Grecians from Devon? At home to Exeter Sat,31st Aug ,3-0'clock

[Worthy4England]

Same midfield. Funny that.

Same general weaknesses. No ball-carrying against a tight opposition.

The difference is our defending wasn't carnage. We conceded set pieces, but they weren't all over us in open play.

No points is no points, though.

Stop it. We were fcking awful

I'm forever blowing bubbles

[DJBlu]

Same midfield. Funny that.

Same general weaknesses. No ball-carrying against a tight opposition.

The difference is our defending wasn't carnage. We conceded set pieces, but they weren't all over us in open play.

No points is no points, though.

Far from it. We just kept shooting ourselves in the foot. Every 50/50 decision the players chose the wrong one. Forino with the ball through to Demps, better ball across and the conversation is probably he's earnt a stay of execution or it's only Exeter.

I hate to say it but I think his personality is affecting the performances. We all know how stubborn he's been and maybe the players have had enough, going out and it being the same thing.

It's not working and he's using like for like when changing it.

I've worked for a boss similar and they didn't last long.

Santos actually came out for an interview and he looked knackered. Mentally fatigued.

image_2024-08-31_231134692.png (602.62 KiB) Viewed 1627 times

Thems bags under them eyes. Don't tell me he doesn't care.

[GhostoftheBok]

If you're not quite on it you need to be able to beat the press with something other than lovely passing. We put together some lovely combinations today, but it clearly wasn't enough.

So you can go long or you can dribble. Blah, blah...fancy football terms. No...long or dribble.

If you have a proper #10 (I may have banged this drum) you can give it to them on the turn and they'll drag you up the pitch. They get through or get fouled. Either way you've got something.

If you have wingers (or wingbacks) they can run the line. Again, a good wide player will be an out ball fairly consistently.

The only thing we had was the long ball and it had to go in behind. Exeter played a midblock, man-for-man, and asked us to put that ball in behind, because it had to be perfect to cause them any issues and they have pace to cover regardless.

McAtee and Cogley made runs in behind and we did find them, but it didn't come off. Exeter were comfortable, because that was our only real threat.

Once you're into the midblock you need someone who can consistently find the runs of players like Dion. That's your #10. We've nobody who can do that.

I'd love to sit down with Ian and have him explain the plan for winning that game if Caldwell gave up trying to play us and shut down the midfield.

[Worthy4England]

If you're not quite on it you need to be able to beat the press with something other than lovely passing. We put together some lovely combinations today, but it clearly wasn't enough.

So you can go long or you can dribble. Blah, blah...fancy football terms. No...long or dribble.

If you have a proper #10 (I may have banged this drum) you can give it to them on the turn and they'll drag you up the pitch. They get through or get fouled. Either way you've got something.

If you have wingers (or wingbacks) they can run the line. Again, a good wide player will be an out ball fairly consistently.

The only thing we had was the long ball and it had to go in behind. Exeter played a midblock, man-for-man, and asked us to put that ball in behind, because it had to be perfect to cause them any issues and they have pace to cover regardless.

McAtee and Cogley made runs in behind and we did find them, but it didn't come off. Exeter were comfortable, because that was our only real threat.

Once you're into the midblock you need someone who can consistently find the runs of players like Dion. That's your #10. We've nobody who can do that.

I'd love to sit down with Ian and have him explain the plan for winning that game if Caldwell gave up trying to play us and shut down the midfield.

I've heard a lot less words, saying we were shit.

[Mar]

Santos actually came out for an interview and he looked knackered. Mentally fatigued.
Thems bags under them eyes. Don't tell me he doesn't care.

Evatt is four years into the job and there's not been one instance that I can remember that the players have come out and said we were given the day off because we did well. I don't remember them coming out and saying we change the tactic and it worked well.

That seems mentally fatiguing. Big Sam had due care and consideration about how mentally affected the players were. I'm not seeing the same from Evatt.

[GhostoftheBok]

I've heard a lot less words, saying we were shit.

Good for you.

[Worthy4England]

I've heard a lot less words, saying we were shit.

Good for you.

I wish I heard 'em a litle more...

[GhostoftheBok]

Evatt is four years into the job and there's not been one instance that I can remember that the players have come out and said we were given the day off because we did well. I don't remember them coming out and saying we change the tactic and it worked well.

That seems mentally fatiguing. Big Sam had due care and consideration about how mentally affected the players were. I'm not seeing the same from Evatt.

