Originally Posted by
freemuzzy
As has been said above, looking at individuals here barely scratches the service - from front to back thIs was a disorganised shambles, a throwback to the days before Hardy and Nolan. Incredibly soft-centred and easy to play against and having to stomach Dickinson and Arquin look like world beaters and combine to score a goal.
The problem is in the recruitment; last season was underwhelming but every player seemed to have been signed with a purpose to fit a clear style. This year, we’ve gone for names, ignored the defence and have half a squad built for direct football and half who want to play football. We’ve gone from having a raft of midfielders - Yates, Hewitt, Milsom, Noble, O’Connor - who are good off the ball, can run all day, to almost exclusively having ball-players which leaves our back four incredibly exposed and means we’re sudddenly very easy to score against. Nolan is already going to have to choose between his signings and change the style to get more solidity - 3-5-2 looks the most logical fit but that’ll mean playing Boldewijn out of position and presumably dropping Thomas.
But it will take time and, for me, Nolan has more than enough credit in the bank to give him at least until Xmas and see how things are then.
Still, I found this therapeutic:
Fitzsimons - 6 - Feel like he’s getting the Collin treatment by certain sections of the fans. Hasn’t started the season well but couldn’t be faulted for any of the goals today and made a couple of really good saves to prevent it being even worse. Is very raw but I’d sooner stick with him and hope he improves than loan an untested keeper from elsewhere - there are other areas more pressing for new players IMO.
Hewitt - 4 - Not a right back and never has been. Badly missed his off the ball work in midfield, where there’s no direct replacement for him.
Duffy - 4 - Best of a very poor back four but still had his customary brain freeze - clearing one of our free kicks and casually knocking it down for their striker at the other end. Not sure who of him and Brisley was to blame but they lost their #9 for three goals and two clear chances before then. Still think his form of ‘leadership’ of blaming all around him (particularly younger players) really isn’t good captaincy.
Brisley - 3 - I’m not expecting Beckenbeur, but I really don’t think it’s asking too much for a professional footballer to have the brains and/or ability to understand when they’ve time on the ball and do more than hoof it into/over the stand. So many times possession was needless squandered. Terrible defensively too; looks a different player this season and needs to come out of the team ASAP.
Jones - 3 - Ripped apart by Arquin and didn’t test him going the other way. Needs competition for his place; hasn’t offered anything at all this season, even his customary forward runs have stopped and he’s been taken off set-pieces for Thomas (whose delivery isn’t as good).
Boldewijn - 6 - Would’ve liked to see him test Dickinson more, but this wasn’t his fault as he never really got a run at him. The one time he did he won the penalty. Must be questioning his decision to come here. The fact he played most of the second half as a wing back highlights the fallacy in the summers recruitment.
Husin - 6 - Can’t blame him in that he essentially played his game - and, in an attacking sense, did pretty well - but surely anyone could’ve foreseen that a midfield two of him and Vaughan would be massively overrun, offer little/no protection to the back four and generally mean we’re far too soft-centred. So it proved.
Vaughan - 5 - Pretty much as above. Neither Husin or Vaughan had especially bad games individually (in my opinion), but neither is suited to a 4-4-2 so to pair them together was always going to lead to problems. Another who may already be having doubts over whether he made the right decision to come here.
Thomas - 5 - Had a goal ruled out for offside and was influential early on, but faded out of it. Really needs to be taken off corners. Reaction to being subbed - which then whipped up the crowd - was poor and a sign of how the dressing room has changed from last season.
Hemmings - 5 - No service but should’ve left the penalty to Stead. We’ve brought two strikers for £100k+ on three year contracts (recruitment, again) but in my view need to drop one to get the best from the rest of the squad - the two of them are too isolated and leaving the rest of the team exposed.
Dennis - 5 - As above apart from the penalty.
Subs
Crawford - 7 - Probably the one positive given his age and (in)experience. Work rate in covering for Hewitt and winning the ball back led to a chance for Husin. Could actually become an important player quicker than thought as is the one midfielder other than Hewitt that’s good off the ball.
Kellett - 5 - No real impact as a #10. Another one brought in with seemingly no real idea about how/where he’ll fit in.
Stead - 6 - Comfortably the best of the three strikers on the day, which says an awful lot.