Romared Match Thoughts Leyton Orient v Barnsley

The lack of tracking back from some of our midfield players was shameful. That ridiculously high defensive line is nuts at times and we were far too easy to get in behind, especially with the lack of back tracking. You always sensed that Orient were in the game in that second half.

The positives were some good forward play and movement in that first half but the first rule is 100% effort from the players and we've seen too many teams out work us this season and take points from us by their sheer heart and determination- a thing that too many of our players sadly lack.

Just picked this stat up.
Barnsley have conceded just 17 goals in the first halves of games this season. Only Birmingham have let in fewer in League One before the break.
But the Reds have shipped 51 in the second halves of games, by far the most in the division.

It’s all about fitness and concentration in it.

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Originally Posted by POGGYWELL

Just picked this stat up.
Barnsley have conceded just 17 goals in the first halves of games this season. Only Birmingham have let in fewer in League One before the break.
But the Reds have shipped 51 in the second halves of games, by far the most in the division.

It’s all about fitness and concentration in it.

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I agree with that Poggy , I would also highlight the weakness of our squad as it is clear that as the second half us when the subs come in to play and our bench has by and large proved to be weak and ineffective instead of helping us get over the line.

https://youtu.be/-Os7O3d-7Ak?si=LL70aWxTL7goUfOU

Highlights .

We need to be braver, Hourihane said. I want us to play aggressively but when it became scrappy, I really did not like what I saw. We need some fresh new faces around the place for next season.

The defensive cover infront of the back 4 was nonexistent.
If the HC insists in playing a flat back 4 then it needs two anchor midfielders.
Phillips and Russell are generally ineffective and need dropping.
With Dunn used in his most productive role as a floating midfielder.

Flavell
Cotter - Roberts - Earl - OKeeffe
???Connell - Nwakali
??Dunn
Fabio - Lewis - Humphreys

At 1-3, winning away at 60 odd minutes the coach should be looking to see it out. . Kick into row Z, Take the points. Perhaps even go 5 at the back. Roberts, Mcarthy, cotter, o keefe, earl. Take Phillips, and Jalo/Humph off. The goals came as we pishe dup, and again, the spaces behind??
Would have been seen as boring, going defensive at 3-1 up, but what the hell. 3-1 up with no subs used. At 1-3 our coach was going for glory. Should have gone for the points.
Some on socials blaming Flavell. ?. Lol

My view is that a good number of the players who were out there yesterday afternoon supposedly representing us won't be at the club next season .

Many will be shown the door , some will be sold and players such as Flavell or Bland possibly loaned out .

I'm predicting a total rebuild in the summer and I'm also predicting Hourihane will have a huge say in the recruitment .

Whatever we can raise with sales will probably be our budget plus some loans coming in .

Probably all ready financially secure for life Hourihane doesn't need this job , in fact the club need him more than he needs them .

That gives him clout and I suspect Hourihane will use it .

For half an hour we looked brilliant and I thought we were going to dent another playoff chasing team?s hopes.

Then from 30 minutes to 45, the warning signs were there. But we seemingly didn?t learn. The defending was embarrassing yet again. No matter who it is or what system we play, we simply cannot defend.

Whether we are playing 4 at the back or 5 next season (I hope it?s 4), we need a whole new back line, including keeper. I like Roberts but he?s not going to last forever. Earl looks brilliant in some moments and then cumbersome in others. He might be okay in the centre though. The rest that are here at the minute can all go for me. MDG, Pines, McCarthy, Cotter, O?Keeffe can all leave the club if needed. I still have hopes for Gent but we will have to see what he?s like when he comes back from a bad injury.

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Originally Posted by NerfHerder

For half an hour we looked brilliant and I thought we were going to dent another playoff chasing team?s hopes.

Then from 30 minutes to 45, the warning signs were there. But we seemingly didn?t learn. The defending was embarrassing yet again. No matter who it is or what system we play, we simply cannot defend.

Whether we are playing 4 at the back or 5 next season (I hope it?s 4), we need a whole new back line, including keeper. I like Roberts but he?s not going to last forever. Earl looks brilliant in some moments and then cumbersome in others. He might be okay in the centre though. The rest that are here at the minute can all go for me. MDG, Pines, McCarthy, Cotter, O?Keeffe can all leave the club if needed. I still have hopes for Gent but we will have to see what he?s like when he comes back from a bad injury.

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The warning signs were evident last Saturday against Bolton , they were covered up by the emphatic win .

The truth was Bolton could easily have been level by half-time and continued to create easy chances in the second half but only took one of them .

It never lasts for long in this game and eventually your weaknesses are exposed , it only took another game to wipe the gloss off the Bolton result .

A good number of our players as you have alluded to simply aren't good enough Nerf .

I'm by no means convinced Lopata or Shepherd will add anything for next season either but we'll see of course .

To get out of this league the defenders need to be as good as Mawson and a younger Roberts , Lindsay and Pinnock or Andersen , Kitching and Thomas .

That's the standard , we are a million miles away and then some plus the added benefit of a decent keeper such as Davies or Collins .

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Originally Posted by Jules88

At 1-3, winning away at 60 odd minutes the coach should be looking to see it out. . Kick into row Z, Take the points. Perhaps even go 5 at the back. Roberts, Mcarthy, cotter, o keefe, earl. Take Phillips, and Jalo/Humph off. The goals came as we pishe dup, and again, the spaces behind??
Would have been seen as boring, going defensive at 3-1 up, but what the hell. 3-1 up with no subs used. At 1-3 our coach was going for glory. Should have gone for the points.
Some on socials blaming Flavell. ?. Lol

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Thing is Jules, and I totally get where you're coming from, but my question is- do we actually have defenders at this club that are capable of battening down the hatches and seeing a game out? 68 goals conceded so far this season says it all. That's conceding on average 1.5 goals per game in the league. It's shocking to be quite frank. It has been the case for these last 2 seasons now.

To me we look like rabbits in the headlights when opposition teams show real intent and really go at us. Most of the defenders we have in the squad are simply out of their depth at this level. They're unable to stay switched on, they are caught flat footed or on the wrong side far too much, they're not strong enough, they're clusmsy in the tackle, and there's certainly no cohesion.

Who has replaced Mads and Kitching? I give you Lopata, Sheppard, MDG, Earl, Pines. Has any of the others that I mentioned made a significant improvement over 2 years? Can any of them be sold on for decent fees? I think the answer to those questions is a resounding NO. These players were signed by the recruitment team for either free transfers or nominal fees from lower levels barring Josh Earl.

This is why I fear for Conor or any head coach who takes the reigns here. They are been given a crock of shyte to work with and are expected to challenge for promotion. It's gonna get worse too because come this summer, when our better attacking players are sold, they will also be replaced by more substandard shyte. The team then goes from scoring a decent amount of goals to scoring less. Couple that with our defenders and it only points one way.