Post by stevek192 on Jan 10, 2016 11:22:48 GMT
Not really surprised when I saw the team sheet but it is funny where certain players can be dropped after a reasonable game and others stay in despite there being a new better player available. DC has time and time again been able to get away with tinkering with winning sides and has proven to be very good at it however I would say that knowing when to put new players into the team is something which he has yet to learn. Ok Ollie Clarke had a good game last week but when you have a better player available you should play that player from the start and starting with Liam Lawrence on the bench today was a big mistake when he is supposed to be a "great signing". As has been the case on many occasions the first half totally passed Ollie by. I actually thought overall we played quite well in the first half after the first 15 minutes where we struggled to get the ball away from our third or contain the strong Akinde. The goal was a defensive disaster where we struggled to deal with a ball in ,which happenedd on four or five occasions during that period. After that spell it was really a case of Football lost as we were by far the better side and with better final ball or final shot we could and certainly should have been out of sight come the end. Even before the sending off we were well on top and outplaying a very ordinary Barnet side. in fact I would say that the sending off cost us the game because it made Barnet go deeper and try to hold on to what they had at all cost. The fact they managed to was down to an abnormal number of shots off target and the failure of our tactics to get more players forward. The midfield had total control but far too often the only pass available was a sideways one. Both halves the game was crying out for a winger who was able to beat a player and cross accurately. I lost count of the number of crosses from both Leadbitter and Brown that failed to beat the first player. Even when crosses did come in our strikers and Ellis in particular failed to take them and I am sure that Ellis had three or four headers that should have ended in the net or brought a save at the very least.
Mildenhall 7 In my opinion Mildy is proving DC wrong in not bringing him back when Nicholls was letting in some awful goals. I thought Mildys kicking and distribution today was superb and that was clearly shown up in the second half when you saw the great difficulty that the Barnet keeper had to reach the half way line or keep the ball on the pitch! He also made a superb save in the second half on the only occasion that Barnet got through,his speed off his line and the save itself belied his years.The man has shown his professionalism in the way he has handled being pretty well told he wasn't wanted or good enough to play in this League.
J Clarke 7 Strong defending and always looking to come forward. Very impressed with him recently and really don't see why he keeps getting sacrificed in the game for other players shortcomings.
Lockyer 7 A few anxious moments but overall did his usual steady job but don't understand why he marks the big man and Parkes has the shorter guy. In all honesty overall it was a good defensive performance after a shaky start when we didn't look like we were going to be able to relieve the pressure from long throws into our box.
Parkes 8 MOM I found it quite difficult to choose a Man of the Match because IMO no one player really excelled but Parkes defended well and constantly was available to bring the ball out from defence. His problem was that he is not the quickest coming forward and the opponents were able to set up their blanket defence and the passing options he had available were limited to eventual sideways or passing to players who were under pressure other than a wayward shot which was most forgettable and wasted an opportunity but there again there were plenty of those from plenty of other players!!
Leadbitter 5 For me he creates and finds so much space for himself but overall his crossing is poor which is why, for me for all his hard work he is not the answer out wide and personally I would have taken him off with Ollie Clarke at half time and given Montano or Bpodin a run at the Barnet full back
Brown 6 Put over a couple of good crosses but was very frustrating on numerous occasions where he failed to get a cross past the first man and also should have done better with two shooting opportunities.
O. Clarke 1 Apart from a 30 yard pass that sailed out of play when a three yard pass was on I cannot recall him making any contribution in the first half. He somehow manages to let the pace of the game pass him by and for me if he has a good game one week you know that his next game will be a complete waste of time as he just doesn't possess any quality in his play. He didn't stand out in the Conference last season and he certainly won't stand out in this League. With Lawrence, Lines and Easter available I cannot see him being in the squad next week. I would have taken him off after 20 minutes.
Mansell 7 Unlucky to be substituted as he got through a lot of work and on many occasions he was the most forward of our midfield players. he is a good foil for whoever else is in the midfield but should probably have done better with the diving header.
Sinclair 7 For me it was between him and Parkes for the MOM and I went for Parksey. Hardworking as always and very unlucky not to score,if only he had been a yard further out I am sure it would have dipped under the crossbar as when it left his foot it looked a goal all the way as the keeper was a long way off his line.
Taylor 4 Many will say I am being harsh on both our forwards who worked hard and showed moments of good trickery and linking up play but the fact is they are strikers and if you don't score and you don't create openings then you are not doing the job you are paid to do. Matty is in one of these periods where he can't buy a goal but we all know he will have a run of games where he will add to his 14 goals but there is more chance of that if he is up front with either Gaffney or a similar type of player.
Harrison 5 Missed four headers and for me does not "lead" the attack. he should never be offside with his pace and for me spends too much time working outside of the box. he did come close to scoring on a couple of occasions and maybe a 5 is harsh but for me neither striker scored a goal or really made themselves available enough when the ball was in our midfield. For me Taylor and Harrison as a partnership doesn't work. It didn't at Wimbledon and it didn't here and to be honest I didn't expect it to. Why does DC persevere with it? Easter or Bodin would have been a cleverer option to lead the attack.
