That's fair. The past three seasons of success and some, by English standards anyway, big words from the ownership are probably influencing our perceptions. That said, Ainsworth out and sack the board.
I don't. There might well be something in it, but this feels bigger than a hangover. And we won our first 3 games and 6 of the first 10 after Southend! 21 points from first 10 games vs 11 from 10 this time around...
I said earlier this week and was criticised for it - we surrender against good teams away. Weds are a great side, but we go into it thinking we can't win, and concede within a minute
Not sure what's worse, watching England or Watching Wycombe. Teams have got wise to our tactic of pass pass hit hopelessly long. No pass and move or little one twos. On present form and style of play, like England we will be relegated, not sure when our next win will be.
Actually not as bad in the 2nd half as I feared it might be, but then Wednesday were nowhere near as good as they were in the 1st.
Poor, but not unexpected. When missing 2 from Gape, Thompson, Scowen, we're not half the team, we just have no bite in midfield. Credit to Gape though who I thought was excellent today, certainly MoTM from our point of view.
Tend to agreed that the subs were too late. I don't think it would have made much difference to be honest. Didn't matter who we had up front, it was the midfield that was the problem and we just didn't have any options to freshen that up.
Feels gloomy at the moment, but it's been 2 very tough games and we've got enough to turn the form around.
Absolutely dreadful. Why does Ainsworth leave it so late for any substitutions?. Poor management. Has he no confidence in his bench? Where were the signings that would show our intent in this league ( apart from Mawson)as promised by Ainsworth ? We’ve got one or two irons in fire on the days before the end of the transfer window. What happened to them ? Clearly we’ve been hit by injuries but we are definitely short up front. I know Ainsworth says he likes being under the radar but with the next few fixtures, we will need a metal detector to find us!!!
Thought we battled hard today but lacked composure in most areas. The service to Vokes was hurried and poor. Missed Scowen loads and wasn’t really sure if McCarthy was a man marker or not. Missed our only real decent second half chance but did well to get there.
Read lots of comments on Horgan and Wing. I’m going to be controversial here and add Mehmeti to that after his genius created the goal?
Also lots of talk about the quality we have in our side. Seems to me lots of sides have that quality and Sheff Wed were very good first half. Bannon played like I’d heard about but never seen before.
For me we aren’t a million miles away from a decent run.
We haven’t deserved to win the last 2 games and we haven’t. Anis aside we do seem somewhat toothless. Opposition put 2 big guys on Vokes and nullify our use of him with our current over reliance on the longer ball. We actually looked more threatening without Vokes earlier in the season which must mean we are not getting the best out of him.
With the possible exception of Plymouth all our October games are winnable even for a mid-table team. There's no excuses available if we don't win most of them.
The first is understandable in so far as there appears to be a lack of confidence & belief in the squad following our appalling lack of form so far this season.
The second is GA's propensity to wait too long to make subs & then he replaces like for like rather than trying to change the team shape to change the game.
I think Dobbo, Blooms & the other coaches will & can change the first, plus I think the squad will have themselves a collective head wobble sooner rather than later.
On the latter I am becoming less convinced that GA has the nous to make the right calls on who is in the match day squad, starting XI & who he subs on & off. Don't get me wrong I think if it hadn't been for Ainsworth & Dobson we might not even have a club, so he will always be a legend, I am now starting to worry that he has reached the limit of his skill set.
We have a decent squad with players of Championship quality in Vokes, Scowen, Mawson, Taffzolli, Mehmeti, McCleary, Styjek, (probably add Hanlan & Kaikai to that list if they stay injury free) as well as decent L1 pros in Grimmer, McCarthy, Gape, Freeman, Wheels, Horgan, Obita plus good youngsters like Forino coming through. We do seem to currently be unable to gel these guys into a decent team & there is a lack of obvious leadership on the field.
I think we probably need to go back to basics and make sure we defend in depth & stop conceeding no matter how dreadful that is to watch & then work on scoring on the counter using the likes of Mehmeti & McCleary out wide...but what do I know given I spent my whole career doing project & programme management in financial services.
If Hanlan isn't due back soon then I think big conversations need to be had between manager and chairman about opening the chequebook and signing an out-of-contract striker. The club needs a morale booster to help motivate players and fans and bring us out of our slump. As @Shev has demonstrated, we're falling behind a lot at the moment and are failing to motivate ourselves on the pitch to turn things round. I was not Bayo's biggest fan towards the end of his time with us but even I could see how his introduction in the last 10-15 minutes lifted both players and fans and spurred us into the next gear, even if he didn't always contribute to chances himself.
