So what lesson have been learned

[jacobncfc]

I think with the formations we play and the men we have on the field, we can't do the "shut the game down, retain possession and play defensively" strategy when we're one goal up.

We aren't set up to be strong defensively. When we're one goal up, our tactic has to be "get a second goal", unfortunately.

In terms of hiring, if we lose Wootton but retain Rodrigues I think we need to look for someone who compliments RR at the top of the field. And that one or two aggressive ball-winning mid fielders wouldn't kill us. I feel like we have more than enough creativity.

It could be, but IB has never made what you would call ‘negative’ substitutions.

It’s easy to say in hindsight, but he had options to really strengthen us at the back when Rodrigues went off last night (which I think has to happen, he looked shagged). You could easily have brought on DKE or Rawlinson, moving Richardson further up the pitch where his pace could be a threat (and his lack of a defensive brain less of a threat to us), but he just brought on Brunt (who tbf I thought played alright) as a like-for-like.

It was similar when we folded at Chesterfield (Brunt for Vincent, Mitchell for Wootton), at home to Grimsby (Sam for Rodrigues) and away at Halifax (Mitchell for Rodrigues, Sam for Nemane) when trying to hold on to leads late on.

So I think what IB naturally tries to do is stay attacking and get the killer goal, but all of the evidence is suggesting that it doesn’t work and we end up forced back and defending our penalty area anyway, but without the right players there to do the job.

[Jampie]

It could be, but IB has never made what you would call ‘negative’ substitutions.

Those are dangerous and unwieldy so I wouldn't expect him to (you make even one, and then the other guys equalise... now what?). I don't feel like we _get_ enough second goals for that to be the tactic. At least not one the players are sold on!

[jacobncfc]

Those are dangerous and unwieldy so I wouldn't expect him to (you make even one, and then the other guys equalise... now what?). I don't feel like we _get_ enough second goals for that to be the tactic. At least not one the players are sold on!

You get the extra sub in extra time, so you can rebalance it again if needed. I am fairly sure IB is the only manager in the division who isn’t bringing on a defensive player for Rodrigues in that situation with 12 mins or whatever to go yesterday, for better or worse.