Subs: Lines 6 Had a reasonable half and spread the ball about well but gone is his ability to get a shot away from distance or run directly at the defence. Not sure there is room for both him and Lawrence in the midfield.
Easter 6 I have been suggesting Easter to be played in the hole and that is the role he seemed to be given yesterday and I felt he did well and was always looking to keep the ball moving and was involved a lot for the time he was on the pitch. Unfortunately like most of the others his shooting was not up to his general play and he managed to put two reasonable chances high and wide
Lawrence 6 Added skill to the midfield as soon as he came on and for me should have been the replacement for Ollie Clarke as early as the 20th Minute and the first substitute on. One glorious shot that went just over when looking a goal all the way and obviously adds skill and quality to the side that DC seems to put in second place to hard work. if you bring quality in then you play it but not for the first time and probably not the last DC does not start a new player.
Crowd 7 Another bumper crowd in lousy weather at a Conference standard ground treated to a bombardment of shots in the second half that mainly inflicted damage on the surroundings rather than the goal.
Ref 5 After the sending off he seemed to favour Barnet in most of his decisions and as for 5 minutes added time when there were three substitutions by each side plus at least three minutes with the sending off without taking into account the keepers time wasting,it was a joke. the only consolation is that I don't think we would have scored even if he had given 20 minutes added time!!
Barnet 4 Worse than last year but a typical Martin Allen side with Physical strength being their main asset and little football ability compared to their team we played there early last season. The fact their Manager raved about the performance tells me a lot about his approach to the game. Will be very surprised if they finish anything other than the middle of the table.
DC Not his greatest Saturday as yet again he failed tactically to overcome a long period of the game with 10 opponents. Needs to look at his selection and be ready to get a big man in who leads the attack and to get a quality about the side. We have enough hard working players without filling the team with them and I would remind him that although you don't win a game in the first 45 minutes you stand a much better chance if you have a good first 45.Our bench contained so much more quality than the starting 11 and unfortunately you can only use three of them!!!
I have no doubt at all that we would have won this game had the opponent not been sent off because the wind insured that at 11 v 11 Barnet would not create much as they had little other than Akinde and a physical approach to trouble us with and we were getting well on top but the sending off ,as at Wimbledon,made them play even deeper and set up a brick wall. Football wise they are a team of very little talent and to lose to them was a big disappointment for me especially in view of the much more difficult games we have coming up. had we won yesterday I am sure that we would have required even more tickets from Oxford but after this I would say it is touch and go as to whether we sell out of what we have.
This was a big chance to put three points on the Board and cement a place in the Play offs . Our inability to create and take chances is going to make the Play offs difficult and I very much hope that DC has a Plan B if Gaffney isn't here by early this week. I am really not convinced he has a Plan B at the moment and although many will say it was not a disaster to lose to a team with one of the best home records in the division the truth is that Barnet were not very good and should have been soundly beaten. I really hope that DC manages to put out a team against Oxford that does not need to utilise all three subs and that he gives more regard to quality over hard work.
Mildenhall 7 In my opinion Mildy is proving DC wrong in not bringing him back when Nicholls was letting in some awful goals. I thought Mildys kicking and distribution today was superb and that was clearly shown up in the second half when you saw the great difficulty that the Barnet keeper had to reach the half way line or keep the ball on the pitch! He also made a superb save in the second half on the only occasion that Barnet got through,his speed off his line and the save itself belied his years.The man has shown his professionalism in the way he has handled being pretty well told he wasn't wanted or good enough to play in this League.
J Clarke 7 Strong defending and always looking to come forward. Very impressed with him recently and really don't see why he keeps getting sacrificed in the game for other players shortcomings.
Lockyer 7 A few anxious moments but overall did his usual steady job but don't understand why he marks the big man and Parkes has the shorter guy. In all honesty overall it was a good defensive performance after a shaky start when we didn't look like we were going to be able to relieve the pressure from long throws into our box.
Parkes 8 MOM I found it quite difficult to choose a Man of the Match because IMO no one player really excelled but Parkes defended well and constantly was available to bring the ball out from defence. His problem was that he is not the quickest coming forward and the opponents were able to set up their blanket defence and the passing options he had available were limited to eventual sideways or passing to players who were under pressure other than a wayward shot which was most forgettable and wasted an opportunity but there again there were plenty of those from plenty of other players!!
Leadbitter 5 For me he creates and finds so much space for himself but overall his crossing is poor which is why, for me for all his hard work he is not the answer out wide and personally I would have taken him off with Ollie Clarke at half time and given Montano or Bpodin a run at the Barnet full back
Brown 6 Put over a couple of good crosses but was very frustrating on numerous occasions where he failed to get a cross past the first man and also should have done better with two shooting opportunities.
