MATCH: Maidstone United (H) 18/02/23

[disjointed]

4 minutes ago, deyres42 said:

Squad will have to look very different if there is going to be any promotion aspirations so not sure clues are going to be in plentiful supply at present.

Some pattern to our playing style would be a good start, he has had 30 odd games and I can't see what it is. 

[deyres42]

1 minute ago, disjointed said:

Some pattern to our playing style would be a good start, he has had 30 odd games and I can't see what it is. 

Looks like he prefers a cautious counter attacking approach. That probably doesn't held itself to huge entertainment.

[JoeP]

12 minutes ago, deyres42 said:

Squad will have to look very different if there is going to be any promotion aspirations so not sure clues are going to be in plentiful supply at present.

 

 

After the backing Big Dave's had?  We get out played by most teams in the division, including bottom-of-the-league-no-wins-in-11 Maidstone?

 

Concerning...

[mcfluff1985]

12 hours ago, Pidge said:

Sorry, are you aware of someone else that IS responsible for that decision,

or are you suggesting like Kowenicki, that it was inevitable.

 

Im suggesting he is injury prone and that isnt anyones fault. he came on against Dagenham because it was necessary. He then played the next game because it was necessary and he should be fit. DU obviously then only brought him on for what was supposed to be 30 minutes yesterday so not his fault he's made of biscuits 

 

 

12 hours ago, JoeP said:

 

The wins are in spite of Unsworth.  There's been no change in performance, just a bit more luck.  

 

We need to build now for a promotion push next season - where's the progress?

 

We were outplayed for the majority of the game today by bottom-of-the-league-no-league-wins-in-11 Maidstone United.  It's been the same in every match.  All positive results under Unsworth have lacked any conviction.

 

Them missing a sitter before Reid's wonder-strike saves the game today from another calamity.

 

We can't dominate opposition (like a promotion-chasing team would) because of the way Unsworth sets up.

 

 

 

 

 

All very ALMO again this. We all know DU hasn't set fire to this league the same way we knew a lot of their signings were awful. So anytime there was a decent player signed under them it wasn't credited to them. Same way now positive results apparently can't be credited to DU, only losses. Pathetic

 

 

 

Those saying our current petformances awful to watch are right, but I'm more than happy if we keep on picking up a good points total to look shit every week and have playoff form

[deyres42]

5 minutes ago, JoeP said:

 

 

After the backing Big Dave's had?  We get out played by most teams in the division, including bottom-of-the-league-no-wins-in-11 Maidstone?

 

Concerning...

People keep talking about backing as though we've gone and plucked a load of top players straight out of their first teams when the reality is somewhat different.

[disjointed]

19 minutes ago, deyres42 said:

Looks like he prefers a cautious counter attacking approach. That probably doesn't held itself to huge entertainment.

If hoofing it upfield is cautious counter attacking he can go for me. 

[south east latic]

5 minutes ago, mcfluff1985 said:

 

 

Those saying our current petformances awful to watch are right, but I'm more than happy if we keep on picking up a good points total to look shit every week and have playoff form

Performances, style of play etc are a better indicator of longer term progress than short term form. He’s in a place where he’s needing wins by hook or by crook because he was so abject in his first 20 odd games that we found ourselves in the relegation zone. We’ve done that and long may it continue.

 

However the style of play, the lack of intensity, lack of chances created etc leads me to think that this isn’t sustainable and I think we’ll get found out over the next run of games. This squad surely has too much about it to be not discernibly better than rock-bottom Maidstone. 

[yarddog73]

25 minutes ago, deyres42 said:

People keep talking about backing as though we've gone and plucked a load of top players straight out of their first teams when the reality is somewhat different.

Rob trolling after a win shocker

[Londonboy]

To play this great brand of entertaining football everyone seems to want you need quality, creative players in midfield and out wide.

We don't have an attacking right side - fact 

We don't have someone who can dictate a game in central midfield - fact 

Until we get players to fill these gaps our style of play will pretty much remain as it is.

 

Unsworth is probably not the right manager to get us back into the EFL, but you can only work with what you have, and the impression some on here have that we have invested in loads of quality players is bollocks. Most are past their best, are solid not creative, and are good enough to keep us up which is now being shown in our results and performances.

 

Ask yourself who in our squad would get into Wrexham's or Notts County's starting 11?

 

None I'd hazard a guess.... Shows how far we have fallen and how far we have to go.

