Match Thread vs. York City 26.09.20 [PSF]

[magpie_mania]

Didn't watch today and sounds like I made the right choice.

Why this diamond? Quite a lot on here wanted a change of formation last season. It is not working! Biggest mistake? We lost our most natural and effective attacker (Dennis) and haven't replaced him.

Enzio is wasted. Get him out wide with licence to come in.

I desperately want us to get it righf, I still think we will although my confidence is getting lower.

[countygump]

I get the feeling Ardley makes a simple game seem very complicated.

It amazes me why the manager of a NL team would even contemplate playing a diamond formation, let alone spend unnecessary hours teaching his players how to master it. Prem or Championship maybe but bloody Cinerama League? He admitted himself that the players were so concentrated on making it work/keeping formation that they forgot the basics. WTF is going on?

[navypie]

I had the good fortune to be roped into grandson-sitting duty this afternoon, so didn't get to watch the live stream. I intended to watch it in full later this evening but couldn't face it after seeing the score, so I've just skipped through and watched the York goals. I did notice that Ardley's tactic of passing along the back line finally led to a goal chance.

The York striker took it well.

Didn't watch today and sounds like I made the right choice.

Why this diamond? Quite a lot on here wanted a change of formation last season. It is not working! Biggest mistake? We lost our most natural and effective attacker (Dennis) and haven't replaced him.

Enzio is wasted. Get him out wide with licence to come in.

I desperately want us to get it righf, I still think we will although my confidence is getting lower.

Some people have all the luck.

[KCNotts]

What worries me is that a number of issues seem clear as day to pretty much everyone apart from our management team, such as:

- Diamond isn't working - not enough width, not enough attacking threat
- Slow build up and passing around the back is not only frustrating to watch, it's ineffective and even dangerous
- Enzio is a winger. He can do two things: cut inside and shoot or beat his man and cross. Why isn't he playing on the wing?
- Still don't have a ball-winning midfielder
- A few of the new signings seem like complete gambles (Sloth, Sam, even Rodriguez) and may not be cut out for this level of football

Think about the teams you've seen at this level or even above that have been successful. How many achieved success by playing slow, patient, tippy-tappy football in their own half? I can't think of a single one. So why does Ardley persist with something that is almost certainly not going to work? What's wrong with wingers beating their man, mixing it up, putting teams under pressure by making them defend in and around their area, and passing forwards?

Honestly, I'm tired of watching this bloody team wait to 'click.' We just need to sign decent players who are suitable for this level and get a manager in who can play effective, winning football. We should aim to be the team that nobody wants to play against, not the one teams look forward to.

Sort it out Ardley, and sort it quick.

Great post. Spot on.

[magpie_mania]

It amazes me why the manager of a NL team would even contemplate playing a diamond formation, let alone spend unnecessary hours teaching his players how to master it. Prem or Championship maybe but bloody Cinerama League? He admitted himself that the players were so concentrated on making it work/keeping formation that they forgot the basics. WTF is going on?

Basics?

Get the ball.
Pass it forward to one of our players.
Get it in that net thing at the end of the pitch.
Stop the other team who are trying to do the same.

Only takes 4 lines on a PowerPoint presentation.

[BigFatPie]

It amazes me why the manager of a NL team would even contemplate playing a diamond formation, let alone spend unnecessary hours teaching his players how to master it. Prem or Championship maybe but bloody Cinerama League? He admitted himself that the players were so concentrated on making it work/keeping formation that they forgot the basics. WTF is going on?

I’m no expert on football tactics Gumpy, but playing a ‘diamond’ formation when our best two attacking players are out and out wingers is weird.

I’m normally a traditional 4-4-2 man but I also know we had last season and still have, old, immobile midfielders who don’t cover the ground for that formation either. I’m beginning to think we’ve signed the wrong players.

[legs77]

I’m willing to give the players a chance to show what they can do in the league games before judging them some will fail some will be decent that’s how it works.

My opinion is in the lower leagues you need to have a physical presence about you and we don’t seem to have that and that is my worry what is more scary is Ardley SHOULD know this he came from the Wimbledon teams who lived up to that.

Warnock, Allardyce, Cotterill and even Nolan at the start had us play in a direct fashion which tends to get the most success in these leagues from what I’ve seen with my own eyes it seems like teams all think they are the 2010 Barcelona and this passing around at the back is just asking for trouble if you have defenders who aren’t technically good on the ball.

Yes the pitches are much better than they were 20-30 years ago but looking at the players we have 4-3-3 looks to be the best system for what we have.

I think playing too many luxury players in this league you will wallop teams when it clicks but as we saw not long ago with Moniz if it goes wrong you will then be on the wrong end of a 4-0 beating at the likes of Maidenhead.

All our issues point to one man he has been here long enough and signed enough players to know what it takes down here if offered a play off place now i’d take it I just don’t see him leading us to the title.

[applepie]

One goal in preseason (including the cup game) came from all the hours (only a slight exaggeration!) of passing around at the back, so I don’t think there’s that much to worry about that tactic defensively yet.

We should be better when Wootton plays, but what do we do when he needs a rest? Thomas? Sam doesn’t look able to be a target man and hold up play, though I hope he’s not going to become a scapegoat. That’s the manager’s role ...

[Elite_Pie]

One goal in preseason (including the cup game) came from all the hours (only a slight exaggeration!) of passing around at the back, so I don’t think there’s that much to worry about that tactic defensively yet.

I think all the opposing National League managers would agree with you.

[legs77]

When we play better stronger and fitter teams I can tell you passing around at the back will cause us problems.

Teams will squeeze us to death and it will either lead to what happened today for the 3rd goal or us booting it into touch for a throw in seen it sooooo many times but what do us fans know hey.