What a shoddy display.Poor reaction time,poor pace and poor ball control.
Where are we heading??
If that was the strongest possible 11 then there would be grounds for concern in the coming months. However, that isnāt the case so things can and will improve.
The first half was emminently forgettable with no real efforts on target. The second 45 began with a bit more imagination to our play and at least some attempt to pass the ball on the deck. For me the introduction of Zane Golbourne completely transformed our performance and it was no surprise that we equalised and then began to play with more purpose.
Ultimately 3-1 flatters Marine, as for long periods they offered as little up front as we did, and yet some sloppy defending gave them a number of chances before they scored to make it 2-1. The incident where in a matter of seconds we had gone from hitting the base of the post for potentially a well worked equaliser, to succumbing to a sucker punch for the third summed up the season to date. We just donāt seem to get the breaks at the moment.
On the plus side the set pieces today seemed better with good delivery on the corners and some excellent free kicks from Drew.
Having Pritch, Ben Thornley and Lee Thompson available would instantly improve matters. In the meantime Iād like to see Ross Thacker given a start. Settle just isnāt a forward, so Iād give Goulbourne a run in the side. Above all we need to keep the ball on the deck and play to our strengths. Iām confident that Nigel will try some or maybe even all of these.
Keep the Faith!
awful! Im gutted. Ross thacker will start on wednesday and rightly so. I hope nige sees that he can become a key player for us. We have to go and beat nantwich and fc united now.
Iām going to be critical for the 1st time this season, I thought the defence did okay generally, but there were too many players in Midfield and Forward positions who looked like they were going through the motions. How Smith and Proffitt stayed on the pitch for 90 minutes is beyond me. Their lack of tracking back puts the full backs under massive pressure. Regards Steve Settle, heās not a number 9 period, I understand Zane was touch and go whether he made it and with Thommo unavailable, he had to fill in out of position. Rod huffed and puffed but didnāt have too much support, centre mid werenāt creative enough and lacked urgency imo.
Having said all that, it was one of the poorest Marine sides Iāve seen and as RS65 said, we hit the post pushing for an equaliser and 30 seconds later they scored - thats football.
I see we are getting dispondant. Why is this? We are a totally new team, we knew it would take months before we would know how good or bad we were. On top of that we have had several crucial injuries, particularly to Brian Pritchard. So come on lads, be patient, this season was never going to be an overwhelming successful one, surely we all recognised that. Letās look on the positive side. In Thompson and Golbourne we seemed to have found two damn good players and in Smith we have a fine keeper. We aslo have two good full backs and with Pritch back the defence will be more solid. Mid field is a problem, we need a bit there I agree, but that might be cured by the return of the āotherā Thornley, if not, Mr. Deeley will undoubtedly be on the look out for someone else. POSITIVES, we MUST keep looking at the POSITIVES. Finanes are sound, the team is settling in, ONWARDS AND UPWARDS.
WHS.
PS We are only 7 or 8 points off the top!!!
Didnāt think we ever got going yesterday and we were no where close to our best. Having Thomo and Ben Thornley out really didnāt help either. As Andy said thatās got to be one of the poorest Marine sides to visit WP for a few seasons. Having said that we never tested them except for when we scored and hit the post(our usual unlucky streak seems to have returned:S)Could Not believe it when they went straight down the other end and scored:ohmy: but to be fair i think it will be one of the best finishes i will see this season.
Nige is a great coach and will sort the problem areas of the team out.
Every manager needs time, Nige has had to build this team from scratch ( And on a lower budget than last season )so we have to be patient and carry on supporting him and the team. Keep the faith.
But please Nige start Ross Thacker
Despite a lower gate we still managed to collect Ā£92 on the half time draw, many thanks to those who bought tickets. If we want a better team we HAVE to pay for it so if you can afford to help out financially please do so. If you lack spare money why not help organise events that can raise money from others? I know any offer of help will be welcomed at the ground. Check the site for details, I do know there is a Race Night soon and also a Sportsmanās Dinner and any help or support will be well received.
WHS.
Iād been quite upbeat until yesterday, I do think there will/should be a few departures in the next few weeks. The midfield was AWFUL, no energy no vision, no composure, no fitness. I dont like being negative but I hope those players got it both barrels after yesterday.
No despondency from my point of view WHS. Just my own opinion on the game and the performance in general.Good job on the raffle btw!
It would be great to get a lot more people posting on the website with their opinions after the game though. Loads of people view it, but not too many post on it.
Thought we were poor in all areas, defence sat too deep, midfield lacking ideas and lightweight up top. Zane changed the game in our favour a little when he came on with his direct approach and finally gave the midfield somewhere to aim their passes.
For me the Dozzler is more of an āimpactā player coming off the bench and using his pace when opposition defences are a little tired. I think Ross Thaker must be due a start, lets see what this kid can do! For me Steve Smith aint a winger and doesnt seem interested when asked to play there. Get Steve Settle and Ross Thaker on the wings!!
Lets not forget tho, this team is very new and still finding out how good they can become. We are in a much better position than most of us imagined at the start of pre-season, lets not forget your best player was missing again!! (Mr Pritchard!)
Lets keep the faith and see where we are at xmas!
To be honest I was expecting us to struggle, probably until Christmas. We will get better, just give the manager time. As for Saturday, we looked like what we are, a team in transition.
WHS.
Weāve played 9 league games and at the moment we are where we deserve to be - half way. This pretty much reflects the fact we are only half way (if that) to rebuilding this side! There are some ābigā teams beneath us in FC United and Buxton who arguably will be far unhappier with their positions than we should be with ours!!!
First half on Saturday was poor, Rod looked tired, Settle is not a number 9, Smith couldnāt get into it. I think one of the main issues is that in these first nine games we have struggled to field the same side twice and at the moment the whole thing is a learning curve. Pritchās absence is huge, in terms of organisation and commitment. Gary Scott missed games to begin with, Rod has been absent for probably half the games, Thomo has been a breath of fresh air and then has to sit one out.
I am not sure we are yet to field our ābest elevenā and as such the whole thing at the moment is a āmix and matchā selection, not through choice but because of absences due to injury and suspensions. I think Wednesday nights game will be a good chance to field some of the younger lads from the start and to see how they cope. The cup games of lower importance give this opportunity that might be too big a risk in the league.
Of those playing at the moment I would say only the following would be first picks, Smith, Donnelly, Pritchard, Scott, Drew, Willis, Rod, Thomo. I personally think that the other places are still up for grabs and that we may still be looking for one or two new faces. In addition I think one of the biggest missing faces is Ben Thornley, I said at the start of the season that he ācouldā be the surprise of the season and play a big part, in the games I have seen without him it only reinforces my view.
All we can realistically hope for at this stage is to be half way and hopefully to keep on the heels of the leading pack whilst the building process continues. We should remain 100% behind Nige who I feel totally sure sees what is needed in the team. The gaffer is a superb coach, however he has his hands tied on the budget for obvious reasons and this makes the job even harder.
Difficult as it may be we need to get behind the lads at the matches, it was understandably like a library in the first half but we need to encourage and motivate them.
The only other thing I would add is that none of the other teams I have seen so far frighten me in terms of quality. The fact Ashton are where they are shows this league could be wide open this year!!!