Playoffs.

[pjlc]

Can we still get there after the weekends results? Gillingham just came from 1-0 down in last 5 mins to win 2-1 That and other results mean Wednesday's game is absolutely massive, i honestly believe if we dont win midweek the playoffs are out of reach. We have a good run of fixtures but so have all the other teams in contention, so to make a few points we will nearly have to win every week. I don't know what to make of this season as even though we have over achieved imo with all the off field troubles and our new 70k? pitch it doesnt stop me thinking what could have been in the playoffs if we don't get there. There's never a lack of effort and the lads played well Saturday away but didnt win again (although we should have had a penalty and that is not the teams fault) but this is the difference between top and middle. How many times this season have we been winning away at half time against poor/average teams and not won? Bradford, Stockport, Hereford, Southend, Aldershot and they were poor! + 0 points at Barnet etc. All in all though a season with plenty of excitment and frustration but loads more excitement to come I reckon. Win Wednesday and were back in the mix and one hell of a mix it is! All the best lads

[Bernard Dawson]

There good enough to be in the playoffs. But if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. I'm still at the stage where every season in the football league is a bonus.

[football19]

In this league you have no divine right to win your "easy" games,thats being disrespectful to the opposing teams.
Defensively,look how many clean sheets they have had despite changing the keepers.
Barnet drew with Chesterfield at the weekend!!!
Its what happens on the day,good preparation and a bit of luck.
It seems Acci are due a bit of luck,how many games have they dominated and failed to take 3 points?,too many really.
When your on top in a game you need to take your chances/opportunities when they come,that in my opinion is key.
Yesterday,one nil up,controlling the game,Jimmy hits the post,Proccy has a great chance to make it two,game over in my opinion.
On a more positive note Acci are the best footballing team in the league, just missing the goals Grant,Symes and Kee gave us last year

[dabeast]

Originally Posted by football19

It seems Acci are due a bit of luck,how many games have they dominated and failed to take 3 points?,too many really.

On a more positive note Acci are the best footballing team in the league, just missing the goals Grant,Symes and Kee gave us last year

One of the reasons for this is that we have sacrificed attacking options in order to play 4.2.3.1 so we inevitably look a good footballing side as we dominate the midfield. As a result of this we have no poacher and a huge proportion of our goals are from long range/set pieces. I think that the crux of the problem is that our style of play / formation is essentially defensive and all season we have had individual defensive errors which have cost us points. Its probably down to the lads adapting to a new system and (first 7 games aside where our formation took teams by surprise) certainly seems to be happening less frequently now. Even so we need to put away every chance that comes our way if we want to make the playoffs.

[pjlc]

Tend to agree with the last two posts, and as was said it is a bonus just having a football league club. I was just a bit miserable after seeing Gillingham win from nowhere I'm sure the lads will give it their best shot. Morning all, always full of joy on a Monday morning!

[football19]

Dabeast,I dont think the formation is the problem its just converting the chances,indeed,Aldershot on saturday had one shot on target and sneak a point.
We are one of the leagues top scorers at home,which disproves that theory.
Could easily scored 5 or 6 against crewe,it didnt happen.
We are creating numerous chances,but also defending better,we just need that bit of luck i mentioned.
The next game against Hereford will be a tough one as well.

[pjlc]

I agree with the previous point but we do create a lot and need to learn to be more clinical in front of goal. Every team needs a bit of luck but missing a hatful of chances in a lot of games is not just down to bad luck imo. But were trying hard and going well so thats ok for me

[maccawozzagod]

if we were more clinical in front of goal we'd be top of the league by 30 points with 150 goals in the bank! but all our players would be leaving for nowt in May.

[Redraine]

Originally Posted by football19

The next game against Hereford will be a tough one as well.

Agreed. Their away form is great, they must be near the top of the recent form table, and they have significantly strengthened their squad in the last week or two. Jason Price gave our defenders a hard time at Bradford and he didn't even get a game on Sunday. We just need to recapture our conference form, because we always seemed to have the beating of 'em in those days, but it's now going the other way. We just need to bury our chances in front of goal!

