I was at the game yesterday and we definitely started with 4 at the back. Either just before or after half time McCarthy went a lot deeper to cover there #15 who was constantly doubling up on Grimmer. Grimmer was also then asked to man mark McGoldrick for the 2nd half. This led to Grimmer being dragged up to the halfway line a lot to try and stop McGoldrick.
Derby moved the ball around very quickly in both halves and we were always second best to the majority of balls, overall they were far superior after the initial 15 minutes.
I too was wondering what we could do to change it up and stop them. I had a quick look at our bench and genuinely thought we don;t really have many options to really go on the counter attack. I would have brought Kaikai on for McCarthy and gone to 4-3-1-2. Anis/Vokes up top, Kaikai just behind and then spread Gape, Freeman and Wing across the park.
As the game went on it was almost inevitable that they would equalise. The game evened out then for a few minutes until Derby went for one final push. They were deserved winners in the end.
As many have mentioned Stryjek was excellent when completing his defensive duties. However, his inability to accurately kick the ball had a massive impact on our game plan. I hope he can improve this area significantly otherwise I think we need to get the ball to Mawson to hit to Vokes or we need to change the way we play.
We had quite a few back up players out there today and I don't think they really did enough to keep their place in the side. I think we've made a mistake signing Wing and not another quick winger instead. From what I've seen this season and last season, he's not adding anymore quality than Horgan, Mehmeti, Freeman or Wheeler could in the #10 role or as a back up center midfielder.
The one thing we are missing this season is pace. We are so woefully short of pace up front and in midfield. Scowen was a huge miss today, he covers the ground so quickly. Hanlan and Kaikai being out and McCleary suspended all at the same time has not been ideal.
A lot of talk about the next four matches, I fully expect us to win 2 and draw 2 with Gaz and Dobbo going to a new formation and players suddenly excelling!
I think we underestimate how much Thompson is missed too. If Scowen was out and Thompson came in, nobody would say a word.
Same with Vokes and Hanlan.
We have been extremely unlucky with injuries.
I actually think we miss Bayo's personality (and impact on the field) more than we think. Having his aura and presence about the place to suddenly not, must have an impact.
The "generals" have not been replaced adequately.
We have had 2 seasons of ultimate disappointment. Relegation followed by a playoff final defeat. The hunger in players must have taken a hit.
Maybe I'm wrong. Whatever we say on here, don't think for a moment that GA and co are not aware of the same issues. Something is lacking. I personally don't think this team has the same feel of solidarity of the past few seasons. Still strong personnel wise, and individually, but are we the same TEAM? I'm not so sure.
Whilst a lot of the commentary is Wycombe-focused (as expected), Derby were absolutely outstanding in the second half and looked like a mid table Championship side. By a country mile the best half of football played against us all season.
@glasshalfempty makes a good point about the upcoming fixture list. Whilst none of us know how it will pan out, i get the feeling there will be a lively discussion on here at the end of the Peterborough game... Simply put, lose all four and we will certainly be flirting with the relegation zone. Obviously, win all four and we will be well involved in the play-off positions. But we’re not looking like we are in the right shape to be winning four on the bounce against that set of opposition teams. The next month is, to put it mildly, crucial to our season. Hold onto your seats, it may be a bumpy ride...
First half was definitely a back 4. McCarthy was so far up the pitch he could not have been classed as a wing back.
For 10 minutes in the first half when Wycombe did not have possession I watched Mawson and literally nothing else. It was quite strange at first but so interesting, I don't think he went faster than a jog once, he was in right place at the right time constantly, and basically was so calm he looked like he was playing down the park with his mates. Also at one point he knew McGoldrick was about to be passed to, so 3 seconds before it happened, he grabbed his arms and tangled him up, McGoldrick lost possession straight away. Maybe that kind of thing happens all the time, can't say I've ever noticed it though. Mawson reads the game better than I can read a book, and I love reading.
I stupidly thought how can it be possible to concede a goal when he's playing, stupid football fan.
