New broom in a new town MK Dons(a) 4th Feb 2017

[BWFC_Insane]

Well, I'm generally happy with a point away, but once again we've conceded a winning position!

Yes I'm happy enough with a point, but its yet another wasted opportunity with Scunthorpe losing and some tough fixtures coming up.

My worry again is Parkinson being totally reliant on Madine, and being incapable of finding a way / style of play without him regardless of not winning a game yet in 2017. Personally it was a daft decision to take Derik off for ALF, especially if Wilson was struggling - why not take Madine off for ALF, is Madine un droppable under Parkinson ?

I doubt that we'll go up automatically....

Christ, with Wilson struggling the smart thing was not bringing ALF on at all.

Marc Iles summed it up in the LoV podcast this week. People want us to open up and play two up front but whenever we do our midfield shows it isn't strong enough. We are, what we are, a team that needs to grind out results and create a few chances to eek out games. If we drop our levels at all we struggle.

Parky in recent weeks has IMO been overly positive with subs, chasing wins in games we ended up losing. I don't think we have the players to play an open attacking game. In fact I know we don't.

I haven't heard anyone argue that we should play two up front, just that it might be an idea to try playing someone else up there now and then. We have enough attacking players to be a little more adventurous whilst still keeping things relatively solid. I just don't buy the idea that we have no choice but to play this same system week in, week out.

We went attacking with different options. Last two home games from the bench....

I think our best run was when we were tight and solid and had Clough and Ameobi providing the magic. Perhaps Morais can do that now, he sounded promising today.

[TANGODANCER]

Just as an aside, it'll be interesting to hear the match-goers verdict on that xxxxxx of a manager of theirs, with his card waving antics.

[Nicko58]

Well, I'm generally happy with a point away, but once again we've conceded a winning position!

Yes I'm happy enough with a point, but its yet another wasted opportunity with Scunthorpe losing and some tough fixtures coming up.

My worry again is Parkinson being totally reliant on Madine, and being incapable of finding a way / style of play without him regardless of not winning a game yet in 2017. Personally it was a daft decision to take Derik off for ALF, especially if Wilson was struggling - why not take Madine off for ALF, is Madine un droppable under Parkinson ?

I doubt that we'll go up automatically....

Christ, with Wilson struggling the smart thing was not bringing ALF on at all.

Marc Iles summed it up in the LoV podcast this week. People want us to open up and play two up front but whenever we do our midfield shows it isn't strong enough. We are, what we are, a team that needs to grind out results and create a few chances to eek out games. If we drop our levels at all we struggle.

Parky in recent weeks has IMO been overly positive with subs, chasing wins in games we ended up losing. I don't think we have the players to play an open attacking game. In fact I know we don't.

I haven't heard anyone argue that we should play two up front, just that it might be an idea to try playing someone else up there now and then. We have enough attacking players to be a little more adventurous whilst still keeping things relatively solid. I just don't buy the idea that we have no choice but to play this same system week in, week out.

We went attacking with different options. Last two home games from the bench....

I think our best run was when we were tight and solid and had Clough and Ameobi providing the magic. Perhaps Morais can do that now, he sounded promising today.

I meant from the start - bringing on forwards at the expense of holding midfielders when you're chasing a goal is always a risky strategy. I think that we're perfectly capable of getting results by grabbing a hold of the match from the get-go against a lot of teams in this league. We mustered just one shot on target today, and we can't afford for that to happen too many more times if we're serious about making the play-offs.

[Worthy4England]

Wemberleee. Wemberleee...

[BWFC_Insane]

^^I agree though we have lost our two creative players. Arguably three if you include Davies. We struggle for inspiration and have done since Ameobi left. I still think we will be effective grinding out 1-0 and 2-1 wins. The worry is without the two fullbacks will we struggle defensively.

[Hoboh]

It wasn't a disaster, away and didn't lose, do worry about the frailness/lapses in defence if we don't start to score more

[irie Cee Bee]

Happy with the point. Cant see PP not changing the system with us having more pace and a potent goal scorer in our midst. Makes no sense having a genuine goal scorer sitting on the bench when we are not scoring goals.

[Tails07]

I thought Morais looked good but was very underused, it was difficult for ALF and Solomon to make an impact though as we very quickly went into a full on defensive battle to hold on the moment their goal went in.