We need to sign a striker who can do that again; someone with heft (metaphorical, though literal would also work too) who we can turn to as we fall behind and start to give up hope. A fading household name who will provide that second-half fillip and help restore Gareth's desire to see us keep battling to the last. Someone published the list of out-of-contract players recently, there are names on there coming to the end of their career who could do that for us, just like Bayo did the last two seasons. It'll cost us - but something needs to be done to arrest this slump.
Nothing wrong with programme management @Erroll_Sims I dabbled in that area myself and from your comments you know your football as do a number of our gasroom colleagues.
Interesting rating of our players there @Erroll_Sims
First set of the championship list no argument, but the keeper, Kaikai and Hanlan surely not that level yet.
Kaikai has barely had a look in with us, let alone showing championship level?
Hanlan is all potential, and again has it all to do to cement a place in our line-up, whereas our keeper has started well, but already has concerns at the kicking side of his game.
Whereas Obita is still only 28 yet has 100s of championship appearances, yet is only rated a solid league 1 player.
I’m not sure what kind of supporter describes his/her club’s players as “dross”. Definition - worthless rubbish. Perhaps one who is so wrapped up in the club that they visit the club forum only five times a month on average and only comment when things are not going well.
We are all extremely disappointed by this afternoon’s result (especially those of us who predicted 2-2!) and, speaking purely for myself, I just cannot understand why the heralded evolution of playing style and formation seems to have gone into reverse.
None of our players are dross (and I know how easy it is to lapse into intemperate language when frustration creeps in) but I was disappointed to read a trite comment from someone who (based on your username) must have to make quite an effort just to get to home games.
Comments
That's fair. The past three seasons of success and some, by English standards anyway, big words from the ownership are probably influencing our perceptions. That said, Ainsworth out and sack the board.
I think it has taken Josh Scowen being absent to fully comprehend how important he is to us
I look at the individual players and we have some amazing talent. But as a team, we just seem so disjointed.
Every Prime Minister needs a Willie; every aspiring League 1 side needs a Barry Bannan.
I don't. There might well be something in it, but this feels bigger than a hangover. And we won our first 3 games and 6 of the first 10 after Southend! 21 points from first 10 games vs 11 from 10 this time around...
Next week will be a stern test of our bogey status over Plymouth.
I said earlier this week and was criticised for it - we surrender against good teams away. Weds are a great side, but we go into it thinking we can't win, and concede within a minute
Not sure what's worse, watching England or Watching Wycombe. Teams have got wise to our tactic of pass pass hit hopelessly long. No pass and move or little one twos. On present form and style of play, like England we will be relegated, not sure when our next win will be.
As long as we're doing it in reverse this season it's ok, but we haven't had our annual Christmas/New Year meltdown yet.
That looks a decent possibility, with Plymouth/Peterborough/Oxford/Sheff Wed lined up back to back over that period.
Actually not as bad in the 2nd half as I feared it might be, but then Wednesday were nowhere near as good as they were in the 1st.
Poor, but not unexpected. When missing 2 from Gape, Thompson, Scowen, we're not half the team, we just have no bite in midfield. Credit to Gape though who I thought was excellent today, certainly MoTM from our point of view.
Tend to agreed that the subs were too late. I don't think it would have made much difference to be honest. Didn't matter who we had up front, it was the midfield that was the problem and we just didn't have any options to freshen that up.
Feels gloomy at the moment, but it's been 2 very tough games and we've got enough to turn the form around.
Nothing is worse than watching England in their current state - so at least we've got that!
Absolutely dreadful. Why does Ainsworth leave it so late for any substitutions?. Poor management. Has he no confidence in his bench? Where were the signings that would show our intent in this league ( apart from Mawson)as promised by Ainsworth ? We’ve got one or two irons in fire on the days before the end of the transfer window. What happened to them ? Clearly we’ve been hit by injuries but we are definitely short up front. I know Ainsworth says he likes being under the radar but with the next few fixtures, we will need a metal detector to find us!!!
At last, some light in the dark of your world.
Two wins on the bounce and we will all be up for it again ladies/gents. So let’s go and smash Plymouth and the PNL.
I know I will get shot down for this however think Gareth has bought us as far as he can , same subs and teams , he is far to predictable
He is indeed @HCblue
We have an away double of Plymouth Argyle and Peterborough United to end 2022 and see in 2023.
I should have known a professional downer like you would find a situation even more bleak.😂
Thought we battled hard today but lacked composure in most areas. The service to Vokes was hurried and poor. Missed Scowen loads and wasn’t really sure if McCarthy was a man marker or not. Missed our only real decent second half chance but did well to get there.
Read lots of comments on Horgan and Wing. I’m going to be controversial here and add Mehmeti to that after his genius created the goal?
