THE CONCRETE ROUNDABOUT (TCR)

Thinking through what I saw last night:

1. Their keeper being allowed to bring the ball to the halfway line made little tactical difference other than time wasting. All he did was hoof it to just outside our box, which he could have done from his own box. Maybe made the hoofing a little more targeted, but hoofing it was.

2. Steals and second balls - they were well-drilled and were able to steal the ball from our toes too often and anticipated the second ball much better than us. I think their slightly smaller pitch had an effect. They were able to compact the midfield and were drilled to spring traps.

3. The smaller pitch also meant their high press was more effective. Add to that our doziness, and we were unable to play from the back until they sat back.

I am not going into the poor individual performances, or the woeful tactics where others have more eloquently made good points. The one thing I would say is that it was an error playing Norman and Tucker together. Norman CH and Lofthouse WB.

Our slightly bigger pitch (+474 sqm) will have a positive effect this Saturday. With more space to overcome their press and traps, we can put them on the defensive. We will score [several] goals. But we cannot afford to concede, what with our glass chin.

MW and this team need to SHOW UP big-time. Non of this bollox nonchalance. So do we fans - we all (players included) need to get over the disappointment and muster some belief.

Like I just said in another thread, I think we'll win but it won't be enough. They absolutely done us last night and thoroughly deserved the score line. They deserve the experience of losing to Doncaster instead of us.

I'm sounding like Gandalf here talking about a fool's hope, but if we want any chance of a miracle we need to start Tezgel behind Dean and just swarm their back line from kick off.

On this the reason he brings the ball out is to drag a player towards him as it then leaves an unmarked player somewhere on the pitch, how you combat it is a different matter but it does make a difference rather than kicking from his box.

Dean wasn't defending our box area. He was already taken out of the play.

I would have Harrison with him to be honest. It's an easy swap for Wearne.

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Decided to come back.

The reason he did it was that they were winning and he could have stood there all night if we had let him. If MW and his team coukdn't see that, what else are they missing. Expect more of this on Saturday.

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

This wasn't their tactic. The keeper coming so far up the pitch allowed him to make a far easier pass to their CF. It was then the second ball they were interested in. They were happy for our CB's to win the header and then they collected it in midfield. Bate and Payne's lack of defensive ability played right into their hands.

Also, letting their keeper roam to the halfway line meant our line was so deep. The one time we pressed them, they almost scored a comical own goal. We've seen so much success from our ability to press and when you've got players like Dean and Gilbey, it's a tactic you almost have to deploy. I just cannot fathom at all what MW was thinking last night.

Me neither and the shots of him on the touchline during breaks in play had him looking totally 'lost', 'bewildered', clueless, (all f- 3?) choose your epithet.

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Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment

Crawley clearly did their analysis of our style and had a good strategy that was understood throughout their team. As much as I hate to say this, it was clever management and the game plan that made us look ordinary.

We need to be prepared for that so we have a Plan B, Plan C and maybe even a Plan D.

I don't think we can afford / should to leave that to the players to work out for themselves and yes the team need to go for it from the start. Despite being out strategised (Monday too IMO) the lads created some great chances, so yes I think they can do it and really hope they do. I'm certainly going to cheer them on. COYD

I still see 2-1