Brief Synopsis Fleetwood

[HerthaBSC]

I think the fact we’ve had an unsettled midfield has not helped. The defence has looked very exposed, particularly during Houghton’s dip in form. In the last month, Broom has had COVID, Camara went to AFCON, Houghton and Mayor have been injured. Leaving just Adam Randell (who has been excellent). We had a really settled side during our good run.

On Saturday I would like to see Grant moved into midfield for Broom and Law started at LWB, if Mayor and Houghton remain unavailable. He is very athletic and can get up and down the wing well.

What I would say is that even though these results have been disappointing, we’re still competitive. We’re still defending well for large periods of the game and creating chances. We had complete defensive control for most of that second half last night and kept them at arms length. But we’ve let points slip in pressure moments two games in a row. Set pieces of all things. Really basic stuff and it’s so avoidable.

A win against Doncaster is much needed and then we can get the Chelsea sideshow out of the way and focus on a very winnable run of games through February. All is not lost but we are a couple defeats away from the season fizzling out.

Midfield weakness through injury and loss of form are attributable to squad size, lack of strength in depth, a bench that hasn't been strong from the start of the season.

Our style of play, a passing game also inevitably leads to player fatigue over time; it's easier to just lump the ball up field than to do so using 10 passes.

It inevitably requires a bigger playing budget.

As we don't have quite the budget that the style of play requires, we do need to adapt; a change of formation and adjustment in tactics, particularly during this period.

 

[up the line]

Not that it excuses our poor goalkeeping and defending but their equaliser was definitely offside and the lino would have had a clear view.

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I've just watched the clip (firstly through my fingers).
On reflection, it's really very weak defending and goalkeeping and actually what looked a clear cut foul last night is not so clear...
Also, mind blank here, but the first Fleetwood header pops off the Argyle defender's head.... does this render the scorer onside?!

 

[Cobi Budge]

I've just watched the clip (firstly through my fingers).
On reflection, it's really very weak defending and goalkeeping and actually what looked a clear cut foul last night is not so clear...
Also, mind blank here, but the first Fleetwood header pops off the Argyle defender's head.... does this render the scorer onside?!

The scorer was offside when assisted so definitely still offside.

You’re right about the extremely weak defending and goalkeeping though.

 

[The Doctor]

But then who’s meant to stop these crosses? Is it the wing backs? Is It one of the three centre halves? If the centre halves move out wide they vacate space in the middle. These are decisions league one players need to make in a spilt second.

This is why l feel sorry for our defenders and wing backs. You need pace to cover all these gaps. You can’t say Edwards, Grant, Gillesphy, Scarr and Wilson are the quickest. Look at Lincolns’s first goal. A foot race down the line that Wilson had with a winger. It’s an unfair contest. Yet we play in a manner that allows teams to get in behind us like this. This is why we all loved Galloway. He had pace and could read the game well.

Who is meant to stop the crosses? Either the wide centre back, the wingback or the midfielder on that side Depending on the circumstances.

I think we are in agreement that it is the formation and/or our particular personnel in the wingback positions that is the problem. An added issue with 3-5-2 is that with 2 up front it leaves us short in midfield if the wingbacks are not essentially player as midfielders. I’m becoming less and less convinced that 3-5-2 really offers much that 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 with full backs who are capable of getting forward and crossing the ball don’t (e.g. full backs like Charlie Williams, Mark Patterson we’re quite capable of defending but also attacking and overlapping when needed) and that 3-5-2 has fundamental weaknesses if the wingbacks are not phenomenal players.

Mind you, none of this would matter if our centre backs were playing like they were earlier in the season. Scarr is pretty consistent but Wilson‘s performances seem to have have taken a nosedive and, of course, Galloway’s replacements are not Galloway.

 

[The Doctor]

As a positive… Adam Randell looks to me like a superb player. He’s got real presence which is unusual for a young player, a good engine, a full range of passing (short, long, left and right foot), isn’t afraid to put his head in where it hurts, jumps well, reads the game well and takes a mean free-kick. He can clearly play in any of the midfield roles. Just based on the few appearances he has made so far I’d suggest that he is probably/potentially our best midfield player. If our midfield at Doncaster was made up of three clones of Randell I wouldn’t be at all worried. I hope he’s on a long contract.

 

[oldage]

We had, but then Galloway got injured.

It's no coincidence that all three of Fleetwood's goals last night came from our left side. If Schumacher thought Crichlow would be an immediate upgrade on Gillesphey then he'll he sorely disappointed so far.

We've got big problems and the playoffs will disappear into the distance if they aren't sorted out starting this weekend.

