Poor record at home - let’s stick to doing what we always do, change personnel here and there but not approach or shape. Outstanding away record - let’s change everything, including shape and formation, play one forward and eight defensive minded players - and look worse than at any point we have in recent home games. Standard. I’ve really got no idea what to say or think at this point.
Not at all. His first half selection was bizarre. All I judged was that. That’s not to say he didn’t do excellently well to change it around at half time. As I’ve said on another thread, he got it as right second half as he did wrong the first. I give credit where it is warranted. Doesn’t make the original team selection any more understandable. I’m still as baffled about it as I was at 2pm when it was announced. At least he recognised it, altered it and actually had us play pretty well second half. That’s great. I’m not sure why he felt need to try and fix an issue that didn’t exist away from home, but he’s earnt his stripes today in the end. Maybe he’ll be bold enough to try something different at home in a couple of weeks - and also, as today, honest and brave enough to change it if it doesn’t work.
Or more simply. Home / away is irrelevant & he wasn’t happy with Cole, Mcatee & Phillips on Friday so dropped them to try & get a reaction. Both Mcatee & Phillips came on looking fired up & did well.
If he wouldn't have changed things after Friday he would have been slaughtered.At half time today he saw his selection not working so he rightly changed it.Thats what coaches and managers do. I wish people would wait until full time to give an assessment.You then get a more grounded opinion of the game.
Not seen the game today - but it seems he’s put out the stronger side in the 2nd half when Burton were a little more tired? As every manager says - the ones who finish a game, are just as important as the ones who start it. And maybe that’s why he’s done it. It’s a strong bunch of subs he’s put on then.
Home / away is irrelevant? If that is the case, and it makes no difference, why is one record so markedly worse than the other? And if he’s dropped players to get a reaction from them for when they come on, then that is a very risky strategy. We were only one nil down today - it may not have been the case. I had no issue with personnel changes and dropping individuals he felt (correctly) had underperformed. I questioned how and why he felt it right and necessary to change the whole shape and setup away from home, where we’ve been excellent in terms of results, yet he hasn’t and appears unwilling to do so at home where we have been average at best. Second half, back to (closer to, not exactly of course) the usual setup, a more attacking mindset, three scored, three points, job done. If that was the plan all along then fair enough. I mean, I certainly doubt it - I don’t think you’d assert that’s what he was doing - and even if so I’d question the logic of trying to contain the might of Burton Albion before unleashing later on - but if it was by design, cracking. Well done. The game was won and comfortably enough in the end. I still think he got it inexplicably wrong initially. He was good enough, and strong enough, to recognise it and change it. Great. I wish he’d be as flexible and adaptable more often, but I can’t ask any more than he provided today from half time.
Rotated the squad from a game 48 hours ago, won 3-1 away, got through another game without injury when we've got bigger games upcoming. What an absolute wnker.
Phillips and another player reported Ill according to Radio Sheffield, so that explains a bit of his thinking. Cole has been poor for a while so I’m sure we would all have liked to see Cosgrove start today, but not on his own, everyone was scratching their heads at that one. We won at a canter in the end, that’s all that really matters. Three good goals and another win on the road.
Not a question of Burton tiring. I think we just proved we were the better team, as we were against Cheltenham and Cambridge without getting the right results. We were well under par first half and I was suggesting even finishing top six might be beyond us. The second half was a completely different performance though and we deserved the win, a remarkable 12th away win of the season. Next Saturday will be harder but it’s winnable.
Sorry I didn’t really explain what I meant. What I meant was if you’re angry with a couple of players & want to make a point the ideal time to do it is the next match regardless of if it’s home or away. Let’s say for example we didn’t make any changes today & we did well in the next couple of away games with Cole & McAtee scoring a couple each and it gets to the next home game & then Collins puts the team up & Cole & McAtee are on the bench & his explanation is that despite them been in good form they were really poor in a home game 3 weeks ago I think you’ve got a dressing room full of players looking at each other thinking ‘has this bloke lost the plot?’.
