 4 is pretty much your back 4. Your midfield would be a fair shout most weeks. So we missed Vokes. And yet we were a shadow of last season.
Hanlan was not an automatic pick last season. McCarthy was in the later part of the season. So injuries have limited our options but I don’t subscribe that THAT was due to injuries. It was down to bad match planning and bad squad planning.
Any side is relegation fodder without a senior keeper or a centre forward. We simply won’t score enough goals at one end and keep enough out at the other.
You're obsessed, yeah he over hyped things but we've never lost a game down to what the chairman said in an interview.
Yes a lot of key players out at present but chickens have come home to roost with the non signing of an experienced keeper and possibly a target man
As someone else has said there must be an awful lot of experienced keepers in the summer wanting regular football. The nature of the Position lends itself to supply exceeding demand I would guess. I would’ve thought once we knew stockdale was going filing that position would’ve been a priority. Not saying panic sign but certainly top of the to do list
we knew Bayo he’s going a year ago and although he was in many ways irreplaceable surely that would’ve been number two on the list
Bringing back Mawson was very good business but why wasn’t he in place a week or two before the start of the season ?
Of course the league season is a marathon not a Sprint and once we get key players back together with maybe signing one or two by the end of August things may look better
however football is all about momentum and at the moment looking at our next few games you struggle to see where the next win or point will come from
Happy to be proved wrong of course Very unlike me to have a downer on what’s going on the club but it is disappointing
I'm simply making the point that he needs to back his words up with actions or reconsider what he's said. A lot of people - quite rightly - are pretty pissed off.
Once we have signed an established goalkeeper, our squad is stronger than the one which started last season. We just haven't proven it yet because of injuries, lack of fitness and poor form.