Playing devil’s advocate, if we were (which I entirely hope we don’t) to only take 1 or 2 points from the next four games and find ourselves in the relegation zone - what are the connotations for GA and the management team?
Would they be given the rest of the season under any circumstance based on previous seasons’ success or would you think we need to change things?
This post may be panned, but I’m interested to see fans’ perspectives on what GA’s “credit in the bank” resembles.
The question will definitely be asked if we have a poor run now and end up in the drop zone , I'd hope most fans would believe that we'd get out of it, that we have the right management for the long term future of the club and making a change would be a massive risk, but many won't.
I’ll bite. What is our Owner’s likelihood to remove a manager when something isn’t going the way he would like. I have no idea. I guess we could all trawl through the coaching firing and hiring for the US teams he’s had interest in and maybe even his corporate decisions. Which wound probably still not tell us much.
So IF we have a bad run and enter the bottom 4 or seem a long way adrift from the top then we will find out.
for me the coaching staff have huge credit. I’d say they are capable of developing and learning from situations like few others. Consider Gaz recognising how to move from ‘one of the lads’ to the Gaffer. Perhaps, as some have said, the issue is now one of learning how to manage when we are no longer seen as punching above our weight. I’m confident the management team can do this and I hope (again IF we have a slump) Rob believes this too.
I don’t believe anything will depend on the next four games as far as GA’s position.
If we were in the relegation zone come Christmas-time and looking like we were getting cut adrift, then things may be different, but I really don’t see that happening.
As things stand, I think we’re on for a mid-table season, but who knows. As GA keeps saying, we’ve been written off before many times…
The first question Bobby C asked Gaz when thinking of buying the club was seeking reassurance we won’t be relegated.
The jeopardy of demotion is so alien to American sports team ownership that, no matter how assimilated the Couhig’s may feel, that threat (post Xmas at the earliest) will evoke a reaction for sure. Not sure what that reaction will be but in tough times folk show their true colours, in good times it’s easy to appear magnanimous.
The next three months are the biggest test of the current team, management, ownership relationships to date. But we are way way off needing to face that moment. Still the best squad ever imo.
This is one of the reasons why Saturday’s result was so pivotal for our season.
Winning at half-time and we were in 6th place. Having lost we fall ten places to 16th. I have a feeling we won’t get close to 6th place again this season for the reasons already stated.
Having seen Michael Appleton struggle to get to grips with a similar situation at Lincoln City last season, it will be ‘interesting’ to see how Gareth Ainsworth deals with it.
The very fact that one result made the difference between 6th and 16th proves that it’s far too early in the season to start making predictions be they pessimistic or optimistic.
I would keep GA even we somehow managed to get relegated, to be honest - and we won't. There are some properly struggling teams in this division, and we will pick up our fair share of wins.
My hope is that we fight through this difficult stretch and pick up at least a win and a couple of draws against the promotion contenders. We would be adrift at that point, but then have a much better run to try and regain the ground.
Although to put that into context they were just about to buy Yeovil before switching horses to Wycombe at the last minute. So even if we get relegated they’re still up on the deal.
Very little risk at all, if any - even if we are dreadfully unlucky with injuries and keep coughing up leads, I think around 14th-16th would probably be the absolute nadir. Ceiling is still the playoffs for now, in my opinion.
Yep. It'd take an absolute unreal set of circumstances for us to be battling relegation. We've got a superb bunch of players, and are simply having to deal with a bitty period due to an awkward summer of recruitment and injuries.
We need to get back on it quickly though of course.
Comments
you are obsessed , you really need to get out
I was at the game yesterday and we definitely started with 4 at the back. Either just before or after half time McCarthy went a lot deeper to cover there #15 who was constantly doubling up on Grimmer. Grimmer was also then asked to man mark McGoldrick for the 2nd half. This led to Grimmer being dragged up to the halfway line a lot to try and stop McGoldrick.
Derby moved the ball around very quickly in both halves and we were always second best to the majority of balls, overall they were far superior after the initial 15 minutes.
