A distant drum...V Plymouth Argyle Sat 27th Aug. 3-o'clock.

[Mar]

Another cup game on Tuesday to paper over some of the cracks. All in all not good enough. Definitely worth dropping Santos for Aimson.

This is a repeat of the Sheff Wednesday game. Seemingly on top prior to a goal going in. We fail to perform after going 1-0 down and fail to get back into the game. Lack of effort with a self-defeatist attitude.

[BorsdaneWhite]

That ball from Jones was just criminal.

Team selection, as many predicted, seems to have facilitated this poor performance. Morley neither combative nor clever enough to hold (and this quarter-back reputation is total simp-worthy); toothless and clumsy in attack (Kachunga, the equivalent of watercress on a plate); neither Dempsey nor Lee (our attacking-mids) brave enough to shoot, nor, today, intrepid enough to find a final ball. Add that to two more defensive lapses and poor finishing and we have another infuriating loss at Plymouth.

Oh, well. Now for Leeds Festival on TV. That’ll make me feel even older.

[BWFC_Insane]

Good job I'm being paid to watch this. I don't get how we go from the start we had to this. It's night and day.

We fought a hard 0-0 at PV and then a tough 1-0 against Morecambe. We weren’t great in either game but defensively did the job. Then we change the defence breaking the idea that you earn a place in the team and we are a squad. It was so obviously a bad move you could see it miles off.

Now it’s random number generator team selections and clueless performances. Evatt has a long way to go in understanding how to get a team out of league one. Sadly his level might have been league two with no crowd pressure. He’s struggling again.

[Prufrock]

Midfield was fine. We played away to a v good team, with a v good home record, were the better side box to box, and created 2 golden chances. Balance looked fine.

But you can't make those mistakes at the back. And I quite like Kachunga, but he should never ever be starting ahead of Dapo.

Still no league goal from the forwards.

Back to 433, Dapo in his best position. Sads in.

[Harry Genshaw]

It's still August. We'll be reet.

[BWFC_Insane]

It's still August. We'll be reet.

We want to be going up not just ‘reet’. That’s the measure this season.

[Spartan2]

Wont happen but I'd be switching back to 433/4231 now. Dapo in his best position, the only position he's ever looked good in. Push Bradley further up to allow him to be involved more in attack and press, teams can't deal with him at this level. Don't think anyone has really excelled at 10 for us so pick someone from Dempsey, Lee, Thomasson, Sadlier, I suppose Sadlier deserves a chance but I do like Thomasson.

[TANGODANCER]

It's still August. We'll be reet.

We want to be going up not just ‘reet’. That’s the measure this season.

You really believe it's that easy, I? This league is full of Plymouths and we'll need a lot of luck as well as The Whites playing out of their skins to even think of promotion. To think otherwise is pipe-dreaming. What about the injury factor and talk of seeing off some squad members to obtain others? Even a cock-eyed optimist like me know that. Sure, promotion is the target, but it's a hard one at that. Sure, I believe we can do it, but it needs a big hope factor (and a few refs who don't hate Bolton. )

[BWFC_Insane]

It's still August. We'll be reet.

We want to be going up not just ‘reet’. That’s the measure this season.

You really believe it's that easy, I? This league is full of Plymouths and we'll need a lot of luck as well as The Whites playing out of their skins to even think of promotion. To think otherwise is pipe-dreaming. What about the injury factor and talk of seeing off some squad members to obtain others? Even a cock-eyed optimist like me know that. Sure, promotion is the target, but it's a hard one at that. Sure, I believe we can do it, but it needs a big hope factor (and a few refs who don't hate Bolton. )

Of course it’s not easy. We have a squad that is good enough for the playoffs at least if deployed properly. So far it hasn’t been. Leaving out Dapo today for example. Not keeping a back line together after two clean sheets.

You knew before we kicked off today he’d picked the wrong team. And the same problems we had last season of weak in both boxes has resurfaced.

If we want to keep Dapo we need to go up this year and I think it’s important we at least get to the top 6.

[The_Gun]

Couldn’t watch today, but concerned about some of what I’ve read.

Evatt has a lot of credit in the bank, but I often find his selection decisions confusing, and think he’s relatively poor at making in-game adjustments.

Starting Kachunga again is baffling to me; he’s scored six league goals in the last six seasons. He’s a last option of the bench at best, and has done nothing for us to justify starting important games.

I’d like to see us bring in a couple of good players before the window ends, because although we’ve undoubtedly improved relative to where we were at the same time last season, we don’t seem to have improved enough relative to the best teams in the division.

[BWFC_Insane]

Couldn’t watch today, but concerned about some of what I’ve read.

Evatt has a lot of credit in the bank, but I often find his selection decisions confusing, and think he’s relatively poor at making in-game adjustments.

Starting Kachunga again is baffling to me; he’s scored six league goals in the last six seasons. He’s a last option of the bench at best, and has done nothing for us to justify starting important games.

