Rovers V Blues

[Rockford's Love Child]

This isn't so much a reaction to the performance because we can and will play better but we cannot seem to win a game even when we play well. What is alarming is that we are six points adrift already and we've only managed to pick up five points in three months. That's dreadful. I know that's under the old regime and I do have a lot of faith in the new one, but we need to start picking up points now. We simply have to win our next home game.

Yes, I agree. I think we will revert to 5-3-2 against Portsmouth and we will play better, but Adams does not have a magic wand and it might simply be the case that our squad is not good enough to survive. Unfortunately, years of under-investment under Johnson and the decision to give Butler free rein in the summer and sanction the appointment of Edwards has caught up with us and left the club in an awful situation. The thought of going to places like Eastleigh and Welling next season is very depressing.

 

[Boz]

Yes, I agree. I think we will revert to 5-3-2 against Portsmouth and we will play better, but Adams does not have a magic wand and it might simply be the case that our squad is not good enough to survive. Unfortunately, years of under-investment under Johnson and the decision to give Butler free rein in the summer and sanction the appointment of Edwards has caught up with us and left the club in an awful situation. The thought of going to places like Eastleigh and Welling next season is very depressing.

I largely agree, but it is starting to grate that Micky is failing to give players in the current squad a chance, even though those players were amongst the better in Edwards' side. Baggie scored two very good goals against Accrington and didn't convert two similar chances v Newport, but at least he was getting in the right position. Holmes was one of the few players to emerge with credit from the dying games of Edwards era, but he's now dumped by Micky for Holness, who's apparently only capable of playing in a back three. Richards and Rowe haven't been given much game time by MA. I do not accept that all these are inferior players to any old youth players their clubs might want to farm out for a bit. Meanwhile Odejayi gets match time week in week out, despite (decent header at Luton excepted) doing very little to threaten a goal. His most significant contribution was getting the Morecambe player sent off in our last league win. Doubtless Donnelly will get at least a spot on the bench now his ban is over, rather than the lengthy spell in the reserves his form to date deserves.

 

[Ian]

Boz, I do think the Holmes situation is strange. He's put in solid consistent performances this season and was praised by Micky for being a real pro but had since lost his place.

Also agree about ABB. Frustrating player at times but was playing quite well this season. Is he injured because I don't think he was even on the bench on Saturday?

 

[Colin K]

IMO we have three weeks / 3 games to prepare for a massive game against Daggers. I think during the two cup games, Micky should mix it up and give players the opportunity to demonstrate they can play. This would then give him a decent handle on who can be competitive, rather than impressing in training.

I have the Portsmouth game written off already, and I am expecting a heavy defeat. That said I still hold some hope in being able to survive though and three points against Daggers, a fellow struggler will give a massive confidence boost to the squad. If we are still stuck on 12 or 13 points come January I sadly feel it will leave us too much to do. I think 50 points will be the safety point, and I can't see us winning 13 games during the second half of the season.

Just an interesting stat from last season and shows how unpredictable the league is. Wycombe kept themselves in the league on goal difference by winning the last game of the season and leap frogging Bristol Rovers. Compare that to this season...flying!

 

[Sparky]

A heavy defeat to Pompey on Saturday would be unacceptable given their awful away form - which their manager has been vocal about. Although they did have a good win at home on Saturday.

I agree with others than I can understand Micky coming in and giving everyone a clean slate but Baggie & Holmes IMO have been our best 2 players this season. I can only assume that Micky doesnt think they can do a job in the 5-3-2/5-2-3 formations. I'm not a massive fan of Rowe but I think Richards has looked dangerous at this level albeit often without his shooting boots on.

There are still plenty of points to play for but the gap from 22nd to 23rd is concerning....

 

[Colin K]

There are still plenty of points to play for but the gap from 22nd to 23rd is concerning....

In the last 13 games we have picked up 5 draws and 8 losses, scoring only 8 goals and conceding 18. They aren't the stats of a team likely to pick up a lot of points. As I said, we need 13 wins minimum in the remaining 28 games. The more I look at it the more it concerns me...

 

[roverstillidie]

I think the highest we'll finish this season is 20th, at a push. The players are poor, the management is a shambles - no clear direction (hence the endless loan signings and tactical tinkering), and there's no leadership in the team itself - they're a bunch of bottlers and whimps who wont put up a fight. We don't just get beat, we get beat from not being determined enough or willing to get stuck in - that's not acceptable at any level.

I suspect the absence of Holmes is because he doesn't have the pace to play at wing back, so we stick a square peg in a round hole with Donacien who's actually a centre back. I'd have Holmes as captain in a back 4.