Doesn't matter who is in charge. We have a solid mid table squad and nothing more. We will finish around 12th which is probably a place or two below where they should be, and Unsworth should take the flack for this.

I'll be interested to see who we bring in in pre season and how much we do actually invest in genuine quality players.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[deyres42]

21 minutes ago, yarddog73 said:

Rob trolling after a win shocker

Signed two players who would be considered first teamers where they were Fazza.

[Shrek]

1 hour ago, disjointed said:

If hoofing it upfield is cautious counter attacking he can go for me. 

 

We've only one midfielder who can take care of the ball, Rooney. Seems to not be physical enough to play centre mid.

 

Only our left back can pass the ball in the back line with any confidence. 

 

This causes a massive issue if you want barca style passing patterns. 

 

Tollet is a joke on and off the ball. Sheron bless him is very limited football wise. Shilton not much above Sheron for me. Gardner is the answer but he's done. 

 

Hogan and Yarney aren't ball players, they look up and see Shilton and Sheron. I'm not suprised they just knock it up / out. I'd only trust Rooney in the midfield to receive the ball tight and find a blue shirt with anything meaningful. 

[yarddog73]

37 minutes ago, deyres42 said:

Signed two players who would be considered first teamers where they were Fazza.

What's that got to do with it, Gateshead rocked up on Tuesday with three subs, one was a keeper an outfield player and the manager on the bench, another making his full debut yet we were largely outplayed by them and were happy to sit in and try to defend for 90 minutes (something we generally can't do) despite the players no doubt being bored to fucking tears on the training ground doing defensive drill after defensive drill.

 

Now which way do you want it Rob because when Shez was here it was all his fault and any manager worth their salt would be getting a tune out of players we had, or is it all of a sudden the 40 odd players we've used this season which haven't managed to put a full 90 minutes in this season that you could describe as a dominant performance.

 

All you do is post shite which goes against the grain of what the majority of fans post, all fucking contrary when you don't even go to games, I enjoy the discussions on here and generally see where most fans argument comes from the problem I have with you is you don't have an opinion and post for bites, it's fucking tedious on a level with Unsworths football.

[kowenicki]

14 hours ago, Pidge said:

Sorry, are you aware of someone else that IS responsible for that decision,

or are you suggesting like Kowenicki, that it was inevitable.

It was inevitable. He’s injury prone and no amount of cotton wool is going to change that. 

[deyres42]

6 minutes ago, yarddog73 said:

What's that got to do with it, Gateshead rocked up on Tuesday with three subs, one was a keeper an outfield player and the manager on the bench, another making his full debut yet we were largely outplayed by them and were happy to sit in and try to defend for 90 minutes (something we generally can't do) despite the players no doubt being bored to fucking tears on the training ground doing defensive drill after defensive drill.

 

Now which way do you want it Rob because when Shez was here it was all his fault and any manager worth their salt would be getting a tune out of players we had, or is it all of a sudden the 40 odd players we've used this season which haven't managed to put a full 90 minutes in this season that you could describe as a dominant performance.

 

All you do is post shite which goes against the grain of what the majority of fans post, all fucking contrary when you don't even go to games, I enjoy the discussions on here and generally see where most fans argument comes from the problem I have with you is you don't have an opinion and post for bites, it's fucking tedious on a level with Unsworths football.

Well it has everything to do with the post I was replying to Fazza...

[yarddog73]

2 minutes ago, deyres42 said:

Well it has everything to do with the post I was replying to Fazza...

Keep trying Rob

[JoeP]

4 hours ago, mcfluff1985 said:

 

All very ALMO again this. We all know DU hasn't set fire to this league the same way we knew a lot of their signings were awful. So anytime there was a decent player signed under them it wasn't credited to them. Same way now positive results apparently can't be credited to DU, only losses. Pathetic

 

 

When ALMO were making decent signings, they were telling the manager what team to play, which cancelled out any positivity they brought with the signings.  They were playing Football Manager, until they realised they were no good at it and the club became a millstone around their neck of which they wanted rid...but only for the right price.  Why on earth do they deserve credit for any of that?

 

The positive results ARE in spite of Unsworth - the performances haven't changed.  We could easily have not won a single game he's been in charge of, but we've had some luck and individual brilliance, like Reid's goal yesterday.  

