Better "Late on" than never. A visit from the Orient. Sat 22 Feb 3-0'clock.

[BWFC_Insane]

Aye. Our last-six form (W5 L1) is the best in the division, including the automatic promotion challengers. It just so happens that those are the six games since Evatt left. (For the record the six before that were, chronologically, WLWLDL.)

Yup. The thing is, if Evatt put out that 11 to start the game and they offered up that first half people would have gone mad.

The huge difference is that Schumacher saw it and knew how to change it. If Wellens changes his set up in the first half against Evatt we simply lose that game. Schumacher reacted to the reality in front of him.

The difference is Evatt was a complete and total charlatan. On every level. I mean tactics matter but you also need players prepared to deliver them and do the work and Evatt couldn’t do that no matter how he wanted them to play. Schumacher is getting effort out that wasn’t there before. Probably because the players believe in him whereas Evatt clearly they did not.

Not even sure we played that well today. We went transitional second half - sacrificed possession and created chances doing so. Something Evatt claimed we couldn’t do. Funny that. It worked and we won. Which in games like this is all that matters. You don’t have to play well. Just find ways to be better than your opponents, which second half we did. Subs were spot on and everyone was fighting for it. Even if not necessarily at their best.

Man of the match Forrester for me. Who I think is proving to be a revelation as an out and out defender, unburdened from having to play in the wide areas that clearly do not suit him at all.

[Spartan2]

Well it wasn't the battering (us battering them) I thought it might be but another excellent result. He's a proper manager isn't he, Schuey turned that around and kept us ahead with astute tactical changes. I thought we struggled on our left flank they targeted that area and have some very tidy players there, Murphy had a very tough game hopefully he'll improve he looked like he had a lack of confidence and they had him for pace a few times but he tackled well. That was pretty much the best the league has to offer (form team) and we just dealt with it. Confidence is growing, the players are getting better every week, that must be the best performance for Cogley this season (despite the goal) Collins was unplayable, he looked a level above, the players are starting to show how good they can be, is second place unrealistic? All I know is I'm now very interested in Wycombe's results. Cogley MotM.

[BWFC_Insane]

Well it wasn't the battering (us battering them) I thought it might be but another excellent result. He's a proper manager isn't he, Schuey turned that around and kept us ahead with astute tactical changes. I thought we struggled on our left flank they targeted that area and have some very tidy players there, Murphy had a very tough game hopefully he'll improve he looked like he had a lack of confidence and they had him for pace a few times but he tackled well. That was pretty much the best the league has to offer (form team) and we just dealt with it. Confidence is growing, the players are getting better every week, that must be the best performance for Cogley this season (despite the goal) Collins was unplayable, he looked a level above, the players are starting to show how good they can be, is second place unrealistic? All I know is I'm now very interested in Wycombe's results. Cogley MotM.

Yeah Cogley was excellent but he’s been excellent since Evatt left. Murphy doesn’t look properly fit to me. I think he’s in that ‘step up to men’s football’ phase where he is struggling to find his legs and keep the pace. Still had to do some defending second half and stick with it. Does feel like a weak area though and suspect teams will try and target it.

[The_Gun]

Johnston starts at left back, for me.

[BWFC_Insane]

Johnston starts at left back, for me.

I am not sure if I’m honest that he’s a left back other than in an emergency.

[dave the minion]

So, in summary, as a reminder to where we are from recent narrative:

The team are a bunch of leaderless shirkers with no bottle.and none of them are apparently fit to wear the shirt.

Sheehan is a soft luxury player

Mcatee is a waste of space and money

Selling Charles was a shocking decision


Am I missing anything??

Yeah, changing the manager won't help.

Yep. Fair.....

[GhostoftheBok]

He presumably wouldn’t pick that XI as it couldn’t really fit into a back three. But I do take your point.

Reason the new gaffer gets more rope is that he hasn’t ballsed it up too many times… quite the opposite, in terms of results, thankfully. Still plenty room to improve - we can’t give Wrexham or Birmingham a goal start…

Rather my point, yeah. Schumacher is showing he's willing to experiment, but most importantly that he understands how to fix "the master plan" when it doesn't work out.

