Match Thread vs. Eastleigh 17.04.21 [NL]

[countygump]

I gave IB a free pass until the end of the season, wrongly assuming that we would at least maintain our playoff place. The appalling cup defeat to part timers and 3 consequtive defeats now makes me think he is out of his depth in this League and the squad just ignore him.

Makes you wonder what is wrong?

Missing Ardley?
New manager?
Tactics completely wrong?
Tactics too complicated for them?
Lost the dressing room?

They can play well on occasion cos we've seen them do it. Unfortunately, it's only occasionally............

[jacobncfc]

The performances have been consistently poor all year (since the Dagenham game), but clearly there’s not been a positive reaction since Ian Burchnall was installed and Neal Ardley ousted. The owners may have predicted that, since they always say changing the manager mid-season doesn’t improve things, but they must have hoped for better than this garbage.

There’s a lethargy about the team which suggests they’re weary from the Sat-Tue-Sat routine since January (though why would that affect us more than anyone else?), but the biggest problem is the lack of confidence that’s preventing them from doing the most basic things.

I heard Charlie Slater talk about players arguing among themselves on the pitch, and there definitely doesn’t seem to be any team spirit there, which is also concerning.

Part of the imbalance in the squad is how few players we seem to have aged 23-26 - it’s either inexperienced kids or journeymen professionals. I felt a bit sorry for Griffiths and Knight today as they were being asked to deliver so much more than their actual experience shows they’re qualified to do. That’s the result of poor recruitment.

The players arguing among themselves was Griffiths, the kid loanee, reasonably wondering whether anyone might try and move a bit so he could pass to them. There was one amazing bit in the first half as well where Kelly-Evans was trying to take a throw in and no one was offering themselves at all, so he just threw it to their bloke instead.

[jacobncfc]

Makes you wonder what is wrong?

Missing Ardley?
New manager?
Tactics completely wrong?
Tactics too complicated for them?
Lost the dressing room?

They can play well on occasion cos we've seen them do it. Unfortunately, it's only occasionally............

I think there is an element of ‘this was coming’, although IB has done nothing/not been able to address what was wrong. As bad as we were today, there’s been games where we’ve created even less, given the opposition more chances and come away with a spawny 1-0 win.

[upthemaggies]

Makes you wonder what is wrong?

Missing Ardley?
New manager?
Tactics completely wrong?
Tactics too complicated for them?
Lost the dressing room?

They can play well on occasion cos we've seen them do it. Unfortunately, it's only occasionally............

If you wiped all of Wootton's goals out this season, we'd be 17th in the table right now with 13 less points. With that in mind, he hasn't scored in the last 10 league games.

That's not to put any blame at his door, that stat might imply that his goals were disguising just how poor a side we really have been all season. His lack of goals must be a factor in our decline, but I don't know the reasons for it. If he'd carried on the rate he was scoring we'd be around 5 or 6 points better off and probably still hopeful we could snatch 3rd (with one less play off hurdle to jump).

[queenslandpie]

I think there is an element of ‘this was coming’, although IB has done nothing/not been able to address what was wrong. As bad as we were today, there’s been games where we’ve created even less, given the opposition more chances and come away with a spawny 1-0 win.

The only way a new manager would have addressed "what was wrong" would have been with blood and thunder as there is only one new player here for a short time to cover an injury. That new player has replaced the only leader we had on the pitch and strangely enough we look even more disconnected now than we did before hand.

[nw6pie]

If you wiped all of Wootton's goals out this season, we'd be 17th in the table right now with 13 less points. With that in mind, he hasn't scored in the last 10 league games.

That's not to put any blame at his door, that stat might imply that his goals were disguising just how poor a side we really have been all season. His lack of goals must be a factor in our decline, but I don't know the reasons for it. If he'd carried on the rate he was scoring we'd be around 5 or 6 points better off and probably still hopeful we could snatch 3rd (with one less play off hurdle to jump).

That’s a great point, though Kyle Wootton’s decline has been mirrored throughout the team. DKE was doing well at left back, but has been very poor since switching over to the right after Brindley’s injury. Rawlinson has gone from dominant to hesitant. Lacey seems incapable of passing the ball forwards anymore. And on, and on.

Remember that talk of League 2 clubs being interested in Wootton a few months ago? Hard to imagine now as he’s not looked the same player in recent months.

God, what a mess this season has become. Amazingly, I’m now pinning my remaining slither of hope on the return of Michael bloody Doyle to the side.

[jacobncfc]

That’s a great point, though Kyle Wootton’s decline has been mirrored throughout the team. DKE was doing well at left back, but has been very poor since switching over to the right after Brindley’s injury. Rawlinson has gone from dominant to hesitant. Lacey seems incapable of passing the ball forwards anymore. And on, and on.