Also lots of talk about the quality we have in our side. Seems to me lots of sides have that quality and Sheff Wed were very good first half. Bannon played like I’d heard about but never seen before.
For me we aren’t a million miles away from a decent run.
We haven’t deserved to win the last 2 games and we haven’t. Anis aside we do seem somewhat toothless. Opposition put 2 big guys on Vokes and nullify our use of him with our current over reliance on the longer ball. We actually looked more threatening without Vokes earlier in the season which must mean we are not getting the best out of him.
With the possible exception of Plymouth all our October games are winnable even for a mid-table team. There's no excuses available if we don't win most of them.
For me there are two issue at the moment
The first is understandable in so far as there appears to be a lack of confidence & belief in the squad following our appalling lack of form so far this season.
The second is GA's propensity to wait too long to make subs & then he replaces like for like rather than trying to change the team shape to change the game.
I think Dobbo, Blooms & the other coaches will & can change the first, plus I think the squad will have themselves a collective head wobble sooner rather than later.
On the latter I am becoming less convinced that GA has the nous to make the right calls on who is in the match day squad, starting XI & who he subs on & off. Don't get me wrong I think if it hadn't been for Ainsworth & Dobson we might not even have a club, so he will always be a legend, I am now starting to worry that he has reached the limit of his skill set.
We have a decent squad with players of Championship quality in Vokes, Scowen, Mawson, Taffzolli, Mehmeti, McCleary, Styjek, (probably add Hanlan & Kaikai to that list if they stay injury free) as well as decent L1 pros in Grimmer, McCarthy, Gape, Freeman, Wheels, Horgan, Obita plus good youngsters like Forino coming through. We do seem to currently be unable to gel these guys into a decent team & there is a lack of obvious leadership on the field.
I think we probably need to go back to basics and make sure we defend in depth & stop conceeding no matter how dreadful that is to watch & then work on scoring on the counter using the likes of Mehmeti & McCleary out wide...but what do I know given I spent my whole career doing project & programme management in financial services.
Give it another month
If Hanlan isn't due back soon then I think big conversations need to be had between manager and chairman about opening the chequebook and signing an out-of-contract striker. The club needs a morale booster to help motivate players and fans and bring us out of our slump. As @Shev has demonstrated, we're falling behind a lot at the moment and are failing to motivate ourselves on the pitch to turn things round. I was not Bayo's biggest fan towards the end of his time with us but even I could see how his introduction in the last 10-15 minutes lifted both players and fans and spurred us into the next gear, even if he didn't always contribute to chances himself.
We need to sign a striker who can do that again; someone with heft (metaphorical, though literal would also work too) who we can turn to as we fall behind and start to give up hope. A fading household name who will provide that second-half fillip and help restore Gareth's desire to see us keep battling to the last. Someone published the list of out-of-contract players recently, there are names on there coming to the end of their career who could do that for us, just like Bayo did the last two seasons. It'll cost us - but something needs to be done to arrest this slump.
I hear your brother - let's really hope McCleary comes back in good form, Scowen is back asap too.
Then get back to a Vokes up front, flanked by McCleary, Mehmeti, Horgan combo, and either Scowen and Gape, or Scowen and Wing for the right game.
McCarthy and Obita full backs.
Surely that sort of shape works.
That's a good point about Bayo's part in those comebacks, @aloysius.
I am also wondering if a larger squad is making it harder to have that tenacious, backs to the wall team spirit.
Nothing wrong with programme management @Erroll_Sims I dabbled in that area myself and from your comments you know your football as do a number of our gasroom colleagues.
Interesting rating of our players there @Erroll_Sims
First set of the championship list no argument, but the keeper, Kaikai and Hanlan surely not that level yet.
Kaikai has barely had a look in with us, let alone showing championship level?
Hanlan is all potential, and again has it all to do to cement a place in our line-up, whereas our keeper has started well, but already has concerns at the kicking side of his game.
Whereas Obita is still only 28 yet has 100s of championship appearances, yet is only rated a solid league 1 player.
Without Scowen and Thompson why are we expecting so much?
Sheff Wed wouldn't be half the team they are without Bannan.
I’m not sure what kind of supporter describes his/her club’s players as “dross”. Definition - worthless rubbish. Perhaps one who is so wrapped up in the club that they visit the club forum only five times a month on average and only comment when things are not going well.
We are all extremely disappointed by this afternoon’s result (especially those of us who predicted 2-2!) and, speaking purely for myself, I just cannot understand why the heralded evolution of playing style and formation seems to have gone into reverse.
None of our players are dross (and I know how easy it is to lapse into intemperate language when frustration creeps in) but I was disappointed to read a trite comment from someone who (based on your username) must have to make quite an effort just to get to home games.