Gone_Shrimping wrote:To be fair 3 of those games were in the EFL Trophy and I don't think we were playing to win those.
I think Played 22
won 7
drawn 4
lost 11
is a fairer reflection on our season.
We need :
A big experienced keeper
keep Stockton till Summer ( we had a glimpse yesterday of life without him and it was grim !)
Another big experienced central defender.
A holding midfielder like Songo'o
A striker to cover for Cole if he is injured/suspended.
We may need more than this depending on whether any of our loan players are recalled.
BerlinWaller wrote:We have had massive highs and some lows but overall it has been a brilliant ride. Yesterday was gloomy but it shouldn't cast a shadow for long.
fulwoodshrimp wrote:Not sure Keith, many are calling for the manager’s head. A number including myself want to see progress on the pitch with players coached in training to become better players. At the minute this isn’t obvious but it is early days. We also want to see signings in the transfer window that are League 1 quality rather than 4 or 5 of the summer signings who are very much not League 1 quality.
fulwoodshrimp wrote:Not sure Keith, many are calling for the manager’s head.
fulwoodshrimp wrote:Sorry I think my last post was badly expressed. I meant to say people are not calling for the manager’s head but want to see through his coaching an improvement in the players. At the moment players don’t seem to be improving. Of course that could mean they have reached their full potential!
Keith wrote:I'm sure they are in a minority, but there have certainly been a few comments on Facebook saying we need a new manager. It is a vipers' nest over there at times!
Keith wrote:fulwoodshrimp wrote:Sorry I think my last post was badly expressed. I meant to say people are not calling for the manager’s head but want to see through his coaching an improvement in the players. At the moment players don’t seem to be improving. Of course that could mean they have reached their full potential!
I'm sure they are in a minority, but there have certainly been a few comments on Facebook saying we need a new manager. It is a vipers' nest over there at times!
RedRedWine wrote:You can always improve - our short comings to date have mostly been at the back and between the sticks. Hopefully we can see big improvements in this area in the games ahead, and perhaps some additions in the new year. Greg Leigh has been consistent - but everyone else in this area can have no complaints if they are replaced.
O'Connor has had good games recently, but is weak in the air and makes mistakes like Saturday - unfortunately for him, when he makes a cock-up its almost always punished. That said, he is better than both Delaney and Wootton (brilliant CV - just missing the Duke of Edinburgh award to make it bordering on seeming fictitious). Perhaps he can be more consistent if he has a dependable partner? I'm not as sold on him as others seem to be - you can win as many duels as you like and quote xG at me until the cows come home, when you give your marker a free header from 5 yards like at Burton, that almost always ends in picking the ball out of the net - and for us that is very difficult to overcome.
Another concern is the lack of goals from anyone not named Cole Stockton. Hard to turn down big money offers - but selling now without investing in a proven scorer is going to put a massive dent in our ability to keep picking up the points that we need.
Adam Philips has the talent, but not the application. Hard work beats talent, when talent does not work hard. No surprise to see O'Connor having a go at Adam vs Charlton at the end of the game - he is one lazy sod! I would not be disappointed if he was sent back to Burnley - preferably on the last day of the loan window. Equally I would be delighted if he pulled his finger out; clear though why he struggled for game time at Accy last season at this level.
Overall I think we have made a good start on balance. Most of the points we have accrued to date are from the clubs around us, and we need to keep that going. Results against the likes of Plymouth and Sheffield Wednesday are welcomed, but ultimately wins and not losing to teams we are directly competing are worth more to our cause. We should have got results vs Donny, Gillingham, and Wimbledon - and had this been the case we'd have been in a much better position in the league. Even draws in those games would take points off the aforementioned clubs current tally - putting a greater distance between us and them. I've seen enough to give me confidence that their are four teams in this division that we are better than - and we have shown that to date.
One thing that should not be understated but often is; this is essentially a brand new squad - many of whom have not yet found their feet/consistency. On Saturday if you exclude Jokull (a 20 year old goalkeeper who we had on emergency loan for 2 games last season) not one outfield player that started vs MKDondals was with us when we were promoted at Wembley.
Looking forward to Sunderland and Pompey away, but the big games for us in December are Fleetwood and Crewe at home. 6 points from those two games could be critical heading into the new year, and should be on every Shrimps fans xmas list..... in addition to a lump of Cole!
UTFS
RedRedWine wrote:O'Connor has had good games recently, but is weak in the air and makes mistakes like Saturday - unfortunately for him, when he makes a cock-up its almost always punished.
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