Honeymoon's Over for Pressley

Time to start making some tough decisions.

The experiment with playing Devitt as a false nine should now be well and truly over. Despite his goal he was wasted upfront on Saturday, he looked twice the player when facing forward instead of chasing lost causes and trying to play with his back to goal. Today he was largely on the left before his (unjustified in my view) red card but still peripheral.

Let’s be honest, despite two shameful refereeing performances we’re struggling to find any fluency as a team right now. We’re going round in circles tactically and it very much feels like we’re mistakenly and stubbornly trying to fit our players into a tactical formation devised to get the best out of Yates and Nadesan (with Sowerby pulling the strings in midfield). These players have gone now and it’s really unwise to try to keep playing the same way.

The composition of our squad has changed and we must adapt and change tactically to match this. It’s up to the manager now to have the courage of his convictions and to make his mark on the way we play.

Some of the lessons we’ve learned over the past two seasons we have to, frustratingly, wait for a new manager to learn all over again. Hope is not a central striker, he should only be played cutting in from the left (a position he’s made his own so why move him away from it?). Slater and Miller combined for a defensive horror show on the season’s opening day against Exeter – they were at it again today for the first Crewe goal. Slater was horribly out of position and left Miller hopelessly exposed.

We have a plethora of talented midfielders but an obvious and chronic lack of genuine forwards. Cullen is unfit (and may yet come good – I quite like his attitude), Simpson has vanished without a trace after winning the game at Port Vale and then there’s nobody. It’s more of a criticism of Holdsworth in the transfer window we failed to bring a striker in – but it’s the manager’s job to find a tactical blend to compensate for this. 4-3-3 with our current squad is obviously not the way. It’s time to stop banging our head against the brick wall.

3-5-2 might work, but this would mean dropping Grainger (on today’s display, no loss) or risking playing him in midfield. With so many talented midfielders on the books I’d be tempted to try a revolutionary 3-6-1, a back three of Liddle, Gerrard and Parkes with Etuhu holding in front of a back three, Scougall, Devitt and O’Hare in central midfield, Thomas and Hope on the flanks and one of our two strikers upfront.

Whatever, Pressley needs to have the courage to change tactically and to do so quickly.

Early days mate .

The settling in period is still ongoing I'm sure he will do a good job for you.

He's no mug, and won't suffer fools gladly.

So one point from six,not looking good,hope the new lads can get their act together and quick.Not quite panic stations yet but as everyone knows these situations can develop and before you know it the directors will be next in line for the usual hassle.Why?because that's what fans do,got to take it out on someone if results don't go as planned.A win is a must at home or the natives will be out,it doesn't take much.Griff said we need pace,wonder if any of the new lads will provide it and sooner rather than later thank you very much.

Poor managerial decisions costing us again today.

The decision to persist starting with no strikers and a “false nine” after this tactical approach failed in the last two games.

The decision to start Slater in midfield ahead of Jones, again.

That double substitution, completely disrupting the shape of the team when we looked comfortable. The obvious change would have been to replace Scougall (who’d worked his socks off) or O’Hare who had a poor game overall, with Cullen. But the decision to replace two of our right-sided players at once was insanity. And funnily enough, the second goal we conceded was because (although Liddle made the error) the right-hand side of our team had lost its shape.

Yes we had injuries to Parkes and Grainger and had Devitt suspended, but our manager can do more by understanding the dynamics of our squad better and taking the decision to play to our strengths rather than trying to shoehorn whatever players he has at his disposal into a tactical approach which wasn’t his in the first place.

Overall, it’s early days (and although I respect him as a person) but it has to be said it’s extremely poor from Pressley. He looks incapable of making the best use of the resources at his disposal and is partly cuplable for the failure to bring adequate cover in upfront in an awful transfer window for the club.

It’s looking like 2018/19 will be remembered for another missed opportunity for promotion due the club’s failure to bring in a quality striker during the transfer window and a manager struggling to make a genuine impact in his new position.

I’m not sure why we signed Simpson? If Cullen’s not fit to start why did we sign him?

How long before Pressley grows a pair and introduces his own tactics rather than failing with Sheridan’s tactics. Maybe, if those substitutions today are anything to go by, he’s not capable of thinking of his own approach and of a way to use our resources most effectively.

Some of our players looked like they haden’t even been introduced today. Well done to MKD for making the changes needed to put us on the back foot for most of the second half. Hope needs to start attacking men with purpose and stop throwing himself about, we desperately need a target-man and someone on his shoulder and Gerrard needs to stop faffing about when in possession. We will be out of the playoff positions within a fortnight unless there are changes.

Like i said to have three loan players leave in N,S,Y who were firing on all cylinders is unusual to say the least.Hope new lads get going soon,i mean most folk were praising the board and the signings,i want proof with a tasty pudding.

Well griff what do you think of Mr Pressley,you can tell me in total confidence if that's ok,you have usually some idea where we are going with this one.

I was thinking this through yesterday after the game. I was giving Pressley the benefit of the doubt as, after all, he took on a squad that Holdsworth had built. You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear and what we’ve ended up with is a hairy sporran. I’ve rethought it though. Pressley’s decision- making is poor and his tactics one-dimensional. BP is a big pitch and our defence is slow so when the opposition has the ball we desperately need a back five. How many times did we have that yesterday, especially when Grainger had nothing left in his tank? Very infrequently so they were able to play the ball through our defence quite easily and Collin was kept busy. At the other end Hope needs to take a good look at his finishing as we have few other scoring options. Etuhu needs to be in the team too. He makes mistakes but recently has been the architect of our few successes. Pressley hasn’t got that into his head yet, so I’m now persuaded that he should be replaced at the end of the season.

Looks like that may happen .

Really thought he'd do very well at Carlisle got a very good set up if the team won a few early on the fans would start turning up in big numbers .
Not looking good for him now.

Still upbeat.

https://www.carlisleunited.co.uk/new...winning-games/

Sounded ok first half,JP saying how well we are playing and all nice words and laughter,then the fear and despondency in his voice speaks volumes.No moaning first half then this is not right and where is that pass going etc,they dont look fit and anything else he can think of,its because were getting beat and cannot take it,all in all a sour loser,sing when your winning,well good enough for them.