Charlie MacDonald

[CC51DAS]

Has he now had his 'run' ?

Ignoring his 2 against a very poor Oxford , when by his own admission he should have had 5 , he has now had 3 virtually full matches and despite a lot of endeavour has not scored . At Swansea he looked totally ineffective and how he was MOTM against Oldham I'll never know . Sounds like today was similar - alot of running around BUT NO GOALS

Am I being too harsh ?

 

[Boreham Shrimper]

Maybe he has had his run, maybe he hasn't. However, look at the alternatives: Harrold or Hooper basically. Harrold, we all know, couldn't hit a barn door and as for Hooper, the jury is still out. Maybe he should be given another run in the side? I'm not sure to be honest and I'd stick with Charlie Mac for the moment.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Has he now had his 'run' ?

Ignoring his 2 against a very poor Oxford , when by his own admission he should have had 5 , he has now had 3 virtually full matches and despite a lot of endeavour has not scored . At Swansea he looked totally ineffective and how he was MOTM against Oldham I'll never know . Sounds like today was similar - alot of running around BUT NO GOALS

Am I being too harsh ?

It doesn't matter who scores the goals as long as the team is scoring goals. One goal today wasn't great, but I'm still more concerned by our inability to prevent them. Today sounded like the type of game we'd have kept a clean sheet in 2 or 3 years ago. Good teams are built from the back and whilst Collis has been a big improvement, I have zero confidence in a central defensive combination of Barrett and Clarke.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Maybe he has had his run, maybe he hasn't. However, look at the alternatives: Harrold or Hooper basically. Harrold, we all know, couldn't hit a barn door and as for Hooper, the jury is still out. Maybe he should be given another run in the side? I'm not sure to be honest and I'd stick with Charlie Mac for the moment.

Dropping Harrold has hardly been the catalyst for a goal frenzy that everyone claimed it would be.

Since his last start we've gone 0, 0, 4, 2, 3, 0, 0, 1.

The 4, 2, 3 sequence in the middle looks less convincing when you recall the 4 was against 9 men, the 2 was only because of a last minute winner, and the 3 was against a non-league team.

 

[Boreham Shrimper]

Dropping Harrold has hardly been the catalyst for a goal frenzy that everyone claimed it would be.

I quite agree but if, as the questioner asked, it's goals we are after, I don't believe Harrold is the answer. I firmly believe that he can be good at holding the ball up and laying it off for a goal-scoring striker, but that only works when said striker is on form, which Clarke isn't really at this point.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I quite agree but if, as the questioner asked, it's goals we are after, I don't believe Harrold is the answer. I firmly believe that he can be good at holding the ball up and laying it off for a goal-scoring striker, but that only works when said striker is on form, which Clarke isn't really at this point.

Or laying it off to goal-scoring midfielders, such as McCormack, Bailey and Gower.

 

[Boreham Shrimper]

Or laying it off to goal-scoring midfielders, such as McCormack, Bailey and Gower.

True, and maybe that highlights part of the issue we have. We rely on these midfielders to such an extent that when they are absent (suspended in the case of Macca and Bailey), we don't know where the goals are going to come from.

 

[CC51DAS]

Dropping Harrold has hardly been the catalyst for a goal frenzy that everyone claimed it would be.

Since his last start we've gone 0, 0, 4, 2, 3, 0, 0, 1.

The 4, 2, 3 sequence in the middle looks less convincing when you recall the 4 was against 9 men, the 2 was only because of a last minute winner, and the 3 was against a non-league team.

Couldn't go today due to family commitments but I am getting increasingly concerned about us firing blanks and as Chris says our dependancy on LeonC . However I feel he will do better with Harrold alongside him .

As for the defence I share YB's Clarke /Barratt nightmares but I don't feel that Richards is the answer either . Hunt is good at CB but lacks height and Francis has put in some good performances at that position in the reserves - but that of course was the reserves

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

True, and maybe that highlights part of the issue we have. We rely on these midfielders to such an extent that when they are absent (suspended in the case of Macca and Bailey), we don't know where the goals are going to come from.

People need to water down their expectations.

Very, very, very few teams have two goalscoring strikers, very few have 3 goalscoring midfielders. A prolific striker and 3 goalscoring midfielders is very good: its good enough to get promoted with, providing you actually have a defence. If you are expecting us to have a 25 goal and a 15 goal striker you are dreaming.

 

[stickyboy]

People need to water down their expectations.