I'd like to see ALF and Madine together as a classic 4-4-2 little and large paring. With Morais and Clayton on the wings and Spearing and Vela in the centre, there is always the opportunity to bring on a fresh Derik or Thorpe to hold on if we need it. From the games I've seen we definitely start the more positive side we just don't put away enough chances to get a decent lead going into the second half.

[Nicko58]

If I were in charge, I'd stick with the 4-2-3-1. ALF would be the one up front, Vela would stay behind him where he's been most effective, and I'd have Morais or Henry on one side and probably Long on the other. Derik would come in for Thorpe and be the other holding midfielder next to Spearing. Keep the ball on the grass, and then pass and move with a bit of pace and urgency.

[TANGODANCER]

It wasn't a disaster, away and didn't lose, do worry about the frailness/lapses in defence if we don't start to score more

No. not a disaster and their goal came from an error by Moxey who wouldn't have been in but for Taylor's last-minute problem. Considering both our full backs were out at the end and we played it out with ten men away from home, disappointing, but not a disaster at all.

[BWFC_Insane]

If I were in charge, I'd stick with the 4-2-3-1. ALF would be the one up front, Vela would stay behind him where he's been most effective, and I'd have Morais or Henry on one side and probably Long on the other. Derik would come in for Thorpe and be the other holding midfielder next to Spearing. Keep the ball on the grass, and then pass and move with a bit of pace and urgency.

I think this is what we will have to try. Whether it will work, I'm far from convinced. For me we don't have anywhere near the creativity and guile to play without a target up front. But let's try. I see this having more chance than trying to play 2 up front with our midfield.

[Tombwfc]

Not a believer that all away points are good points, especially when you've lost your last two at home and haven't won this year, but this one isn't bad at all. Keeps us ticking over and gives us another week for the new signings to bed in.

[BWFC_Insane]

Not a believer that all away points are good points, especially when you've lost your last two at home and haven't won this year, but this one isn't bad at all. Keeps us ticking over and gives us another week for the new signings to bed in.

Other results made it a decent result. Had a few others around us won, wouldn't necessarily have been pretty. As it was only Sheffield Utd won and I think most believe they will win this league at a canter.

[TANGODANCER]

Not a believer that all away points are good points, especially when you've lost your last two at home and haven't won this year, but this one isn't bad at all. Keeps us ticking over and gives us another week for the new signings to bed in.

Other results made it a decent result. Had a few others around us won, wouldn't necessarily have been pretty. As it was only Sheffield Utd won and I think most believe they will win this league at a canter.

Going to disagree (nothing new ) but in this league anything can (and will) happen. we drew away to a team that scored nine goals in their last two games, playing away and with two experienced defenders down. There's a lot of "much of a muchness" about a number of teams. Have you done a poll on your statement above? Any number of sides can shake the jigsaw box up and probably will before season end. Others around us didn't win for the same reasons. Why are we different?

[plymouth wanderer]

Not a believer that all away points are good points, especially when you've lost your last two at home and haven't won this year, but this one isn't bad at all. Keeps us ticking over and gives us another week for the new signings to bed in.

Other results made it a decent result. Had a few others around us won, wouldn't necessarily have been pretty. As it was only Sheffield Utd won and I think most believe they will win this league at a canter.

Going to disagree (nothing new ) but in this league anything can (and will) happen. we drew away to a team that scored nine goals in their last two games, playing away and with two experienced defenders down. There's a lot of "much of a muchness" about a number of teams. Have you done a poll on your statement above? Any number of sides can shake the jigsaw box up and probably will before season end. Others around us didn't win for the same reasons. Why are we different?

Well said tango. Spot on!

[Bijou Bob]

Not a believer that all away points are good points, especially when you've lost your last two at home and haven't won this year, but this one isn't bad at all. Keeps us ticking over and gives us another week for the new signings to bed in.

Other results made it a decent result. Had a few others around us won, wouldn't necessarily have been pretty. As it was only Sheffield Utd won and I think most believe they will win this league at a canter.

And as it happens, Sheffield had an appalling 6 match run at the start of the season. We're having our wobble and Scunthorpe will at some stage of the season, have theirs. All is not lost. There's still over a third of the season left. We've got this far with an arguably weaker team, I'm still confident we'll be in the top six, but perhaps only just.

[Jugs]

Not a believer that all away points are good points, especially when you've lost your last two at home and haven't won this year, but this one isn't bad at all. Keeps us ticking over and gives us another week for the new signings to bed in.

