Match Thread vs. Solihull Moors 13.04.21 [NL]

[hissingdwarf]

This has everything to do with the players and not a lot to do with IB or NA.
We were set up to win today. Came out of the gates superbly, which makes a change.
He’s spotting the issues, but is using blunt tools.
We are poor compared to last season.
A clear out is needed. Young, physical and pacey players are needed in the summer.
It may mean another ‘gelling’ session, but we can’t continue with these players.

[Elite_Pie]

Begs the question. Was Ardley overachieving?

The clear answer and obvious answer from me is a resounding 'NO'. He took us from the Football League to the National league FFS, getting rid of Ardley was 100% the correct decision. The next step was to replace him with someone better. It's still very early days to make a decision on that one, so let's just hope it's a sticky start.

[magpie_mania]

There is a problem if he's blaming the fact that teams are using long throws.

Don't think he was blaming defeats on that but he was talking about it.

The biggest concern for me tonight is that after they equalised I resigned myself to the fact they would win. I am normally an optimist. The problem is that we either play for the first 15 mins then steadily fall away, or we don't start until the last 15 minutes.

Feel sorry for Griffiths - been thrown into a struggling midfield with the expectation he will sort it.

[optipez]

Why does this happen so often? Fingers crossed IB has the answer.

Because we're lightweight. Forwards can't hold the ball up, midfield can't hold the centre of the pitch. After an hour Solihull won all the second and loose balls and we just punted it long as we'd ran out of ideas.
Confidence is shot, belief in themselves and each other must be low and we've got it all on to even make the playoffs.

[MAD_MAGPIE]

Agree with all of that. We occasionally look like quite a neat football team to be honest, when a football game breaks out (as it did for half an hour today!). But every team in this division knows that all you have to do against us is turn the midfield into a physical battle which we inevitably lose, and put enough long balls and crosses into our box.

There’s nothing to stop you playing nice, attacking football in this league (Barrow last season a great example), but you have to have the will, the desire and the energy to impose it on an opposition that wants the game to turn into something else. We lose that battle every single time, and have done all season.

I completely agree. You can play your way out of this league but you need that energy, grit, tenacity and aggression to go with it and keep it going throughout the game and not play to your opposition's game or let them bully you into playing their way.

From the first game against Dover away in too many games we have lacked the energy, aggression, desire and ruthlessness to kill teams off and that's enabled the opposition to grow in confidence as the game has gone on. Today was a text book example of the problem with this season.

It will likely be the same in games until the end now as the dye is well and truly cast and some players in their individual battles are getting brushed or pushed off the ball with ease like taking candy from a baby. That's going to be the biggest challenge for the new coaches to try and get what they can out of the players they've got.

[Warnocks Legends]

This is terrible!!! They have gotten worse under Burchnall, he experiments every game, plays our best creative player in defence then blames him and drops him!!! Boldewijn will leave and who would blame him. Wootton is ineffective , knight started well but looks ****e now , we sign promising players and make them rubbish. God I'm so fed up, I've payed for nearly every game home and away but no more!!! These Muppets do not deserve my money!!

[Mark_Ross]

We're an average non-league side. Going nowhere... very ponderously. Happy days!

[jacobncfc]

I completely agree. You can play your way out of this league but you need that energy, grit, tenacity and aggression to go with it and keep it going throughout the game and not play to your opposition's game or let them bully you into playing their way.

From the first game against Dover away in too many games we have lacked the energy, aggression, desire and ruthlessness to kill teams off and that's enabled the opposition to grow in confidence as the game has gone on. It will likely be the same until the end now as the dye is cast. That's going to be the biggest challenge for the new coaches to try and find that within the players they've got.

Funny you mention Dover, actually. I was worried from the post-match when Ardley said the ‘boys were five minutes away from a well earned 0-0 on the road’. Everyone knew by that point that they were a shambles and that any team with designs on promotion should be ruthlessly beating them - we’ve carried that mentality with us all season.

I don’t think IB was moaning about teams using long throws btw - more our inability to defend them properly. Which seems fair enough.

[countygump]

This is terrible!!! They have gotten worse under Burchnall, he experiments every game, plays our best creative player in defence then blames him and drops him!!! Boldewijn will leave and who would blame him. Wootton is ineffective , knight started well but looks ****e now , we sign promising players and make them rubbish. God I'm so fed up, I've payed for nearly every game home and away but no more!!! These Muppets do not deserve my money!!

You'll be back. We all will.

[Warnocks Legends]

You'll be back. We all will.

You are right of course!! That's the most depressing part about it. Modern footballers don't give a damn they just walk away for their new club and pay day.