⚽ Match Thread vs. Stockport 16.04.24 [EFL L2]

[Lullapie]

It doesn't even need to be an either/or situation.

Move the ball out of your own half with as few passes as possible, and clear it in one go if you're under severe pressure in your own penalty area, but feel free to play as much attractive football as you like in the opponent's half.

Our players look almost brainwashed into believing they always have to play their way out of defence, even when the reward to risk ratio is tiny. If that's coming from the coaching team or a misguided club philosophy, then it needs a serious rethink in the summer. Defensively we're a joke.

I think you've touched on something in your last paragraph - who is telling them to do this? That's where the 'clear out' needs to be.

I'm not advocating route one football, but no fancy stuff in our own half. Langstaff needs to be told too, that under NO circumstances does he come more than one stride back into his own half.

[Lullapie]

Fourth-division defenders might be ok if they are told to defend like fourth-division defenders but they are coached to play like premier-division Johan Cruyff's far beyond their capabilities.

Spot on - it's the Peter Principle of football!

[BanjoPie]

I tend to think that we sometimes have too many ‘non-defenders’ ie attackers, trying to defend our own penalty area getting in the way of actual defenders (is that why we give away so many pens?) - Only my opinion but I believe attacking players should be further up field ready to break away in to the opponents half.

[Observerpie]

What was the attendance?

[irishpete]

What was the attendance?

11500 ish

[hissingdwarf]

What was the attendance?

11900 ish I think with 1960 from Stockport.

So we still got just under 10k.

If the recruitment isn’t there in the summer…that amount will drop like a stone. People will not pay to see these players week in week out.

[Old_pie]

What was the attendance?

11,656 according to the beeb.

[Observerpie]

11,656 according to the beeb.

Thank you. If we don't recruit well it may be some time before we see those sort of figures again.