Stockport MDT

Both the picture and audio was fine for me using the SkySports+ App……….unfortunately 🙁

I think Senior is seen as wing back, he needs a run there (hoping he’s not badly injured!)

I also think Bilongo is being seen as a wing back (rough diamond) and I presume Sousa is seen as a wing back. Thomas and Sinclair, in our current set up, are mostly used as wing backs. Even Jack Hunt (if he ever puts more than 3 games together ) is a better wing back.

We have to decide whether these players are suitable for this system or whether we would suit more of a 4-2-3-1

Still only game 3!!

UTG

Yes even for me, away on holiday by a stunning Italian lake and I still make the mistake of neglecting my kids for 45 mins during the first half to watch players seemingly lacking confidence and quality on the ball. (I told myself not to do the same last year!) we are going to be dogged this season, but believe we have enough quality once they gain confidence to finish mid table. We all as football fans seem to enjoy finding scapegoats, myself included. First half which I saw I felt we did ok. Still players that get plaudits for their stats but can’t make simple 5-10 passes from what I saw today. Bilongos body launguage said it all after the 2nd one he received at neck height from LT… just my opinion. Feeling optimistic still for some good results this season. Back 3 plus keeper look decent enough and some pace for once. Result making my Italian coffee taste slightly more bitter this evening. Keep the faith UTG!

Well only three games in and some right belters on here. Christ we havent been that bad and should have come away with a couple of goals . IMO we cant afford to play with two wing backs and a light midfield. Somebody wishing for Jed to come back improved next season- christ this season has just started and Griffiths is in a different class to Jed and we will have a new number 1 next season.
We have 4 points where i thought three at the most
To say the Manager will be gone by Christmas is ridiculous . We have played two notoriously good home sides. I agree we need two more players both attackers-one winger and one recognised striker and then give them time to gel. Personally i think MT must decide on his best team and stick with it and let it gel instead of making five changes each week.
I am usually a pessimist but for some reason have a bit of faith in Taylor and his sqaud. Certainly it is too early to judge,

When does the window close?

I know it's a new squad of players, but we are looking a little toothless.

Too early to be concerned?

Patience is in short supply on here, a little toothless final third, but defence stronger, we ll be ok, mood up and down like a judges hammer!

Kofi Shaw might be the answer to create things.

Nest Saturday after a 5 0 win they ll be clamour for Rich s bus tour!

Yeah 4 points is a decent return from those three games.
I’m not convinced that this squad suits a wing backs formation though.
I want to see bolongo and Thomas in their 3rd not ours.
We’ve got plenty of defensive players so Taylor needs to play our quick attacking players in attacking roles and I think a mid table finish Will be perfectly achievable.
Play them all season as wing backs with two tall target men up front and fail to get crosses in like today and I think we’ll struggle and possibly end up in a relegation scrap.
Hopefully Taylor learned that today because it was pretty clear from where I was watching.

There is, without doubt a safety first mentality that’s instilled in the side. That’s clear from the 3 games so far.

Zero risk means defenders not taking the ball form the goalkeeper and when they do, not really making much effort to play into midfielders and instead taking the low risk option of going straight into the forwards.

We can moan all we like about midfielders not having any impact or not creating but if defenders miss them lit they can’t build attacks…..if you go straight into the centre forward and he can’t hold onto it and link play then midfield players have no opportunity or time to make runs to join in and support.

They’re basically always caught in transition of being in possession and then out of possession before they have time to find space and retain the ball long enough to create.

The creative players we have are in essence Thomas and Hutchinson. Both are being starved of possession, Thomas by having too much defensive responsibility and being stuck too deep and too wide with focus on stopping their left sided players rather than attacking and Hutchinson by not being given the ball in space quick enough and again by being too deep having defensive responsibility as were being overrun.

We look like a team that have had no instruction or work done on in possession stuff and have been drilled to the extreme on their out of possession shape and defensive responsibility.

These two players need to be cut loose and given a bit more freedom. Both at capable at this level but are being starved by being in a side currently averaging about 35% possession and even today playing nearly 200 passes LESS than their opponents.

There are some combinations and chemistries still to be worked out. Ward / Conteh / Hutchinson don’t seem the right mix, but maybe it’s not being helped by the Martin / Promise combination that looked lost today and neither looked fit. Martin was particularly unfit but Promise was particularly poor given his midweek rest.

I think we need to be looking at a 4231 especially while we struggle for two fully fit forwards…..and now that Senior also seems crocked.

Full backs as full backs. Wingers as wingers, Attacking players as attacking players…..simple things really….

Pointless harping on about last season. He obviously learned from that, otherwise we had have the same squad now. 2 of our 3 strikers have missed pre season and the other isn't fit yet. So, it's way too early to judge as this stage.

What did you expect, when we signed a lot of young players, on long term deals? This squad, was signed for their potential. So we were always going to suffer in the short term. 4 points is probably a point or 2 more than a lot of us thought we would have.

We definitely need another striker, Taylor has already said that himself. Especially if we are playing 2 up top a lot of the time now. Martin's injury will force the issue.