⚽ Match Thread vs. Lincoln City 08.08.23 [EFLC R1]

[slack_pie]

Good post. People aren't drama queens and also no one thought we were great in defence last season and didn't need any additional players. We have always been scared looking at the back for years now. When did we last have a commanding centre back apart from Elliott on loan, Richardson? Redmile? It's been a long time. Also posters are right about JOB, the people who think he's poor have no clue that he's the only one who actually tries to make runs, offers himself or puts a strong foot in. To be relying still on him for this is ridiculous.

There's alot to be said as well for the style of play changing from high pressing to slow possesion build up. Without Ruben, the only real outlet up front we have is Nemane and his final ball is unreliable. LW and the team have alot of goodwill in the bank but this doesn't mean anything on the pitch. I have been guilty of underestimating L2 before the start of the season but as others have said we can still play good football in this league and do well. To do this though we do need 2 defenders in and a centre mid who presses and is a leader on the pitch.

This is Notts so the fans are worried as 5 years ago we were tipped to go up and got relegated. Now is the time the team needs to make us feel reassured that they have more grit and hard work in them.

You are right, we've hardly had any commanding CBs in recent years. Apart from Elliott on loan, the last I can remember was Graeme Lee, who won pretty much every ball that came into the box.

On the subject of changing from high-intensity to slow build-up, my old man said the exact same thing to me earlier. I wasn't at the game, but he was, and he said it was just dull. Constant passing about between the defenders and the keeper with zero end result. Like the worst aspects of Birchnall-ball. Is that a conscious decision or something else?

Those memories of five years ago still haunt me today. I remember how excited I felt when we signed Enzio, Dennis, Vaughan, and Hemmings. I was convinced we were in for an epic season, and then we started so poorly and never recovered. I'm not saying that will happen again - we are in much better shape off the pitch than we were then - but it just goes to show how things can go wrong in ways you never imagined.

[durhampie]

You are right, we've hardly had any commanding CBs in recent years. Apart from Elliott on loan, the last I can remember was Graeme Lee, who won pretty much every ball that came into the box.

On the subject of changing from high-intensity to slow build-up, my old man said the exact same thing to me earlier. I wasn't at the game, but he was, and he said it was just dull. Constant passing about between the defenders and the keeper with zero end result. Like the worst aspects of Birchnall-ball. Is that a conscious decision or something else?

Those memories of five years ago still haunt me today. I remember how excited I felt when we signed Enzio, Dennis, Vaughan, and Hemmings. I was convinced we were in for an epic season, and then we started so poorly and never recovered. I'm not saying that will happen again - we are in much better shape off the pitch than we were then - but it just goes to show how things can go wrong in ways you never imagined.

Our high intensity game went out of the window the moment Bostock arrived. We tweaked our style to suit his safe passing of the ball, without actually doing anything with it.. Those who say, well we got 107 points and won most of our games, but in reality playing against most of those teams you would have been disappointed not to have achieved that goal.. Prior to Bostock, we had Bajrami in midfield along side Palmer, that pairing in my opinion was the best we have had. Very little got past Baj and we generally bossed the midfield. It was unfortunate that Baj got injured, but conveniently so for Bostock.. Thats when we began to lose our rhythm, with all of this passing about and going nowhere...

[matt_magpie]

Our high intensity game went out of the window the moment Bostock arrived. We tweaked our style to suit his safe passing of the ball, without actually doing anything with it.. Those who say, well we got 107 points and won most of our games, but in reality playing against most of those teams you would have been disappointed not to have achieved that goal.. Prior to Bostock, we had Bajrami in midfield along side Palmer, that pairing in my opinion was the best we have had. Very little got past Baj and we generally bossed the midfield. It was unfortunate that Baj got injured, but conveniently so for Bostock.. Thats when we began to lose our rhythm, with all of this passing about and going nowhere...

Didn’t Baj only have about 2 or 3 games in midfield?
It’s all opinions, for me Bostocks absolute class, dragged us through that final and clearly isn’t scared of big games which in my opinion is exactly what we need this season.

[durhampie]

Didn’t Baj only have about 2 or 3 games in midfield?
It’s all opinions, for me Bostocks absolute class, dragged us through that final and clearly isn’t scared of big games which in my opinion is exactly what we need this season.

Unfortunately Baj only played a handful of games before getting injured. But you are right, Bostock is a class player, but he does at times tend to slow the game down too much with his constant passing in safe areas.. I also think he has had an adverse effect on Palmers game..

[the_anticlough]

Bostock is a class player, but he does at times tend to slow the game down too much with his constant passing in safe areas.. I also think he has had an adverse effect on Palmers game..

In that he directly took his role as the main midfield playmaker, yes.

I've come around to accept that if you want to be a possession-based team, it makes sense to field two of these players, even if their strengths and weaknesses are much the same.

But I don't think LW has ever really settled on the right balance around them.
If you play both, a back 3, plus Chicksen you kill yourself by fielding only 4 players who can play in the last 3rd.
Saturday's fix was to field JJ there instead. Good thinking, but unfortunately relying on a player who can throw-in a non-performance from time to time (you can get away with those if you're a winger, or in the 3 in a 4-2-3-1 but not if you're a GK, CB or modern WB in my opinion).

I expected us to recruit a LWB and a RCB as they were the two areas than needed upgrading most (apart from replacing RR, which I think we've done, by committee).
So the search for that balanced side goes on, Bostock isn't the problem IMO, Bostock + Palmer neither, but if they don't find that blend, they might have to dismantle what they have and put it back together again differently.

[matt_magpie]

Unfortunately Baj only played a handful of games before getting injured. But you are right, Bostock is a class player, but he does at times tend to slow the game down too much with his constant passing in safe areas.. I also think he has had an adverse effect on Palmers game..

I think Palmer and him are working well now. I think Bostock would be happy hitting 40 yard balls as I think I heard an old interview where he preferred the quarterback style role but we don’t really do that.
I think Durham we will be glad of him when we’re under the cosh as he will calm us down and get hold of the game. I’m probably more worried about mcgoldrick, absolute class player but we’re going to lose the intensity Ruben brought, but he won’t play every game so hopefully LW works out when we need him most.