Reds v Stockport MDT

I reckon if we play like tonight most weeks, we’d lose. So I’m delighted with the point. I’m only surprised it took so long to see an equaliser.

They took Norwood off (reminded me of Greening for us years ago, absolute handbrake) and completely took over. Albeit, Clarke’s obsession with subs didn’t help us either. Cosgrove was appalling for one. And, I felt Earl (dodgy moment aside) was decent but then you move him to wing back and it just invites the oppo full back right on.

Anyway… what do we know? Nowt.

 

Sorry but I can't be delighted with a point at home be newly promoted Stockport.

I get what you are saying in terms of the context of the performance etc. but that should never be part of the equation. We shouldn't be so flat and pedestrian in games.

 

I agree when you put it like that. But from Roberts’ inability to pass with any accuracy, Maël’s belief that he’s actually Marcel Desailly and Slonina punching instead of catching, I clench my arse cheeks far too often when it’s in our defensive third. And that’s before I think about Corey, Barry or Josh. Even Craig just in front tonight, he was doing his best to cough up possession.

Awful performance. Somehow a point. Take it and move on I guess.
Reds.

 

I'm not really sure I understand what the formation is supposed to be. Or at least what it's supposed to achieve. The players look similarly confused.

 

Not ridiculous at all. We had a couple of better keepers ahead of him so he wasn't even making the bench and since leaving us has played below our level until now.

 

Look at Stockport’s squad. That’s as good as most at this level. That they’re newly promoted means nothing. They were a second tier regular with us a couple of decades ago. Good to see them under proper stewardship again and on the up and up.

I don’t think they were up to much tonight though. And first half, there for the taking. Unfortunately, we retreated, played badly and in the end, a point was welcome.

 

Does the one point count as a positive to take forward from tonight?

Given the otherwise hopelessly negative fare on display, I suppose it does.

We should get paid to have to watch our team play like that.

 

Just a question about Keillor-Dunn. Every time I’ve watched him he looks completely knackered after an hour & unless I’m mistaken hasn’t got near to playing a full game.

Has he always been like this or is he carrying a knock?

It’s a bit of a worry if we’ve spent around 750k on a forward who can’t do 90 minutes.

 

I saw him regularly in our 21s and struggled to understand how he’d made it that far. He was that bad.

So fair play to him.

 

They've a few good players and will be nowhere near the bottom 4 but it's far from as good as anything at this level. You are bigging them up a bit much.

We will face much better sides than them this season and if we give them the same respect we offered to Stockport those sides will absolutely batter us.

 

But I thought our transfer strategy was all about "layering"? It was inevitable that the better keepers would leave at some point. Now we're left with two permanent keepers - one of which we've never seen play and the other who is clearly National League standard. Meaning we have a field a very inexperienced Chelsea reserve, who might be exceptional one day, but clearly isn't right now. If he was our player I'd mind much less, hence why releasing Addai is now looking like a very short-sighted decision.

 

I’m also really glad we dropped on a Stockport side coming off of a defeat & no win in three. If we dropped on them when they first got up on their winning spree then I think we come away with nothing tonight. They certainly grew into the game as their confidence came back.

 

So I was at a birthday party in Brooklands tonight. As previously stated, I wouldn’t have been at Oakwell because Saturday night is not my idea of an appropriate slot for attending a match. Anyway, they had the game on in the lounge and, like a moth to a flame, I was drawn to watching about an hour of it. Quite frankly, we were terrible. No creativity, no flair. Nothing. Stockport who, I think, were in the National League 10 minutes ago, looked at least a division better than us. We appear to be signing players who tick all the Academy boxes, but offer little to excite or inspire anyone to think otherwise. The beer was daft expensive too.

 

I think he’d be less knackered if he wasn’t chasing aimless balls and we attempted to get the ball down and play through the lines.

It’s like we’ve gone from Neill’s pass-heavy approach to the complete opposite, but recruited for Neill.

 

I’m still waiting for this so called top midfield to show up and actually control and dictate a game , we’ve had the odd glimpse of it but mostly it’s pedestrian and wayward passing.

 

They’ll be top six. Because in January they’ll fix the areas that need it. Have a read up on them, their owners, their strategy etc. Lots to learn from, sadly.

 

I guess that gives us hope that Slonina will come good. Just a pity he's not our player. Jackson Smith has a lot more league experience, at least in England. Really don't understand why we've signed him with no intention of playing him.

 

Outside of the first 15 mins that was awful. Roberts cannot pass, MDG too many touches, Earl decent but gives the ball away too often. Don’t rate O’Keefe either.

Midfield non existent and Phillips isn’t a midfielder in my opinion, more of a second striker type.

I think we need to change formation, looks clear to me that we need an extra body in midfield.

Thought Craig was poor today as well

 

Footballers play to instruction. Trust me on that. If you don’t do as instructed, you won’t get picked.

 

Agree. At least with Collins he could see the teams weaknesses & set the team up to protect them. I feel like Clarke’s now in a position that even if he wanted to play a more possession heavy & cautious style like Collins did that he can’t because the fans (or certainly the vocal ones) won’t accept it