TheBigDog Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 (edited) Nothing sticks.... between McKay, Erwin and Ladopo they couldn't hold up a bank with a sawn off shotgun. McKay was busy but had nothing to work off and shouldn't ever be the 1 in a 4-5-1. There is a chance he could be useful with a Curtis Main or Aaron Holloway type alongside him.... but any combo from the 3 we have are useless. Erwin was puffed out after 15 minutes...of chasing the ball across the field to no great effect. To be fair, some of the passes allegedly to him involved him taking a run from one touchline to the other. Every game for these players is a massive ordeal...along the lines of a walk over hot coals or a ride on the ducking stool. Totally this. None of our three main 'strikers' is a genuine target man - the sort who can hold the ball up and bring others into play.Yet Robinson will persist with this game plan. Granted circumstances following the red card on Saturday dictated we play with one up front, but Erwin is simply not that type of player and I actually felt for the guy as it was a hopeless cause. It is time SR realises this and changes tactic. Compact the play going forward and play to feet - then we will see a marked difference in chances created and eventually goals scored. Edited December 12, 2016 by TheBigDog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lookersstandandy Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Or a Rhead? Maybe someone slightly fitter..... because you couldn't have Rhead & Croft on the pitch at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deyres42 Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Totally this. None of our three main 'strikers' is a genuine target man - the sort who can hold the ball up and bring others into play. Yet Robinson will persist with this game plan. Granted circumstances following the red card on Saturday dictated we play with one up front, but Erwin is simply not that type of player and I actually felt for the guy as it was a hopeless cause. It is time SR realises this and changes tactic. Compact the play going forward and play to feet - then we will see a marked difference in chances created and eventually goals scored. Do we have any passers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafc1955 Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 We didn't create much after the goal. He made one or two darting runs into the box and they made key interceptions. At half time I thought we were good value for the lead. They killed us second half. We can't put two decent halves together....period!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24hoursfromtulsehill Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Totally this. None of our three main 'strikers' is a genuine target man - the sort who can hold the ball up and bring others into play. Yet Robinson will persist with this game plan. Granted circumstances following the red card on Saturday dictated we play with one up front, but Erwin is simply not that type of player and I actually felt for the guy as it was a hopeless cause. It is time SR realises this and changes tactic. Compact the play going forward and play to feet - then we will see a marked difference in chances created and eventually goals scored. We're not good enough to compact the play or play to feet. Our tactics are rightly dictated by Robinson's realistic expectations of the players, which are rightly quite low, hence the banner about being the best team off the ball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBigDog Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 We're not good enough to compact the play or play to feet. Our tactics are rightly dictated by Robinson's realistic expectations of the players, which are rightly quite low, hence the banner about being the best team off the ball. But does realistically expect any of the front three to hold the ball up? If so, I think his expectations are wholly unrealistic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24hoursfromtulsehill Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 But does realistically expect any of the front three to hold the ball up? If so, I think his expectations are wholly unrealistic. It's marginally less dangerous if you have a 9 trying to hold up the hoofs than if you have a midfield with no skill carrying or passing the ball. You lose possession more slowly and in a better part of the pitch with the hoof 9 option. This is where we're at. A conversation about the best way to lose possession, when losing possession is an absolute given. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tringerlatic42 Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 My observation on Saturday was that we are making work very hard for ourselves by automatically lumping it up from the GK where almost 90% of the time we immediately gift the ball back to the other side and then spend a cumulative massive amount of time chasing the ball. Thus we are very rarely in a position to get the best out of our attacking options. We are not Barcelona and never will be but surely we can learn some basic lessons from there- they conserve energy by retaining the ball whenever possible and then hounding only when the oposition has the ball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBigDog Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 My observation on Saturday was that we are making work very hard for ourselves by automatically lumping it up from the GK where almost 90% of the time we immediately gift the ball back to the other side and then spend a cumulative massive amount of time chasing the ball. Thus we are very rarely in a position to get the best out of our attacking options. We are not Barcelona and never will be but surely we can learn some basic lessons from there- they conserve energy by retaining the ball whenever possible and then hounding only when the oposition has the ball. Compact the play and play to feet.. <ahem> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yarddog73 Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 And if none of them can play - what then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafcmetty Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Compact the play and play to feet.. <ahem> You've got to hold and give, but do it at the right time You can be slow or fast but you must get to the line Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24hoursfromtulsehill Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 And if none of them can play - what then? Hoof it to the 9, or just vaguely to that part of the pitch, if you can get a clean enough contact and a fair wind. I lost count of the number of times we missed opportunities on Saturday - not opportunities to score, of which there were only one or two, but opportunities to break effectively, opportunities to manage the game with a bit of possession, opportunities to get a throw-in rather than a free-kick against, opportunities to prevent them passing it where they wanted. There's only one possible explanation for that number and level of missed opportunities: we're absolutely dreadful at football. Even if they were remotely likely, new signings, new investors and new management aren't what we need this season. Only direct Vatican intervention will do. This won't be the great escape - it'll be the greatest ever escape in the history of the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