 

 

Edited February 19, 2023 by JoeP

[Londonboy]

6 minutes ago, JoeP said:

 

When ALMO were making decent signings, they were telling the manager what team to play.  They were playing Football Manager, until they realised they were no good at it and the club became a millstone around their neck of which they wanted rid...but only for the right price.  Why on earth do they deserve credit for any of that?

 

The positive results ARE in spite of Unsworth - the performances haven't changed.  We could easily have not won a single game he's been in charge of, but we've had some luck and individual brilliance, like Reid's goal yesterday.  

Honest question Joe.

Do you think since Jan 1st with the squad we have, we should be doing better than W4 D3 L1?

 

And granted we are not the most attractive footballing team at the moment, but how would you change things? Starting 11/formation etc?

 

[Steve_R]

I was happy enough with the result yesterday, but I don’t think I’ve ever felt so underwhelmed after a win.

Maidstone we’re awful, haven’t won in ages and a rightfully bottom of this shite league, yet we laboured to an unconvincing win, only sealed in the 93rd minute.

Their side looked like they’d been cobbled together in a car park on a Sunday morning. Some of them looked so out of condition I’d back myself against them in a fitness test and I’m 63 years old and last saw the inside of a gym when I did PE at school.

[latics22]

19 hours ago, Pidge said:

Or maybe playing nearly 90 minutes first match back when not match fit after a  prolonged spell recovering from injury.  Then another 2 matches in 11 days was to much for an older player. DU is used to young players who heal quicker and maybe this is another mismanagement. 
 

Experienced managers and medical teams usually give 20 to 30 mins first game, then maybe start and do 60 or 70 mins as a minimum before a full 90 mins.

He’s played professional football at the highest level and has a team around him. He should know how to bring a players back from injury.

[JoeP]

17 minutes ago, Londonboy said:

Honest question Joe.

Do you think since Jan 1st with the squad we have, we should be doing better than W4 D3 L1?

 

And granted we are not the most attractive footballing team at the moment, but how would you change things? Starting 11/formation etc?

 

 

I think those results are fine for the short-term (given the results which have gone before..) but the performances are still not encouraging for the long-term (which is what we're supposedly meant to be focussing on!).  As I say - we're going through a purple patch at the moment, but I'm not convinced about how long that will last and how it will work for our promotion push next season.

 

I want to see there to be more connection between defence, attack and midfield.  I want more pressing on when the opposition are in possession.  I want to see us dictate play, instead of being dictated to, especially at home.  I want the players to be able to string more than three passes together - if we've signed players that can't do that, then it's a waste of budget.  We seem to have an abundance of "attacking" midfielders, who are more creative than yardog types, yet we don't attack or create - why is this so??  I rate Sheron as someone who can play the yarddog role, but the creative players we have don't really seem to have options when we get the ball other than to hoof it up to the striker because we play to narrow.  These issues have remained throughout Unsworth's tenure, with no sign of improvement even in this "good" run.

 

I don't buy that we have the least talented squad in the league, yet pretty much every other team in the league - even Maidstone - seem to be better than us with the ball and more attractive to watch but let down by bad finishing.  What are they doing that we're not?  If we do the creative bit right, then we've got the strikers to do well.

 

Hope that helps..

[nzlatic]

18 minutes ago, JoeP said:

 

I think those results are fine for the short-term (given the results which have gone before..) but the performances are still not encouraging for the long-term (which is what we're supposedly meant to be focussing on!).  As I say - we're going through a purple patch at the moment, but I'm not convinced about how long that will last and how it will work for our promotion push next season.

 

I want to see there to be more connection between defence, attack and midfield.  I want more pressing on when the opposition are in possession.  I want to see us dictate play, instead of being dictated to, especially at home.  I want the players to be able to string more than three passes together - if we've signed players that can't do that, then it's a waste of budget.  We seem to have an abundance of "attacking" midfielders, who are more creative than yardog types, yet we don't attack or create - why is this so??  I rate Sheron as someone who can play the yarddog role, but the creative players we have don't really seem to have options when we get the ball other than to hoof it up to the striker because we play to narrow.  These issues have remained throughout Unsworth's tenure, with no sign of improvement even in this "good" run.

 

I don't buy that we have the least talented squad in the league, yet pretty much every other team in the league - even Maidstone - seem to be better than us with the ball and more attractive to watch but let down by bad finishing.  What are they doing that we're not?  If we do the creative bit right, then we've got the strikers to do well.

 

Hope that helps..