We used to hear quite a lot about that, didn't we? Team bonding trips and such. Did they all go canoeing or something? The club just stopped reporting it, but doesn't mean they don't still do those kinds of things.

I think it was Forino who said in an interview that they were hoping they'd do well in these games because then they'd get some days off in the international break. Not 100%, but it was one of them.

[GhostoftheBok]

I wish I heard 'em a litle more...

There's a mute function, mate.

[Worthy4England]

I wish I heard 'em a litle more...

There's a mute function, mate.

I hear you Ghost. Maybe it's your turn?

[GhostoftheBok]

I hear you Ghost. Maybe it's your turn?

I'm fine, thanks. You can control your own behaviour and just not read. Or, like I say, use the mute function if it improves your experience.

[Worthy4England]

I hear you Ghost. Maybe it's your turn?

I'm fine, thanks. You can control your own behaviour and just not read. Or, like I say, use the mute function if it improves your experience.

I think I'll stick around a few...

[TANGODANCER]

One good thing about watching the game on T.V as opposed to being there is that you get to see the game from different angles. For me it highlights (particularly with replays) the amount of time we spend on backing off from attacks, when the opposition are allowed to keep possession while we do a lot of pointing and shouting at each other instead of playing the sort of direct rough-ball that they dish out to us. In short, we need more fangs and claws guard dog attitude and less "come in and welcome chaps" . We're soft options to bully -boy sides and our ball-players shy away from them because the opposition know refs are soft on the offenders. Last night was a good example..

[TANGODANCER]

If you're not quite on it you need to be able to beat the press with something other than lovely passing. We put together some lovely combinations today, but it clearly wasn't enough.

Unless those lovely combinations result in getting us forward into attacking mode they're just training ground exercises and as much use as playing the Salford Gallagher Brother records at the Unibock. Our lackadaisical meanderings are better suited to a team three goal up, not three down. We really need to buck up.

[GhostoftheBok]

Unless those lovely combinations result in getting us forward into attacking mode

They did. It was the final action, as ever, that went wrong - pass, shot, etc.

The fact we lost and were poor doesn't mean everything was wrong.

There was enough there to win a game of football, if the manager got it right. He didn't, which is arguably more damning in terms of his on the day performance.

[TANGODANCER]

Santos actually came out for an interview and he looked knackered. Mentally fatigued.

image_2024-08-31_231134692.png

Thems bags under them eyes. Don't tell me he doesn't care.

If you go back a game or two I made the point more than once that Ric looked fatigued. Not sure if it's home-life or health reasons, but the man is working in low gear. Maybe needs a rest right away from it all.

[DJBlu]

Unless those lovely combinations result in getting us forward into attacking mode

They did. It was the final action, as ever, that went wrong - pass, shot, etc.

The fact we lost and were poor doesn't mean everything was wrong.

There was enough there to win a game of football, if the manager got it right. He didn't, which is arguably more damning in terms of his on the day performance.

Feel you're fighting a battle on your own. When the full 90 is out I'll cut the movement into one video and post it.

There were on a fair few occasions we got in some good areas only for certain players to fluff it up.

[Worthy4England]

The problem isn't that we could compile some decent forwards moves, that may on a different day have got a goal. We saw Daniel Braaten's highlights reel. I'm struggling to recall a really decent save from the keeper and very poor teams can get a shot on target. I didn't really think "we got this" for 90 minutes.

Similar to Charlton and Wrexham. I could make the case for us looking reasonably solid against Wrexham, I'd struggle to be very convincing about our ability to win it.

We won against Orient, but you don't need to stitch anything together to see the saves Baxter made...

[BWFC_Insane]

Deleted.

[BWFC_Insane]

The problem isn't that we could compile some decent forwards moves, that may on a different day have got a goal. We saw Daniel Braaten's highlights reel. I'm struggling to recall a really decent save from the keeper and very poor teams can get a shot on target. I didn't really think "we got this" for 90 minutes.

Similar to Charlton and Wrexham. I could make the case for us looking reasonably solid against Wrexham, I'd struggle to be very convincing about our ability to win it.

We won against Orient, but you don't need to stitch anything together to see the saves Baxter made...

Yeah. We are in a world where Evatt and a select few are in total denial. Evatt talks like set piece goals don’t count. Apart from the two they scored, they almost scored from a corner at 0-0 and went through on goal twice second half the second of which probably should have been a goal.

We on the other hand were at home, created virtually nothing of note - didn’t properly force their keeper into a single save and that game could have lasted 900 minutes and we’d still not score a goal.