⚽ Match Thread vs. Newport County AFC 23.11.24 [EFL L2]

[Could'vebeenacontender]

This is where I?’m at as on this occasion I don?’t think SM did anything wrong. The manager can only have so much influence.

Along with the 27 shots we also got caught offside three or four times in the second half. So that?’s over 30 chances in which we broke Newport down and could have scored. That comes down to what is the hardest thing to do in football score goals. Shots on and off target were simply not clinical enough.

SM also cannot be blamed for injuries to key players like JJ, Crowley and add to this we have no Macca.

What it needs is patience and once we are back to full strength and some fresh faces in January I?’m confident we will be picking up wins where we have got draws like against Doncaster, Crewe and Newport. With JJ and Crowley I think we win at least one if not two of those games.

We've been unlucky that it's our most creative players who've been out
Curtis Edwards was looking the part in his first few games too, a real threat
With him, Dan and Jodi in the side I suspect we'd see Nick Tsaroulla really blossom
It's basically him and George Abbott who've been our biggest threats recently

[matt_magpie]

We've been unlucky that it's our most creative players who've been out
Curtis Edwards was looking the part in his first few games too, a real threat
With him, Dan and Jodi in the side I suspect we'd see Nick Tsaroulla really blossom
It's basically him and George Abbott who've been our biggest threats recently

Agree I?m finding hard to put it totally at SMs or RMs door at the moment. I saw a showreel of Edwards scoring some great goals when we signed him, admittedly it wasn?t going to show him hitting any in the car park but he looked quite natural. JJ and Crowley I would say easily would have over 20 goal contributions each over a season, so on that basis you can argue you?re losing a goal a game on average.
That said the club do need to have a think Jan as they could get injured again. I said at the start of the season if we can find a 10 that can score goals and fill in at 9 if needed that would be the ideal transfer, easier said than done though and especially in Jan.

[MarcusCole]

Feels like Maynard went all in on fixing the defence and goalkeeper and our general play without the ball, with the assumption that we had a couple of really creative individuals so goalscoring was never going to be a problem. Having lost them we don?t have really set patterns of play or anything to fall back on in attack.

I agree with this but feel that there is a reluctance to actually shoot when there is an opportunity, players will try to set up someone else who might have a better angle or something only for everything to get shutdown before the intended person actually gets the ball.

[matt_magpie]

I agree with this but feel that there is a reluctance to actually shoot when there is an opportunity, players will try to set up someone else who might have a better angle or something only for everything to get shutdown before the intended person actually gets the ball.

I don?t think it?s a tactic I think it?s confidence and fear of missing, apart from Jatta and Didzy Saturday who else has a decent goal scoring record for their positions?

[MAD_MAGPIE]

I don?t think this is quite right - just because you?ve had a shot doesn?t mean you?ve broken the opposition down. The vast majority of our shots were either from outside the box, so a very small chance of scoring, or with five or six defenders between the ball and the goal making a block likely.

What I thought was striking watching the highlights was how, while we did have a few reasonable chances, they pretty much all came from us winning the ball back from Newport in their own half. We were able to create next to nothing from our own spells of possession, which is a bit of an issue for a team that has so much possession.

Some good points made. When you?ve had over 25 shots there is going to be a good mix or there should be of different types of attempts. Obviously there is the ones on target and off. I thought the keeper made an excellent save in the second half to deny us. We also had a few attempts outside the area as you mention and they went quite a way above the crossbar. Had we got a couple of those on target it would have asked questions of the Newport keeper.

It?s clearly telling that without JJ and Crowley we miss that creativity from when we have possession.

[MAD_MAGPIE]

We've been unlucky that it's our most creative players who've been out
Curtis Edwards was looking the part in his first few games too, a real threat
With him, Dan and Jodi in the side I suspect we'd see Nick Tsaroulla really blossom
It's basically him and George Abbott who've been our biggest threats recently

Yes I think it?s important to also remember other players who have been out like Edward?s who I also thought did well when he was in the side and he offered something as well.

Then add to this Robertson who has not really been able to have a decent run in the side this season. The same goes for Grant. Then Scott who has had time out as well. So that?s three other players along with JJ and Crowley who have not been available consistently.

Stuart Maynard or the recruitment team could not have foreseen such misfortune. That?s why time and patience is required. One point from the automatic promotion places means we have dealt with it as well as we can. We need to try and keep in touching distance over the rest of the calendar year.

[Mud Pie]

We've been unlucky that it's our most creative players who've been out
Curtis Edwards was looking the part in his first few games too, a real threat
With him, Dan and Jodi in the side I suspect we'd see Nick Tsaroulla really blossom
It's basically him and George Abbott who've been our biggest threats recently

for me CE looked a bit shaky at first but seemed to adjust really well in the games he's played. From his reputation too, he could almost be as influential as JJ coming back, but he's older, coming off an injury, AND still adjusting to the div4 game. I wouldn't put too much pressure/expectation on him at first.

Abbott seems to be dividing opinion on here a bit. I'm a bit with AntiClough, to me GA will likely become an upmarket Matty Palmer, sorry MP! His energy and engagement/focus, and offball movement and ability to actually impact play, is very good, but still too often his energy and bluster doesn't result in net gains. Having critted him for losing focus after 60 mind before, I thought he was much better 2nd half than 1st against Newport.

Brown's progress seems to be slowing unfortunately, but in his defence against the comments elsewhere about movement up front, there was at least three times he made runs into the inside right channel and Ness or Palmer went left. GB visibly frustrated. There may still be more in him?

[Mud Pie]

for me CE looked a bit shaky at first but seemed to adjust really well in the games he's played. From his reputation too, he could almost be as influential as JJ coming back, but he's older, coming off an injury, AND still adjusting to the div4 game. I wouldn't put too much pressure/expectation on him at first.

Abbott seems to be dividing opinion on here a bit. I'm a bit with AntiClough, to me GA will likely become an upmarket Matty Palmer, sorry MP! His energy and engagement/focus, and offball movement and ability to actually impact play, is very good, but still too often his energy and bluster doesn't result in net gains. Having critted him for losing focus after 60 mind before, I thought he was much better 2nd half than 1st against Newport.

Brown's progress seems to be slowing unfortunately, but in his defence against the comments elsewhere about movement up front, there was at least three times he made runs into the inside right channel and Ness or Palmer went left. [J]B visibly frustrated. There may still be more in him?

sp

[i961pie]

for me CE looked a bit shaky at first but seemed to adjust really well in the games he's played. From his reputation too, he could almost be as influential as JJ coming back, but he's older, coming off an injury, AND still adjusting to the div4 game. I wouldn't put too much pressure/expectation on him at first.

Abbott seems to be dividing opinion on here a bit. I'm a bit with AntiClough, to me GA will likely become an upmarket Matty Palmer, sorry MP! His energy and engagement/focus, and offball movement and ability to actually impact play, is very good, but still too often his energy and bluster doesn't result in net gains. Having critted him for losing focus after 60 mind before, I thought he was much better 2nd half than 1st against Newport.


Brown's progress seems to be slowing unfortunately, but in his defence against the comments elsewhere about movement up front, there was at least three times he made runs into the inside right channel and Ness or Palmer went left. GB visibly frustrated. There may still be more in him?

Brown did miss the best chance of the match in that melee first half, he had a clear shot from Six yards but his attempt seemed to spin off his leg and went sideways.