He tried something. Wellens countered it. Schumacher rejigged it and we won.

There was a proper job on at half time and he met the challenge.

[TANGODANCER]

Rather my point, yeah. Schumacher is showing he's willing to experiment, but most importantly that he understands how to fix "the master plan" when it doesn't work out.

He tried something. Wellens countered it. Schumacher rejigged it and we won.

There was a proper job on at half time and he met the challenge.

Being as happy with the win as us all, Let's just keep in mind we won on a penalty. Nobody can predict or influence those.

[irie Cee Bee]

Rather my point, yeah. Schumacher is showing he's willing to experiment, but most importantly that he understands how to fix "the master plan" when it doesn't work out.

He tried something. Wellens countered it. Schumacher rejigged it and we won.

There was a proper job on at half time and he met the challenge.

Being as happy with the win as us all, Let's just keep in mind we won on a penalty. Nobody can predict or influence those.

A penalty well earned from pressure.

[TANGODANCER]

Being as happy with the win as us all, Let's just keep in mind we won on a penalty. Nobody can predict or influence those.

A penalty well earned from pressure.
[/quote]

Undoubtedly, and overdue for what these cloggers deserved. Winning from behind displays fight and skill. That, we had.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

A penalty well earned from pressure.

“It's soft but that's what Sheehan does, he goes down very easily, but we can't dangle a leg,” said Richie Bellends... who also complained that he doesn't know why his own side were timewasting, which is a new one on me

[BWFC_Insane]

A penalty well earned from pressure.

“It's soft but that's what Sheehan does, he goes down very easily, but we can't dangle a leg,” said Richie Bellends... who also complained that he doesn't know why his own side were timewasting, which is a new one on me

Haven’t seen it since the game but live it looked to me like an absolute nailed on penalty. Is that not the case?

I also dispute quite strongly the idea from Wellens that Sheehan goes down easily since it’s literally the opposite. I think he often should make more of challenges against him.

[Spartan2]

A penalty well earned from pressure.

“It's soft but that's what Sheehan does, he goes down very easily, but we can't dangle a leg,” said Richie Bellends... who also complained that he doesn't know why his own side were timewasting, which is a new one on me

Haven’t seen it since the game but live it looked to me like an absolute nailed on penalty. Is that not the case?

I also dispute quite strongly the idea from Wellens that Sheehan goes down easily since it’s literally the opposite. I think he often should make more of challenges against him.

It's just sour grapes. It's a completely blatant penalty, defender messed up his tackle and kicked Sheehan's standing leg.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

A penalty well earned from pressure.

“It's soft but that's what Sheehan does, he goes down very easily, but we can't dangle a leg,” said Richie Bellends... who also complained that he doesn't know why his own side were timewasting, which is a new one on me

Haven’t seen it since the game but live it looked to me like an absolute nailed on penalty. Is that not the case?

I also dispute quite strongly the idea from Wellens that Sheehan goes down easily since it’s literally the opposite. I think he often should make more of challenges against him.

Sheehan takes a LOT of knocks. He knows how to win a free kick - by getting himself in between ball and oppo - and he's happy to take the bangs to do so.

On this occasion, Ball was a bit daft and clumsy. Had Josh gone down on the edge of our own box under that sort of challenge, voices would have been raised. Contact, definitely; penalty, legally; soft crumple, possibly. But tough shit. Had we not given away a soft but legally unquestionable penalty in Schumacher's first game, he'd be undefeated in the league and we'd be in 6th now, so Wellens can cry me a river.

[TANGODANCER]

And we didn't really miss Williams one iota.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

10-minute highlights cut from the EFL.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Question. Iles writes that we switched to a back three at half-time, but it didn't look like it to me. If our back three was (L-R) Murphy-Johnston-Forrester, with Osei-Tutu at LWB, who was RWB - Cogz or Schon?

