LCFCJohn

Yeah I get that re the striker so wasn’t dismissing it as a tactic and saying the striker shouldn’t. But we didn’t see enough of midfielders going beyond. I was never a massive fan of Enzo ball in some ways but KDH and Ndidi getting forward was a great part of that. I’m genuinely not being negative. I like the fact we have a young side, I support them. I’m indifferent to Martin. I like the fact he is playing youngsters but not a fan of his unwarranted ego and stubbornness but still want him to do well as why wouldn’t any of us want that? But I won’t lie to please people on here and say if we replicate that 43 more times that we will get promoted as I don’t believe that. If we can tweak things as we have discussed and stretch opponents more, I will have more confidence. There will likely be pitches we play on that are very narrow but for home games and away games like MK where the pitch was wider, I really think we need to look at the positions and movement in the final third as we can’t go on like that on Saturday where we have half the team on top of each other.

Something funny @Phild? Guessing you’re on of those who said we’d never go down in 2023 and last season and looking not at all like a mug as a result?

This is the thing yeah, winning becomes a habit and not winning also does. We have a number of sides coming up who are expected to be in and around the promotion picture. The winless run could easily stretch to 4/5/6/7 games or we could get wins but still reach 10 games without matching that with points gained. At that point, we will be so far off the promotion places that realistically that will have gone. I think many people just lack the ability to think critically and see things in real time. They will only realise this could be a problem after it has happened, rather than seeing it as it is happening. I also agree we weren’t unlucky against MK. We just didn’t create much and most efforts were long range. I just think we have been here before and it’s amazing to still see the same attitudes every season of ‘we’ll be fine’ just assuming things will turn around. Like I say, that’s not doomsdaying or saying we will go down. It is just saying after the last few years, we should learn to take it seriously as we are not ‘too good’ to go down.

This is it. I am surprised it has barely been mentioned but for me, I had no problem with how we played in 2/3’s, it was the final third. I felt we made it very easy for MK due to a good half our team being on top of each other, playing in the same space. The whole midfield was playing so high up the pitch (which in itself is good as it shows we are dominating) so you had Braybrooke, Page and Chaplin/Cullen. But then Bristvic was quite deep, Watson particularly was cutting into the same space every time and McFarlane was also there as presumably he was inverting. Small changes to this, without changing the fact we would still dominate possession and passing stats could make us more dangerous. Firstly, I’d have McFarlane going down the outside. I have never liked the inverted full back but get it might have its place if adding depth in the middle to avoid being caught out. But that wasn’t happening against MK and meant we both lacked an outlet stretching them down our left and contributed to the congestion in the middle. By stretching them, it would pull their defence apart and give more space for midfield runners. I also think it’s unnecessary for the striker to constantly be as deep. When we did get the ball in the box, I often thought where is he. Again, for linking play it is good for Bristvic to be able to play back to goal and contribute but not when it is adding to the congestion in that same space again around the 18 years box. Look, I don’t know tactics. I just know what I saw. I picture a scenario in games like that where we have both full back stretching their defence by showing intention to overlap, giving the wingers space to be in the pockets and the likes of Chaplin and Page to get more space on the edge or just in the area for pull backs. Ultimately, for all the ball we had, most of this was outside the area and resulted in distance shots rather than numbers getting in the box. I haven’t called for Martin out yet. I am supportive of the players. But that doesn’t mean I am not concerned that the longer the winless start to the season goes on, the more it could end up like previous seasons. I’m sure though that many on here will just see this post and think negative boo boy as I haven’t said everything is great so I’m not sure why I bother…

The irony of this….

Obviously only 3 games and 43 left so it’s not panic stations. However, if people haven’t learned from the ‘we’ll be fine’ season in season out by now, that we need to take this seriously, there is no helping you. No doubt the same people who jump on any comment that offers even a balanced critique as ‘negative’. I do think that the squad can win games at this level. What I saw yesterday was a team with talent that was playing with the handbrake on. If we release it, with or without Martin, I do think we should win enough games. But to parrot the old we’ll be fine line is just arrogant and ill informed.

