“In the second half, I was on the halfway line in the family stand and I have never seen Liam Gordon look so poor.”
I commented on that to a friend at the game, he stopped trying to beat his man, and so became predictable.
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A good piece , marginally let down by the use of the word ‘holistic’, that wouldn’t have washed in the old Fellows Park days, not even down the Laundry End.
Not only the goalie but our whole defence is poor defending crosses. Last year we gave away loads of goals by allowing free headers from crosses we did not bother to block and it is something that Sadler has to sort out or it may well cost us this season. Fleetwood have provided a template for any team who wants to know how to beat us.
UP THE SADDLERS
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Well you’re right they have, and there are areas we need to improve, not least making sure our defence is more comfortable under pressure. However to play like Fleetwood did is not something teams can just learn overnight, so I don’t think we need to fear other teams in the division all of a sudden.
Until Tuesday night we had defended very well against all opponents some from a higher level. Obviously things went badly wrong but whether we have a long term problem in that area will only become clear over the next few matches. I suspect that Tuesday was down to the team simply running out of steam after a great run of games.Saturday will tell us a lot and we have a 2 week break after that we should enable us to sort things out if that is needed.
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Yes, we fell apart. No big deal. They will learn from it. 18 points from 9 games - tar very much. As you say, we have a lot of young players. Pretty certain we will bounce back on Saturday
Dropping Simkin could be a confidence sapper. I reckon he will play.
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Quick one on a talented Liam Gordon since his horrific injury he has been more or less ever present and rarely gets substituted. Add to that him traveling all over the world with his country and there’s no wonder he looks fatigued.
Maybe he should be rested a bit more often and have a break from international duty for the sake of his career if he wants to progress up the leagues.
In fairness, he struggled all second half regardless of that one.
I think he will. Remembering when Gordon missed the pen v Exeter, then took the crucial one in the shoot-out, I think this team’s philosophy is " get back on the horse."
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It would be very harsh to drop him after one difficult game. I noted that, after the 6th goal, Gordon went over to console him. It would be demoralising for him to be left out and, if he is going to thrive in the game, he has to overcome this type of setback.
In 1983/4, the Milk Cup season, we lost 8-1 at Bolton but we beat them 1-0 at Fellows Park. Tony Caldwell scored 5 in the first game but was sent off in the second. Allegedly, Buckley turned off the heating in their dressing room (it was January) and gave them under-inflated balls for the warm-up.
There was one game against Bolton where they had two men sent off but I cannot remember if it was this one or the one in September 1985, which we also won 1-0. Whichever it was, I do remember Bolton playing like animals and being lucky to have even 9 men on the pitch at the end.
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Would be even more demoralising if we chuck him in Saturday and it happens again.
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…and what a philosophy to have. I am fully behind this and so should all spectators.
I thought that analogy would appeal to someone in the saddle as much as you are.
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Paul Cook’s view on the result:
Maybe The Undercroft should be renamed The Paddock.
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Really complimentary!
I went to that Bolton game, was my first real season going to away games with my Dad. I think we lost 6-3 at Oxford around the same time.
There were rumours at the time that Buckley wasn’t pleased with Ron Green’s performance v Liverpool in the second leg, which is why he got Tony Godden in on loan. No idea if that is right, I was very young at the time, but for some reason i remember it.
Agree about Simkin, come on it wasn’t all on him anyway, a few of the goals were almost walk ins. Not a great night for any of our players.
I don’t think anyone is claiming it was all him. Okagbue is at fault for the first and second for sure.
The issue is that he didn’t just struggle under the crosses and balls cleared forward, it was absolute capitulation. It didn’t lead to a goal, but there was one long ball lunched at him and you could almost see him second guessing himself, deciding to charge out, missing the ball completely and we luckily scrambled it clear.
It was so egregious I’m not sure how you can risk putting him out there this week, risking another team putting him under the same pressure, when you have a pretty experienced keeper sat on the bench who hasn’t disgraced himself at all so far this season.
My first game was 0-6 against Newcastle at home…
I never rated Godden. Ron Green was super at Anfield but I know he missed the Arsenal game because Mick Kearns played. Maybe he was injured? I never rated Godden - too weak in the air for me. But Green is one of those many players who came back for a second spell with us and played around 240 games altogether, which possibly makes him second in the list for keeper appearances, post-war anyway. Bob Wesson had around 220.
Surely Walker has more, and Kearns.