Squad problems

[jackal2]

I think the obvious squad problem at the moment is the crippling list of injuries to our best centre-halves. Beyond that, I think there's plenty of ability in this squad and we can more than complete with any other team in this league. The problem is that the current system of play, with an excessive emphasis on building from back, isn't getting the best out of the players and it is reducing the effectiveness of our best attacking players in particular. We don't need to throw the baby out with the bath water by any means, but at this level we need to be a bit more pragmatic and willing to move the ball forward quicker.

[CheezyNCFC]

There's a reason why our players ply their trade currently in the National league and not higher up the football pyramid, it's because players like Roberts and Rodrigues won't always be able to produce 8/9 out of 10 performances and moments of magic week in and week out, no disrespect intended - Therefore it's not realistic or fair for us as supporters to expect them to be able to carry the team through every game we play.

The problem we have is that currently we're struggling to gel together as a team capable of putting in consistently good performances and clearly lacking players capable of putting in a solid, steady and reliable 6/7 out of 10 every week I.E Bishop, Yates, Edwards etc type mould, especially missing someone capable of giving us the edge in the midfield battle. The defensive injurys are of course unfortunatly timed and can't be helped.

Agree regarding the concern about the quality of wing backs we have at our disposal in the system IB is currently favouring and the lack of service to Wootton which clearly needs to be addressed.

[countygump]

Squaddddddddd, shunnnnnnnn. The only way to get out, (of this League) is to get some in.

[LaxtonLad]

1. DKE. The most overrated player we have had for years. He's just not very good and is not a wing back for love or money.
2. We don't have a decent wing back at the club. This is problematic when we play with two of them.
3. Taylor is not as good as Miller was. I can totally see why Chesterfield wanted rid.
4. Francis may well have potential. But he isn't a natural defensive midfielder and we don't have time to wait for him to turn into one. He's not ready. We needed better (and have done for years.)
5. We have no physical presence in midfield. How many seasons have we been saying it now?
6. JOB has conned you all into thinking he is a valuable part of this squad. He does nothing but shout at his team mates. We should have got rid but we inexplicably gave him a two year deal. Mental.
7. Roberts and Rodders are ridiculously over hyped. Rodders has done nothing since Barnet and Roberts is just a decent Conference player. The Geordie Messi stuff is embarrassing.
8. Wootton is a good player but never gets any service because our team rarely crosses the ball to him. That being said, we needed a poacher in the Summer and didn't sign one.
9. Sam is a waste of a squad place. He's useless.
10. Vincent needs a chance. He has to be better than JOB.

To sum it up then, our non-league players are, in your opinion, playing like err…non-league players?

[TSANHO]

Agree with this. Lots of players off their games, several never been on it. Burchnall talks a lovely game but currently plays same cronies no matter there performances just like Ardley. Tsanho you have rose tinted specs on, we haven't played well for weeks!!

I don’t have any rose tinted spectacles on, I’ve been balanced in my criticism and praise for this team so far. This defeat has been coming for weeks, I think we’ve all seen it. I don’t have many bones to pick with what KC has said to be honest. The only person he didn’t pick out was IB, who’s job it is to put the team together.

Burchball has looked worryingly like Ardleyball so far this year. It’s obvious where the problems in the squad and style of play are but the manager has had a full summer and pre-season to recruit and implement his instructions so the book stops with him really.

[Elite_Pie]

Burchball has looked worryingly like Ardleyball so far this year.

That won't be a popular comment with some on here, but I think it's a valid point. Burchnall is an upgrade on Ardley, but in my opinion he's still too obsessed with playing 'attractive' football rather than 'effective' football. I sincerely hope I'm wrong, but I just can't see this style of play getting us out of the National League.

This isn't a knee-jerk reaction to a disappointing defeat, it's something I've been saying for ages.

[uysapie]

That won't be a popular comment with some on here, but I think it's a valid point. Burchnall is an upgrade on Ardley, but in my opinion he's still too obsessed with playing 'attractive' football rather than 'effective' football. I sincerely hope I'm wrong, but I just can't see this style of play getting us out of the National League.

This isn't a knee-jerk reaction to a disappointing defeat, it's something I've been saying for ages.

It would help to have a system that suits the players. As said elsewhere, Warnock's style was to move it forward and play in the opponent's half. This "playing it out from the back" means over 60% of our possession is in our half. Why we are taking goalkicks to a defender in the penalty area is beyond me.

[jackal2]

This "playing it out from the back" means over 60% of our possession is in our half. Why we are taking goalkicks to a defender in the penalty area is beyond me.

It's very frustrating and sometimes alarming to watch. If the thinking is that this constitutes 'entertaining passing football', then it simply does not. I want to see us play that football in the other half of the field where my enjoyment levels go up and my stress levels go down. The p*issing about at the back also slows the game down, sometimes to walking pace and makes it very difficult to build up the energy and noise from the crowd. It's a real atmosphere killer.

[uysapie]

It's very frustrating and sometimes alarming to watch. If the thinking is that this constitutes 'entertaining passing football', then it simply does not. I want to see us play that football in the other half of the field where my enjoyment levels go up and my stress levels go down. The p*issing about at the back also slows the game down, sometimes to walking pace and makes it very difficult to build up the energy and noise from the crowd. It's a real atmosphere killer.

At least it is not just me who is fed up with it.

[Freeman25]

Why we are taking goalkicks to a defender in the penalty area is beyond me.

Do you think Notts invented this tactic or do you think that possibly we're doing it because it's a far more effective way of taking a goal kick than booting it to the half way line and hoping your player wins his header and the second ball drops to a team mate? There's a reason most of the top teams do it, exactly the same as why we (and a lot of top teams) don't leave anyone up front when defending a corner anymore, it's just not effective and with all the analytics and data in football now people have worked that out. Ardley went into detail last season about defending corners but fans in the Pavis seemed to have forgotten again.

Not sure if you're based in the US but if you've watched our goal kicks then the way we set them up we very frequently play it to a Lacey or Cameron and they play it straight up to Wootton on the half way line if the opportunity is there, with only one defender on him and we're immediately on the attack, this is far better than just lumping it and hoping for the second ball.

That's what a lot of this "pointless" passing around at the back is, it's waiting for an opportunity, if it doesn't come then we keep the ball until it does, while we're keeping the ball they aren't threatening us and are tiring themselves by chasing it. A few times this season we've seen players with their hands on their knees, knackered, at HALF TIME, that's probably why we haven't been scoring in the first 30 minutes, it's a patient game and fans need to be patient with it.

I'd say the main problem today, despite Stallard being adamant it had nothing to do with it, was that our ball playing defenders that were missing are key to the way we start attacks and when there are cracks at the back the rest of the teams structure isn't as steady. Alex Lacey is basically our Virgil Van Dijk and look how Liverpool did without him.