I don't post often but so many negative posts this morning has prompted me. We don't get to play many games against top tier opposition, never mind an elite club in world football (which unfortunately, Man Utd still are), so needless to say - last night was a big deal to our fans and our players. However, our chances of getting anything but a loss were very slim, so I think the club's approach to the game made a lot of sense. Play a starting eleven with the intention of competing in the game, but not at the expense of a result against Burton at the weekend. To me, Clarke clearly tried to give as many players some game time as possible (good for squad morale), and also limited their game time so they'll be fit and ready for the weekend. Let's not forget, the league is key to our long term financial sustainability, not a cup run. Put some of our talented academy graduates in the shop window. We're very open about our model - we need to attract players who want to grow, we give them opportunities, and we sell them upwards. Playing Jalo (who played very well at Stevenage) and Yoganathan proves that we give young players opportunities, but it was also an opportunity to let Man Utd have a look at them more closely. According to the press, both players have significant Premier League interest. Try to actually play against them, instead of just sitting in and hope to nick something. For the first ten minutes, I felt we were the team trying to play. We were popping the ball around, breaking their press and getting the ball out wide for deliveries into the box. Unfortunately, as you'd expect, Man Utd were able to soak up that pressure (albeit through constant small fouls) and then begin to impose their quality on the game. Over the 90 minutes, it became more and more obvious that our inability to hold onto possession in key areas was leading to counter attacking opportunities, and guess what...elite footballers are clinical in those situations. However, our willingness to TRY to play is something that should be encouraged if we want to get better in future. Our willingness to TRY to play might even encourage Man Utd to let us give some of their talented young players a chance too. Yes, in the end we got a pasting...but our fans never stopped singing, the lads all got game time and an amazing experience, and we're not carrying injuries into the weekend. We're also £750k better off (allegedly). The result would likely have been the same in most circumstances. So, I struggle to see how saying Roberts' legs have gone (who played 3 days after getting injured towards the end of the Stevenage game), Yoganathan isn't ready for first team football (acquitted himself very well), O'Keefe gave away four goals (objectively untrue), etc etc...is conducive to us achieving our objective this season...which is promotion from league one. Let's call last night what it was...an expected loss...and move on to the weekend. I think we left Old Trafford in a better position than we arrived, and not just financially.
The ‘selling upwards’ bit, whilst clearly the club’s primary objective, is the main reason we don’t make any significant progress, in my opinion. I totally understand that the club needs to sell to survive, along with, apparently, regular injections of cash from the owners, but we appear to be locked into a process of ‘managed decline’. Yes, we have always been a selling club, but in my long association with the club I never felt it was the primary objective. Until the last several years. Personally, I have decided to treat the club as simply one of my interests, but not the abiding one it used to be. For example, no way am I having my Saturday evening disrupted thanks to Sky. And as for football in general, forget it.
Agree Old Gimmer. We shouldn't be looking to put Jalo and Yonganathan in the shop window now, we should be looking at getting them in our first team and getting a couple of good years of talent out of them before selling on if they reach their potential. The attitude of let's get them in the shop window and get them sold on to a PL team is total folly, and part of the reason why I've lost the love for what BFC offer as a club.
I don’t think the purpose of using Yoganathan and Jalo was to put them in the shop window any more than it was to save a few players for Burton, which is infinitely more important.
I’m sorry but i disagree. Part of our problem at the minute is getting a settled starting 11, using the right formation (not 5-3-2). We’re chopping & changing every week, & it’s holding us back. We have no identity, no clear system, no sign of improvement. We have signed players for the sake of it rather than signing them because they fit into a certain system. On top of that our defence are just lacking the required quality, it’s plain to see. Plus our strike force is weak as piss, so our “amazing” midfield options are just pointless when those behind & in front offer no support. And the GK situation….well it’s embarrassing to be honest. Clarke needs to shoulder some of the blame in terms of team selections & tactics, but it’s mainly down to poor recruitment yet again that we are seriously going backwards at an alarming rate.
The negativity is draining. I’m sure everyone is disappointed to be beat by 7 and it’s recognised by most including the manager that we didn’t do ourselves any favours with some of our mistakes. But they beat a good Sheff United team to get there which was a good night, it’s a ground we don’t often get to and the club will get a decent pay out for it like you say. Plenty to improve on but I’m optimistic, we’ve some decent players and in my opinion a management/coaching team that will deliver for us if given time.
We were warned that Clarke's philosophy is to chop and change his tactics dependent on the opposition so the fact we don't have a system to be identified by doesn't surprise me. Val had a system but it was one that Steve Cooper worked out how to nullify and overcome and Val didn't have an alternative hence we didn't overcome Swansea in the play-offs. Where I don't disagree is your point about recruitment. It's been poor for the last couple of seasons.
Given Vimal played in the Wigan and Sheff Utd games, it is possible to think that he deserved an opportunity to play at Old Trafford. Isn't he also our joint second top scorer so far this season?
I dont agree weve put them in shop window, otherwise they'd be playing week in week out, certainly not just for when we play an elite team and they get battered.
Definitely. I’ve been impressed with him this season, as I was with Jalo when he came on at Stevenage.
I sort of empathise with the OP. Would the fans wanting to complain about our "open" approach to last night`s game have preferred Collins` more circumspect tactics - the ones that so many people wanted NC hounding out of the club for? We lost to a team made up of Internationals by a good margin - this disappoints but doesn`t surprise me. We move on.
Never going to happen.. as soon as someone with genuine interest comes along they, like others before them will be gone..
I’m probably not the one your post is aimed at as I thought Collins did a really good job but yes we should have picked a more defensive minded team. Clarke himself has played both Craig & Connell in the same midfield 3 to give the defence extra protection against average league one sides. For him to take that extra protection out when we were probably 99% confident our slow defence would be facing the pace of Garnacho & Antony is ridiculous.
You make some interesting points. Do we come out with much credit for trying to play a bit early on? We’ve targeted a young central midfielder playing out of position at left back due to injuries & had a couple of bits of success before they adapted & tore us to shreds. Whilst it was nice to have a bit of hope for a few minutes I’m not convinced we take much credit from that. There will be plenty of games this season where we’ll be under the cosh & have to defend deep too. If we play our best side & keep it to a more respectable scoreline is that not better preparation for the games we’ve got to come rather than getting battered & exposing our weaknesses? We could have also gave minutes out to lots of different players without starting with two kids too. None of Benson, Russell, Hourihane, Craig, Cosgrove & Humphrey started last night.
Objectively true I'm afraid. He had a nightmare. He can't tackle and is too slow to get back from advanced positions-from which he created nothing
Bottom line for me is that where possible the manager should play a settled side all the time if possible. The more tinkering means more misunderstandings and inconsistencies. Clarke should decide his best starting 11 and stick to it apart from making marginal changes over time. If he's still making numerous changes in 4/5 games time then for me he doesn't really know what he's doing or he doesn't know his best eleven or he doesn't trust his own tactics. Get the players used to whatever system it is and then pick your strongest team.
