Give the manager more time

[slack_pie]

The problem with the possession from the back style of football is if you do have a weak link in the back 3/4 in regards to how they are in possession they become as very easy target for the high press.

You would imagine recruitment are looking at just this for the summer as the defence has not been strengthened in any way from the NL and it shows.

The problem is, if we continue with the possession-based style, is it possible to find defenders at L2 level who are comfortable on the ball, good at defending, and up for the physical battle? You'd imagine that players that possess all of those qualities would be playing football higher up the pyramid.

If we insist on signing defenders who can 'play', we'll inevitably end up with ones who aren't the best defensively.

I think we need at least one no-nonsense defender whose job it is to win headers, get a foot in, and boot the ball out when needed. The last player we signed like that was Mark Ellis on loan, and he made a tangible impact pretty much straight away.

[Mapperleypie]

The problem is, if we continue with the possession-based style, is it possible to find defenders at L2 level who are comfortable on the ball, good at defending, and up for the physical battle? You'd imagine that players that possess all of those qualities would be playing football higher up the pyramid.

Absolutely this.

The system so far has been to recruit players that have either just or in the last few years been released by a Premier League academy. This often means they are decent on the ball but can lack the grit required for league 2 (and the NL - but got away with it due to the quality of the opposition).

A bit of a re-think might be required or we may need to splash some cash on a couple of defenders in the summer.

[the_anticlough]

It’s a fair question.
First thoughts - it was going swimmingly, riding high, until losing a key cog in the machine, and not being able to replace him in a timely manner.

Then, can we imagine the owners and all the other leaders of the club getting together and deciding ‘right, let’s go in a completely different direction?’ Or would they be more likely to look for solutions within their model, even if that means big changes in personnel over time?

[meoldlaner]

I go to matches now and I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the mistake to occur.
Baldwin let me down for a few games as he played like Bobby Moore but he had obviously been working on that cock up verses Sutton.

[jackal2]

Another thing that strikes me about our central defenders is that they're relatively young for that position, aside from Rawlo, and Brindley who isn't really a centre-half anyway. If there's one area of the team where it matters most to have a big, grizzled 30-ish year-old warhorse and leader then it's in the heart of your defence, organising and commanding the respect of their colleagues and using their experience to read the game. Nigel Clough signed just such a player when he recruited Aden Flint for Mansfield, and it's given them a hard edge they were missing previously.

[BigFatPie]

Interesting to see Morecambe right up there in playoff contention with Archie Mair apparently excellent. 2 questions are obvious, why didn’t we sign Mair, and can you remember when we absolutely battered Morecambe 5-0 in Williams’s last home game?

I can’t imagine that happening now.

[marky]

Interesting to see Morecambe right up there in playoff contention with Archie Mair apparently excellent. 2 questions are obvious, why didn’t we sign Mair, and can you remember when we absolutely battered Morecambe 5-0 in Williams’s last home game?

I can’t imagine that happening now.

They're not even any good yet they're somehow 7 points above us, it's unreal they have no quality, for example can anybody name me one of their players (other than Mair) I haven't heard of any of them.

[SmiffyPie]

They're not even any good yet they're somehow 7 points above us, it's unreal they have no quality, for example can anybody name me one of their players (other than Mair) I haven't heard of any of them.

Says something about us that does. We've been throwing points away like confetti!!

[Chicken Balti Pie]

Interesting to see Morecambe right up there in playoff contention with Archie Mair apparently excellent. 2 questions are obvious, why didn’t we sign Mair, and can you remember when we absolutely battered Morecambe 5-0 in Williams’s last home game?

I can’t imagine that happening now.

We should have signed Mair. He showed enough last year to suggest he was on par if not better than Slocombe but lacked experience. He's certainly better than Stone

[drillerpie]

We should have signed Mair. He showed enough last year to suggest he was on par if not better than Slocombe but lacked experience. He's certainly better than Stone

Before Wembley I only remember him playing a couple of cup games (FA Trophy?) and being widely ridiculed on here. Could be wrong though.