[choirboy]

I agree that we are playing great football, our passing play is superb. I have really enjoyed the clear intention to play the passing game from the keeper forward throughout the team - a bit like the Liverpool teams of old, patient and controlled. However, I have said it to many of our fans that I feel we are missing the "Predator" type of striker, who just "knocks 'em in" from close range in and around the box. Redraine said to me recently that if we had Adam le Fondre or Ryan Lowe playing for us they would have scored over 30 goals each already this season. Terry gornell is playing superbly and rory boulding did pretty well at Aldershot but as lone strikers up front on their own. When Paul Mullin was at his best for us he also had a player up front playing off him who regularly scored goals. It is a "Catch 22" situation really... do we sacrifice the "holding" midfield role that Luke Joyce is employing so successfully at the moment and put an extra man up front like Ray Putterill or do we look for an alternative strategy. I believe that we are not effective enough with our wing play. At the moment we are regularly playing with only one true "winger" - Sean Mc Conville who has improved a lot this season, but I would just love to see him take opposing full backs on by going on their outside.. getting to the goal line and pulling the ball back towards the penalty spot. This CLASSIC tactic was so effective in earlier years with a run of great wingers that we have had ...Rory Prendergast, Russ Payne, Dean Calcutt and Grimmy and Ash Hoskins before that... Give it a try it may be the key that unlocks our path to those few extra goals that we need to be right up there at the top!!

[football19]

Unfortunatley choirboy its modern day way of playing the game ( one target man upfront),blame spain,brazil,barca,real madrid etc for this.
Even chelsea,utd,city,liverpool etc.. play this way.
The principle is to keep the ball and move it at pace ( in barcas case half a touch !),if you lose it,hunt in packs to get it back.
Its not really just one upfront,but 3 if played correctly,you leave 1 upfront when your attempting to get the ball back.
Look on saturday,Aldershot played with a wide left winger,he never touched the ball and it just created space for acci.
He tucked in after 45 mins and was subbed for a midfielder.
Its easy to mark a winger ,just stop the ball getting to him and they might as well play with 10 men.
now days the fullbacks are faster than the wingers!!!
no matter how many play upfront only one can put it in the net and creating chances is not the problem

[cashman]

Originally Posted by football19

no matter how many play upfront only one can put it in the net and creating chances is not the problem

bang on, put simply its a predator we need, but so do many other sides.

[Pendle Red]

I pretty much agree with Dabeast's first post on here we are playing some fantastic well pleasing on the eye footy but in some games are thwarted by efforts for long range or sometimes momentum being lost while the lone striker has to hold the play up waiting for the cavalry to arrive.

El Tel has had to learn to play that lone striker role this season and the lad has excelled his goal tally perhaps should be more but I would think that is sometimes sacraficed for the moving out wide and holding it role.

Football 19 I think you answered your own question with Aldershot had one chance and sneak a point, conversions to chances 100%.

[Redraine]

Originally Posted by Pendle Red

I pretty much agree with Dabeast's first post on here we are playing some fantastic well pleasing on the eye footy but in some games are thwarted by efforts for long range or sometimes momentum being lost while the lone striker has to hold the play up waiting for the cavalry to arrive.

El Tel has had to learn to play that lone striker role this season and the lad has excelled his goal tally perhaps should be more but I would think that is sometimes sacraficed for the moving out wide and holding it role.

Football 19 I think you answered your own question with Aldershot had one chance and sneak a point, conversions to chances 100%.

Wrong - Gutteridge had a late shot that beat the keeper and went wide by a whisker. that makes it 50% conversion rate, and that just from seeing BBc highlights!

[football19]

Fair point redraine,should have said one shot on target !!!!!,one goal,100% success rate.
Interesting fact about playing this way,Spain,who everyone seems to try and copy since winning the world cup,scored the lowest amount of goals ever by a team lifting the cup( by 3 goals).
Boring fact,but food for thought