I’d like to see us bring in a couple of good players before the window ends, because although we’ve undoubtedly improved relative to where we were at the same time last season, we don’t seem to have improved enough relative to the best teams in the division.

The thing I’d say is we do need some quality. But it’s hard to put your finger on exactly what we do need. Which is worrying. The problem is we are poor in the attacking and defensive thirds of the pitch. We lack cutting edge for all our nice play in the middle we get to the opponents box and do little. Their keeper made one meaningful save today. One.

And at the back we look always far too likely to give a goal away. Mistake ridden. Santos again looking a liability. But generally some shocking defending today.

So how do we fix it? I’m not sure Evatt knows and I’m not convinced I’d trust him to spend money because he signs decent players but I’m not convinced he knows how to turn them into an effective team.

[The_Gun]

I was critical of MJ when he first joined, but he proved me wrong and is now surely a guaranteed starter in every important game, fitness permitting.

Up front, if we’re playing with two strikers, then our starting rotation is Dapo, Charles and JDB. Baka is a different look off the bench if things are going wrong and Kachunga can play in the cups or as a last resort.

Barring Man City, virtually every top club plays the same side in their most important games, and we should be no different.

[GhostoftheBok]

Not much to say about today.

I don't think this side can leave out both Sadlier and Dapo, as they're out only hopes of "out of the blue" goals from odd angles when we're not finishing the team ones. That's not some specific, well-researched tactical view - you just need a lad who is capable of saying "This isn't working right now, I'm going to try and stick it in the corner."

The striking options, for me, were not where they needed to be coming into the season. We needed a top striker in the building to shake things up. It's now 6 league games with no striker scoring.

If Toal is good and Sheehan comes back fully fit then what we really need is a striker and mid. If Toal's not ready then we need that CB we've needed for a long time. If Sheehan isn't fully up to it we need a '10'.

Nothing has changed, because we've not actively changed anything. We're basically the same side we were last season.

[BWFC_Insane]

Not much to say about today.

I don't think this side can leave out both Sadlier and Dapo, as they're out only hopes of "out of the blue" goals from odd angles when we're not finishing the team ones. That's not some specific, well-researched tactical view - you just need a lad who is capable of saying "This isn't working right now, I'm going to try and stick it in the corner."

The striking options, for me, were not where they needed to be coming into the season. We needed a top striker in the building to shake things up. It's now 6 league games with no striker scoring.

If Toal is good and Sheehan comes back fully fit then what we really need is a striker and mid. If Toal's not ready then we need that CB we've needed for a long time. If Sheehan isn't fully up to it we need a '10'.

Nothing has changed, because we've not actively changed anything. We're basically the same side we were last season.

And that side finished with top 6, top 2 form even.

I don’t think our issue is players. We do need something in midfield and a left wing back. But the strikers who won us games second half of last season are still here.

The setup and balance is wrong. Dempsey wasn’t the answer last season and still isn’t this season. Morley is too passive off the ball. We still miss Fosseys pace and delivery. The one area Bradley hasn’t delivered on yet is service into the box.

But all that taken into account we are better than we are showing. The last two league games come down to the manager and poor selections.

[GhostoftheBok]

And that side finished with top 6, top 2 form even.

Last season. Rivals have strengthened and we haven't.

[Worthy4England]

And that side finished with top 6, top 2 form even.

Last season. Rivals have strengthened and we haven't.

Some, yes. And some, no. If the only time you can win, is when you have clear superiority, then managers are superfluous, so save your money.

[BWFC_Insane]

And that side finished with top 6, top 2 form even.

Last season. Rivals have strengthened and we haven't.

Some have. But not to extent we can’t compete. Lots of talk about details yet we still can’t score from a set piece and our big centre half is still a liability.

If the coaching staff address some of these things it would help. I’m not sure I believe Evatt knows how to build a side to get out of this league and that opinion is being reinforced right now.

[Worthy4England]

And that side finished with top 6, top 2 form even.

Last season. Rivals have strengthened and we haven't.

Some have. But not to extent we can’t compete. Lots of talk about details yet we still can’t score from a set piece and our big centre half is still a liability.

If the coaching staff address some of these things it would help. I’m not sure I believe Evatt knows how to build a side to get out of this league and that opinion is being reinforced right now.

It's a fecked up narrative. It suggests the manager can't make a difference from sub-optimal, which begs the question "why bother?" And discounts shit like Allardyce's (and Parkie's) achievements when they had sub-optimal squads too.....

Managers in line of work, including me, don't get a "we'll I didn't get everything I needed" cop out, very often

[GhostoftheBok]

Some, yes. And some, no. If the only time you can win, is when you have clear superiority, then managers are superfluous, so save your money.

Na.

We've not added enough quality and we've not put enough pressure on the players who were already here.

Entirely foreseeable and we are where we are.

Next two games are vital if there's a genuine aspiration to go up automatically, rather than just talk a good game.

[GhostoftheBok]

It's a fecked up narrative. It suggests the manager can't make a difference from sub-optimal

It would be a fecked up narrative if that was what was being said. It's not, though. So it isn't.