First Team
we should not be only 3 points above the relegation zone. This really is totally unacceptable.
I think the team selection does not reflect the strengths we have in our squad, but what bothers me most is the tactics and in particular the formation of the team.
For a lot of our games our formation has been
Standard 4 defenders
1 central midfielder
3 advanced midfielders
2 forwards
Our team is so unbalanced and vulnerable to counterattacks it iis frightening to watch when you consider none of our advanced midfielders are noted for their defending duties.
Playing with this current formation it is difficult to see where the next win will come from. Unless we start to play with a better balanced midfield I can only see us dropping further. Turning our fortunes round is the responsibility of our management. Less of the arguing with the officials and more concentration on the balance of the team.
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That, to me, reads like the voice of reason. Thank you ruocol
I've been at all the home league games, and Yeovil. What has stood out is an initial better attitude (for about ten minutes v. Carlisle) and then a lack of purpose and direction. I still believe that this squad has the talent, but it needs a mature, experienced guide and director.
I want Artell to be like an orchestra conductor: we know he is passionate about the music, but I want him to be just that little bit ahead of the game.
Hall Of Fame
Something just doesn't seem right after a promising start back in January. We have lost some key personnel in the scouting and coaching areas from what I can gather. Is there something wrong at the Alex? I was extremely optimistic going into this new season, but following recent results and displays, plus hearing about people leaving for pastures new, I am now rather concerned for our future.
Hall Of Fame
Maybe the players are not good enough? If so, it doesn't matter who the manager is and why there are so many that are changed in football with no real difference? ManC are top because they have better players than ManU and anyone else. Sometimes a manager like Brian Clough can break that mould by having good players and making that great TEAM players for a short while. But they had to be good in the first place.Originally Posted by alexmick
I'm not a fan of coaching and so its immaterial to me who comes and who leaves. Playing by numbers and a coaching manual is not my idea of playing this game and never was. Also just to add and nobody has yet disproved my thesis that your academy can only get what generally is available locally and why its actually a poor and expensive idea when you can see what is available when they are mid to late ****s across the world actually. Whether they would come here is another question? Its good to ask yourself at each match, which of the away team players are better or perform better than ours. Our results over the last few seasons doesn't lie.
BTW, I heard at the end of the match at Colchester DA had to tell his players to come back and go over the Crewe Fans who had obviously travelled a long long way and must have been expensive as well. To me this shows that players are not interested in the fans and are only interested in their next club for higher pay of course. Its at all levels, not just Crewe though. Players should NOT have to be told to do that on short away trips, never mind long ones. and shows DA heart is in the right place and cares about things like that and the fact that if he is struggling to get them to play its not because he is poor but because the players are not up to it....The fact that the club has spent millions on some of these players who have come through the academy and then can't be ars*ed to pay some of it back again by signing contracts until the last minute, should p*ss all the fans off and so who cares what they want and where they go next!
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OK Mike. You mention that you are not a fan of the coaching aspect and I will accept your opinion. The other element I did mention perhaps does add weight to your argument that the players are simply not good enough. The fact that we have lost certain key personnel in the scouting department is perhaps significant here. One of those was Neil Baker. The other one is the guy who brought Jon Guthrie to the club (and no doubt countless others of the required standard too). I have heard (although I have no concrete evidence) that the scouting for the academy leaves a lot to be desired nowadays. I am not giving up just yet, but these are worrying times right now.
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This site needs giving up on Mick as the page adverts are just making replies so difficult to do and appreciate it needs paying for but do they have to be so intrusive and disruptive that has turned most people away from posting? What is their point if they all disappear? We used to see players that were seasoned Pro's and so they didn't need to be told what to do on the pitch as they knew what was expected. The coaching staff must confuse the players by forensic investigation with a don't do this or don't do that thing the whole time so they are trying to remember what they were told instead of playing naturally. One thing where there is no excuse is the energy levels and running for 90 mins and if they find that hard at age 20 then they shouldn't be a football Pro. I only listen to McGarry and Morse and they say the players heads go down and they stop running.
