THE CONCRETE ROUNDABOUT (TCR)

What the fuck happened there...?

The head coach had to be 100% certain he was the answer having worked with him before, otherwise he'd not have done it. I don't know what went on with Craig but he had seemed to come into a little bit of form before the turn of the year, and kept the scoreline looking like how it was against Crawley in the playoffs, in the League in the last game of 2023. He was interviewed and seemed really happy.

Maybe Craig demanded to leave and MW had little to no time to sort something out. Or maybe MW planned for it all along. I don't know.

On one hand I feel sorry for Marschall. I sensed first game (or teo) nerves against Morecambe and AFC, but it never looked like clearing up. I then started getting annoyed and felt like he was his own worst enemy. Suicidal passing lanes, dreadful positioning and often commanded his box like an outfield player who had to fill in for a keeper who got sent off.
I wondered if the "injury" was a smokescreen by MW so he did t have to play him to fill some Villa loan quota, as was mentioned on here. I didn't truly believe MW would play him to keep Villa happy, but can see a smokescreen to keep him out the firing line. But then I was surprised we'd seen him again and we saw him at Notts where he was truly awful again.
It's not really his fault we lost the playoffs, he's one of many who had stinkers but it felt like self sabotage. I knew it, you knew it, surely MW deep down knows it wasn't going to work so why do it? I genuinely think, and I say this with no hyperbole that we'd have been equally as effective (haha) if we'd put any one of the reserve outfield players in goal just to act as a sweeper and leave the keeper part alone and pray to God he had no saves to make.

The team didn't help him on Saturday, put him under a lot of pressure but when he became needed he didn't act.
I don't think the team trusted him. I don't rate Kelly but I always felt they felt more comfortable with him than Marschall. Seemed they were terrified to bring g him into play and that's exactly what he's there for, to play it out. Recipe for disaster.

I don't blame him for the playoffs, many players had bigger stinkers than he - but I do blame the manager for trying to make it work when it was as clear as day he wasn't ready for this loan. We were 3-0 down, he wasn't helped by Gilbey, Tucker or Harvie for goals first half and yet he shat himself whe he was called upon too.

Whenever he goes next I hope it works because he's 21, and I don't want this to damage his career and potentially his life. But it was an all time MK Dons shocker of a situation

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"It's not about hoping this little moment will change our momentum, its about our daily actions and courage in everything we do.. We've got to stop believing in fairytales"

- Graham Alexander, October 2023

MW may have been told to play Marschall or we wouldn't get any more loans from Villa, which wouldn't be a bad thing, as we have been given some shockers.

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Disclaimer: All my comments are my opinions unless stated otherwise. I'm just a fan following my club.

Not everyone can make it. There are thousands of kids who get released every year. He's another one. He's not good enough. God alone only knows what Villa see in him. Having said that, Martínez hardly covered himself in glory last night.

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For those that like that sort of thing, that is the sort of thing they like.

If you're a club pushing for promotion. You don't put a untried kid in goal. Just smacks of either ego or stupidity.

You know me I will be blunt and I can safely say that he has now found his level and that is National League. I don't really care too much about how he is feeling cause even in the National League he can still earn more than I do in a year. What I do care about is the dick waving that Williamson did. There were no signs whatsoever before this happened that MacG was unhappy. He was playing every week, seemed to be enjoying his work and yes he had a stinker against Donny (Ironically the game before Tranmere) but this was nothing but arrogance on Williamsons part. Thing is I knew about this the week before the window opened from Social Media. If MacG wanted away why play Doncaster? Unless he was oblivious to it or was sold a lie. No, MacG was told that Tranmere was the last game he was starting and that after that he would be benched or moved on. MacG told Williamson to go forth and multiply and that was that. Luckily, we still had Kelly otherwise we probably would have to deal with Marschall in goal as Harness and Sandford would have been more of a risk than Marschall was. It was a mess from start to finish. This is what makes me worry about tweedledumb and tweedledumber looking after recruitment as January's window on a whole was average to poor. I am hoping MacG and Williamson can kiss and make up, but it seems to me that Stevenage are still keen on him and will probably buy him in the summer

If I was MacG I would be a little peeved too. He stepped down a league, had more good than bad days and was then told he would be dropped for an inexperienced substitute goalie. To me it's the equivalent of having to work a weekend on a major project only to find the office junior running the project and I was asked just to make the tea.

The fact MacG was snapped up by a League 1 outfit shows how badly Williamson got it wrong.

Its not the only reason but Williamson's poor management of situations is one of main the reasons we are playing League 2 football next season.

As for Craig Mc being unhappy, he sent a tweet before the playoffs wishing us luck, which he didn't have to do and which isn't the behaviour of someone who flounced off. And Craig Mc is a shithouse by nature. So I don't buy the whole "he flounced off" idea and think he was actively replaced by MW.

I think Marschall is MW's error alone. This was a costly risk which didn't need to be taken. MW may justify it to himself with "well the team have to learn how to build from the six yard box" but playing a young keeper in goal who seemed very cowed by men's L2 football was a disaster.

We can probably expect Marschall to turn up in some Europa League game in five years and play a blinder because that is precisely our luck sometimes. But he was dreadful for us, no doubt.

Before we signed him, I mentioned how'd I'd watched a fair amount of footage of him at Gateshead and was concerned. His inability to deal with crosses was clear to see and he fumbled the ball many times. I don't think he ever a made a 'great' save. Every save was just a save you'd expect every keeper to make. He never won the game for them, as such.

Granted I'm only seeing snippets of him, but he looked poor in his key moments. Really not sure what MW or Gateshead saw in him. Maybe his calmness on the ball distracted the eye from his flaws.

It'll be interesting to see where he goes next (MW is going to sign him, isn't he?) but it's going to take some improvement for him to remain in professional football. I reckon he'll head abroad somewhere before dropping down the leagues fairly rapidly.

Go and prove me wrong.

Fillip Marschall was in training the week we played Tranmere away, Craig Mc obviously upset by the situation and knowing what was to come asked to move and didn't want to play against Tranmere, which Kelly started.

Can't say I blame him for wanting to move at that time, especially given his replacement was training before he'd even signed.

Marschall will go on and have a decent career. And we'll all look back with complete confusion.

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Decided to come back.