Forget the playoffs. We do not have a good enough team to compete at the tail end of the season.If you need more convincing look at our April fixtures.

 

[Pilgrim Dan]

Echo alot of what has been said and all easy to say with hindsight as up until the 87th minute it was pretty much the complete away performance.
It was noted throughout the game (by the home comms) that Fleetwood needed to play balls into the feet of their strikers or in behind as they don't have a physical presence. It was also commented on just how much bigger and more physical we were than them and how we'd be a threat from set plays.

Its crazy that it was only really from minute 88 that they started lumping balls into our box and scored with 2 headers.

It should never have got to that stage though. Really poor game management. Camara was sprinting off when being subbed - madness at 3-1 up. As others have said. Someone needed to "go down" on the far side at 3-2 to kill the momentum. Take the shocking defending away it was really poorly managed, and to think we'd suffered almost identically at the weekend you'd have thought here would've been alot of talk on "seeing games out"

For me we need to have some versatility. Play the 4-2-2-2 that Chelsea play as a second option and one which we can switch too during the game if needs be.

Fleetwood changed things by pushing another striker up front (Pilkington) and we did nothing to counter it. Our 3 at the back had a man each. Garrick needed to either come off (for Bolton) or switch to RWD and push Edwards into a holding role.

Not impressed by whatever Mark Hughes has brought to the party. His joining interview even lacked a bit of enthusiasm.

We have to consider a 4-2-2-2 with

Bolton RB, Wilson and Scarr CB, Gillesphey / Crichlow LB.

Edwards and Houghton / Randell screening

Camara and Broom / Major bringing the legs and creativity

Ennis / Jephcott and Hardie / Garrick up front (rotated to suit opposition)

 

[xmastree]

Feels like a lot of questions to be answered, definitely some for the players and also for the management, both seemed to think at 3-1 it was "job done". Fleetwood certainly didn't and their third was the proof of this.

I was there, and I don't know how you get the impression players and management thought it was "job done" at 3-1. There were hints of panic both on and off the field, even before Fleetwood got their second goal, and I heard a number of people say that if Fleetwood score once, we could collapse. I don't think many were confident that it was "job done", and that lack of confidence contributed to our (relative) demise.

 

[xmastree]

We're trying to play killer lingerie balls nonlayjng through the thirds I admit tonight the pitch may not have suited that but uts been the same for a few weeks now
Constant chopping and changing of players is also disrupting the rhythm and that started when Lowe dropped broom for mayor and now its continuing with Schuey although admittedly some have been enforced changes due to injuries we are missing hardie massively although jeph is trying and Ennis played his best game this season tonight

Did you actually mean to write "killer lingerie balls"? I'm fascinated as to what these are!

 

[Swaz]

Claudio's available if needed.

 

[Bovey Green lady]

Did you actually mean to write "killer lingerie balls"? I'm fascinated as to what these are!

They sound dangerous to me. Not going to try wearing them.

 

[greenpilled]

I've just watched the clip (firstly through my fingers).
On reflection, it's really very weak defending and goalkeeping and actually what looked a clear cut foul last night is not so clear...
Also, mind blank here, but the first Fleetwood header pops off the Argyle defender's head.... does this render the scorer onside?!

It does happen quickly but from watching the clip from behind the goal it looks like there are three pretty obvious fouls on Cooper that would each have been given if subject to VAR.

Firstly, the forward on the line steps across him and uses his arm to prevent him getting to the ball. Then the number 33 (I think) jumps into him, leading with his arm. Then the same player shoves him in the back as he goes for the bouncing ball.

You can argue that he needs to be stronger, but I'm not sure any keeper is going to be able to make a rugby style charge through a crowd of players trying to wrestle him, when he can't have a run up (he has to be stationed on his line) and he only has a split second to bulldoze through two people.

I will say on the defending, that I play as a striker in Sunday League football and sometimes try and obstruct the opposition keeper from corners, like the Fleetwood striker is doing. 99 times out of 100, a defender will see what you're up to and shove you out of the way (usually with a verbal accompaniment). If players at that level have the nous to do this, it really isn't something professionals should be missing.

 

[German Shepherd]

A Fleetwood mate of mine who was right behind the goal said it was a clear foul on Cooper & offside; he couldn't believe the goal was given.

 

[Cobi Budge]

A Fleetwood mate of mine who was right behind the goal said it was a clear foul on Cooper & offside; he couldn't believe the goal was given.

Definitely offside but from the angles I’ve seen it wasn’t a foul on Cooper, he just needed to be a lot stronger.

 

[German Shepherd]

Well he was right behind the goal & had a bird's eye view.