League Two Crawley (3) v Rovers (2)

[Goody Two Shoes]

I always look at my season ticket as an investment, which brings to mind the adage about investments going in certain directions; it’s clear which one is more likely right now. Looking at the up-coming fixtures, it’s hard to pick a game you’d feel any degree of certainty of winning. I’d like to think there was something to build on from any positives today.

 

[bigmart]

It was covid!
It was PPG!
It was the league!
It was the conspiracy theory
It was the ref!
It was the FA!
It was everyone else!
It wasn't the club policy!
It wasn't the managerial appointments!
It wasn't the budgets!
It wasn't the recruitment!
And so on and more?
It wasn't @Boz!

We need a new manager asap with his own coaching staff but I won't hold my breath

 

[Keith Hill (Bolton)]

I always look at my season ticket as an investment, which brings to mind the adage about investments going in certain directions; it’s clear which one is more likely right now. Looking at the up-coming fixtures, it’s hard to pick a game you’d feel any degree of certainty of winning. I’d like to think there was something to build on from any positives today.

I just can't see us doing anything against Accrington. Their squad has league one through it!

We need a new manager asap with his own coaching staff but I won't hold my breath

I think it goes deeper and higher than that!

 

[Ian]

Indeed, it's very depressing! Really hope I'm proven wrong, but nothing about the club seems positive at the moment, it feels eerily similar to previous relegation seasons.

Yes, there does seem to be a sense of inevitability about it all.

 

[mellow submarine]

Guess the positivity wont come back until we get a win.

 

[Sparky]

Unfortunately I fear we’re this years basket case, we’re going to be lucky to get to 40 points.

The squad is a complete mess - it’s unbalanced, the midfield terribly weak/undynamic/lacking goals/flair/tackling and there’s a complete lack of pace throughout the team, with no competition for two centre backs who both seem disinterested/disillusioned.

This has been brewing for several years and is coming home to roost, if you take a step back and look at the club, we’re completely dysfunctional -

Appoint Jackson, never going to work. Sack Hill on eve of play offs with a 50% win ratio and cup final (yes he was mad and form had fallen off a cliff, but sacking him and giving it to Dawes with no experience was bizzare and never going to work).

Then bring Mellon back because we can't think of anyone else. Then completely change approach to a ‘development model’, when he has all his success with experienced players. Then sack him when it shockingly doesn’t work, spend 3 months looking for an ‘exceptional candidate’, only to appoint the failed assistant who is partly responsible for everything since we returned to league 2.

Then put the chairman's mate and very well qualified manager in as 'technical director' day after, not exactly a vote of confidence, or clear what he's there for, beyond an insurance policy.

Then spend a pre-season playing 4-3-3, only to sign forwards that fit a 4-4-2. Then sack Dawes and put a manager in charge who apparently doesn’t want to be a manager anymore.

It’s a complete shambles and we pay the highest season tickets in the league to witness it! Desperately need Palios and co to let someone else run the football side and stand well back. I fear we’re going to be down before the end of March.

I have to say there are a lot of valid points here, unfortunately for us.

 

[Sparky]

I can hear it already.

Monday morning…..we start again

 

[Sparky]

Good god I’ve just seen their second and third goals. Diabolical defending. We had loads of players back but switched off for a short corner for the first and then didn’t stop the shot for the second. im not blaming the two centre halves but after our losing run you do wonder if yarney deserves a start at CB to see if we can stop conceding

 

[O4anotherplayoff]

A fair summing up:

 

[Ian]

I'm not sure why we had to surrender 75% possession, that really destroyed us in the second half. Sitting back and trying to catch teams on the break isn't going to work. We need more control in games. Maybe it is not possible with this team?

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

I'm not sure why we had to surrender 75% possession, that really destroyed us in the second half. Sitting back and trying to catch teams on the break isn't going to work. We need more control in games. Maybe it is not possible with this team?

I think we will need Hendry, Morris etc. back on the pitch for that.

 

[Brightonian]

Very disappointing outcome not taking something from this game. Normally scoring two away, being ahead twice would bring some reward from the game but not so. At least we are now scoring again after the recent goal drought but after such an encouraging first half of keeping Crawley in check without undue difficulty, we seemed to allow them to come onto us and exploit acres of space down both flanks with sadly the inevitable happening but thought we needed some fresh legs

 

[Brightonian]

Whoops sent to soon. Think Brad Walker needs to stay fit as he will be a key player to be able to turn things around. Whilst surprised to see McAlear starting he had a quite decent game, at least best I have seen him. What would we give now for a Jay Spearing or a John Welsh to sniff out danger and orchestrate control from defensive midfield.
Hot afternoon with some of our lads wilting sooner than Crawley. Josh Hawkes continues to be an enigma: looks very dangerous at times but wasteful today and whilst positional play much improved his covering play is often timid.
No shortage of effort at all but with so many changes of players and tactics we are just no settled enough to play slick incisive offensive moves and retain the ball long enough.
Can’t recall a Saturday game with an SWA following of only just over 200 of us but hopefully a win or two won’t be too long away to boost morale.