If it was me I'd go back to basics with a 4-4-2 and get Goodison back - he would as Ronnie Moore says "piss all over league 2". Goodison would also be perfect in the middle of a back 3 sweeping up, I don't know why they don't see that!

Playing 4-4-2 is easy for them to understand, I would rather have Rowe and Jennings but for some reason we only have 1 winger (Kirby doesn't count) and about 7 strikers , so Rowe would have to play out there.

Brezevoan

Holmes Danocien Goodison Ridehalgh

Baggie Jennings Power Rowe

Stockton Richards

12 points at this stage of the season is pathetic, if I was Palios I would sack a few of them...

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Our best performances this season have come playing a 5-3-2 (away at Bury and Luton) and I think the system does suit our players. It is difficult to play 4-4-2 when you only have one natural wide man at the club (Baggie). The problem on Saturday was that we ditched a system we had been making progress with for something incomprehensible.

 

[Sparky]

I'd love to have Goodi back who would still be immense but no chance of it happening sadly.

Micky needs a win - fast

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

I agree with RLC's last post and I disagree with the opinion stated by some that our players are not good enough to stay in the Football League. When all fit, we have almost enough players for TWO six-man defences of League Two standard. But as you go further forward in the team, the quality drops alarmingly. Power is clearly our most valuable player, but we need to sign Jennings for the rest of the season and get Koumas playing again at the top of his game to have a midfield of any quality. At the moment, no-one in that department is creating enough chances and when they do, we don't have the strikers capable of reliable finishing. At least Adams is trying hard to find forwards who can score goals. I believe we are no more than three players short of a decent team - a creative midfielder and a couple of decent frontmen. With those additions, our squad should be able to compete. I still have faith that Adams can sort things out by the end of the transfer window.

 

[Ian]

I'm not convinced we can find the forwards we need to be able to get us the goals we so desperately need.

 

[Sparky]

Although I admire powers effort at times I personally don't think he is good enough. He shows odd glimpses every now and then but I don't think he is up to it.

IMO Jenno, koumas and Laird are all better options.

I know most wont agree and yes he's a local lad who loves the club but if Holmes and Baggie aren't involved I don't know why Max is. Power was as poor as anyone on Saturday and why he kept taking corners when Jason was on was beyond me

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Max was outstanding at Luton and had played well for four or five games prior to Saturday. The majority of the outfield players were terrible on Saturday because we played the wrong system, started badly and never recovered. To single Max out for criticism is harsh (Jennings was just as bad, despite being consistently good since he returned), and incidentally I think Danny Holmes should also have started at the weekend.

 

[Ian]

I didn't think Power had a great start to the season, in fact he had some awful games, but he's been one of the better players since Micky took over. He's certainly no worse than our other midfielders and certainly better than Laird IMO.

 

[Boz]

Need to bear in mind that Power is still relatively young. He's not always been consistent, but has more good games than bad. All the midfield options have their flaws.

What does worry me a bit about Micky's approach is the psychology. There doesn't seem to be an inclination to give those on the fringes of the team much encouragement, the mentality seems to suggest a clearout come January and in the interim, a 'you're so bad, would rather use inexperienced youth loans' approach. Edwards, for all his faults, did seem to develop the self-confidence of some of the players. I would like to see a more inclusive attitude, to make those on the margins believe they have got a chance of getting back into the side and that Micky is open to the potential of the current playing staff. Relying on a January nirvana is going to be fairly futile, if the gap to safety has widened further by then.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

What does worry me a bit about Micky's approach is the psychology. There doesn't seem to be an inclination to give those on the fringes of the team much encouragement, the mentality seems to suggest a clearout come January and in the interim, a 'you're so bad, would rather use inexperienced youth loans' approach. Edwards, for all his faults, did seem to develop the self-confidence of some of the players. I would like to see a more inclusive attitude, to make those on the margins believe they have got a chance of getting back into the side and that Micky is open to the potential of the current playing staff. Relying on a January nirvana is going to be fairly futile, if the gap to safety has widened further by then.

I agree with this. However, I think you have to trust Adams' judgement when you consider that he has been in this position with teams on numerous occasions, and has been pretty successful in guiding clubs to safety. The fact that Baggie and Richards have been frozen out suggests that Adams really does not rate them at all. While they may be more skilful than other members of the squad and can look decent individually, they were regulars in a team that was rock bottom when he took over and you can question how much they contribute to the kind of team ethos he is trying to cultivate.

Until Saturday we were making definite progress under Adams, so we should not rush to the judgement that he has not got a clue about team selection based solely on one poor performance.