Erm, I looked at the detail. I saw a team that rarely troubled MK due to the fact we were bunching up the area outside the 18 yard box, not stretching the game enough or providing options. It resulted in many of our lads trying to play on top of each other, a lack of options ahead of them/out wide and taking pot shots. I like many of these players now, I’m very supportive of the young lads. But I can also see that for all the good play in the middle third, the approach will need to change in the final third to create enough chances to win games. All you will probably see from this post is everyone is shit, Martin out, players out etc etc. I would say this is a balanced post and am sick of people referring to any criticism as being negative.

This rubbish again! We want to see some wins, in the 3rd tier! Sorry if that is entitled.

Agreed that fans shouldn’t be booing the team. They are young and following the instructions given. It’s like driving your car with the handbrake on. It’s not the cars fault but the user. In this case, the manager setting them up to be very stifled.

I’m not sure there is a single argument by any sane person, to point towards Wednesday this time last year and now this year and to say, na, I’d rather whet they had before!

I’m one who had defended Thomas longer than pretty much anyone, on the basis of his shit development, and defended players in general much long such as Daka. My distain is reserved player wise, for those with an attitude like Winks, Faes etc. But people are getting ahead of themselves here. It was a promoted side who hardly ventured out of their own half and the defence wasn’t exactly tested.

Yep, Daniel the Leeds fan gets it. It probably is entitled to think we’d win every game. But that’s not what we are saying is it? These people like Jim Hurst and Jon Crabb really mean we should be happy not to win any games.

Probably an unpopular opinion but after yesterday, unless we can get a cheap loan or 2, I’d jut save any funds until January. I don’t think new additions will do anything now. The squad yesterday was plenty good enough but the approach is holding us back. Signing a new striker is pointless when we aren’t creating chances for them. Similarly, the areas behind that are creating said chances have our better players and most depth so it’s not like we need more additions there.

I’ve not called for his head and won’t yet. But that is only because it is unrealistic after 3 games and you probably have to give a manager 10 games. But the fact that is the only reason not to call for him to go rather than any sign of him turning it around isn’t great is it. We’ve seen what Martin is about in his previous jobs. He won’t change anything and we will continue not to win games. He is a born loser. It’s not his fault and I don’t hate him for that, but he isn’t a winner. He gets a kick out of possession and passing stats not wins. I don’t think it’s exaggerating to say you could probably have put the other 23 managers in this league in charge of that first 3 games and the vast majority, if not all, would have got more than 2 points from 9. He’s over complicating things. We play very nicely until the final 3rd when we have no final ball because half the team are all occupying the same area and there’s no options. I’ll give him 10 games but I expect at most, 1 win in that time and I also accept automatic promotion will be out of reach by then. We will be relying on someone else to come in and actually realise the talent we have in this team and to try and make a run for the playoffs.

All those happy with that, you are of course entitled to your opinion. But I just hope your expectations for the season are realistic, which would be consolation in this league, therefore halting the slide. If that is your expectation, rather than a serious challenge at promotion, then it’s absolutely fine to be happy with that performance.

I missed a lot of the Notts game and was busy last week and didn’t see Burton but managed to watch today. I would consider myself to not know much about tactics at all, I just look at what I saw today. Martin really needs to change his approach. We are playing so far in the opponents half, it just felt like we were so crowded in the space outside the 18 yard box but with no threat to get past the MK defence and resorted to mostly harmless potshots. Braybrooke, Page and Chaplin/Cullen were all occupying that space. Reid was deep and even Bristvic was not really playing off the last man and dropping back. You then had Watson constantly cutting in and McFarlane in the same space again. In my unknowledgeable opinion, we’d get more joy if McFarlane overlapped as Joseph tries to do. We don’t need to ‘invert’ when that area is so crowded already. Get the full back forward and on the overlap, get in the box for pull back. I can’t think of a single time I saw this happen today. It’s actually the area I thought we looked really good doing in that spell under Rodgers towards the end of 2019. He’s massively over complicating things due to his ego when things could be simplified whilst retaining the all important possession stats!