Moderator
I was at Yeovil, the team's heads didn't go down; v. Accrington, their heads didn't droop, we just got outplayed.
Coaching (and, in my opinion the Academy) are ***** for the Alex. It seems that our opposition know all the strengths and weaknesses of an Alex side - with the exception of Notts County - but we only find their weak points when they start to play. Obviously, I will support the manager of the team and all the management (I have no influence, I'm just a fan), but I am deeply concerned about our lack of preparedness for matches.
I have never made any secret of my admiration for Neil Baker and what his experience, knowledge, belief and devotion brought to the club. We need someone/some people with that skill and experience.
I don't think there is enough 'forensic investigation': these are mostly young lads who must learn from their mistakes.
I agree that energy levels are not what they should be, but I posit the suggestion that this is a psychological rather than physical conundrum.
First Team
Mike I was not asking whether our squad was good enough or not. Neither was I raising the theory coaching or no coaching.
In my opinion I believe that our current squad are good enough to be serious playoff prospects. Without exception I believe that all of our summer recruits only signed for our club with similar beliefs and aims. Each one is more than equal to the demands of league2 football. so the answer is that without doubt the squad is good enough.
But look where we are now, 3points above the relegation zone. And deservedly so. Our team selection is questionable, and our tactics are beyond belief. Mike take a look at the formation I said the team was using in my original post on this thread. In allhonesty have you ever heard of any team in the world using that formation? That is totally down to our manage
In a long run of games we have only won two. Against Stevenage and Notts County, and neither of them turned up for the game that day. Our weakness is there for all our opponents to see, and boy they are seeing them.
Mike I get the impression you are not attending games this season. You should go and see how bad we really are.r
Hall Of Fame
Hi mate, I don't go to many games now that is true and so am prepared to be shot down and so don't try to make too many comments when you and others actually do and so I tend to depend on the radio commentaries. McGarry and Morse are ardent Alex fans and so think they give a good balance of opinion before, during and after games.
If its about formation and tactics then yes, the buck stops with the management and if players are not being played in the right position or don't know who to mark during say corners and set pieces where we seem to stop the opposition scoring then its the same thing. It was assumed we would do better in L2 because it was thought the standard and pace of the games would suit the academy players where their talent and coaching would shine through. But the downside is the whether they could cope with the physical brutishness of many seasoned Pro's in these lower leagues. I can't comment on that and maybe its not an issue. You and others can advise..
I will add that its a long time since we had two things at the club though. A really good dominating midfield that could support the defence and attack and the second one is players with pace like R Jack, S Jones and that player NB signed from non league, sorry forgot his name and a few others and not sure whether young boys coming out of the academy can do it... again look at who has come through and see?
I'm not against any academy anywhere. All clubs encourage youngsters to come and play from the local area and so we would do the same irrespective. I would not spend a million pounds a season though on mostly non footballers and coaches though which must be where the money is going as its not the players that is for sure at the academy. I wonder if a reserve team as in the old days would be a better bet for all levels of the game and would ease players coming back from injury or just not getting games to play at a similar strength and ability level as under 18's and even under 21's seem to find it hard..Its not as though there aren't enough players and facilities and even the ground as they could be played at Gresty Road like they used to..
I don't know how good our players are or where they will finish in the league. Over to you and others to judge!
ATB
Mike
PS . i just remembered....Varney!
Last edited by MikeSB; 30-10-2017 at 07:41 PM.
First Team
Well Mike if you are going to base your current knowledge of the team on McGarry And Morse`s comments you really are not going to know much about the teamss. you can get so many splinters from sitting on that wooden fence.
The one I love best is "well pete what do you think of the team selection?".
"No surprises for me there, Graham. He has selected our best team"
Is he aware that we keep losing matches, and that we look totally unbalanced and playing awful?
Wonder if he will say the same on Saturday, now that we are 3 points away from the relegation zone?
Do they actually get paid for that? LOL
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