Very, very, very few teams have two goalscoring strikers, very few have 3 goalscoring midfielders. A prolific striker and 3 goalscoring midfielders is very good: its good enough to get promoted with, providing you actually have a defence. If you are expecting us to have a 25 goal and a 15 goal striker you are dreaming.

Think the big obvious issue is the 2nd striker getting 1 let alone 15. In the LEAGUE think only Hooper has scored a goal (in 21 games) as 2nd striker where as our midfield and defence have chipped in pretty good (Mac 6, Barrett 5, Bailey 5, Gower 5)

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Duplicate post

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Think the big obvious issue is the 2nd striker getting 1 let alone 15. In the LEAGUE think only Hooper has scored a goal (in 21 games) as 2nd striker where as our midfield and defence have chipped in pretty good (Mac 6, Barrett 5, Bailey 5, Gower 5)

So in 21 games, we've had 3 midfielders and a defender score 21 goals.

If Leon Clarke scores every other game, we are on for 69 goals. That is more than the 63 goals second place Bristol City scored last season. We'd only need Harrold (or P. Clarke or Maher) to score a further 4 goals to match last season's 3rd division champion's total.

THE BIG ISSUE IS OUR DEFENCE. Last season Scunthorpe conceded 50 and Bristol City conceded 48. To match their tallies we could only concede 18 (or 20) goals in our remaining 25 games.

I can't see us doing that with Clarke and Barrett at the back.

 

[mattytheshrimper]

thing about charlie is that he puts a lot of effort in and does his best every game. still not convinced he's good enough yet although i want him to be as i do like him. really want him to do well. who replaces him though if he loses his place in the starting line up?

 

[stickyboy]

So in 21 games, we've had 3 midfielders and a defender score 21 goals.

If Leon Clarke scores every other game, we are on for 69 goals. That is more than the 63 goals second place Bristol City scored last season. We'd only need Harrold (or P. Clarke or Maher) to score a further 4 goals to match last season's 3rd division champion's total.

THE BIG ISSUE IS OUR DEFENCE. Last season Scunthorpe conceded 50 and Bristol City conceded 48. To match their tallies we could only concede 18 (or 20) goals in our remaining 25 games.

I can't see us doing that with Clarke and Barrett at the back.

My plan was for the 2nd striker to score more to allow us to continue to be woeful at the back!!

Cant see Leon scoring every other game though

 

[CC51DAS]

thing about charlie is that he puts a lot of effort in and does his best every game. still not convinced he's good enough yet although i want him to be as i do like him. really want him to do well. who replaces him though if he loses his place in the starting line up?

looks like you went today mts'er - what was Charlie like ? how many chances did he have / create ? how many shots on goal from him ?

 

[mattytheshrimper]

yeah i went. he didn't do bad. for some reason nearly every long ball from collis went to him and he did win a few headers but against a much taller centre back he did his best. i thought he left to do all the hard work as leon didn't seem to move all game. i don't remember him having a shot of goal but i may be wrong there. but on a few occassions he was looking for a one two win leon where he would have been clean through but sloopy headers and through balls from leon stopped him getting a real chance.

he out the effort in but didn't do a great deal but again put his all into the game. the way leon was playing wouldn't help any striker.

 

[southend_united_fan]

So in 21 games, we've had 3 midfielders and a defender score 21 goals.

If Leon Clarke scores every other game, we are on for 69 goals. That is more than the 63 goals second place Bristol City scored last season. We'd only need Harrold (or P. Clarke or Maher) to score a further 4 goals to match last season's 3rd division champion's total.

THE BIG ISSUE IS OUR DEFENCE. .

....its not! - the back four are fine, but with the front 6 not scoring, we put pressure on ourselves. i believe the problem lies in the striking department

 

[BrettieAngell]

Has he now had his 'run' ?

Ignoring his 2 against a very poor Oxford , when by his own admission he should have had 5 , he has now had 3 virtually full matches and despite a lot of endeavour has not scored . At Swansea he looked totally ineffective and how he was MOTM against Oldham I'll never know . Sounds like today was similar - alot of running around BUT NO GOALS

Am I being too harsh ?

You cant count the Swansea game cos we had 10 men for an hour and he as on his own up front.

And tbh you cant call 3 games a run in the side anyway!

 

[BrettieAngell]

....its not! - the back four are fine, but with the front 6 not scoring, we put pressure on ourselves. i believe the problem lies in the striking department

The back four are fine? As individuals maybe but as a unit we concede so many soft goals it is untrue!

 

[mattytheshrimper]

all from set pieces and corners mostly