From the 45-75 minute mark (Vic arrived on 73 and we tweaked again IMO), Osei-Tutu and Schon had touches in very similar areas (JOT all the ones in the top half, Szabi bottom half - we're kicking left to right):
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Screenshot 2025-02-23 at 22.18.42.png (98.04 KiB) Viewed 1456 times

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...while Cogz and Murphy also balanced each other out... (Cogz had a little wander over that notional vertical halfway so I've added a red line to separate his touches from Murph's):
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Screenshot 2025-02-23 at 22.20.43.png (96.4 KiB) Viewed 1456 times

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I don't think we went "back three/five" until Forino came on for JOT. What did other people watching it think? In the end it doesn't matter much as long as we're fluid, but this shit fascinates me... and much nicer to analyse after a win, especially one facilitated by the manager making changes...

[Prufrock]

I wondered seeing the change at half time so was looking out and it still looked very back 4 to me. Johnstone and Murphy making very odd decisions if they were supposed to be in a 3.

[truewhite15]

Question. Iles writes that we switched to a back three at half-time, but it didn't look like it to me. If our back three was (L-R) Murphy-Johnston-Forrester, with Osei-Tutu at LWB, who was RWB - Cogz or Schon?

From the 45-75 minute mark (Vic arrived on 73 and we tweaked again IMO), Osei-Tutu and Schon had touches in very similar areas (JOT all the ones in the top half, Szabi bottom half - we're kicking left to right):
.
Screenshot 2025-02-23 at 22.18.42.png
.
...while Cogz and Murphy also balanced each other out... (Cogz had a little wander over that notional vertical halfway so I've added a red line to separate his touches from Murph's):
.
Screenshot 2025-02-23 at 22.20.43.png
.
I don't think we went "back three/five" until Forino came on for JOT. What did other people watching it think? In the end it doesn't matter much as long as we're fluid, but this shit fascinates me... and much nicer to analyse after a win, especially one facilitated by the manager making changes...

Yeah, Iles is dead wrong on this one. We started the game in a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1, with Schon and JOT advanced wide and Matete as the most advanced midfielder.

After Jay's unceremonious hoiking at half time, and Collins' introduction, we'd gone 4-4-2 - but again, JOT and Szabi were so advanced that it often resembled a 4-2-4. The withdrawal of Murphy and introduction of Forino took us to 5-3-2, with Schon switching to LWB, and then the subbing of sub Adeboyejo for Lolos took us more to a compact 5-4-1, when we were simply scrapping for time.

[BWFC_Insane]

Question. Iles writes that we switched to a back three at half-time, but it didn't look like it to me. If our back three was (L-R) Murphy-Johnston-Forrester, with Osei-Tutu at LWB, who was RWB - Cogz or Schon?

From the 45-75 minute mark (Vic arrived on 73 and we tweaked again IMO), Osei-Tutu and Schon had touches in very similar areas (JOT all the ones in the top half, Szabi bottom half - we're kicking left to right):
.
Screenshot 2025-02-23 at 22.18.42.png
.
...while Cogz and Murphy also balanced each other out... (Cogz had a little wander over that notional vertical halfway so I've added a red line to separate his touches from Murph's):
.
Screenshot 2025-02-23 at 22.20.43.png
.
I don't think we went "back three/five" until Forino came on for JOT. What did other people watching it think? In the end it doesn't matter much as long as we're fluid, but this shit fascinates me... and much nicer to analyse after a win, especially one facilitated by the manager making changes...

Yeah, Iles is dead wrong on this one. We started the game in a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1, with Schon and JOT advanced wide and Matete as the most advanced midfielder.

After Jay's unceremonious hoiking at half time, and Collins' introduction, we'd gone 4-4-2 - but again, JOT and Szabi were so advanced that it often resembled a 4-2-4. The withdrawal of Murphy and introduction of Forino took us to 5-3-2, with Schon switching to LWB, and then the subbing of sub Adeboyejo for Lolos took us more to a compact 5-4-1, when we were simply scrapping for time.

Schumacher himself said we went to a back three for start of second half…so….I dunno….didnt look like one but Murphy went to left side centre back apparently. Think it was a 343 with Collins, McAtee and Szabi…