Player ratings v Grimsby

[kill_the_drum]

Thought the keeper flapped at both goals to be honest. The first one he palmed straight into the danger zone and got nowhere near the second cross….if that were Slocombe. I really didn’t see a need to drop Slocombe.

Wootton was garbage. How come he starts even when out of form, unlike Slocombe or Vincent and DKE?

Brunt….no idea why he is here, especially in place of Vincent?

Chicksen is better than Taylor

Lacey….don’t know what’s happened to him.

Cal…never a centre mid, although he was our only threat yesterday

Ruben….never in the game.

I think IB has reached the same point that Ardley did. Trying to change the team throughout the match but always the same things. Looks like he’s running out of idea to me.

It’s still obvious to anyone with a pair of eyeballs that midfield is still, three years on, a massive problem in terms of physicality and leadership. Are the owners telling IB which players to sign/play? The reports coming out that we’re after another attacking midfielder are worrying.

I thought Taylor did ok. The problem he had was he kept receiving the ball but had zero movement in front of him.

[BanjoPie]

It’s still obvious to anyone with a pair of eyeballs that midfield is still, three years on, a massive problem in terms of physicality and leadership. Are the owners telling IB which players to sign/play? The reports coming out that we’re after another attacking midfielder are worrying.

Not heard that, any idea who?

[TSANHO]

Not heard that, any idea who?

See the ‘Sam Austin’ thread chap.

[Robertomac]

First time I've left ML feeling angry for a while. There's been games this season where I've been disappointed with the result, but felt we played well, but yesterday after 25ish mins we were utter dog sh1te.

We need to be more clinical in front of goal. It's a big problem. Other teams have regularly scored 3, 4 and 5, but we don't, despite creating plenty of chances. We should have been 3 up inside 25 mins and the game put to bed.

Rodrigues and Wootton in particular lacked energy and enthusiasm. Wootton was second to everything, failed to anticipate most things and never won a header. Why oh why, was he allowed to keep dropping so deep? Someone should have been screaming at him to stay at the half way line.

Rodrigues just didn't look interested. There was a loose ball played square in the first half where if he'd been on his toes could've intercepted, but he was caught flat footed and too late to react. I thought that summed up his performance.

5 minutes into the second half, it was clear their high press was causing us all kinds of problems, so why did we persist? It was crying out to go more direct.

All in all a very gutless performance, lacking in energy and desire with a thoroughly deserved win for Grimsby. Very frustrating and a million miles from where they need to be. Simply not good enough.

[optipez]

Jaros 5.5 He spilled the ball for one of the goals but in a windy day he did come for crosses to help the defence out.
Brindley 6. Had a battle and well enough.
Lacey 6. Ok for the most part.
Cameron 6. Very positive influence, not passive as this team can be even when it's not his best day.
Taylor 5. I'm in a minority but Chicksen puts in a better cross, is better in the air, defends more stoutly and doesn't misplace many passes. Taylor disappoints on a regular basis.
Richardson 6. A talented player getting crushed by the system.
Palmer 6.5. One man midfield at times, ate through the work and is entitled to wonder where help is coming from.
Brunt 5. At best. Offered very little, Vincent has been hard done by.
Rodriguess 5. Asked to play deep, again, and totally wasted.
Roberts 6.5. Scored a great goal. Never a centre midfielder another one getting crushed by the system.
Wootton 5.5. Isolated up front, don't remember him being fed a single cross in open play, looked static but he must be losing heart being fed so few chances.

Vincent 5.5. Should be starting, no coincidence that our best period of the second half came with him on the pitch.
Sam 6. Made a difference.
Mitchell N/A Only had a few minutes.

