⚽ Match Thread vs. Dover Athletic [NL]

[SwalePie]

No. It’s not exaggerating. We battered them, but it was an extremely dull spectacle mostly because they only had one player our side of the half-way line for the first 80 minutes of the game.

Today in itself wasn’t really a problem. Not very exciting, but a comfortable win. But the problem is that we’re into the end of the season with a total lack of ‘big games’ to get everyone excited, a home quarter-final play-off as the only thing it feels like we’re playing for and a team that has earned themselves a reputation for lacking energy, fight and intensity. Dunno why it was today that came to a bit of a head, but that’s why, not that we ‘only beat Dover 1-0’.

I think you've posted one in the Handbags thread that was meant for this thread Jacob...

[Elite_Pie]

When England are patient and win 6-0 folks still moan it was boring, too much passing and think Southgate needs to go.

"Folks still moan"? I'm sure some of them do, but but when you consider England's support runs into millions rather than our few thousand, is it surprising you can cherry pick a fair few negative comments if you are that way inclined?

I didn't hear any booing today, but I heard a lot of moaning about how we played from nearly all the regulars around me, even from some who don't usually moan. On chances created we should have won by more, my worry is that we seemed happy with 1-0. Under normal circumstances that might be understandable, but when it's quite possible that goal difference could mean a home or away playoff quarter final, I find our lack of urgency a bit bewildering.

[laddo]

You don't have to cherry pick at all, just visit NCM when England are playing #viva#cauldron

Thanks Jacob so no exaggeration, then that's on the players. If any coach or management team regardless of the opposition control the game, have 20+ shots and multiple one on ones they should expect the usual 3+ goals from it.

Charlie raised your point about lack of big games in the final 5/6 games and I agree with your concerns we seem to be not impressing and coasting in 3rd gear into the playoffs against mediocre at best teams. Far from ideal but not sure what can be done about it.

Finally worrying to read the comments about After because at Aldershot he came alongside Woots to turn around a turgid second half performance and 2-1 defiect and didn't do anything right and was out worst player out of a sorry bunch. I was very surprised.

To end on some positives and least Ruben bagged yet another goal and the attendance was impressive once again which people weren't expecting.

[OchPie]

Maybe the only game I've seen this season where, even at the end, I didn't feel like conceding was only a blink away at times.

I do think IB's interview was pretty good compared to the last game. (JOBs was good too, and interesting to hear him say IB asked the team to put more crosses in second half...)

We chased the 50/50s and loose balls. We did pepper their goal and were desperately unlucky a few times. I do think though we need to find a way to try to force mistakes as well as score "clean" goals. They had bodies behind the ball throughout and threw limbs at blocking clinical passes / shots - but high balls in caused them all kinds of problems. We tried that a bit more second half, but it felt like the good balls found few people in the box and vice versa. Then again, it felt from the start that they were only going to be a threat on the break and in general our defence was nicely solid.

JOB was really good. Arter seemed to really struggle to predict what Taylor was going to do, but I thought he was unlucky as much as he was poor with some of his forward passes. I still wished IB had taken him off earlier. On the other hand, he seemed to be doing exactly what IB wanted. (Also, is it me or has IB been getting later and later in the match with his substitutions? I seem to remember earlier on he would semi-regularly make changes before the first 45 were out.)

I agree that there was a lack of urgency overall, but also had their goalkeeper not been in top form I reckon we'd have won that by 3 or 4. Maybe more. I was frustrated we only got one, that we didn't turn things up later in the second half, and indeed that the intensity dropped off at about 75 (again...) but I still enjoyed the match, despite it all.

[Elite_Pie]

Thanks Jacob so no exaggeration, then that's on the players. If any coach or management team regardless of the opposition control the game, have 20+ shots and multiple one on ones they should expect the usual 3+ goals from it.

Pretty much my point about the England thing - find a single comment you like and absolve the management team from any blame for today!

Even though you didn't see it.

[Rainbowpie]

I came away from todays game disappointed. Not with the result but how we went about the game. We should have been sending out a message to all the teams in the play off, instead we approached the game like a training session. It was so boring to watch. I know Dover had 10 men behind the ball all game but we should be breaking these teams down easily. We can play some great stuff without actually getting anywhere. The frustrating part is that players are making some good runs (JO ( RICHARDSON & SAM) but being ignored for an easy sideward pass.
We miss Cameron's passion and drive massively. Running into space and committing the opposition.
We look extremely vulnerable on the break but we have all season tbf.
Can't see us getting far in the play offs especially if we are away from home because we are simply terrible away
A side note, what the hell is going on with the drummers in the kop? No timing or rythmn it is very annoying. Feel like ramming those sticks up his arse

[JoePass]

We won, that’s all that matters.

[JonahBabb14]

You can't really judge that result until the end of the season. If Notts end up playing away in the QF because the GD is one less than Grimsby - and end up losing that QF, then it's an issue*. Hopefully it's just the points that matter.

*Yes GD is built up over the course of a whole season, but you've got to say there was an opportunity there today to improve it by more than one. Grimsby got +8 from their two games with Dover.

Just imagine how Grimsby are feeling. 4 points against Barnet with a gd of +1.

Football doesn't work the way we want it to all of the time.

Lets get behind the boys and the gaffer. Win the last two, we're 5th at worst and we have a home eliminator against a team that won't play a 640 formation against us.

COYP

[Magpies1959]

While agreeing that today's game was incredibly frustrating, and lacked intensity on our part, I do think with lady luck on our side we could easily have won by seven or eight.
Even if we had scored three or four today, I think we will still have to win our last two games to cement a home quarter final tie. As I have said before, our two games against Halifax will more than likely be our undoing, not Torquay
,Aldershot or the likes.
I know these are if's, and I am sure other teams have had setbacks, but to lose Patterson the way we did, coupled with Brindley, and more importantly Cameron, has really hurt us. If we had had these three available for the final third of the season, I am sure we would have made the top three.
They are key to the way Burchnall wants his teams to play football. With the best will in the world, Jaros/Slocombe, Rawlinson, Graham and Lacey cannot replicate that style.
One final point, I am struggling to see what Arter brings to our game. He seems to lack any responsibility, prefering to play a simple five yard square past to Palmer, rather than look for a forward option.

[uysapie]

Decided to give this one a miss!