I too was wondering what we could do to change it up and stop them. I had a quick look at our bench and genuinely thought we don;t really have many options to really go on the counter attack. I would have brought Kaikai on for McCarthy and gone to 4-3-1-2. Anis/Vokes up top, Kaikai just behind and then spread Gape, Freeman and Wing across the park.
As the game went on it was almost inevitable that they would equalise. The game evened out then for a few minutes until Derby went for one final push. They were deserved winners in the end.
As many have mentioned Stryjek was excellent when completing his defensive duties. However, his inability to accurately kick the ball had a massive impact on our game plan. I hope he can improve this area significantly otherwise I think we need to get the ball to Mawson to hit to Vokes or we need to change the way we play.
We had quite a few back up players out there today and I don't think they really did enough to keep their place in the side. I think we've made a mistake signing Wing and not another quick winger instead. From what I've seen this season and last season, he's not adding anymore quality than Horgan, Mehmeti, Freeman or Wheeler could in the #10 role or as a back up center midfielder.
The one thing we are missing this season is pace. We are so woefully short of pace up front and in midfield. Scowen was a huge miss today, he covers the ground so quickly. Hanlan and Kaikai being out and McCleary suspended all at the same time has not been ideal.
A lot of talk about the next four matches, I fully expect us to win 2 and draw 2 with Gaz and Dobbo going to a new formation and players suddenly excelling!
COYB!
I thought Scowen was hugely missed. So important to our team
I think we underestimate how much Thompson is missed too. If Scowen was out and Thompson came in, nobody would say a word.
Same with Vokes and Hanlan.
Maybe I'm wrong. Whatever we say on here, don't think for a moment that GA and co are not aware of the same issues. Something is lacking. I personally don't think this team has the same feel of solidarity of the past few seasons. Still strong personnel wise, and individually, but are we the same TEAM? I'm not so sure.
Whilst a lot of the commentary is Wycombe-focused (as expected), Derby were absolutely outstanding in the second half and looked like a mid table Championship side. By a country mile the best half of football played against us all season.
Worryingly, our upcoming fixtures look tough on paper -
Given our current form, and without being negative - unless we turn it on, it won't be far from the following...
Sheff Wed (a) 0 pts
Plymouth (h) 1 pt
Oxford (a) 1 pt
Peterborough (h) 1 pt
MK (a) 1 pt
That puts us in a relegation position potentially.
So negative of me but it's the harsh reality.
@glasshalfempty makes a good point about the upcoming fixture list. Whilst none of us know how it will pan out, i get the feeling there will be a lively discussion on here at the end of the Peterborough game... Simply put, lose all four and we will certainly be flirting with the relegation zone. Obviously, win all four and we will be well involved in the play-off positions. But we’re not looking like we are in the right shape to be winning four on the bounce against that set of opposition teams. The next month is, to put it mildly, crucial to our season. Hold onto your seats, it may be a bumpy ride...
On the plus side, November looks a bit more positive.
Holding onto players is the key for me. January and next season.
First half was definitely a back 4. McCarthy was so far up the pitch he could not have been classed as a wing back.
For 10 minutes in the first half when Wycombe did not have possession I watched Mawson and literally nothing else. It was quite strange at first but so interesting, I don't think he went faster than a jog once, he was in right place at the right time constantly, and basically was so calm he looked like he was playing down the park with his mates. Also at one point he knew McGoldrick was about to be passed to, so 3 seconds before it happened, he grabbed his arms and tangled him up, McGoldrick lost possession straight away. Maybe that kind of thing happens all the time, can't say I've ever noticed it though. Mawson reads the game better than I can read a book, and I love reading.
I stupidly thought how can it be possible to concede a goal when he's playing, stupid football fan.
Playing devil’s advocate, if we were (which I entirely hope we don’t) to only take 1 or 2 points from the next four games and find ourselves in the relegation zone - what are the connotations for GA and the management team?
Would they be given the rest of the season under any circumstance based on previous seasons’ success or would you think we need to change things?
This post may be panned, but I’m interested to see fans’ perspectives on what GA’s “credit in the bank” resembles.
