Post by stevek192 on Mar 31, 2019 11:00:05 GMT
To me yesterday was just one of those bonus games where ,if we had got anything, it would have been a bonus based on the way we play the game and the fact we have only picked up two points from the top seven teams. The truth is that we are having to play games with some players who are totally off form and some who are just not good enough and though some will say why does GC pick them- the answer is simply we don't have anything any better if we assume that yesterday Lines, Rodman and Holmes-Dennis were unfit. We can go on and on about GC not having a plan B but he tried the Plan B on Tuesday night and look what happened! The two goals conceded yesterday were poor to say the least but despite the obvious gap in class Jack Bonham had very little to do Our problem is that we just are not winning enough games and the way we play is going to mean that the games left are all going to be nail biting.
Bonham 6 Apart from picking the ball out of the net twice he had very little to do.
J. Clarke 6 Might be overall our best player this season but the fact is that in the formation we are playing he is incapable of doing the job required. He is a good player to have around as cover but just look at the amount of space he gives the opposition and other than the odd run forward he provides very little offensively. the diamond formation totally relies on width given by the full backs but also on cover given by the two widest midfielders ie Ollie Clarke and Sercombe and there is your answer to our problem!
Lockyer 6.5 not at his best since being with Wales- not sure what it does to him but it certainly does not appear to do him much good. That said we restricted a potent Luton team to very few actual chances so he must have done something right.
Craig 6.5 A similar game to Lockyer but I do wish that players didn't keep passing the ball back to him because he is a stopper and there is no creativity and passing ability there at all. He is exactly what is written on the label and in that context he is very good at what he does but in possession him and Lockyer are like fish out of water.
Kelly 6 A very mixed game . Never totally convincing and yet there is something there but it must be taken into account that he received little support from his midfielder either to let him attack or to give a pass.
Upson 7.5 The ridiculous thing is that he was the most creative player in our midfield and yet that is not what he is in there for. Whenever he broke out from his defensive duties we looked dangerous but unfortunately he is playing with two players whose only consistency recently has been consistently bad. The truth is that we have a midfield that consists of ALL central midfielders and 4 into 2 mathematically doesn't work and neither does it work in the world of football.
O. Clarke 4.5 No faulting the effort or determination but at present he is a total liability apart from the knowledge that he can at times score goals and it seems to me that we are keeping him on the field in the hope that he can do exactly that. His main problem is the same as always - consistency and unlike Sercombe he is not totally off form just not good enough to be a regular choice.
Ogogo 6 Works his socks offbut is he overall any better than Sinclair? I'm not sure but the problem is that at the moment we are playing with two midfielders- a prompter in Upson and a battler in Ogogo but there is nothing for either to actually pass to other than Clarke-Harris!!
Sercombe 3.5 Off form and has been most of the season and in that respect he is a luxury we just can't afford. I understand why he is left on the pitch when playing bloody awful because there is always a chance he will score a worldly but for me he has just lost it and worst still is that at present it looks like he lacks the commitment and all enthusiasm he had for the game last season appears to have gone, his ball retention was very poor indeed.
Nichols 4 In the tough games he just gets lost and looks lightweight and my main gripe is that he is in the team as a striker and unfortunately he couldn't strike a match! Nothing about his play convinces me that he is ever likely to score goals regularly again if at all.
Clarke-Harris 8 MOM another fantastic goal that yesterday I am sure saved the team from being booed off at half time. Unfortunately just like Batman needs Robin so does our "saviour" need somebody else to offer a goal threat.
Subs: Jakubiak 5 Little opportunity to do much and didn't really get involved.
Reilly NOLE Same comment as Jacubiak.
Crowd 6 the atmosphere at the Mem has just gone and the standard of football dished up is unlikely to revive it.
Ref 3 No comment.
Luton 7.5 Two excellent full backs who made the most of our total lack of width. They must be very good to have a 26 match inbeaten run yet I would describe them as workmanlike and yet the strange thing is that for all their obvious supremacy they actually created very little and Bonham really had little to do. They have scored lots of goals so perhaps we are better than we actually think!!
GC- The only judgement we can give on him is whether he can keep us up because he is having to work with a squad that is not good enough. I certainly wouldn't want a whole season of the type of football that is being dished up at the moment but this is exactly what the Manager told us it would be like so we can neither be surprised or critical. the fact is that if we don't pick up sufficient points from our remaining games then we deserve to go down and in truth if that happens GC should go too. In the same way if he keeps us up then he deserves the chance to rebuild and if Clarke-Harris is anything to go by then surely recruitment is in good hands or was he just lucky with him?
