⚽ Match Thread vs. Salford City [EFL L2] 23.03.24

[Elite_Pie]

Unfortunately today, our regular right-wing-back (Nemane) was unavailable, so the Head Coach had a choice:

A choice I think he got badly wrong. Although I'm typing this with hindsight, I would have said the same when handing in the teamsheet at 2pm. Chicksen doesn't have the forward skills to play the wingback role at this level, but he's decent on the left of a back three. My back three would have been Macari, Cameron and Chicksen. Nemane would have been replaced with TAR or Randall, the fact that neither set foot on the pitch makes you wonder why they are here.

[OldMagpie60]

A choice I think he got badly wrong. Although I'm typing this with hindsight, I would have said the same when handing in the teamsheet at 2pm. Chicksen doesn't have the forward skills to play the wingback role at this level, but he's decent on the left of a back three. My back three would have been Macari, Cameron and Chicksen. Nemane would have been replaced with TAR or Randall, the fact that neither set foot on the pitch makes you wonder why they are here.

Moving JJ, 21 record assists from the left, to RWB and bringing Chicksen in as LWB (which he will never ever be) is in itself a sackable offence for SM, end off!!
For god’s sake owners, bring this pain to an end now before we wreck next season as well as this one. 8pts from 12 games and 5 home defeats is an absolute disgrace.

[BigFatPie]

He’s played Jones on the right for at least some of every game he’s been in charge, in fact time wise he’s probably played Jones more on the right than the left. Normally it’s a swap with our best rwb rather than Chicksen but at least Chicksen has had some success at Lwb even if it’s obvious to anyone with eyes he’s well past it at EFL level.

It was a stupid thing to do the first time he did it( Mansfield?) let alone the 10th.

[maddogslater]

I think he got lucky playing jatta up top at Bradford and Ashby in goal because of injuries, he got it badly wrong today.

[midshipman]

There is only one team going to win this.

Wht the FK does Maynard tell them? He is a total tosser.

....
He is not the only tosser he joins another even bigger tosser captain and so called
defender (insult to proper defenders ) His best position where I would play every
week is left back off the field. After today I cannot him use his name except tosser
will have to do

[ThePieWhoCameIn]

Both goals were caused by really weak play in centre-midfield.
We have to be stronger there, they mugged us twice. Cameron was very poor for the first, but we shouldn't have players breaking on us due to weak midfield play in the first place.

Agree, but it happens, at all levels. That's when defenders have to step up. Their player still had quite a lot to do, but Cameron just made it really easy for him. It was so lazy, there was no determination to win it, no 'thou shall not pass', not much of anything really. It was so weak I think it's another one in the 'brain fart goals' column. He looks like he doesn't really enjoy defending, which would actually explain quite a lot.
If we're going to persist with the back 3 - and this would be the same under any manager - I would go with Baldwin, Warner, Macari. I don't think it matters too much who's in which position but Warner looks least confident on the ball.

However, Warners only on loan and we have no cover if someone isn't available which seems to happen on a weekly basis.

I think regardless of who's managing next season, that lack of depth has to be addressed. Not making it all about 1 player, but if Cameron is a regular at the back next season, that will indicate business as usual and we'll be in deep ****.

[the_anticlough]

Agree, but it happens, at all levels. That's when defenders have to step up. Their player still had quite a lot to do, but Cameron just made it really easy for him. It was so lazy, there was no determination to win it, no 'thou shall not pass', not much of anything really. It was so weak I think it's another one in the 'brain fart goals' column. He looks like he doesn't really enjoy defending, which would actually explain quite a lot.
If we're going to persist with the back 3 - and this would be the same under any manager - I would go with Baldwin, Warner, Macari. I don't think it matters too much who's in which position but Warner looks least confident on the ball.

However, Warners only on loan and we have no cover if someone isn't available which seems to happen on a weekly basis.

I think regardless of who's managing next season, that lack of depth has to be addressed. Not making it all about 1 player, but if Cameron is a regular at the back next season, that will indicate business as usual and we'll be in deep ****.

My thinking was always that Baldwin and Cameron would be the junior partners at the back, that we'd recruit another senior CB and GK because they were the two biggest areas of need in the close season.

My post now is not about Cameron, who started the season badly, then stabilised, started to play OK, but has been badly exposed and deficient in recent weeks under SM.

Thinking it through...will he ever settle into the form and role that won him a place in the NL team of the year last year?
We'd need to be playing the dominant style that allows him to defend less and playmake more. For that we'd need to boss midfield, with Palmer for example, and be strong all around. LW's team achieved this in the NL and in L2, we saw it with our own eyes until we came up against the very top teams, but we were a work in progress.

Would we ever regain that swagger, confidence and dominance under SM to allow us to see the likes of Cameron at his best at LCB? I just can't see it - at all
Cameron signed a 2-year deal and has just turned 27, maybe his best is still to come.
It's first things first for me. We have a bigger problem than the form or qualities of one player. I want to see our squad lead by somebody who can inspire them and fill them with confidence. The team has been built to play a certain way, we need quality but we also need motivation and confidence.

[drillerpie]

My thinking was always that Baldwin and Cameron would be the junior partners at the back, that we'd recruit another senior CB and GK because they were the two biggest areas of need in the close season.

My post now is not about Cameron, who started the season badly, then stabilised, started to play OK, but has been badly exposed and deficient in recent weeks under SM.

He's captain and first name on the teamsheet and your appraisal of him (as someone who has always spoken highly of him) is that his performances have ranged from bad to OK. After 40 games.

He should be nowhere near the captaincy as he doesn't set a good example, and shouldn't be more than a squad player.

I don't see how he can have been 'exposed' by a manager who has tried to make us less open and protect the defence more.

He's not good enough for League 2 and to be honest I would question how good he is in the NL if you put him in a 'normal' team i.e., one that isn’t full of players way better than the level, meaning he has to do very little defending.

[i961pie]

A choice I think he got badly wrong. Although I'm typing this with hindsight, I would have said the same when handing in the teamsheet at 2pm. Chicksen doesn't have the forward skills to play the wingback role at this level, but he's decent on the left of a back three. My back three would have been Macari, Cameron and Chicksen. Nemane would have been replaced with TAR or Randall, the fact that neither set foot on the pitch makes you wonder why they are here.

My sentiments entirely, I said so has soon as I heard the team selection.

[the_anticlough]

He's captain and first name on the teamsheet and your appraisal of him (as someone who has always spoken highly of him) is that his performances have ranged from bad to OK. After 40 games.

He should be nowhere near the captaincy as he doesn't set a good example, and shouldn't be more than a squad player.

I don't see how he can have been 'exposed' by a manager who has tried to make us less open and protect the defence more..

Hardly anyone's looking good when it's 8pts out of 36, 5 consecutive home defeats, and a freefall down the table.

I think we have to distinguish between someone who has actually achieved something for this club and someone who hasn't at all (apart from negative records).

Cameron has given 3 years solid service.
Played what....around 110 games?
Captained the club to promotion
Lifted the promotion trophy at Wembley
Provided the cross that lead to our late equaliser in the final
Made NL team of the season last year
Has been a solid pro for us really over all that period

Many players have been asked to step up to a higher level. Do we think that's easy? Do we think they don't want to step up? Be better and advance their careers? Do we think they aren't trying? Do they deserve our vitriol and contempt for trying? Or achieving what they have already?

He's one member of a large squad that it's trying to step up and in doing so move the club forward. There's only one word for most of the hate on these threads S-C-A-P-E-G-O-A-T