We were due a home defeat, Grimsby were always going to be a hard team to play against. Problem is our away form is not good enough to compensate for the odd home defeat.
I'm not anti Burchnall, never want to see anyone fail at Meadow Lane but he is failing, we're way off the pace and the same problems are reoccurring.
Set piece at Bromley and yesterday cost us the points, still can't cope with the high press and increasingly teams who don't want to press us give us half a pitch to play in but defend their own defensive third very robustly and we struggle to break teams down.
Roberts is best on the right so where does Richardson play?
Brunt for Vincent is suicidal, takes the legs out of midfield.
Rodriguess plays his best football as a no 10 pretty close to Wootton so why is he scrabbling about having midfield battles he's unsuited for?
Why is Chicksen always the man to make way despite having quite a few assists and always putting a shift in.
We've not played well for weeks and now the results are catching up with performances.

[OP67]

As set pieces seem to be our main issue shouldn't we bring in a coach that works on set pieces....Oh hang on we did!! I honestly don't see any improvement in that department from before the illusive coach came in.

[Rainbowpie]

First time I've left ML feeling angry for a while. There's been games this season where I've been disappointed with the result, but felt we played well, but yesterday after 25ish mins we were utter dog sh1te.

We need to be more clinical in front of goal. It's a big problem. Other teams have regularly scored 3, 4 and 5, but we don't, despite creating plenty of chances. We should have been 3 up inside 25 mins and the game put to bed.

Rodrigues and Wootton in particular lacked energy and enthusiasm. Wootton was second to everything, failed to anticipate most things and never won a header. Why oh why, was he allowed to keep dropping so deep? Someone should have been screaming at him to stay at the half way line.

Rodrigues just didn't look interested. There was a loose ball played square in the first half where if he'd been on his toes could've intercepted, but he was caught flat footed and too late to react. I thought that summed up his performance.

5 minutes into the second half, it was clear their high press was causing us all kinds of problems, so why did we persist? It was crying out to go more direct.

All in all a very gutless performance, lacking in energy and desire with a thoroughly deserved win for Grimsby. Very frustrating and a million miles from where they need to be. Simply not good enough.

Spot on analysis
Ruben just couldn't be arsed and it showed
Brunt was non existent and looked slow and unfit
Wootton looked disinterested
It was crying out for changes to personnel and tactics at half time. Notts didn't touch the ball for the first ten mins of the second half and the writing was on the wall.
Credit to Grimsby, i thought they played extremely well once they'd worked out Notts would play themselves into trouble with the high press. And also the following they had was incredible
We need to go back to Palmer Vinny and Francis in the middle
Get some legs in there

[jackal2]

Rodrigues - 5.5 - Didn’t look like he suited the deeper role - the issue is it seems both one of him and Cal has to be out of position when we play the back 3. That said, hasn’t really been himself for a few months - is way off where he was at the end of last season. Missed a sitter at 1-0.

I don't think Rodrigues was supposed to be playing deep as such. The idea seemed to be to have him and Roberts playing either side of Wootton, with license to roam wide or carry the ball inside, which Cal enjoyed, but Ruben just looked lost. The problem with Rodrigues is that he's not a wide player and nor is he really a second striker, even though his goals have tempted IB to use him as such. Some of the best games I've seen him play were in the middle of the park where he's surprisingly willing to get stuck in, and from there he can make late runs and attack the box undetected/untracked. I wouldn't want to play him in a 2-man midfield though, you would definitely need three in there.

[durhampie]

Spot on analysis
Ruben just couldn't be arsed and it showed
Brunt was non existent and looked slow and unfit
Wootton looked disinterested
It was crying out for changes to personnel and tactics at half time. Notts didn't touch the ball for the first ten mins of the second half and the writing was on the wall.
Credit to Grimsby, i thought they played extremely well once they'd worked out Notts would play themselves into trouble with the high press. And also the following they had was incredible
We need to go back to Palmer Vinny and Francis in the middle
Get some legs in there

Agreed. It seems as though IB is under instruction to play these loan players.. If i was Vincent i would tell them all get lost..

[Maggie's Farm]

All in all [...] lacking in energy and desire

this kinda sums up what I'm reading between all the lines on here and ont'wireless. very depressing

but, how to fix this maggie?

traditionally sack the management

damn thas cold. isn't there any less nuclear fix, dear?

IB gotta produce the goods right now

or never, imo