We now have six games where we have to hope that 1 point from the last nine has not dented any confidence we had built. Our best hope of getting the points needed are the home games against Bradford and Rochdale. I certainly wouldn't want to have to get something off Barnsley last game to stay up. I have grave doubts that some of our players are up for the battle we now face and if we fail to get something at Coventry I really do see a desperate situation. Clarke-Harris is going to have to continue to provide the goals because there are no signs that anybody else is going to step up. UTG
For me the season starts here and we must now grind out some wins or face the consequences. UTG
Bonham 6 Apart from picking the ball out of the net twice he had very little to do.
J. Clarke 6 Might be overall our best player this season but the fact is that in the formation we are playing he is incapable of doing the job required. He is a good player to have around as cover but just look at the amount of space he gives the opposition and other than the odd run forward he provides very little offensively. the diamond formation totally relies on width given by the full backs but also on cover given by the two widest midfielders ie Ollie Clarke and Sercombe and there is your answer to our problem!
Lockyer 6.5 not at his best since being with Wales- not sure what it does to him but it certainly does not appear to do him much good. That said we restricted a potent Luton team to very few actual chances so he must have done something right.
Craig 6.5 A similar game to Lockyer but I do wish that players didn't keep passing the ball back to him because he is a stopper and there is no creativity and passing ability there at all. He is exactly what is written on the label and in that context he is very good at what he does but in possession him and Lockyer are like fish out of water.
Kelly 6 A very mixed game . Never totally convincing and yet there is something there but it must be taken into account that he received little support from his midfielder either to let him attack or to give a pass.
Upson 7.5 The ridiculous thing is that he was the most creative player in our midfield and yet that is not what he is in there for. Whenever he broke out from his defensive duties we looked dangerous but unfortunately he is playing with two players whose only consistency recently has been consistently bad. The truth is that we have a midfield that consists of ALL central midfielders and 4 into 2 mathematically doesn't work and neither does it work in the world of football.
O. Clarke 4.5 No faulting the effort or determination but at present he is a total liability apart from the knowledge that he can at times score goals and it seems to me that we are keeping him on the field in the hope that he can do exactly that. His main problem is the same as always - consistency and unlike Sercombe he is not totally off form just not good enough to be a regular choice.
Ogogo 6 Works his socks offbut is he overall any better than Sinclair? I'm not sure but the problem is that at the moment we are playing with two midfielders- a prompter in Upson and a battler in Ogogo but there is nothing for either to actually pass to other than Clarke-Harris!!
Sercombe 3.5 Off form and has been most of the season and in that respect he is a luxury we just can't afford. I understand why he is left on the pitch when playing bloody awful because there is always a chance he will score a worldly but for me he has just lost it and worst still is that at present it looks like he lacks the commitment and all enthusiasm he had for the game last season appears to have gone, his ball retention was very poor indeed.
Nichols 4 In the tough games he just gets lost and looks lightweight and my main gripe is that he is in the team as a striker and unfortunately he couldn't strike a match! Nothing about his play convinces me that he is ever likely to score goals regularly again if at all.
Clarke-Harris 8 MOM another fantastic goal that yesterday I am sure saved the team from being booed off at half time. Unfortunately just like Batman needs Robin so does our "saviour" need somebody else to offer a goal threat.
Subs: Jakubiak 5 Little opportunity to do much and didn't really get involved.
Reilly NOLE Same comment as Jacubiak.
Crowd 6 the atmosphere at the Mem has just gone and the standard of football dished up is unlikely to revive it.
Ref 3 No comment.
Luton 7.5 Two excellent full backs who made the most of our total lack of width. They must be very good to have a 26 match inbeaten run yet I would describe them as workmanlike and yet the strange thing is that for all their obvious supremacy they actually created very little and Bonham really had little to do. They have scored lots of goals so perhaps we are better than we actually think!!
GC- The only judgement we can give on him is whether he can keep us up because he is having to work with a squad that is not good enough. I certainly wouldn't want a whole season of the type of football that is being dished up at the moment but this is exactly what the Manager told us it would be like so we can neither be surprised or critical. the fact is that if we don't pick up sufficient points from our remaining games then we deserve to go down and in truth if that happens GC should go too. In the same way if he keeps us up then he deserves the chance to rebuild and if Clarke-Harris is anything to go by then surely recruitment is in good hands or was he just lucky with him?
We now have six games where we have to hope that 1 point from the last nine has not dented any confidence we had built. Our best hope of getting the points needed are the home games against Bradford and Rochdale. I certainly wouldn't want to have to get something off Barnsley last game to stay up. I have grave doubts that some of our players are up for the battle we now face and if we fail to get something at Coventry I really do see a desperate situation. Clarke-Harris is going to have to continue to provide the goals because there are no signs that anybody else is going to step up. UTG
For me the season starts here and we must now grind out some wins or face the consequences. UTG