Ainsworth love the guy club legend when we going to sack him? I know this will get abuse and then I will get very upset when it does. FFS
( I'm off for a bit...some of these posts are getting beyond parody. Merry Christmas!)
The question will definitely be asked if we have a poor run now and end up in the drop zone , I'd hope most fans would believe that we'd get out of it, that we have the right management for the long term future of the club and making a change would be a massive risk, but many won't.
I’ll bite. What is our Owner’s likelihood to remove a manager when something isn’t going the way he would like. I have no idea. I guess we could all trawl through the coaching firing and hiring for the US teams he’s had interest in and maybe even his corporate decisions. Which wound probably still not tell us much.
So IF we have a bad run and enter the bottom 4 or seem a long way adrift from the top then we will find out.
for me the coaching staff have huge credit. I’d say they are capable of developing and learning from situations like few others. Consider Gaz recognising how to move from ‘one of the lads’ to the Gaffer. Perhaps, as some have said, the issue is now one of learning how to manage when we are no longer seen as punching above our weight. I’m confident the management team can do this and I hope (again IF we have a slump) Rob believes this too.
I don’t believe anything will depend on the next four games as far as GA’s position.
If we were in the relegation zone come Christmas-time and looking like we were getting cut adrift, then things may be different, but I really don’t see that happening.
As things stand, I think we’re on for a mid-table season, but who knows. As GA keeps saying, we’ve been written off before many times…
Bah humbug!
Let us not forget we were in a play off position at half time on Saturday
We lost narrowly away at Derby. Calm down.
The first question Bobby C asked Gaz when thinking of buying the club was seeking reassurance we won’t be relegated.
The jeopardy of demotion is so alien to American sports team ownership that, no matter how assimilated the Couhig’s may feel, that threat (post Xmas at the earliest) will evoke a reaction for sure. Not sure what that reaction will be but in tough times folk show their true colours, in good times it’s easy to appear magnanimous.
The next three months are the biggest test of the current team, management, ownership relationships to date. But we are way way off needing to face that moment. Still the best squad ever imo.
What a load of old clap trap
Some think we have at least half a team well capable at higher levels yet other are talking about relegation.
We're a top ten side having a lean post play loss run. That is all.
Lose to an excellent Derby team and someone thinks it’s appropriate to discuss the manager’s future?
It's almost like footy fans are fickle.
This is one of the reasons why Saturday’s result was so pivotal for our season.
Winning at half-time and we were in 6th place. Having lost we fall ten places to 16th. I have a feeling we won’t get close to 6th place again this season for the reasons already stated.
Having seen Michael Appleton struggle to get to grips with a similar situation at Lincoln City last season, it will be ‘interesting’ to see how Gareth Ainsworth deals with it.
The very fact that one result made the difference between 6th and 16th proves that it’s far too early in the season to start making predictions be they pessimistic or optimistic.
I would keep GA even we somehow managed to get relegated, to be honest - and we won't. There are some properly struggling teams in this division, and we will pick up our fair share of wins.
My hope is that we fight through this difficult stretch and pick up at least a win and a couple of draws against the promotion contenders. We would be adrift at that point, but then have a much better run to try and regain the ground.
Although to put that into context they were just about to buy Yeovil before switching horses to Wycombe at the last minute. So even if we get relegated they’re still up on the deal.
Probably worth mentioning that RC has already been through the “jeopardy of relegation” with GA and us…
(And yes, of course it would be very different if we were to find ourselves in that position this season)
why are some people saying we are at risk of relagation, have people not heard Robs interview that we are going for autos ?!
Very little risk at all, if any - even if we are dreadfully unlucky with injuries and keep coughing up leads, I think around 14th-16th would probably be the absolute nadir. Ceiling is still the playoffs for now, in my opinion.
Yep. It'd take an absolute unreal set of circumstances for us to be battling relegation. We've got a superb bunch of players, and are simply having to deal with a bitty period due to an awkward summer of recruitment and injuries.
We need to get back on it quickly though of course.
Sorry but what a wanky comment. Keep watching the League table lad. Leave the rest to intelligent people