⚽Match Thread vs. Oldham Athletic 01.01.23 [NL]

[kill_the_drum]

Where has the criticism about him tinkering been when we've been winning? I get that you don't change a winning team mentality, but LW has served us well this season. I don't think he's trying to be clever - he's doing what he thinks is right to lead us to promotion.

Exactly that.
We’re top of the league, in phenomenal form, draw a game and Williams philosophy is now wrong.
I don’t remember Durham moaning about tinkering when yesterdays best player was rotated for a couple of games with TAR.
We made two mistake’s yesterday. It cost us two points. We were still far the better side.

[GranthamPie]

I like Sam but when we have a penalty against us I hope they miss the target as I never feel he will save it.

Yesterday's first goal was a mess - Sam has to take a massive responsibility but I also think it was a result of poor communication with the defenders.

Genuine question though, as I don't know the answer, how many goals have we given away this season because of Sam's footwork, or the defenders trying to play it out?

I’ve just seen the incident on YouTube… 40 yards out of goal? This is the sort of stupidity we've witnessed on many occasion this season… it’s got to stop, simples.

Either that or wave goodbye to promotion.

[optipez]

Slocombe needs proper competition for his place he has always had a mistake in him and each season has had a run where he loses confidence leading to poor choices and points dropped. He's lost his spring, if we end up in the playoffs and a penalty shoot out we'll lose it.
LW has done brilliantly this season, getting almost everything right but I am a bit concerned that he's dropped the Langstaff and Scott two up front for basically a six man midfield. Together they score lots of goals, separately they look less dangerous, Langstaff especially looks better with a partner.
Our best part of the game was when they were both on the pitch with RR just behind. That's a real handful for defences, the movement pulls them all over the place, creating space.
Bostock is very left footed, not very quick and if we're not careful he'll morph into a Mark Fotheringham / Stanley Aborah / Andre Boucaud kind of player who look good but don't create very much, always playing safe from very deep.
We're only halfway through the season, too early to be cautious trying to eke out the points and manage the games. We're a far better team on the front foot attacking teams and being dynamic.
It's a fine balance, most seasons we'd be 6pts clear on our form but this isn't panning out as a normal season us, Wrexham and Chesterfield are all averaging over 2pts pg which is unusual and ultra competitive.

[laddo]

Exactly that.
We’re top of the league, in phenomenal form, draw a game and Williams philosophy is now wrong.
I don’t remember Durham moaning about tinkering when yesterdays best player was rotated for a couple of games with TAR.
We made two mistake’s yesterday. It cost us two points. We were still far the better side.

I'm going to trust the professionally qualified head coach who has lost 1 league game all season over any supporter, no matter how many games he's seen.

If we don't get promoted this season it will be because someone deservedly beats us and everyone else to the top spot over the course of a long season, and cos we came up short in a play off game.

[drillerpie]

Slocombe needs proper competition for his place he has always had a mistake in him and each season has had a run where he loses confidence leading to poor choices and points dropped. He's lost his spring, if we end up in the playoffs and a penalty shoot out we'll lose it.
LW has done brilliantly this season, getting almost everything right but I am a bit concerned that he's dropped the Langstaff and Scott two up front for basically a six man midfield. Together they score lots of goals, separately they look less dangerous, Langstaff especially looks better with a partner.
Our best part of the game was when they were both on the pitch with RR just behind. That's a real handful for defences, the movement pulls them all over the place, creating space.
Bostock is very left footed, not very quick and if we're not careful he'll morph into a Mark Fotheringham / Stanley Aborah / Andre Boucaud kind of player who look good but don't create very much, always playing safe from very deep.
We're only halfway through the season, too early to be cautious trying to eke out the points and manage the games. We're a far better team on the front foot attacking teams and being dynamic.
It's a fine balance, most seasons we'd be 6pts clear on our form but this isn't panning out as a normal season us, Wrexham and Chesterfield are all averaging over 2pts pg which is unusual and ultra competitive.

Agree with pretty much all of that, but having just watched the first goal again, Slocombe absolutely should clear it, but our player (Cameron?) who tries a blind sideways pass should also take at least half the blame.

[durhampie]

Where has the criticism about him tinkering been when we've been winning? I get that you don't change a winning team mentality, but LW has served us well this season. I don't think he's trying to be clever - he's doing what he thinks is right to lead us to promotion.

But playing Bostock who is clearly not fit was not the right thing to do, especially when there are others who are fit and have been performing well. If he plays against Aldershot then i will be very concerned as to why.

