Player Ratings - Colchester at home

[Piglet_Phoenix]

So the difference this week? Round pegs in round holes. It’s as if Sheridan read my criticism last week and took it heart – even if he didn’t it shows he’s looking at things and seeing them in similar way to me and he’s also prepared to learn from his mistakes, for our club a definite managerial novelty.

Hope moved out of the central striker position to the left channel, Gerrard trusted to play in a central defensive two, Yates finally played in the position Sheridan signed him to play and Sowerby played in central midfield and starting the match with genuine full-backs. It truly is the season of miracles, hallelujah! I’ll admit it all caught me by surprise, I was expecting us to stick with what’s been the manager’s favoured 3-5-2 approach with Liddle and Gillesphey alongside Mr Blobby – Sowerby and Grainger as wing backs, Nadesan and Hope upfront etc. This kind of tactical clean sweep puts Sheridan easily ahead of our pervious three incumbents in terms of managerial ability and it’s a refreshing change not to see us blighted by the pig-headed stubbornness of a manager unprepared to admit he has ever made a mistake.

Colchester seemed as stunned as I was as our waspish front three and midfield swarmed all over them and in truth we were completely dominant for the majority of the game. To our credit, Colchester only managed one notable effort on target, with which Collin made a great save and our back four coped well but we defended excellently as a team front to back. Etuhu provided the solid base in midfield which gave Sowerby and Devitt the freedom to take the game by the scruff of the neck, as a midfield three they look as good a combination as anything in our division. You have the destruction of Etuhu, the intelligent movement and calm, classy passing of Sowerby and the explosive (and occasionally brilliant) unpredictably of Devitt. Then we had Hope returning to his (best suited) role of agitant cutting in from the left (although not as wide on the left as Curle played him) and Yates who looks a different player as a central striker where his pace and movement made Colchester’s defenders cr_p their shorts all afternoon. Nadesan was probably wider on the right than I would ever have played him but it was, again, a smart tactical decision as his trademark burst of pace saw him regularly hitting the bye-line and finding extra yards of space in dangerous areas, the only way Colchester could stop him was by fouling him out of the game.

So all credit must go to the manager and coaching staff who have turned our organisation and tactical approach on its head. For the second time this season we looked like a proper football team and were a joy to watch – that’s already twice more than we managed in the last 18 months under Curle. The trick now is to go to Crawley and repeat this performance which will set us up nicely for our Boxing Day fixture. Things were getting boring, now they have the potential to become really exciting.

Sheridan’s managerial rating so far this season – 5/10 (improving).

[sandpit]

Praise indeed,round pegs in round holes and it worked.However on another day they could play the same way and get sod all,and they have form in that respect as everyone knows.So here we go again building up fragile hopes only to be thwarted.Could this be there starter for ten,we will find out.What do you reckon Piglet for the future,in other words what or who do we need to really kick on for the ump****th time of asking.

[griff]

Nadesan looked raw out wide in front of the Paddock first half and made some schoolboy errors. He only looked comfortable in space - luckily he got some. Devitt was always sharp an alert and my MoM. Al the goals were well-taken and the result of players looking after the ball and playing unselfishly. I missed bits of the game on account of rain blowing under the stand and straight onto my glasses - buggrit it was cold. If anyone knows a good welder I have a couple of brass items I need reattaching..

[cocopops61]

It's been almost a year now since Notts sacked Sheridan over his "My kids won't get any Christmas presents because of you" rant and six months since I sniggered when I heard that you had signed him,since then we had have three managers and are in the bottom two having played some of the worst football that I've ever seen being played at Meadow Lane and now realising that we had attracted yet another megalomaniac owner to take charge and Utd are a nice comfy 12th in the league to boot,hand on heard i genuinely believed that we was a top three side and Utd was going to flirt with relegation before Sheridan moved on elsewhere to the National League,footballs a funny old game as Greavsie once said...

[griff]

We've no money Chalky and until yesterday there was no heart in the players at home. I hope that we've developed a backs against the wall mentality and the team get a bit of spirit after yesterday but more likely it'll be back to square one, losing against the bottom sides and looking like we don't care. Sheridan seems to be the most honest Manager that we've had in years and he may do well if our squad remain fit and he can replace the loanees that go back with decent alternatives. It's all ifs though. Notts will surely buy their way out of trouble in the New Year so I wouldn't be too worried.

[cocopops61]

At the beginning of the season Notts was favorites to go up automatically due to the amount that they spent in the close season on new players,it must be a severe reality check for Hardy to find that we are in the bottom two at Christmas and he may not want to put more good money after bad,this season is all about staying up which was something that never entered my head in August,I've a feeling that we may have to stick with what we've got and pray for the best as the players that we brought in are probably on high two year salarys (for league two)

Here's to you John,I bet that your kids got good presents with year