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Thought Lang looked very quick when he came on, admittedly he got caught offside twice. 

This league is terrible and it really wouldn’t take much tweaking to comfortably be top 3.

Gardner is having to do it all in the middle so it’s understandable it isn’t always going to come off.

 

Bunn is caught between a rock and a hard place because if you had a good enough midfield you could play the intricate football that would negate the need for a ‘target man’. As it is we play too much long ball and given the size of the centre halves we’ve been up against thus far you can understand even if you don’t agree with it why he plays O’Grady and or Miller.

Baxter playing between the lines along with Gardner driving at the opposition and playing through through balls to two young, agile strikers already proven in this league in Surridge and Lang is undoubtably the way to go but I don’t think the other players can be used in a way that would enable us to this.

 

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6 hours ago, Monty Burns said:

Keeps bringing Baxter on up front. Wonder who predicted that in pre season?

He's not playing as a striker though, just because he replaces one it doesn't necessarily mean it's like for like, I'd say he's playing in a CAM role or even as a No 10, he's definitely not playing as an out and out striker.

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4 hours ago, b0ndl1ne said:

Thought Lang looked very quick when he came on, admittedly he got caught offside twice. 

This league is terrible and it really wouldn’t take much tweaking to comfortably be top 3.

Gardner is having to do it all in the middle so it’s understandable it isn’t always going to come off.

 

Bunn is caught between a rock and a hard place because if you had a good enough midfield you could play the intricate football that would negate the need for a ‘target man’. As it is we play too much long ball and given the size of the centre halves we’ve been up against thus far you can understand even if you don’t agree with it why he plays O’Grady and or Miller.

Baxter playing between the lines along with Gardner driving at the opposition and playing through through balls to two young, agile strikers already proven in this league in Surridge and Lang is undoubtably the way to go but I don’t think the other players can be used in a way that would enable us to this.

 

Agree with this. 

 

For me I'd much rather see Lang and Surridge playing in front of a Baxter or Byrne working the opposition defence than the tedious tactic of pumping the ball up to the two trees we played up front last night, it's a total myth that these lumps can hold a ball up and bring others into play because it just bounces off them and as a partnership they wouldn't bag 10 between them all season, Surridge on his own would of had more joy last night because he has ability can hold it up or turn and test a defence, I know our front men are exposed and lack any real midfield support but they are frankly not up to it particularly as a pairing, I just hope we don't continue pumping a ball up to two men who can do nothing with it and if we are to play two up top it has to be either O'Grady or Miller definitely not both. 

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If we play Miller and Ogrady as a starting pairing then it allows the opposition to play 10 yards further up the pitch as they know that neither will run in behind them or run in the channels. Play one of them with either Lang or Surridge and it can work as seen on saturday albeit not spectacularly.

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10 hours ago, LightDN123 said:

I’m trying to enjoy it, but it’s just not happening 

Give it time, it'll grow on you when we're winning more than your used to. 

Tell me our first win this season didn't put a smile back on your face 

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9 hours ago, BP1960 said:

 

A goalscoring striker on the wing, well it worked with Adam Rooney didn't it?

I thought the same, out and out is Langs position, no bloody use in a cameo role out on the wing which then turned very defensive. 

 

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The fact is that most of the players of league 1 quality have gone (yes, they should have kept us up) and we have replaced with league 2 quality players (or less), so to get out of this league a point away and 3 at home must be the aim.  We do not have enough quality to rip up this league, so a point last night is ok, particularly at a ground where we have a poor record (yes I do think that is important).

 

Before the usual suspects start, no I am not a happy clapper.  In fact I am very unhappy about the club's situation.

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5 minutes ago, frizzell54 said:

The fact is that most of the players of league 1 quality have gone (yes, they should have kept us up) and we have replaced with league 2 quality players (or less), so to get out of this league a point away and 3 at home must be the aim.  We do not have enough quality to rip up this league, so a point last night is ok, particularly at a ground where we have a poor record (yes I do think that is important).

 

Before the usual suspects start, no I am not a happy clapper.  In fact I am very unhappy about the club's situation.

You make valid points but the fact remains we have five points from four games and it was considered we had an easyish start, 50 points from 40 games would be a major disappointment for me and already our fans seem to be comfortable with the fact we are going away to grounds and playing for points, these teams are there for the taking and this setting up not to lose a division lower is boring to watch. It's plain to see what we need, wide right, centre mid and one decent striker to go with Surridge instead of the other three donkeys O'Grady, Benteke and Miller who are just not up to it.

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Just now, yarddog73 said:

You make valid points but the fact remains we have five points from four games and it was considered we had an easyish start, 50 points from 40 games would be a major disappointment for me and already our fans seem to be comfortable with the fact we are going away to grounds and playing for points, these teams are there for the taking and this setting up not to lose a division lower is boring to watch. It's plain to see what we need, wide right, centre mid and one decent striker to go with Surridge instead of the other three donkeys O'Grady, Benteke and Miller who are just not up to it.

 

I'd be very surprised if we get another striker in: Lang, Surridge, Miller, COG, Benteke and potentially Duffus to come back in October. The issue is getting the ball to them. 

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2 minutes ago, frizzell54 said:

The fact is that most of the players of league 1 quality have gone (yes, they should have kept us up) and we have replaced with league 2 quality players (or less), so to get out of this league a point away and 3 at home must be the aim.  We do not have enough quality to rip up this league, so a point last night is ok, particularly at a ground where we have a poor record (yes I do think that is important).

 

Before the usual suspects start, no I am not a happy clapper.  In fact I am very unhappy about the club's situation.

