How fcukin bad was Enzio today!

[Notts78]

And that’s why he’s so frustrating - because he is a potential match winner, but just doesn’t do it anywhere near often enough. Hopefully that assist tonight will give him a bit more confidence and we’ll start to see a few worldies from him again. With Cal Roberts sidelined for a while yet, we need it.

Speaking of Cal Roberts. Have I missed something with him? A few weeks ago Ardley said he was chomping at the bit to play in the Trophy game, especially when it could have been against his former club. Yet now he is no where near the squad. What’s happening with him?

[LaxtonLad]

Perhaps Enzio is disillusioned with Ardley and his mystifying tactics. You could hardly expect total enthusiasm from a player whose talents are as misused as his.

His forte is an an attacking winger popping up with a goal or two, not providing cover to a full-back. He's used to make up numbers to defend a corner or free kick but then he's expected to join in an attack, up and down like a pair of whore's drawers. He just ain't fast enough.

[Notts78]

Perhaps Enzio is disillusioned with Ardley and his mystifying tactics. You could hardly expect total enthusiasm from a player whose talents are as misused as his.

His forte is an an attacking winger popping up with a goal or two, not providing cover to a full-back. He's used to make up numbers to defend a corner or free kick but then he's expected to join in an attack, up and down like a pair of whore's drawers. He just ain't fast enough.

Westcarr was vilified for not doing what Enzio does defensively.
When I look at our squad I see it as a team that should be set up to counter attack rather than attack attack attack. I think Ardley wants us to attack but this team lacks the right type of players to do that. We don’t have a centre midfielder that can unlock teams with a pass. We don’t have a centre forward that plays that has the movement and pace to get in behind (Knowles could be that player). As we are a big team in this league, teams seldom leave themselves open to a counter. Hence the glut of low scoring games.
Roberts and Enzio need to be running at there full backs but our play is so slow that when they do have the ball they are expected to beat 2 or 3 players.
I would be happy for us to go back to playing 1 up top if it meant that Enzio and Roberts held there positions as attackers and not asked to defend in our half. Sadly when we played Wooton up top alone they did defend and he was left isolated.

[the_anticlough]

Westcarr was vilified for not doing what Enzio does defensively.
When I look at our squad I see it as a team that should be set up to counter attack rather than attack attack attack. I think Ardley wants us to attack but this team lacks the right type of players to do that. We don’t have a centre midfielder that can unlock teams with a pass. We don’t have a centre forward that plays that has the movement and pace to get in behind (Knowles could be that player). As we are a big team in this league, teams seldom leave themselves open to a counter. Hence the glut of low scoring games.
Roberts and Enzio need to be running at there full backs but our play is so slow that when they do have the ball they are expected to beat 2 or 3 players.
I would be happy for us to go back to playing 1 up top if it meant that Enzio and Roberts held there positions as attackers and not asked to defend in our half. Sadly when we played Wooton up top alone they did defend and he was left isolated.

Good post. Ardley has squeezed all the fun out of watching the team

[Mapperleypie]

Enzio is completely wasted by Ardley. We have seen how good he can be when he has license to attack, he's certainly a luxury at this level but it's up to the manager to get the best out of him and he rarely is able to.

[laddo]

It's interesting the long standing criticism of Enzio varies between blaming the player himself for some of his performances and others who point the finger at the manager and blame him for the way he uses him.

He's certainly got more defensive responsibility this season, offers noticeably less attacking threat than last season. Overall his individual performance has dropped off without a doubt, but is it to the betterment of the team as a whole or not?

Clearly Ardley's approach is to be very solid, have good shape with and without the ball and be defensively sound. The aim to not concede many and rely on the natural individual ability of Wootton, Enzio, Roberts and Rodders to go win him the game. Rather than attacking with those 4 and going toe to toe with the opposition relying on our superior attacking flair and accepting we will concede far more goals.

Neal was a defensive player all his career so no surprises with his above choice even if it's far less spectacular. I don't think anyone is going to change his approach no matter how much NCM armchair moaning occurs.

[Mapperleypie]

Neal was a defensive player all his career so no surprises with his above choice even if it's far less spectacular. I don't think anyone is going to change his approach no matter how much NCM armchair moaning occurs.

When we get 3 points nobody is going to complain. When we don't we watch a side lose or draw 0-0 in a dull match without so much as a whimper which is wholly unacceptable given we have an embarrassment of attacking riches for this division. That's why Ardley is extremely frustrating as a manager.

The insistence of playing O'Brien, Doyle and Reeves in the same midfield is on a par with O'Brien, Doyle and Rose - it simply does not work and yet the manager persists.

[Old_pie]

It's interesting the long standing criticism of Enzio varies between blaming the player himself for some of his performances and others who point the finger at the manager and blame him for the way he uses him.

He's certainly got more defensive responsibility this season, offers noticeably less attacking threat than last season. Overall his individual performance has dropped off without a doubt, but is it to the betterment of the team as a whole or not?

Clearly Ardley's approach is to be very solid, have good shape with and without the ball and be defensively sound. The aim to not concede many and rely on the natural individual ability of Wootton, Enzio, Roberts and Rodders to go win him the game. Rather than attacking with those 4 and going toe to toe with the opposition relying on our superior attacking flair and accepting we will concede far more goals.

Neal was a defensive player all his career so no surprises with his above choice even if it's far less spectacular. I don't think anyone is going to change his approach no matter how much NCM armchair moaning occurs.

I was wondering this morning (before I was fully awake - should have better things to do!!) whether lower league football had really advanced so much to have such study of formations. In his interview NA was on how premier league teams have footballers with the skill to work their way through a packed defence (well two or three might). He also said something recently about Knowles (I think) needing to learn the craft of his back-tracking. In contrast when Tommy Johnson was being interviewed on The Circle he said that Warnock would set all the side up as he wanted except for himself, explaining "I don't know what to do with you - so just go out there and do your thing" or words to that effect. Not for one minute can I imagine NA saying that.

Listening to some of the interviews I can't help feel that the level five players need a simpler role than the one NA demands. But as I said, maybe National League is really sophisticated and you can't tell Enzio "just run at them whenever and shoot if you see any sight of the net".

[nw6pie]

Speaking of Cal Roberts. Have I missed something with him? A few weeks ago Ardley said he was chomping at the bit to play in the Trophy game, especially when it could have been against his former club. Yet now he is no where near the squad. What’s happening with him?

That quote about the FA Trophy match was before they decided he needed an operation to strengthen his stomach. Since the op last month he's been trying to get used to having the mesh (I think it is) and building up his muscles again. It's obviously taking longer than expected. Key quote from me by Ardley was "two steps forward, one step back," and they're not even putting a date on when he'll be ready to return.

[Old_pie]

That quote about the FA Trophy match was before they decided he needed an operation to strengthen his stomach. Since the op last month he's been trying to get used to having the mesh (I think it is) and building up his muscles again. It's obviously taking longer than expected. Key quote from me by Ardley was "two steps forward, one step back," and they're not even putting a date on when he'll be ready to return.

NA covered it in the post or pre match interviews - he's training, felt something which was put down to the muscle strengthening, is running around with a smile on his face but won't be in Saturday's squad. Maybe have a few games postponed isn't overall a bad thing depending on how quickly (and if) he gets his form back.