Poor second half

We seemed all to happy to sit back and see out most of the second half in the hope of hanging on for win. Anybody could see an equaliser was on the cards for the last 2Omins plus and sure enough, that's what happened. After the changes, as an attacking force, we were non existent with Cosgrove and Marsh 'upfront'. Marsh is a worker but not much else and Cosgrove was absolutely terrible, being knocked off the ball and had not got the skill or technique to hold the ball up or shield it whilst the midfield came into play. Adam Philips was invisible for most of the match and had little impact on play. Despite numerous coaches, we don't seem to be able to gel and our play is disjointed. It's to be hope we do better on Tuesday or the result will be the same..

 

Wasn't a great first half either.

 

It wasn’t, but we could easily have been 2-0 when Humphrys was clean through on the keeper. That was one of the key moments of the game for me.

 

Exactly as I saw it. Phillips was a passenger last night. Like playing with ten men. What got me is when he received the ball in the attacking 3rd during the 2nd half, he turned away from their goal and looked for a backwards pass. No cohesion or fluidity to our play.

 

This habit of receiving and immediately turning back is endemic throughout the team, keeper excluded of course. It has been a feature of our play for far too long and it drives me bananas! The crowd gets on to them for it until it inevitably gets hoofed to nobody.

These players that we have are capable of so much better so why don’t they do it? Playing in triangles is fine as long as something positive follows to get us excited.

I don’t expect perfection and 100% pass accuracy but something has to change, and soon. We’re picking up points somehow but, as has happened before, teams will suss us out and the wins will diminish

 

Clarke does too much chopping and changing. In the past you could nearly name the front two, who played regularly unless through an injury and so built up an understanding and played off each other. However now you don't know from half to half nevermind from match to match who is going to be upfront.

 

It was a very good chance and a bit of a bad miss, but the assistant referee raised his flag, so it wouldn't have counted. The replay showed Humphrys muscled the defender off the ball. I didn't think it was a foul, Humphrys was just stronger than him and did very well. The commentary team didn't think it was a foul either, but it was given.

 

I just watched the extended highlights and the whistle went, so it wouldn't have counted.

Someone said their keeper made a lot of good saves, and someone else refuted it. The highlights prove the former to be more accurate.

 

Its just not us though. So many clubs do it and its mental. I get man city doing it because they just control games and will always likely score. But clubs like ours won't have nowhere near that control but yet still do it instead of trying to get the ball forward and attack. Its so frustrating

 

Some of that is down to injuries. Clarke started the season with Watters and Cosgrove. They both did alright, scored and assisted. Watters then got injured. I don't know if he's injured now, but I bloody hope so, because if Jalo and Marsh are getting in the squad ahead of him then there's summat wrong. Watters has started 6 games this season, but was taken off injured after 9 minutes at Crawley and was clearly still unfit at Man Utd. He scored 2 goals in the other four games which is a decent return. And crucially, him and Cosgrove had seemingly started to form an understanding.

 

Keep seeing this referenced, but wasn't there a late offside flag? The ref certainly gave the signal for offside and their keeper took a free kick rather than us getting the corner from his save.

 

Was a foul rather than an offside. It wasn't like, but that's what was given.

 

He was flagged offside. Stockport had a great chance one on one our keeper made a great double save 1st half.

 

Missing the odd chance to me is not my main concern, it's the way we seem to let the opposition keep dominating us in large sections of the game and sit back rather than taking the game to them, infact it is now becoming the norm. Best form of defence is attack and the way we have abandoned the press is alarming.

 

Yep that’s right. To quote Ron Atkinson from itv in the 90s when football was great , he ‘outstrengthed him’

Ref then saw him go through and therefore blew.

wouldn’t have done any where else on the pitch but that’s what happens.

 

I know - it’s everywhere. Defenders and keepers having brain fades usually leading to a goal is seen in almost every game at all levels. Some of the ludicrous short passes in their own penalty areas is the worst of it. Don’t footballers look up before tapping the ball to the opposition? Seems not and we’re no more guilty than any of the top players that do it every week.

 

Was he? Forget that then.

 

Yes, my mistake. I hadn’t realised at the time.

 

Yeah mate looked close to me. Lino saved his blushes bad miss.

 

I think Cotter’s chance was as bad, tried to cross when he should have just shot. Keeper was out of position and he was clean through