Good point you make about a return of 3 points at home and 1 away, this is indeed what we should be aiming for but we are woefully short of quality in both midfield and our forward line. Baxter and Gardner are obviously more than capable but i feel we are going to be too reliant on Surridge and Lang ( 2 young lads who have good pedigree but are very young and relatively inexperienced)

I feel a 2 point per game average is beyond us, a season finish of 60 to 65 points is as good as we can hope for which would probably leave us mid table.

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Any neutral watching would want their money back, but I went away from that with more optimism than I did from Forest Green.  We looked like a much better unit than previously but couldn't break down a tough defence.  Luckily our defence was just as strong and their attack just as impotent, gaining us a fair draw.

 

Iverson - good solid performance.  I wouldn't be surprised if he's one of the better keepers in the league by the end of the season.

 

Hunt - a couple of dodgy moments in the first 30 mins but was very steady after that.  Anyone see Dickinson's elbow on him?

Clarke - so good.  Reads the game so well.  He's vital to any sort of success we'll have this season.

Edmundson - no doubt that having experience either side of him helped, but he looks comfortably good enough for this level.

Taylor - steady and smart.

 

Branger-Engone - not awful, but doesn't look like the creative spark that you hope a winger will be.

Gardner - a good player at this level.  Dynamic and enough of an athlete that he doesn't get muscled off the ball.  Gave the ball away in needless positions a few times but produced a moment of quality that very nearly won us the game.

Missilou - the biggest improvement from the FGR game.  Still a bit suspect positionally but broke up play well and didn't give their midfield a chance to settle.  With him and Gardner there's no doubt that we have energy in the centre of the park.

Nepomuceno - better than Branger, but still flatters to deceive.  He makes the midfield more balanced but his final ball needs to improve.

 

O'Grady - he undoubtedly works hard but he's not very effective at all.  I think the fact that he knows how to play the role of a forward is useful to us in the short term, even if he can't do it particularly well.

Miller - not great but made more of an impact than O'Grady.  The trouble is that he wasn't far off getting a 2nd yellow before being subbed at half time.  I think both strikers will have their uses this season but I absolutely wouldn't start them as a partnership ever again.

 

Subs

Baxter - obviously he made us better.  In the first 10 to 15 mins we tried playing on the ground through him but then decided to go long for the rest of the game that really didn't.

Lang - didn't get the ball very often so didn't make an impact.  He looks smaller and quicker than Surridge.

 

Yeovil were your bog standard, middle of the road League 2 team.  4-4-2, strong defence, big man up front, pace on the flanks but not much quality.  As the season goes on I think we'll beat more of these teams than we lose to but we aren't quite there yet.

 

Which brings me onto Bunn.  I can see him making an impact on this squad.  We might've ended up with the same outcome as at Forest Green but we were much more organised and comfortable.  The experience of Clarke and Taylor definitely helps, but players like Missilou are understanding their roles better and as a result we look good as a unit.  Hopefully O'Grady and Miller will start less and less as Baxter, Surridge and Lang get fitter, but at the moment O'Grady is doing a job for the team (albeit not a great one) and Miller is an awkward player for defenders to deal with.  I don't think Bunn is too disappointed that Baxter isn't fully fit yet because the experienced strikers are at least working for the team and are part of the unit.  I get the impression that Bunn doesn't want us to rely on one player, no matter how good.

 

Finally, fair play to the 262 who made a pretty awful journey and made a fair amount of noise with it!

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6 minutes ago, yarddog73 said:

Not seen him and that's why I've not judged him the other three are bobbins though, he should of started last night in a front two with O'Grady though.

Don't you know that Miller scored a goal on Saturday, O'grady scored a couple last year and Benteke has a brother who is a good player, shame on you Mr Yarddog  :chubb:

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Very poor quality match.

 

Positives: Defence looks fairly strong now Clarke and Taylor are back.  The occasional wobble but not many teams at this level are completely error free.  It's a base to build from.

Negatives: Don't see the point of playing 2 wide men if they spend very little time out wide.  Both seem to have starting positions quite centrally, then move out wide giving plenty of time for Yeovil to get men behind the ball.  Also, a lot of players are on their heels too much.  They give a ball inside but then stand still, so when the ball is returned they're a yard behind and it comes to nothing.  They need to work on the speed of play, too often there are too many men behind the ball by the time we're in the final third.

 

If we have any room for manoeuvre in the transfer market at all, we could really do with a midfielder that can get his foot on the ball and dictate the tempo of play.  This is assuming Byrne is indeed on his way.  

 

I originally thought Baxter would play off a front man, like Surridge.  But unless we bring someone else into the middle he's going to have to play there.  I'd prefer him much further up the pitch.

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4 hours ago, archiecat said:

Good point you make about a return of 3 points at home and 1 away, this is indeed what we should be aiming for but we are woefully short of quality in both midfield and our forward line. Baxter and Gardner are obviously more than capable but i feel we are going to be too reliant on Surridge and Lang ( 2 young lads who have good pedigree but are very young and relatively inexperienced)

I feel a 2 point per game average is beyond us, a season finish of 60 to 65 points is as good as we can hope for which would probably leave us mid table.

I'd like us to try being more reliant on Surridge and Lang

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Christ. 

 

You’d think we were rooted to the bottom of the league reading this. 

 

Yes the squad is poor.

 

Yes we only have two decent midfielders. 

 

Yes the football is largely poor/mediocre. (It was for the vast majority of time in league one) 

 

Continually going on about what we haven’t got is tedious. 

 

We are where we are. 

 

Currently that’s unbeaten in 3. 

 

It aint all bad. 

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