 

[Am on mobile]

Just got home after 15hrs in the god dam kitchen to see the f#@#n score nothing changes sorry guys its going to be a long hard season will mp still be around at the end of the season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MancunianWhite]

Unfortunately I fear we’re this years basket case, we’re going to be lucky to get to 40 points.

The squad is a complete mess - it’s unbalanced, the midfield terribly weak/undynamic/lacking goals/flair/tackling and there’s a complete lack of pace throughout the team, with no competition for two centre backs who both seem disinterested/disillusioned.

This has been brewing for several years and is coming home to roost, if you take a step back and look at the club, we’re completely dysfunctional -

Appoint Jackson, never going to work. Sack Hill on eve of play offs with a 50% win ratio and cup final (yes he was mad and form had fallen off a cliff, but sacking him and giving it to Dawes with no experience was bizzare and never going to work).

Then bring Mellon back because we can't think of anyone else. Then completely change approach to a ‘development model’, when he has all his success with experienced players. Then sack him when it shockingly doesn’t work, spend 3 months looking for an ‘exceptional candidate’, only to appoint the failed assistant who is partly responsible for everything since we returned to league 2.

Then put the chairman's mate and very well qualified manager in as 'technical director' day after, not exactly a vote of confidence, or clear what he's there for, beyond an insurance policy.

Then spend a pre-season playing 4-3-3, only to sign forwards that fit a 4-4-2. Then sack Dawes and put a manager in charge who apparently doesn’t want to be a manager anymore.

It’s a complete shambles and we pay the highest season tickets in the league to witness it! Desperately need Palios and co to let someone else run the football side and stand well back. I fear we’re going to be down before the end of March.

This quote should be turned into a mural and painted on the wall outside

 

[mellow submarine]

Very disappointing outcome not taking something from this game. Normally scoring two away, being ahead twice would bring some reward from the game but not so. At least we are now scoring again after the recent goal drought but after such an encouraging first half of keeping Crawley in check without undue difficulty, we seemed to allow them to come onto us and exploit acres of space down both flanks with sadly the inevitable happening but thought we needed some fresh legs

We have looked very exposed down the flanks in recent games

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

Well, if ever there was a game of two halves. I’ll try not to repeat everything which had already been said.

I thought we were very organised in the first half and controlled the game. In the second half, Crawley somehow upped their game. Their quicker passing caused problems in the box and their long passes suddenly found the man and stretched us out of shape.

Make no mistake, Crawley are a good side. To lose by a late goal is gut-wrenching but not a disaster. I think we have something to build on. Rome wasn’t built in a day, so how do we expect Nigel to build a winning team in one match?

Let me list some positives.

1. We have the pace, passing ability and finishing to score a lot of goals - unlike last season.
2. Nigel has shown he is not afraid to make big selection calls. He will have January to bring other players in and improve the team.
3. On today’s performance, we did not look like relegation candidates to me. We showed great character in responding to their first equaliser. In the 38 games that remain, we will often play worse and win.
4. The huge dose of confidence which will come when we finally win coupled with the return of some of the injured players will start to turn our season around.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

The concern is that we are still conceding goals at an alarming rate, even in a game like today's where we clearly set up with a defensive shape to play on the counter attack and grind a result out.

Teams that can't keep a clean sheet generally only head in one direction.

It is also doubtful whether we have much room for manouevre in January financially. Even if we do, I am not a fan of trying to make wholesale changes midway through a season of struggle. The last time we attempted that, in January 2015, the result was disastrous.

I think we are already suffering massively from constant changes in personnel and tactics and a lack of stability in the team, albeit Adkins can hopefully address that issue in the weeks ahead.

 

[Sparky]

I agree I doubt we’ll have the funds to make a lot changes in January. We still have quite a big squad don’t forget. I suspect there are massive confidence issues after our losing run and it isn’t easy to turn that around.
The only positive is that there is still a long way to go but the difficulty will be if Nigel doesn’t turn things round, and we get to say November or December still in trouble, do we send him back upstairs and bring someone else in?

I still can’t help feeling we should have brought in someone brand new with new coaching staff. Harsh perhaps on those who are still around like Parky but we’re in real trouble. I guess Nigel is only interim so Palios can change it when he wants, depending on the cost of course…

 

[Ian]

The next appointment for Palios is crucial. If he gets it wrong, we could be in all sorts of trouble. Leave it too long and it becomes harder for the next men in charge.

I'm just not sure this is going to work. It's going to take some effort and skill to get this team back to a winning side enough to pull us out of trouble. Who's available, who's good enough, at what cost and what madman would want it?