Match Thread vs. Solihull Moors 13.04.21 [NL]

[jacobncfc]

To be honest, that's my biggest concern and it has been for a very long time. I don't think we have a poor squad, but we often contrive to play like we have a poor squad. It seems that when the going gets tough, the opposition get going. We seem far more concerned about countering their style of play than we do on forcing them to counter ours. We allow ourselves to be bullied, and if we do make the playoffs does anyone think we will have the guts and desire to win a key game whoever we face? We played with fear and trepidation under Ardley, and it seems nothing has changed in the short term at least. Let's just hope the long term will be better.

Agree with all of that. We occasionally look like quite a neat football team to be honest, when a football game breaks out (as it did for half an hour today!). But every team in this division knows that all you have to do against us is turn the midfield into a physical battle which we inevitably lose, and put enough long balls and crosses into our box.

There’s nothing to stop you playing nice, attacking football in this league (Barrow last season a great example), but you have to have the will, the desire and the energy to impose it on an opposition that wants the game to turn into something else. We lose that battle every single time, and have done all season.

[MAD_MAGPIE]

Agree with all of that. We occasionally look like quite a neat football team to be honest, when a football game breaks out (as it did for half an hour today!). But every team in this division knows that all you have to do against us is turn the midfield into a physical battle which we inevitably lose, and put enough long balls and crosses into our box.

There’s nothing to stop you playing nice, attacking football in this league (Barrow last season a great example), but you have to have the will, the desire and the energy to impose it on an opposition that wants the game to turn into something else. We lose that battle every single time, and have done all season.

I completely agree. You can play your way out of this league but you need that energy, grit, tenacity and aggression to go with it and keep it going throughout the game and not play to your opposition's game or let them bully you into playing their way.

From the first game against Dover away in too many games we have lacked the energy, aggression, desire and ruthlessness to kill teams off and that's enabled the opposition to grow in confidence as the game has gone on. Today was a text book example of the problem with this season.

It will likely be the same in games until the end now as the dye is well and truly cast and some players in their individual battles are getting brushed or pushed off the ball with ease like taking candy from a baby. That's going to be the biggest challenge for the new coaches to try and get what they can out of the players they've got.