Brief Synopsis (Lincoln)

[edengreen]

I think Houghton losing form is the issue the defence is nit being screened
Randell's best positing is the CDM and I debt think he is helping Edwards who seems to be everywhere but where he should be
I personally would like to see Law jn at left wing back and maybe Connor into midfield law will give the opposition to think about

 

[chunkymonkey78]

I think Houghton losing form is the issue the defence is nit being screened
Randell's best positing is the CDM and I debt think he is helping Edwards who seems to be everywhere but where he should be
I personally would like to see Law jn at left wing back and maybe Connor into midfield law will give the opposition to think about

I don't think Law is the answer at LWB.

He strikes me as being better pushing forward but I think he gets found out defensively as a LWB, if he played in a team with old fashioned wingers he'd be pretty good there I think.

 

[greenpilled]

A frankly weird game of football. We were the far better team in the first half, but could quite easily have conceded a few times. The entire game the wing backs were playing to high up, it was the exact same issue at Sheffield Weds. Thankfully, Dan Scarr cut out about 20 cut backs today, else the score would've been embarrassing. The only one he didn't get to ended up going in. Individually, I think the back 3 all played well, but as a team we did not defend well enough. Too much space on the flanks, nobody screening the back 3 effectively and that ball in behind got them in far too many times. All three of the centre backs made vital tackles and blocks to prevent almost certain goals. On another day we could've conceded a hatful.

At the other end, we created a lot of openings but not clear cut ones. I thought the first 45 was Jephcott's best for a long time. Broom ran around a lot without any real impact. Houghton was poor again. Adam Randell continued to cement his place in the team, but wasn't as good in the second half. Ennis very good but didn't really get many shots away. I felt we missed Mayor and his ability to progress the ball from deep / operate in tight spaces.

Cooper - 7
Edwards - 6
Wilson - 7
Scarr - 7
Crichlow - 7
Grant - 6
Houghton - 5
Broom - 5
Randell - 7
Ennis - 7
Jephcott - 7

Looking at the results around us, automatics is gone, but we knew that already. We're well in the playoff mix, but silly points dropped today are so costly. If you can't win, at least don't lose.

good summary - I would add that it was a very inexperienced team especially after the substitutions.

Cooper, Critchlow, Randell, Law, Garrick, Ennis, Jephcott… all young guys without many of these types of games under their belt.

none played badly… indeed Cooper, Ennis & Randell were very good… but with a few older heads on the pitch I don’t think we’d have chucked away the point like we did

 

[MGM]

How did we beat Charlton? By Garrick at LWB pushing them back.

This issue will rear its ugly head again until we do something about it. You can’t play without pace and skill on the flanks. Especially when your not suppose to be a long ball team.

This will define Schumacher’s reign. The same was it was defining Lowe’s.

Sort out the width, you sort out the offensive issues. You score more goals then the defence being exposed isn’t such an issue.

 

[PL2 3DQ]

I don't think Law is the answer at LWB.

He strikes me as being better pushing forward but I think he gets found out defensively as a LWB, if he played in a team with old fashioned wingers he'd be pretty good there I think.

Under Schumacher the two wing-backs are being played further forward, almost as wingers, without much defensive responsibility and as Lincoln showed today there's acres of space to attack.

If Schumacher is going to play like that then Garrick and Law would be better options in the wing-back/winger positions.

At the moment the left and right centre-backs are being exposed and the opposition goals are flowing.

 

[chunkymonkey78]

Under Schumacher the two wing-backs are being played further forward, almost as wingers, without much defensive responsibility and as Lincoln showed today there's acres of space to attack.

If Schumacher is going to play like that then Garrick and Law would be better options in the wing-back/winger positions.

At the moment the left and right centre-backs are being exposed and the opposition goals are flowing.

Are you saying Law is a better wing back than Grant?

 

[PL2 3DQ]

Are you saying Law is a better wing back than Grant?

No. But if the wing-backs are so far forward almost as wingers and hardly any defensive responsibility Law might be better.

 

[MGM]

Are you saying Law is a better wing back than Grant?

Grant has a great left foot.

The problem is someone has to make the space for him to delivery a cross. If he doesn’t have mayor or broom creating the space with their skill then he is left one on one.

He just can’t out pace or skill a defender. If Grant was a LB he would have a player like Mayor in front of him. Then he has the help he needs on a consistent basis.

Tbh, the same issue is with Edwards on the right.

