Papering over the cracks.

[DTS]

Not looking to be negative but I can't help but think tonight was yet another pretty dismal performance. Yes we did well with 10/9 men to get a point.

The fundamentals for me are that we simply don't have any creativity in the side and we don't look like scoring. Aside from the fact we held out tonight we had almost no chances. This was the same as previous games with Crewe, Rotherham, Swindon, Daggers, Bradford etc.

There is very little creativity in the side, the strikers don't for me look fit to task. Dickinson is just about ok at this level and I suspect he is out or a long spell. Short of that we Don't have anyone that can really be described as a danger. Benyon, Sampson, Harris, Sturrock etc have less than a handful of goals between them.

Barker on the radio tonight said it felt like a win tonight. I'm sorry chris but it does not. We failed to trouble a pretty poor terrible Crawley side. We failed to score or create anything at home. This is not the sort of form that gets you promoted. I worry about our chances if we don't start looking like a side that can put others to bed at home.

 

[james_c]

for me it defiantly felt like a win was playing a good team with no hall or dicko showed team spirit was and was down to 10 for long period.

 

[Pubey]

We played well in the first half i thought. It was obviously tough in the second. Crawley are a very good side, especially defensively, and so I'm not surprised we struggled going forward. Having said that, Timlin did nothing and Harris was too wasteful in possession. The rest played pretty well except Clohessy who's radar was off.

 

[DTS]

We played well in the first half i thought. It was obviously tough in the second. Crawley are a very good side, especially defensively, and so I'm not surprised we struggled going forward. Having said that, Timlin did nothing and Harris was too wasteful in possession. The rest played pretty well except Clohessy who's radar was off.

Crewe were not a good side, neither were Daggers, neither were Rotherham and again we created very little. Defensively I think were solid. I feel the midfield get bossed all to often and the attack is generally pretty toothless.

Crawley are a decent side in terrible form, they came to roots Hall there for the taking and I don't think there keeper made a serious save in anger.

 

[WESTY_SUFC]

I kind of agree in some ways but disagree in others. We were really poor with 11 vs 11. Basic passing was very bad. 10 v 11 got much better when Dicko come on we looked useful. 9 v 11 u cant argue we were almost heroic defending n gk outstanding actually gk top draw all game.

I do worry if we actually practice basic pass and move in training because we badly struggle at this? Although not to my taste direct does work but if you cannot play some pass to feet football basics you fail without a doubt.

Dont want to point this out in particular but has anyone else thought that since Timlin has signed a contract his form has dropped a long way?

 

[MK Shrimper]

Timlin looked way off form. Definite spell on the bench required.

Don't forget the weather was atrocious.

 

[palexander]

For BOTH sides though MK and Crawley created a lot. I agree with the op and that we were poor. No shots on target at home is a wretched stat for any side and now dicko is out, I'm not sure we have the goals in us to secure a promotion spot :(

 

[canveyshrimper]

Crewe were not a good side, neither were Daggers, neither were Rotherham and again we created very little. Defensively I think were solid. I feel the midfield get bossed all to often and the attack is generally pretty toothless.

Crawley are a decent side in terrible form, they came to roots Hall there for the taking and I don't think there keeper made a serious save in anger.

Defensively we are ok, Hills is an excellent addition and we have Prosser & Baldwin to come in as necessary. And I quite like the midfield four of the last two games, but there's something not quite right. We're the divisions top scorers yet we barely look like scoring. Another night when we didn't have a shot on target. With Dicinson out and Sampson due to go back to Bolton we need to get a striker in, easier said than done I know, but the current crop collectively can't hit a cows arse with a banjo.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Hopefully Samson's loan will be extended.

 

[DTS]

Hopefully Samson's loan will be extended.

That said I haven't seen him have a decent shot in the three games I have seen him in.

 

[MilkeySUFC]

Hopefully not. IMHO he's not good enough for a L2 promotion push.

 

[Kevin Hogg]

A positive spin.
I have only been back a short while and from what I have seen....I have to offer congratulations on our lofty league position throughout the season. Actually watching the side it is obvious that we are absolutely nowhere near a top team..yet we are up there!!!

If Wigan Athletic were challenging for the Champions League - everybody would be praising them to the heavens. We look terrible for the majority of the time and yet are well in the frame for automatic and certainly a play-off spot.

The team spirit looked great last night. Keep it up!

 

[Tommy2holes]

I think we have to be realistic .

We are way off in terms of personel to the likes of Crawley and swindon and behind in experience to the likes of shrewsbury who have been knocking on the door for a few seasons.

Most teams in this division would have crumpled last night. We didnt .

We have a very good chance of the automatic spots as we have to play most of our games at homes against so called inferior opposition and away from home we are in good form.


We have a renewed team spirit and a few new faces which have gelled quickly. I still feel we will be there or there abouts although we may have to loan an experienced striker or pacey player to help us out.

 

[yogi bear up the cagire]

Could someone in the know, please explain our situation regarding the number of loan players we can have and when the loan window closes. Can we bring in another striker with rather more experience (if one can be found), to work with Sampson, or are we going to be obliged to let Sampson go, in order to bring a replacement for Dickinson in?