Remember that talk of League 2 clubs being interested in Wootton a few months ago? Hard to imagine now as he’s not looked the same player in recent months.

God, what a mess this season has become. Amazingly, I’m now pinning my remaining slither of hope on the return of Michael bloody Doyle to the side.

To be honest, we’ve looked chaotic ever since NA changed the formation to 3-5-2 (was it away at Wealdstone, maybe?). We were largely dull before that and I think still underperforming on a regular basis, but generally difficult to beat at least.

Best thing that Burchnall could do for now is to be pragmatic and put that team back together. Brindley/Rawlinson/Lacey/DKE across the back four, Reeves and Doyle plonked in front of them and then some combination of four players in front of that.

[MAD_MAGPIE]

The performances have been consistently poor all year (since the Dagenham game), but clearly there’s not been a positive reaction since Ian Burchnall was installed and Neal Ardley ousted. The owners may have predicted that, since they always say changing the manager mid-season doesn’t improve things, but they must have hoped for better than this garbage.

There’s a lethargy about the team which suggests they’re weary from the Sat-Tue-Sat routine since January (though why would that affect us more than anyone else?), but the biggest problem is the lack of confidence that’s preventing them from doing the most basic things.

I heard Charlie Slater talk about players arguing among themselves on the pitch, and there definitely doesn’t seem to be any team spirit there, which is also concerning.

Part of the imbalance in the squad is how few players we seem to have aged 23-26 - it’s either inexperienced kids or journeymen professionals. I felt a bit sorry for Griffiths and Knight today as they were being asked to deliver so much more than their actual experience shows they’re qualified to do. That’s the result of poor recruitment.

Today was the first league game of the season I have not watched and I've read every post on this thread and I think you have made a lot of valid points that are the fundamentals of what the problems are in this side and have been prevalent since the pre-season friendly game against York.

I can understand the Sat-Tue-Sat-Tue argument but we've not really looked like the real deal all season. I don't know what or why there is a problem with confidence in the squad and what the causes are for this but it's really causing major problems.

It's a very interesting point you make about the squad age. They are either young with potential or old experienced. Maybe that is a combination of the hybrid we have had between old philosophies and new philosophy? Next season we need 25-28 year old's who are proven at this level or have been promoted from this league. I'd go as far to say as trying to sign a couple of captains from clubs at this level in that age range, or at clubs who have been promoted who can't get in the first team who know what it takes to get out of this league.

The point about team spirit is interesting and that is so important and v.ital. I've contemplated this and I'd be more inclined to believe rightly or wrongly that it's not been there this season apart from when we had ten men against Dagenham. This is where the sum is less than it's parts as team spirit can help contribute to making the sum greater than the parts.

I wasn't expecting Ian Burchnall to come in and be like Steve Cotterill because I've never thought the team has shown that they could be challenging at the top as it's not been consistent. However the dip in results since the new manager was brought in is disappointing and worrying but probably more expected as performances since Christmas have gone downhill and did under Neal Ardley prior to his dismissal.

I just hope we are in a period of getting worse before it's gets better and we can end the season strongly and at least finish in the play-offs if only to take some of the pressure off for the start of next season. If we have indeed crashed and are now burning and we do slump to mid table then next season for Burchnall will be just be like Moniz and Ardley when we got relegated under them and Burchnall will not have much credit in the bank with some fans come the start of the new season.

We started our life at this level with a 1-0 defeat against Eastleigh and it's apt that nearly two season's later we lose 1-0 to Eastleigh to give us our worst run of defeats at this level. Have we made progress?

[laddo]

I once again find myself agreeing with Jacob.

Some may not want to read it but the original back 4 with the the midfield 2 plonked in front will certainly increase the PPG and is likely to make us hard to beat again. However frustrating and at times dull as dishwater to watch.

All depends on how much they care about this season. After all we weren't going up through the playoffs with Ardley anyway.

Right?

[nw6pie]

To be honest, we’ve looked chaotic ever since NA changed the formation to 3-5-2 (was it away at Wealdstone, maybe?). We were largely dull before that and I think still underperforming on a regular basis, but generally difficult to beat at least.

Best thing that Burchnall could do for now is to be pragmatic and put that team back together. Brindley/Rawlinson/Lacey/DKE across the back four, Reeves and Doyle plonked in front of them and then some combination of four players in front of that.

I would go back to 4-4-2 and tell the keeper to mix things up more. Teams press us because we’re so predictable: We need to start trying to play our football in the other team’s half, not on the edge of our own box (if you can call 3 centre halves knocking the ball sideways and backwards football).