If your playing a wing back system you better make sure the most influential players in that system are the wing backs because otherwise you have no width.

 

[Mike Charlick]

How does Critchlow get a 5 he was clueless and had no idea how to play the position. He was out of position for almost the whole game ,added to that he was uncomfortable on the ball just giving it back to Scarr. A dreadful debut.

Joke post. Our best defender & confident on the ball.

 

[chunkymonkey78]

No. But if the wing-backs are so far forward almost as wingers and hardly any defensive responsibility Law might be better.

Got you, maybe argyle are playing WB system wrongly then, I always thought the point of a wing-back was they need to perform both roles, a 352 can quickly become a 532, the clue being in the name etc.

There wasn't really an issue earlier in the season with Grant being there and for someone who was signed as a CM I think he's done well, so maybe Schuey needs to have a rethink on how he uses them, but for me Law is a better sub to bring on to push a tired defender at this stage of his career.

I also didn't see the point of putting an already tiring Broom at RWB when we were already getting exposed down both flanks and he'd already played 70/75 minutes?

 

[GCH1965]

Football is all about goals if you don't take your chances and your opponents do then you lose that's my synopsis.

 

[Floyd Pepper]

For me, we needed to keep Scully quiet, he's a very dangerous player who's got a solid record at this level. He took advantage of the space behind Edwards & that was it, 1-1 & their tails were up.
There wasn't a lot between the 2 sides. As ever, the game was going to be decided by fine margins.

They seemed to be first to everything in the 2nd half & their work rate seemed superior to ours.
Disappointing after so many weeks without a game at Home Park, but we looked better than we did at Sheff Weds last week.

Suspect we'll end on the fringe of the playoffs now, momentum has definitely gone.

 

[Penmaster]

Would 4-4-2 improve us? I just don't see 3-5-2 as the be all and end off....

It's an interesting view, under Lowe we very rarely ventured from 3 5 2. I guess if we had 4 4 2, you would have to drop either Wilson or Scar as there would be a lack of pace. Then how would we accommodate Connor Grant? What do we have in terms of out and out wingers? Broom and Mayor could play wide I guess, with Houghton and Pan in the middle. It doesn't seem that balanced to and certainly if we were over run in midfield today (I wasn't there so only based on the themes I've seen written on here) going to 4 4 2 isn't going to help that tactically.

I think the most significant change we could make to the squad in terms of a plan B is a tall, strong, aggressive striker. That is not within our skill set at the moment and would be an easy way to tactically change the way we play without having to shuffle anyone around. Hopefully the interest in this lad from Ireland comes off and he can be that facilitate that alternative approach that some games will call for. A fit George Cooper would also have been a real asset to this squad, offers something different to other players at WB or in midfield.

 

[MGM]

Joke post. Our best defender & confident on the ball.

He made a brilliant block in the first half.

l thought he was fine. He seemed at times caught out of position when playing offside as Scarr & Wilson pushed up. Yet it’s his first game so the understanding may not be there I’d imagine.

 

[MGM]

It's an interesting view, under Lowe we very rarely ventured from 3 5 2. I guess if we had 4 4 2, you would have to drop either Wilson or Scar as there would be a lack of pace. Then how would we accommodate Connor Grant? What do we have in terms of out and out wingers? Broom and Mayor could play wide I guess, with Houghton and Pan in the middle. It doesn't seem that balanced to and certainly if we were over run in midfield today (I wasn't there so only based on the themes I've seen written on here) going to 4 4 2 isn't going to help that tactically.

I think the most significant change we could make to the squad in terms of a plan B is a tall, strong, aggressive striker. That is not within our skill set at the moment and would be an easy way to tactically change the way we play without having to shuffle anyone around. Hopefully the interest in this lad from Ireland comes off and he can be that facilitate that alternative approach that some games will call for. A fit George Cooper would also have been a real asset to this squad, offers something different to other players at WB or in midfield.

This is something we have to wait and see with.

Lowe only choose 4-4-2 in desperation as he was running out of ideas.

Im not sure we are going to change. Yet why can‘t we change to a 3-4-3 and switch between this and 3-5-2.

That way you could put Mayor at LW. Garrick at RW. Then the emphasis isn’t on Grant or Edwards to just provide the width.

Id love us to play 4-3-3. You can have Houghton, Randell and Camara in midfield. Then your skill full players on the wing who don’t have as much emphasis on defending.