Seeing Wednesday brush Bromley aside 5-0 so far and knowing we will get nowhere near bagging 5 in a game is painful…

I like him. My only comment, and it is more to do with tactics and his instructions than him, but it’d be good to see him overlap like JJ does. I realise this will be to do with the need to ‘invert’… We seem very crowded down the middle as we are playing so high up the field, Braybrooke, Page and Chaplin/Cullen in that space, the wingers cutting in and Reid/Bristvic dropping deep. I feel we’d ask so many more questions if we pulled opponents wide overlapping.

It was fine in the middle of the pitch. Lots of quick passing etc. But we didn’t trouble them. They were content with that. We were fortunate that they offered nothing at the other end so we got a draw. We can’t even blame it on needing another striker. It was purely about the lack of meaningful chances created. Lots of soft efforts from distance. Watson was a one trick pony cutting in and doing nothing. Alves should have we been on sooner as he gave them something else to think about going down the outside.

Need to reset any expectations of promotion to something more realistic based on that. Don’t be fooled by all the ball in the middle of the park. MK Dons wanted that, they were comfortable with that. Truth is, we didn’t trouble them, the blue print is set and we will struggle to win any game individually without a rethink of ideas.

Whoosh!

Just not who we needed. The club is in a losing rut, we have talent but just need to get the winning feeling back. But we have a manager who has a losing record. Essentially a born loser. Lots of the ball and passing in the middle of the pitch but these players would do that anyway as they are very good players for this level. Zero cutting edge though and we won’t score the goals we need to win games under Martin. Saving grace is today we managed not to screw up at the back.

I guess that if 95% of the forum spent their time posting how great Top and KP are and how well run we are etc etc, that’d make 95% of the forum very knowledgeable and sensible individuals then?

Stolarcryk over McCarthy in terms of the options we have - good Defence - McFarlane in good. Thomas not but I understand why he wouldn’t throw Kangasniemi in so soon. Midfield - probably about what we’d go for no? Page in good. We’ll see how the Chaplin/Burns partnership is. Alves for Watson questionable but at least Watson is a player we are happy to see. This feels more like options that will be rotated. No Cullen is good. Forward, the worst and most preventable part, Reid. Not that we know much about Bristvic yet but at least he’s a striker. Obviously anger can’t play every game so the solution is simple, get another striker in, even on loan. Perhaps this is the message Martin is trying to make? Reid actually popped up with some decent goals in the winter last season. Obviously I’d rather move him on but even if we hadn’t signed Cullen and had Reid to compete with Chaplin and Howell/Alves, I’d be ok with that. The main issue is that we have wasted money on Cullen, a nothing player in a position we were stocked with. Had we spent that on bringing another striker in (towards that cost), we’d have a much better balance. And yet those who said anything against the Cullen transfer were shouted down as normal.

Yes of course. I’m referencing the decline than many of our fans seem to still be oblivious to. But yes, positions can fluctuate and teams can punch above their weight or fall down the leagues, but broadly there are generally still ceilings and floors. The same reason we have never been below the 3rd tier and only in it twice (and no I’m not tempting fate or saying worse won’t happen) is the same reason that Mansfield Town, Stevenage, Wycombe etc have never reached the top tier. Basically, due to our size, fan base, stadium, facilities etc, we find ourselves in this position not due to struggling to compete, lack of resources or back luck. It’s the result of such large scale mismanagement, barely ever seen in football or business world as a whole. So for anyone with a bit of patience and who has a clue, should be able to get us back to our historical level.