Quote Originally Posted by nw6pie View Post
Shocking is the right word - I think we lost every single battle out there, which is inexcusable. Even Enzio's brilliant goal couldn't galvanise the players and we never looked like capitalising on his moment of magic.

I don't think I've ever heard Mark Stallard so mortified by what he was witnessing, as passes went uncontrolled, out of play or straight to the opposition, and we were constantly second to the ball or losing 50-50s. It really was a horror show.

If Ardley's still in charge tomorrow (and it looks like he will be), I hope the press don't hold back with their questions - specifically about why the midfield has been so dire yet untouchable all year and why we're consistently being outplayed by lower-table sides.

Here's my biggest charge against Ardley: When did he outsmart another manager? The last two home games, we've had to change our formation because the opposition have outplayed us from the start. I don't know if they're changing their tactics/formation specifically because they're playing us, but we haven't had any answers to being pressed (except to go even deeper). We've had two seasons to find an answer, yet the team are still none the wiser for a solution.
Even though I’ve been pro Ardley which is seriously on the wain at the moment one of my biggest criticisms in the relegation season was over thinking what the opponents bring to the party and especially this season if you are a team in the top 6 your style of play / formation should on the whole stay the same as the quality should shine through. I wasn’t a massive critic of us playing possession football as I think technically even at this level it can be done but when confidence and nerves come in it’s a horror show and the issue is now we haven’t the players for a plan B.