'ello, 'ello, 'ello - Oh dear, not you again. Home v Leyton Orient - Sat. Jan 30 15:00

[officer_dibble]

Is Tom White still about? I really can’t be fecked watching Crawford amble round on Saturday - I’d pick him or Comley instead, even Darcy.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Is Tom White still about? I really can’t be fecked watching Crawford amble round on Saturday - I’d pick him or Comley instead, even Darcy.

Contrary to Agent Cartoon's confident late-December pronouncement, both White and Crellin are still at the club. I would presume this is until we get replacements in, as Evatt was quoted thusly in the BN yesterday: “They’re still ongoing, I think that will go right up until the last day of the window really. I would think there will be some sort of announcement but not until very late.”

[BWFC_Insane]

It's just rinse repeat with this club.

Injuries still plaguing us.

At least the few on twitter asking for him to be dropped can see what we look like without him in the team.

I don’t want him to be injured, obviously, but if I were manager (some day), I would have dropped him for Lee anyway. If Lee still isn’t fit then it means probably bringing in Crawford, which definitely isn’t ideal.

See, I do wonder what games some watch. The times we've looked good this season has been when Sarcevic has played well. For me so much is on his shoulders. He's the only midfield player we've got who can beat his man and who can switch gears very quickly something that Evatt's style (though we've seemingly abandoned any recognisably style) in theory demands. Sarce for me has been our best attacking player by quite some distance. He'd be the first name on my teamsheet.

Yes he drifts in and out at times but so what? He gets in good areas and makes things happen. I've no idea what we're doing with other players if Sarce is being dropped - beheadings live on twitter?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Seems it's a game of opinions, with nobody having the definitive answer. Imagine!

[DJBlu]

It's just rinse repeat with this club.

Injuries still plaguing us.

At least the few on twitter asking for him to be dropped can see what we look like without him in the team.

I don’t want him to be injured, obviously, but if I were manager (some day), I would have dropped him for Lee anyway. If Lee still isn’t fit then it means probably bringing in Crawford, which definitely isn’t ideal.

See, I do wonder what games some watch. The times we've looked good this season has been when Sarcevic has played well. For me so much is on his shoulders. He's the only midfield player we've got who can beat his man and who can switch gears very quickly something that Evatt's style (though we've seemingly abandoned any recognisably style) in theory demands. Sarce for me has been our best attacking player by quite some distance. He'd be the first name on my teamsheet.

Yes he drifts in and out at times but so what? He gets in good areas and makes things happen. I've no idea what we're doing with other players if Sarce is being dropped - beheadings live on twitter?

TBF, the team isn't strong enough to carry drifters.

[BWFC_Insane]

It's just rinse repeat with this club.

Injuries still plaguing us.

At least the few on twitter asking for him to be dropped can see what we look like without him in the team.

I don’t want him to be injured, obviously, but if I were manager (some day), I would have dropped him for Lee anyway. If Lee still isn’t fit then it means probably bringing in Crawford, which definitely isn’t ideal.

See, I do wonder what games some watch. The times we've looked good this season has been when Sarcevic has played well. For me so much is on his shoulders. He's the only midfield player we've got who can beat his man and who can switch gears very quickly something that Evatt's style (though we've seemingly abandoned any recognisably style) in theory demands. Sarce for me has been our best attacking player by quite some distance. He'd be the first name on my teamsheet.

Yes he drifts in and out at times but so what? He gets in good areas and makes things happen. I've no idea what we're doing with other players if Sarce is being dropped - beheadings live on twitter?

TBF, the team isn't strong enough to carry drifters.

But he's carrying the team. Not the other way around. He's the only player who can do something quickly - first touch then move it or drift past a player. If 5 or 6 other players had got even halfway to Sarce's level we'd be way higher up the table. The role he plays in at his best is always going to be a bit in and out of the game - because that's how he's effective. I think a good partnership with someone like Tutte and Lee who are always wanting to be involved and on the ball but Sarce is a different type of midfield player. I feel he's levels above most we've got barring Doyle and its no coincidence that he and Doyle look for each other all the time because they clearly in attacking terms are on a different level compared to some of the others in terms of using football to open teams up - Delfouneso for example has other attributes.

[Worthy4England]

I hovered over the "buy now" button for quite a while, before the press. Then again, we've not heard a shitload about the press recently as bullshit has met reality.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

last time we met these, we shipped four. Time before, awe also shipped four, but we had the grace to also score four ourselves.

Not lost against them at home in 15, though, since the 1970/71 season which is just about the only one to challenge our recent endeavours for endemic awfulness.

Also always have a place in my heart as Bolton - Orient (then Leytonless) was my first ever football match, 1 Jan 85. 0-0, since you ask. Biggest noise of the day was for the HT scores (united were losing). Within a week McGovern got hoofed.