O. Clarke 1 Apart from a 30 yard pass that sailed out of play when a three yard pass was on I cannot recall him making any contribution in the first half. He somehow manages to let the pace of the game pass him by and for me if he has a good game one week you know that his next game will be a complete waste of time as he just doesn't possess any quality in his play. He didn't stand out in the Conference last season and he certainly won't stand out in this League. With Lawrence, Lines and Easter available I cannot see him being in the squad next week. I would have taken him off after 20 minutes.
Mansell 7 Unlucky to be substituted as he got through a lot of work and on many occasions he was the most forward of our midfield players. he is a good foil for whoever else is in the midfield but should probably have done better with the diving header.
Sinclair 7 For me it was between him and Parkes for the MOM and I went for Parksey. Hardworking as always and very unlucky not to score,if only he had been a yard further out I am sure it would have dipped under the crossbar as when it left his foot it looked a goal all the way as the keeper was a long way off his line.
Taylor 4 Many will say I am being harsh on both our forwards who worked hard and showed moments of good trickery and linking up play but the fact is they are strikers and if you don't score and you don't create openings then you are not doing the job you are paid to do. Matty is in one of these periods where he can't buy a goal but we all know he will have a run of games where he will add to his 14 goals but there is more chance of that if he is up front with either Gaffney or a similar type of player.
Harrison 5 Missed four headers and for me does not "lead" the attack. he should never be offside with his pace and for me spends too much time working outside of the box. he did come close to scoring on a couple of occasions and maybe a 5 is harsh but for me neither striker scored a goal or really made themselves available enough when the ball was in our midfield. For me Taylor and Harrison as a partnership doesn't work. It didn't at Wimbledon and it didn't here and to be honest I didn't expect it to. Why does DC persevere with it? Easter or Bodin would have been a cleverer option to lead the attack.
Subs: Lines 6 Had a reasonable half and spread the ball about well but gone is his ability to get a shot away from distance or run directly at the defence. Not sure there is room for both him and Lawrence in the midfield.
Easter 6 I have been suggesting Easter to be played in the hole and that is the role he seemed to be given yesterday and I felt he did well and was always looking to keep the ball moving and was involved a lot for the time he was on the pitch. Unfortunately like most of the others his shooting was not up to his general play and he managed to put two reasonable chances high and wide
Lawrence 6 Added skill to the midfield as soon as he came on and for me should have been the replacement for Ollie Clarke as early as the 20th Minute and the first substitute on. One glorious shot that went just over when looking a goal all the way and obviously adds skill and quality to the side that DC seems to put in second place to hard work. if you bring quality in then you play it but not for the first time and probably not the last DC does not start a new player.
Crowd 7 Another bumper crowd in lousy weather at a Conference standard ground treated to a bombardment of shots in the second half that mainly inflicted damage on the surroundings rather than the goal.
Ref 5 After the sending off he seemed to favour Barnet in most of his decisions and as for 5 minutes added time when there were three substitutions by each side plus at least three minutes with the sending off without taking into account the keepers time wasting,it was a joke. the only consolation is that I don't think we would have scored even if he had given 20 minutes added time!!
Barnet 4 Worse than last year but a typical Martin Allen side with Physical strength being their main asset and little football ability compared to their team we played there early last season. The fact their Manager raved about the performance tells me a lot about his approach to the game. Will be very surprised if they finish anything other than the middle of the table.
DC Not his greatest Saturday as yet again he failed tactically to overcome a long period of the game with 10 opponents. Needs to look at his selection and be ready to get a big man in who leads the attack and to get a quality about the side. We have enough hard working players without filling the team with them and I would remind him that although you don't win a game in the first 45 minutes you stand a much better chance if you have a good first 45.Our bench contained so much more quality than the starting 11 and unfortunately you can only use three of them!!!
I have no doubt at all that we would have won this game had the opponent not been sent off because the wind insured that at 11 v 11 Barnet would not create much as they had little other than Akinde and a physical approach to trouble us with and we were getting well on top but the sending off ,as at Wimbledon,made them play even deeper and set up a brick wall. Football wise they are a team of very little talent and to lose to them was a big disappointment for me especially in view of the much more difficult games we have coming up. had we won yesterday I am sure that we would have required even more tickets from Oxford but after this I would say it is touch and go as to whether we sell out of what we have.
This was a big chance to put three points on the Board and cement a place in the Play offs . Our inability to create and take chances is going to make the Play offs difficult and I very much hope that DC has a Plan B if Gaffney isn't here by early this week. I am really not convinced he has a Plan B at the moment and although many will say it was not a disaster to lose to a team with one of the best home records in the division the truth is that Barnet were not very good and should have been soundly beaten. I really hope that DC manages to put out a team against Oxford that does not need to utilise all three subs and that he gives more regard to quality over hard work.