Other results made it a decent result. Had a few others around us won, wouldn't necessarily have been pretty. As it was only Sheffield Utd won and I think most believe they will win this league at a canter.

Going to disagree (nothing new ) but in this league anything can (and will) happen. we drew away to a team that scored nine goals in their last two games, playing away and with two experienced defenders down. There's a lot of "much of a muchness" about a number of teams. Have you done a poll on your statement above? Any number of sides can shake the jigsaw box up and probably will before season end. Others around us didn't win for the same reasons. Why are we different?

Aye, there's nothing to suggest that the Blades will win this at a canter. We've got two home games coming up, they've got two away games. The table could look very different after those, plus we have two games in hand. All teams are capable of a wobble.

[Peter Thompson]

All I'll say is that we have some deluded fans on here at times....I appreciate that in the main I'm overly negative, but I'm sure some are overly positive just for the sake of it.

It doesn't really matter how Sheff Utd and Scunthorpe play or whether they have a slight wobble, because at the moment the team is awful and doesn't look like being able to win games consistently. We have absolutely no threat up front with cart horse Madine and very little if any creativity in Midfield.

I'm not saying all is lost but unless Parkinson stops playing hoof ball to the simply terrible and totally ineffective Madine, and tries to get the team to play better passing football through midfield, we will struggle to create enough chances for ALF (that's if Parkinson will play him enough) and I don't think that we will win enough games for the rest of the season basically because we don't create enough goal scoring opportunities in open play, we don't score enough goals and the odd ones we score are mainly from set pieces.

We appear to have been worked out by many opposition teams and our midfield is so pedestrian & slow with no one good enough to run with the ball, so because they can't create anything in the opposition's half they resort to Madine hoof ball - so IMO Parkinson needs to change things quickly otherwise we could drop like a stone, especially with the away games coming up at Sheff Utd, Bradford & Scunthorpe....but he won't change because he's in capable of playing any other way and I suspect that he'll continue to play hoof ball to Madine, so if we are lucky we may finish in the play offs but we don't have a chance of the top two in my opinion.

[BWFC_Insane]

All I'll say is that we have some deluded fans on here at times....I appreciate that in the main I'm overly negative, but I'm sure some are overly positive just for the sake of it.

It doesn't really matter how Sheff Utd and Scunthorpe play or whether they have a slight wobble, because at the moment the team is awful and doesn't look like being able to win games consistently. We have absolutely no threat up front with cart horse Madine and very little if any creativity in Midfield.

I'm not saying all is lost but unless Parkinson stops playing hoof ball to the simply terrible and totally ineffective Madine, and tries to get the team to play better passing football through midfield, we will struggle to create enough chances for ALF (that's if Parkinson will play him enough) and I don't think that we will win enough games for the rest of the season basically because we don't create enough goal scoring opportunities in open play, we don't score enough goals and the odd ones we score are mainly from set pieces.

We appear to have been worked out by many opposition teams and our midfield is so pedestrian & slow with no one good enough to run with the ball, so because they can't create anything in the opposition's half they resort to Madine hoof ball - so IMO Parkinson needs to change things quickly otherwise we could drop like a stone, especially with the away games coming up at Sheff Utd, Bradford & Scunthorpe....but he won't change because he's in capable of playing any other way and I suspect that he'll continue to play hoof ball to Madine, so if we are lucky we may finish in the play offs but we don't have a chance of the top two in my opinion.

Its all very well saying this. WHO should we be picking in midfield to produce this sort of quick short passing game, good enough to open teams up?

Its easy to say, stop doing this, and that. But our midfield consists of Spearing (great worker but little quality). Thorpe (see Spearing). Derik (a defensive midfield player with the odd nice pass, but nothing amazing). Vela (not a quality distributor, far more effective doing the hard running behind a front man) and Trotter.

We don't have a Tony Kelly or a Richard Sneekes even. We've got what we've got. It worked beautifully when Ameobi and Clough cut inside and created space for each other and Josh. But now we have to find a different way. But I don't think a silky smooth, short passing game is within our armory. If it, is, could you suggest who we've got to execute it?

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

We've got Henry, Clayton and the new boys that are all capable of moving the ball on the floor at this level. Even Vela is more than capable of playing to feet. These are the players we need to be giving and moving to look for gaps to put ALF and Long through. So instead of hoofing it we need the ball to go through midfield to these players faster than the current ponderous play. We don't need Spearing and Thorpe to play fancy balls, just move it quickly and simply. It's a mindset.