[Worthy4England]

The first game place in the heart, for me, contained two important elements. 1) United lost it 2) I don't support the team that beat them that day. Still sticks with me today.

[Bijou Bob]

Sarc has been generally poor as far as I'm concerned. He looks unfit and overweight, largely struggling to have an impact lasting more than ten minutes in either half.

The larger problem for me is that I just can't see what we're trying to do or be. The first few games it looked like we were playing with high pressing wing backs, but as soon as teams realised that all they had to do was park the bus, keep shape and catch us on the break, we had no answer. Time and time again, losing in the last ten minutes, we continued to try to walk the ball into the net through ten defenders. It leaves me screaming at the TV "Get the fecking thing in the box and look for second balls".

At their place, Luton moved the ball quickly, were organised and kept the press going. We had no answer. We can't afford to be fast asleep for the first twenty minutes today. Long term though, we need an identity and a plan B.

0-2 today.

[Harry Genshaw]

At their place, Luton moved the ball quickly, were organised and kept the press going. We had no answer. We can't afford to be fast asleep for the first twenty minutes today. Long term though, we need an identity and a plan B.

0-2 today.

Oh to be playing them today

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Luton? It'll be a while before we're back up at their heady heights...

Interesting to hear you doubt the identity, Bob, while others seem to say identities and projects are nebulous concepts. IMO Evatt has made clear what he wants, but the players he's chosen haven't been doing it with anything like sufficient reliability - and in the end, that's Evatt's responsibility, no matter how much it's his fault. That's the business.

[Mar]

Sarc has been generally poor as far as I'm concerned. He looks unfit and overweight, largely struggling to have an impact lasting more than ten minutes in either half.

I think it's hard to gauge with Sarcevic. To me, it seems like that's his body type. He seems physically bulkier than most but doesn't necessarily look fat. The fact he drifts in and out of games performance wise is a concern but whether that's motivation or fitness remains to be seen.

From a playing perspective he's clearly got something about him that is worth his inclusion in the squad but I think its just frustrating that we don't see enough of it.

The larger problem for me is that I just can't see what we're trying to do or be. The first few games it looked like we were playing with high pressing wing backs, but as soon as teams realised that all they had to do was park the bus, keep shape and catch us on the break, we had no answer. Time and time again, losing in the last ten minutes, we continued to try to walk the ball into the net through ten defenders. It leaves me screaming at the TV "Get the fecking thing in the box and look for second balls".

I genuinely get the feeling that we have been trying to play the control possession, dictate the play and then score. Trouble is a lot of teams we're coming up against are happy to park the bus and catch us on the break by which point we've had an abundance of our own players in the opposition half and our defence exposed.

Seems like we're crying out at times for a quick ball out wide and a pass onto Doyle breaking against the opposition. When we let the opposition get back (due to our slow build up play) we inevitably have a situation where Doyle is being marked out in numbers. A mixture of play styles seem like a good idea in theory.

At their place, Luton moved the ball quickly, were organised and kept the press going. We had no answer. We can't afford to be fast asleep for the first twenty minutes today. Long term though, we need an identity and a plan B.

0-2 today.

It's quite frustrating at the moment. There's clearly a lot going on behind the scenes that may have a significant disruption. Our coaching setup is probably not where it needs to be, our scouting network seemingly hasn't been good enough and our academy is getting a remodelling job. Once those foundations are sorted things should go a lot smoother.

The key takeaways for me:

We've got a manager that talks a lot of sense (especially compared to Keith Hill)
We've signed players that represent good signings (Doyle, Sarcevic, Kioso, Taft, Santos, etc.)
The manager has a clear style he wants to implement


There are reasons to be positive, but the whole lets walk the league nonsense hasn't materialised. I think it's a motivation thing. Do we even have a psychologist working with the players and staff anymore?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

TEAM NEWS

SIX changes - Delfouneso, Arthur, Brockbank, Tomo, Baptiste and Lee in

[knobpolisher]

Six changes wtf

[officer_dibble]

Who is doing the tackling??

[DJBlu]

Who is doing the tackling??

Dead cert 0-0

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

There's a lot to unpack there...

Dropped from the XI: Jones, Tutte, Crawford, Elbo (+ Delaney, Sarce)

All four of the available ones dropped to the bench, alongside new signing Declan John plus Greenidge

Crellin dropped from the 18 again

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Who is doing the tackling??

I only see two midfielders (Tomo and Lee) so I'm going to predict a 4-2-3-1 with Delf-Arthur-Isgrove (L to R) behind Doyle. Brocky RB.

Then again, it could be a 3-4-1-2 with Brocky in central defence, Isgrove at RWB (it's a home game...) and Arthur in behind Delf/Doyle.

[TonyDomingos]

TEAM NEWS

SIX changes - Delfouneso, Arthur, Brockbank, Tomo, Baptiste and Lee in

Baptiste Lee Jackson was a blues guitarist from Mississippi. Possibly.