Neutral thoughts on the Cheltenham game

[cashman]

Originally Posted by yonmon

Glad to see that we are at last including our Captain in this critique !
Watching him , instead of the game !...I have noted that he seldom ,I if ever, makes the right space for himself and thus has little or no option but to play his now famous sideways/backwards pass !. This often negates any forward momentum which the team have going at that moment, and some enterprising opposition midfielder, having watched video highlights of Seamus in action, must be pleased to know that a quiet afternoon is in the offing.
He is not , in my opinion, a player of sufficient quality to play in, let alone skipper a Football League team ! .... am I getting hypercritical again ?

Agree 100%, glad someone else is smelling the coffee.

[Exile on Spencer St]

I don't think any player is beyond reasoned criticism but Conneely did much better last season when he had Crooks as the more positive midfielder alongside him. Brown is a great 'terrier', breaker-up of play, but there's no-one looking to make the decisive pass forward*.
What puzzles me is that we have SIX midfield players but Davies, Hewitt, Lacey, and especially Hery rarely seem to feature. Is it because we have six players that are basically the same style?
For a brief spell at Leyton Orient, before he had to fill in at left back following McMarmite's dismissal, I thought Lacey was just starting to play a more positive part in midfield. But since then, it's been the Conneely-Brown pairing for the most part.
In Brown's enforced absence, will Professor Coleman act on his words about needing changes and bring in M.Hery so he can to show his erstwhile manager just what he can do? (I doubt it, somehow).

*of course, if there's no forward standing in or running into space, there's little option but to pass sideways/backwards.

[Inspector Morse]

Re Conneely,

I think he's missed Crooks as a partner in midfield big style as he gave us physicality/drive and could pick a forward pass.

In Crooks absence more is asked of Seamus and I think he's been found wanting.

I quite like him as a player but to give him a chance he needs a midfield partner who complements him more.

[yonmon]

Originally Posted by Exile on Spencer St

I don't think any player is beyond reasoned criticism but Conneely did much better last season when he had Crooks as the more positive midfielder alongside him. Brown is a great 'terrier', breaker-up of play, but there's no-one looking to make the decisive pass forward*.
What puzzles me is that we have SIX midfield players but Davies, Hewitt, Lacey, and especially Hery rarely seem to feature. Is it because we have six players that are basically the same style?
For a brief spell at Leyton Orient, before he had to fill in at left back following McMarmite's dismissal, I thought Lacey was just starting to play a more positive part in midfield. But since then, it's been the Conneely-Brown pairing for the most part.
In Brown's enforced absence, will Professor Coleman act on his words about needing changes and bring in M.Hery so he can to show his erstwhile manager just what he can do? (I doubt it, somehow).

*of course, if there's no forward standing in or running into space, there's little option but to pass sideways/backwards.

Touche !

[choirboy]

Last season Seamus Coneely was the 'Central Hub' around which most of our great play was generated. Yes, he had Crooks alongside and always available for the short pass sideways and forward. Crooks would then thrill us with his skills and unusual tactics. He also had Windass a little further in front to receive the 'incisive passes' forward which led to so many of our goals and entertaining play!
Those lads have gone now but consider the massive loss paricularly of Windass as Rangers now seem to be building their team around him! Crooks has been unlucky and is recovering slowly but I believe that he will get better too.
This season we simply do not have that creativity, skill and availability for the 'pass' from Coneely that we had last season. I also think that our midfield, Coneely in particular are having to play much deeper than last season.
When we lost Joyce to Carlisle, who was well liked by most around me in the Clayton End, Coneely came in and to me he was a significant improvement on Joyce who I felt always played far too deep. Luke is playing that deep role now at Carlisle but he still does not offer much creatively going forward from what I see on TV. It is just that Carlisle have other creative midfielders and plenty of goal scoring lads up front!
Now, Ironically, Coneely has been forced into the same deep role as Joyce played for us and now he is coming in for some criticism. I do though agree that some of it is justified and that Seamus must try to play a more advanced role and take more risks by playing further up the pitch and by trying to make those more incisive passes forward but really what is hampering him is the simply lack of quality in the players around and in front of him.
I think that Coley needs to include midfield players who have both the physicality and creativity around and in front of Coneely. In spite of the three goals conceded I do feel that the back four are quite a strong unit. The keeper position remains a problem too.
I have the simple view that if we play in our opponents half much more then we will win more games. Too often this season we have been forced to play in our own half! This does not mean that we adopt a 'Route 1' approach with the 'long ball' tactic but we must try to move the ball up field more quickly. Of course two good skilful wingers helps here too. Last season Pierro could carry the ball up the wings and attack his opponents much higher up the pitch.
Midfield players need be to scoring 6, 7 or 8 goals each in a season too like Pierro, Windass and Crooksy did last year.

KEEP THE FAITH
ON STANLEY ON

[Lord Stiffupperlip]

We keep trying to pass our way out from the back through a crowded midfield.
Now that we all agree our midfield appears to be our weak point, why not by-pass it & make more use of the wide open spaces always available on the wing.
Clarke & O'Sullivan were used to good effect down the wings against Plymouth and all the goals at Woking came from simple crosses into the box, where Kee was waiting to pounce.
We need Billy Kee to be waiting in the penalty box, not surrounded by defenders on the half way line facing our goal.
Taking the pressure away from the centre would allow our forwards to look for the space in the box they need before any crosses come in.
Our most positive periods have always included fast, effective wingers like Piero & Gary Roberts.

[choirboy]

I keep harping on to friends that my favourite form of attacking play is to see wingers both right and left taking on their full back and getting to what I refer to as.......The 'Magic Spot'.... which is about 8 yards from the opponents goal post going out to the corner flag. From here the winger can cut the ball back towards the penalty spot thus causing mayhem for the opposing goal keeper and centre backs. When we have had classy wingers in the past with the speed and skill to do this I have been in raptures!
These days we never seem able to get the ball into this position..........
Its what Stanley Matthews used to do.......Simple!
It should be our No 1 priority IMHO !!!!