❔Score, scorers and attendance predictions v Walsall [H] 09.12.2023 [EFL L2]

[uysapie]

I thought neither last season or now. The poor level of the NL and our above average players such as Jones, Bostock , baldwin and Macca made LW look very good at that level, and ultimately gave us promotion
I remember some supporters saying the level does not matter, of course it matters , now we have risen a level to League 2 which remember is the basement division, LW has been made to look average as a manager only backed up by the stronger players mentioned above
So in terms of LW i never thought he was that good, and today i dont think he is that bad. He is average at this level, but he is young as a manager, and with the backing of our owners over several years should gain the experience required to step up a level
This season we would do well to finish top 7, then there is a chance of promotion if you can win 3 games, but would promotion be to soon, with our current team we would get trounced in L1
But we are not going down , so we wll stabalise in L2, where the owners and LW will replace the weaker players and next year and the year after we will get stronger till we gain promotion to L1

Said from the outset that this should be a consolidation season.

[ajojones]

Think the criticism is totally justified but it's weird how happy some posters seem to be about it. Is it the 'I told you so' effect, subdued over much of the last 18 months. It is an interesting phenomenon not restricted to football on social media.

[LaxtonLad]

We're sinking back to the miserable days of L1 where your safest bet at the bookies was a Notts loss or draw, when we were beaten not by a team of better players but by an organised team with a better team spirit.

We seem to have the better players but not the best cohesion and how can you build that in the middle of a game that you appear to be dominating yet losing? LW seems to think multiple substitutions might do the trick but it hasn't worked yet. The statistics will show we have
the higher possession but as we have seen, most of that possession is in our own half between our defenders, gone are the days when we could tap the ball around on the edge of the enemy's penalty area.

We can see Langstaff to-ing and fro-ing, waving for the ball to be lobbed forward just for a change but no, we appear to be under orders to keep the ball in our own half or pass it to a winger who already has two markers and expect him to "do something".

You are being out-thought, LW.

[Elite_Pie]

Think the criticism is totally justified but it's weird how happy some posters seem to be about it.

Are you sure you haven't imagined that?

I don't see anyone who seems to be happy.

[jackal2]

Are you sure you haven't imagined that?

I don't see anyone who seems to be happy.

There's one or two who seem to enjoying their first legitimate opportunity to complain for at least 18 months, which is a strange mentality, but they're entitled to their opinion.

My view is that this team and Head Coach have plenty of credit left in the bank after what they've achieved in that time, but after riding the wave/euphoria of promotion for the first few months, we're probably at the start of the process where that team and playing style will evolve into what we need next, and sometimes that means taking a step backwards before you can move forwards again. There's certainly no need for panic or excessive disgruntlement amongst the support. By any reasonable measure we're still doing fine.

[durhampie]

There's one or two who seem to enjoying their first legitimate opportunity to complain for at least 18 months, which is a strange mentality, but they're entitled to their opinion.

My view is that this team and Head Coach have plenty of credit left in the bank after what they've achieved in that time, but after riding the wave/euphoria of promotion for the first few months, we're probably at the start of the process where that team and playing style will evolve into what we need next, and sometimes that means taking a step backwards before you can move forwards again. There's certainly no need for panic or excessive disgruntlement amongst the support. By any reasonable measure we're still doing fine.

We are not enjoying it at all. It maybe that some of us can see the problems we are having, and seeing nothing being done about it.. LW makes his customary 3 substitutions most games, normally around the same time. These achieve absolutely nothing other than unsettle the team. You can argue that he hasn't learnt from the fiasco that left Scott injured for the season and left Brindley on at Wimbledon when he went down injured in the box, and held his hand up to come off. That was ignored, and Brindley missed the next few games.

He rabbits on about protecting players, Its a pity he doesn't practice what he preaches...

[matt_magpie]

We are not enjoying it at all. It maybe that some of us can see the problems we are having, and seeing nothing being done about it.. LW makes his customary 3 substitutions most games, normally around the same time. These achieve absolutely nothing other than unsettle the team. You can argue that he hasn't learnt from the fiasco that left Scott injured for the season and left Brindley on at Wimbledon when he went down injured in the box, and held his hand up to come off. That was ignored, and Brindley missed the next few games.

He rabbits on about protecting players, Its a pity he doesn't practice what he preaches...

But you have absolutely no proof around the Scott situation and if brindley was injured it was his responsibility to stay down.

[Elite_Pie]

There's one or two who seem to enjoying their first legitimate opportunity to complain for at least 18 months, which is a strange mentality, but they're entitled to their opinion.

I just don't see it as enjoying an opportunity to complain. I've always seen it as a different way of expressing disappointment and frustration.

I think they hurt as much as any of us after games like yesterday.

[magpie_mania]

I just don't see it as enjoying an opportunity to complain. I've always seen it as a different way of expressing disappointment and frustration.

I think they hurt as much as any of us after games like yesterday.

I have always thought that there are some who, while they might not want us to lose, seem to be happy when there is something to moan about. I hear it at games ..... certain players make a mistake and they are on their backs immediately, sounding as if they are happy to get on their backs. Look at many of the match threads how people post things like ...... waiting for the usual mistake from ......

Seems to be a thing with England supporters too (I went to a game at Wembley and it was embarrassing to hear the boos for Maguire when the team was being announced). Can't understand it myself.

[Elite_Pie]

I hear it at games ..... certain players make a mistake and they are on their backs immediately, sounding as if they are happy to get on their backs.

So these people pay for a ticket and make the effort to get to Meadow Lane........... just so they can get a degree of happiness from getting on the back of a player who makes a mistake!

Interesting theory, but I'll stick with all of us expressing our emotions differently.