[Notts78]

Slocombe needs proper competition for his place he has always had a mistake in him and each season has had a run where he loses confidence leading to poor choices and points dropped. He's lost his spring, if we end up in the playoffs and a penalty shoot out we'll lose it.
LW has done brilliantly this season, getting almost everything right but I am a bit concerned that he's dropped the Langstaff and Scott two up front for basically a six man midfield. Together they score lots of goals, separately they look less dangerous, Langstaff especially looks better with a partner.
Our best part of the game was when they were both on the pitch with RR just behind. That's a real handful for defences, the movement pulls them all over the place, creating space.
Bostock is very left footed, not very quick and if we're not careful he'll morph into a Mark Fotheringham / Stanley Aborah / Andre Boucaud kind of player who look good but don't create very much, always playing safe from very deep.
We're only halfway through the season, too early to be cautious trying to eke out the points and manage the games. We're a far better team on the front foot attacking teams and being dynamic.
It's a fine balance, most seasons we'd be 6pts clear on our form but this isn't panning out as a normal season us, Wrexham and Chesterfield are all averaging over 2pts pg which is unusual and ultra competitive.

Instead we are only 5 points clear.

I love how easy some are quick to criticise Slocombe. I haven’t seen the same levels pointed in the direction of Cameron. He made 2 massive school boy errors for the penalty but hardly anyone has criticised this. Marking a player is bread and butter for a CB… then to panic and haul the player down is naive as it is stupid. It won’t be the last time this season Cameron drops a clanger.
I thought Brindley looked lethargic throughout the game and his side was exposed more often than it should. Bajrami seems to be having a crisis of form.
Speaking of mistakes, how come nobody has mentioned Austin losing the ball on the edge of the Oldham box from our corner that led to further calamity for the first equaliser?
How come no one moans about the soft free kick that Nemane gives away when Oldham were going no where that leads to the penalty?
My point is that at times our performance was littered with errors, some of our own doing. A keepers error is often punished with a goal, whilst other errors can often be rectified.

[nay123]

Delusion is once again alive and well all with the added bonus of hindsight, something no manager or head coach benefits from.

I thought Chicksen was our worst performer against Oldham at home. He got into countless fantastic attacking positions and under no pressure couldn't find a Notts teammate , often choosing the wrong option By all accounts he's great this season, and impressed when I've seen him, but boxing day was not a good day at the office so I'm not shocked he was dropped for the return fixture.

Spot on chicken plays some really poor passers but because he is having a good season it's over looked he was really poor on boxing day

[TSANHO]

Not particularly wanting to start the Nemane debate again as he was decent yesterday going forward but he is a liability in defence down that RHS and whilst he plays that side will always be targeted, as it was again yesterday. He has no physicality to protect Brindley when it is required.

I’ve nothing especially against Nemane but I don’t know why TAR has suddenly been dropped when he can do everything Nemane does going forward but he is also a far superior defender. Perhaps it’s LW’s way of keeping both happy and match fit, it is a draining position to play…but I fully expect TAR to play in the big games.

I thought LW was right to play Cameron at LWB. As others have said, Chicksen didn’t offer a decent final ball all game on Boxing Day and Cameron is capable of putting those killer balls in. He didn’t have his best game but he still provided more than Chicksen did…and if he hadn’t have been fouled numerous times he would have been in bearing down on the byline.

We still played well yesterday, two or three moments of stupidity cost us. However, it was concerning how easy we were able to be got at just by one or two direct long balls forward to the big men. Another reason Nemane isn’t my first choice. That side is weak at the back with him in the team.

[optipez]

Instead we are only 5 points clear.

I love how easy some are quick to criticise Slocombe. I haven’t seen the same levels pointed in the direction of Cameron. He made 2 massive school boy errors for the penalty but hardly anyone has criticised this. Marking a player is bread and butter for a CB… then to panic and haul the player down is naive as it is stupid. It won’t be the last time this season Cameron drops a clanger.
I thought Brindley looked lethargic throughout the game and his side was exposed more often than it should. Bajrami seems to be having a crisis of form.
Speaking of mistakes, how come nobody has mentioned Austin losing the ball on the edge of the Oldham box from our corner that led to further calamity for the first equaliser?
How come no one moans about the soft free kick that Nemane gives away when Oldham were going no where that leads to the penalty?
My point is that at times our performance was littered with errors, some of our own doing. A keepers error is often punished with a goal, whilst other errors can often be rectified.

Apart from Cameron, all other players have been rotated and tested already this season. We don't really have that option with Slocombe and he has had dips in form every season he's been here.