losesome Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 My observation on Saturday was that we are making work very hard for ourselves by automatically lumping it up from the GK where almost 90% of the time we immediately gift the ball back to the other side and then spend a cumulative massive amount of time chasing the ball. Thus we are very rarely in a position to get the best out of our attacking options. We are not Barcelona and never will be but surely we can learn some basic lessons from there- they conserve energy by retaining the ball whenever possible and then hounding only when the oposition has the ball. The guy on GMR Eyres (cant remember his first name) said this months ago , Latics spend for too long during a game chasing the ball and consequently are knackered 2nd half. They don't leave anybody up at set plays so the ball comes straight back and no team can defend and keep 100% concentration during a game. Also the long punts upfield just come straight back because we have nobody capable of holding it up so why not keep it to feet on the ground. Robbo is aware of it but does nothing about it . I have asked him twice about it in September (on the radio) and at last months meet the manager and both times he defends it passionately . He reckons the more players you leave up means the opposition have more space to move about at corners etc , funny how we can have 13 corners at Port Vale who left 2 sometimes 3 up yet never once were able to exploit the vast area of empty space to score !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tGWB Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Went to the game and came out glad of a point to which I didn't think we would get before kick off Main reason for going was to get a New Ground on the list which shows how bad things have got ! I did see a group of players who were clearly trying to get something from the game, and not just when we went down to 10, which I haven't witnessed much for most of the season so far Previous posts have stated Oxford were rubbish but I didn't see that at all. Oxford had pace and moved the ball fairly well on the ground, particularly from midfield into an attacking opportunity and if Connor Ripley wasn't playing we could easily have been on the end of 5 goal plus score-line We have a squad of players who were available with only a few weeks left before the start of the new season. Hopefully we will be able to bring in some more experienced players and move on a few of the current squad to hel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BP1960 Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Went to the game and came out glad of a point to which I didn't think we would get before kick off Main reason for going was to get a New Ground on the list which shows how bad things have got ! I did see a group of players who were clearly trying to get something from the game, and not just when we went down to 10, which I haven't witnessed much for most of the season so far Previous posts have stated Oxford were rubbish but I didn't see that at all. Oxford had pace and moved the ball fairly well on the ground, particularly from midfield into an attacking opportunity and if Connor Ripley wasn't playing we could easily have been on the end of 5 goal plus score-line We have a squad of players who were available with only a few weeks left before the start of the new season. Hopefully we will be able to bring in some more experienced players and move on a few of the current squad to hel Pretty bad I agree, but I don't think they deserve to be sent to Hell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24hoursfromtulsehill Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Pretty bad I agree, but I don't think they deserve to be sent to Hell. They're already in a type of football hell - a hell of no hope, a hell where they get to do twice as much work as other footballers for less money, and sometimes for no money...a hell where you look round the pitch and don't see anyone who's as good as any of the XI you're facing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeslover Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 They're already in a type of football hell - a hell of no hope, a hell where they get to do twice as much work as other footballers for less money, and sometimes for no money...a hell where you look round the pitch and don't see anyone who's as good as any of the XI you're facing. Not if sweet, sweet Carl isn't playing anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryBosch Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Hoof it to the 9, or just vaguely to that part of the pitch, if you can get a clean enough contact and a fair wind. His first game in months and he's turned into Charles :censored:ing Hughes.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magister Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Perhaps it is that a fresh pair of eyes can see the bleeding obvious which can otherwise be obscured by familiarity? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24hoursfromtulsehill Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 His first game in months and he's turned into Charles :censored:ing Hughes.... Just calling it how I see it. We're really bad and that limits the options. I'm not advocating those tactics but they're sort of inevitable. I suppose what I'm getting at is it's different this season from other seasons. You can't pick the dregs of the transfer market after pre-season training starts and expect to develop a team who can play a bit. The idea that we can avoid a grim struggle in every game if only Robinson picks X instead of Y, or if only we have this game plan instead of that...it's bull:censored:. It's grim whatever he does and whatever XI he plays. Like I said, if we pull this off it's the miracle to end all miracles. We got a draw on Saturday with elbow grease and eye-watering effort, and a referee and liner who were the only people in the ground not to see a blatant penalty for them in the closing minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24hoursfromtulsehill Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Perhaps it is that a fresh pair of eyes can see the bleeding obvious which can otherwise be obscured by familiarity? ^That. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryBosch Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Perhaps it is that a fresh pair of eyes can see the bleeding obvious which can otherwise be obscured by familiarity? I haven't seen us play for a month - but that's another story...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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