I think it’s unfair to say these wins are in spite of Unsworth. He’s in charge of how we play and that’s resulted in us scoring more than the opposition most games this year. So that should get a certain amount of credit.
 

On style of play, that’s my main concern when it comes to the future. I don’t think our current way of playing is sustainable over a season. It won’t sell tickets unless we’re top 3 and I can’t imagine the players enjoy it much either. 
 

It’s been implied in player and manager interviews recently that the plan is to play more football but just need to get out of trouble. Problem is we’re running out of time to do that before season ticket sales and to try and get some momentum before the end of the season. 
 

If we want to scrap for points with Gateshead then that’s fine but for me the chesterfield game should be one where we’re looking to start playing actual football again. 

[Bobledgersheart]

What strikes me is that we're always on the back foot. A couple of times recently (including yesterday) Sheron has attacked an opponent, dispossessed him and a goal has resulted.

Whether it's the lack of pace in our defence or by design we sit far too deep and opponents are able to exploit the space.

[mcfluff1985]

2 hours ago, JoeP said:

 

When ALMO were making decent signings, they were telling the manager what team to play, which cancelled out any positivity they brought with the signings.  They were playing Football Manager, until they realised they were no good at it and the club became a millstone around their neck of which they wanted rid...but only for the right price.  Why on earth do they deserve credit for any of that?

 

The positive results ARE in spite of Unsworth - the performances haven't changed.  We could easily have not won a single game he's been in charge of, but we've had some luck and individual brilliance, like Reid's goal yesterday.  

 

 

Good to see you've one point of view and it will never change despite results picking up

[League one forever]

2 hours ago, nzlatic said:

I think it’s unfair to say these wins are in spite of Unsworth. He’s in charge of how we play and that’s resulted in us scoring more than the opposition most games this year. So that should get a certain amount of credit.
 

On style of play, that’s my main concern when it comes to the future. I don’t think our current way of playing is sustainable over a season. It won’t sell tickets unless we’re top 3 and I can’t imagine the players enjoy it much either. 
 

It’s been implied in player and manager interviews recently that the plan is to play more football but just need to get out of trouble. Problem is we’re running out of time to do that before season ticket sales and to try and get some momentum before the end of the season. 
 

If we want to scrap for points with Gateshead then that’s fine but for me the chesterfield game should be one where we’re looking to start playing actual football again. 

Good post. 
 

I have reigned in my Unsworth criticism because quite simply the recent results speak for themselves. He has to be given credit for that. 
 

Joe makes some really good points about the style of play, but I don’t think the way we play should surprise people. He’s a defensive counter attacking manager- he says he wants to be more expansive in time but I think we’ll get a ripped a new arsehole if he tries that, because I don’t think he is tactically good enough.
 

We are winning- with a very basic set up and style of play. The trouble is- it’s awful to watch. . 

So the choice under Unsy is- 

 

Win - but the football is dire. 
 

Lose- but the football is better. 
 

I would be staggered if he can get us winning playing expansive attacking football. 

[boundaryblue80]

7 hours ago, Londonboy said:

To play this great brand of entertaining football everyone seems to want you need quality, creative players in midfield and out wide.

We don't have an attacking right side - fact 

We don't have someone who can dictate a game in central midfield - fact 

Until we get players to fill these gaps our style of play will pretty much remain as it is.

 

Unsworth is probably not the right manager to get us back into the EFL, but you can only work with what you have, and the impression some on here have that we have invested in loads of quality players is bollocks. Most are past their best, are solid not creative, and are good enough to keep us up which is now being shown in our results and performances.

 

Ask yourself who in our squad would get into Wrexham's or Notts County's starting 11?

 

None I'd hazard a guess.... Shows how far we have fallen and how far we have to go.

Doesn't matter who is in charge. We have a solid mid table squad and nothing more. We will finish around 12th which is probably a place or two below where they should be, and Unsworth should take the flack for this.

I'll be interested to see who we bring in in pre season and how much we do actually invest in genuine quality players.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He’s had ample opportunity to get these players in. He said Maynard was a key part of his team when fit. Sydie Peck was championed as some real key in the plan. Shelton a box to box guy. Chapman is his man. Been poor. He’s making them poor. His style and tactics and lumping the ball and just no real design or plan is making players look like absolute shit. 
 

Would love to see our side under another manager. Would be totally different with organisation, knowing when to press, when to hold. Players designed to play in 2s and 3s and hunt in packs. 
 

See none of it under this clown.