Match Thread vs. Chesterfield 01.03.22 [NL]

Where to start. That was poor to say the least. Ruben was shocking. Cal showed glimpses but in the main poor. Wootton, none existent. Vincent has lost his way. The keeper made some smart saves but his distribution is awful.
I’ve read some of the comments about us going more direct. We tried that at times during tonight’s game with little success. For how tall they are Wootton and Eli don’t win aerial battles. Wootton frankly is better in our box than there’s.
Despite being fairly poor we still had moments where a better pass or better control would have seen us in a few more favourable positions.
When all said and done we lost and deserved to lose.

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Originally Posted by jackal2

Yes there's so much to like about our play when we get it right, but I sometimes it feels a bit too clinical and 'nice'. Maybe it's a result of me seeing our greatest successes under Messrs Warnock and Allardyce but there's something quite satisfying about seeing your team 'stick one' on the opposition and send them home with some bruises to add to a defeat! :D

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The successes of my favourite times were under Jimmy Sirrel. It's interesting to note that his teams had the bedrock of arguably the most solid central defensive partnership outside the top flight (and the odd little genius in midfield!), season after season. There was extremely sound goalkeeping too. Football has of course changed immeasurable since those days but there are some things that remain universally effective, at lower levels at least. You're right, they are too 'nice'. In the last game I saw, against Eastleigh, a comfortable enough victory, one of Sirrel's teams would have run all over them I do believe.

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Originally Posted by Mark_Ross

If we scrape into the playoffs, does anybody really think we will be able to grind out a sequence of wins against tough-ish opponents? The stylish play is great to watch at times, but when the going gets tough we always cave in.

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No, unfortunately I don't personally. That's the whole reason I don't fancy them for promotion as that's what we're looking at.

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Originally Posted by Glad2BeAPie

Do people still think We'll get out of this league with this style of nice football

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Not a hope.

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Originally Posted by optipez

We've got Stallard for match summaries, I'm expecting the answers from Burchnall.

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Don't think he has any. Pretty much a one trick pony which works when teams give us space to play. Doesn't suit the rough and tumble of this league all the time.

Fundamentally football is played on a big pitch but the only relevance is how successful you are in the two penalty areas.
IB has made us look better outside of the areas but we still have exactly the same issues as we’ve had since falling out the league, arguably worse. We don’t win enough battles in either box.
Our defending of crosses/set pieces is awful, and we don’t seem to be getting closer to fixing that. In the opposing half we’re not ruthless enough. You can’t look at Wootton’s goals and criticise him, but he doesn’t sniff out a half chance or make something from nothing.
For how well we can work the ball, we’re still often depending on a finish from outside the box to win games. Barnet was probably the last game we scored inside the area!
I still believe in IB and the style of play, but he’s got to improve the desire of the players to win the ball where it counts.

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Originally Posted by uysapie

Don't think he has any. Pretty much a one trick pony which works when teams give us space to play. Doesn't suit the rough and tumble of this league all the time.

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Too many fancy dans in the team who are not prepared to do battle.. We need to off load both Wootton and Rodrigues. Neither have been any good for some time.. We need to get rid of Mitchell and bring the young lad back from Basford..

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Originally Posted by durhampie

Too many fancy dans in the team who are not prepared to do battle.. We need to off load both Wootton and Rodrigues. Neither have been any good for some time.. We need to get rid of Mitchell and bring the young lad back from Basford..

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Even the Don had Willie Carlin alongside to do the hard stuff, Paul Harding was the grafter next to Drapes. We ain't got anybody to do the gritty stuff.

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Originally Posted by uysapie

Even the Don had Willie Carlin alongside to do the hard stuff, Paul Harding was the grafter next to Drapes. We ain't got anybody to do the gritty stuff.

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Yes, but they wear nice coloured boots.. or, could they be bedroom slippers...

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Originally Posted by Elite_Pie

I respect your opinion more than most, so unusually strong words from you jacob. Not too different to what I said in post #170.

I said it after the Halifax game, there are a lot of good things around the club, but something is definitely missing.

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So, I would say my biggest worry is that I think Burchnall knows exactly what’s needed, but the evidence is that he doesn’t know how to deliver it with the players he has.

Any time he’s been asked about the differences between this league and where he’s managed before, he gives the right answer. This league is about intensity. Style of play is less of an issue. Chesterfield weren’t direct by any means. They played out from the back, but they did it so much more quickly than we did.

Burchnall has basically created a flat track bully machine. Put a nice pitch and mediocre fifth tier opposition in front of him and this Notts team and we will steamroller them. Not necessarily in terms of winning 6-1 (although that happens now and again), but just never giving them the ball. But the opposition is allowed to play with intensity and aggression and every single time they do we go to pieces. That he clearly knows this is a problem and it still keeps happening is not good.

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Originally Posted by jacobncfc

So, I would say my biggest worry is that I think Burchnall knows exactly what’s needed, but the evidence is that he doesn’t know how to deliver it with the players he has.

Any time he’s been asked about the differences between this league and where he’s managed before, he gives the right answer. This league is about intensity. Style of play is less of an issue. Chesterfield weren’t direct by any means. They played out from the back, but they did it so much more quickly than we did.

Burchnall has basically created a flat track bully machine. Put a nice pitch and mediocre fifth tier opposition in front of him and this Notts team and we will steamroller them. Not necessarily in terms of winning 6-1 (although that happens now and again), but just never giving them the ball. But the opposition is allowed to play with intensity and aggression and every single time they do we go to pieces. That he clearly knows this is a problem and it still keeps happening is not good.

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Keeps happening which suggests he doesn't know how to deal with it.