 

[Bromley Blue]

Hopefully Samson's loan will be extended.

But is Sampson the answer? I've seen mixed reviews of his performance last night and I'm afraid I'm in the camp of those that thought he didn't do much. I was at Northampton when he came on to make his debut and thought we had a class player on our hands. Unfortunately since then I don't think he's shown enough to warrant a place in the starting XI.

As for last night, overall I was quite pleased. I thought Crawley shaded a very poor first half which was ruined by the weather. I was pleased with the way we got it down and passed it to feet, although it's got to be said, without creating much. It would be interesting to know whether this was our game plan due to the conditions or whether we're trying to get the best out of players such as Harris (at last). Going in at half time I thought if we could carry on playing it around then chances would come and felt we'd restricted Crawley to half chances and the game was there for the taking.

Second half Crawley started much better than us and had a spell of sustained pressure culminating in Barker's sending off. CB had looked off the pace all night and it wasn't a surprise that he was the player in the wrong place at the wrong time. That said it saved a certain goal and Belford saved the resultant penalty.

As for Belford he was absolutely immense last night and I really hope we can sign him til the end of the season. There's no doubt that his performance went a long way towards getting a point from an imminent defeat.

When Dicko came on I thought he showed what we'd been missing all night. Harris needed someone to play off and regardless of what u thought of Sampson's first half performance we looked more threatening with our top scorer on the pitch.

The injury looked a bad one and whilst it's not a fracture I'd still expect him to be out for a month if not longer. Without him, I worry that the ball isn't going to stick up front. We either need to change our style completely and go with Benyon and Harris or bring in another targetman on loan. I personally think blooding Anto Flood at this stage of the season would be a massive gamble when we desperately need results. Am I right in thinking we can only make emergency loans now?

I think the next 4 games are very winnable and think we need to win all 4 really to put us right back in the mix. I personally think that's a big ask for this side and why we might just fall short of the autos.

 

[Kevin Hogg]

Second half Crawley started much better than us and had a spell of sustained pressure culminating in Barker's sending off. CB had looked off the pace all night and it wasn't a surprise that he was the player in the wrong place at the wrong time. That said it saved a certain goal and Belford saved the resultant penalt.

CB was in exactly the RIGHT place at the RIGHT time! He saved the goal. We got a point.
Surely???

 

[Beefy]

For BOTH sides though MK and Crawley created a lot. I agree with the op and that we were poor. No shots on target at home is a wretched stat for any side and now dicko is out, I'm not sure we have the goals in us to secure a promotion spot :(

Crawley didn't create that much. The chance for the pen and one decent opportunity for Clarke late on but that was about it. They had the ball a lot and did more with it than we did but for most of the game our defenders bossed their forwards.

I thought it was a poor game and an unconvincing attacking performance for us. We never got to grips with the conditions and other than when Sawyer had the ball at his feet never really looked likely to create anything. But that shouldn't take away from the performances of the keeper and the defenders.

I think the game really showed what a big player for us Liam Dickinson is and we were so much better when he came on, even though we were down to ten men. With both main targetmen now out long-term injured I wonder what Sturrock will do about that. I'm not sure if Sampson is ready for that role.

 

[danburyshrimper]

I think if we learnt anything from last night its this .... we blatantly havent got enough Left backs in our squad :whistling:

 

[Beefy]

Could someone in the know, please explain our situation regarding the number of loan players we can have and when the loan window closes. Can we bring in another striker with rather more experience (if one can be found), to work with Sampson, or are we going to be obliged to let Sampson go, in order to bring a replacement for Dickinson in?

We've got another couple of weeks before the loan window closes (I posted the exact date in another thread the other week but can't remember it now - I'm pretty sure it's the last week of the month though).

If Sampson was signed as an emergency loan then we can only extend the loan one more time to a maximum 93 days. If he was a youth loan (which I would imagine that he was) then we should be able to extend it until the end of the season.

Any loans we bring in now will be emergency loans. I don't think there's any limit on the number we can have other than no more than five in a matchday squad. Personally if Dicko is out as long as he looks like being I hope we can find a couple of pennies somewhere to bring someone in on loan to fill that targetman position.

 

[Blue_Wes]

We've got another couple of weeks before the loan window closes (I posted the exact date in another thread the other week but can't remember it now - I'm pretty sure it's the last week of the month though).

If Sampson was signed as an emergency loan then we can only extend the loan one more time to a maximum 93 days. If he was a youth loan (which I would imagine that he was) then we should be able to extend it until the end of the season.

Any loans we bring in now will be emergency loans. I don't think there's any limit on the number we can have other than no more than five in a matchday squad. Personally if Dicko is out as long as he looks like being I hope we can find a couple of pennies somewhere to bring someone in on loan to fill that targetman position.

My worry is, Sturrock said we were at the cap at the Q&A session a month or so back, we then signed Baldwin - he did concede he just about had budget for that. We've since signed Belford & Hills. I really don't see how if we were struggling to accomodate Baldwin into a budget already at it's limit, we've managed to get in two more players, and more importantly, where we'd get any more ££'s to get a striker.

I do worry Ron hasn't put his eggs in the promotion at all costs basket by sanctioning these signings.