Don’t want to deflect from DC’s seemingly shotblast approach to management - but exactly what is MS doing with the players to improve them?
He was a prolific goalscorer for many years especially at lower leagues level - strange then how when we get over the halfway line we appear completely ■■■■ scared of having the ball, attacking and completely inept when put in front of that goal thingy with the net around it…
Come on MS you above anyone should know how to sort that out - unless of course the players are so rubbish it can’t be fixed…
Just because he himself was a very good striker doesn’t mean he can coach to a good standard. There are too many variables at play currently to assess whether Stewart is a good assistant manager and how his coaching is going with the strikers. I would imagine if he received the service during his career that our strikers are currently receiving from behind them he would have scored a heck of a lot less goals.
It’s difficult question. Players can be bad, but it means recruitment phase wasn’t good. Or team management part is not that good and it causes players to look way below average level. Personally, I’m not fan of criticising players. They have to die for you on that green surface, figuratively speaking. So if you say many times, how bad they are, you can’t be surprised when they are. Strikers especially. They have to be confident, they have to believe in own abilities. If not, there will be long barren period.
Hard to believe three months ago they looked, mostly, ok. Of course not top class, but for this league level? It should be ok. Why it is not? I have no idea.
We have missed some chances this season that should have been put away, but the areas we work the ball into in the final third is generally poor. I fail to believe that 4 strikers are all that poor if I’m being honest especially as confidence plays a big part in their game. Currently I’m more inclined to believe tactics are hampering our strikers more than just poor ability.
I may be wrong but other than Marty Taylor at Bristol Rovers wasn’t one of DC’s big issues there getting strikers in who could score frequently? Maybe it’s more to do with his tactics rather than the personnel he chooses?
Hard to disagree with your main points Chris but for me a strikers role is something akin to repetition and accuracy - all strikers lose form but we seem to be either very unlucky (they’ve all lost form at the same time) or there’s an underlying issue - my point is, is that more down to the coaching (in which case that can be fixed the management team being honest with each other and doings things differently) or is it the fact that the quality is simply so poor that they either don’t listen or can’t do what the coaches train them to???
They got into enough areas on Saturday yet the efforts were really poor. Either that or they just tried to work an opening in the box which would never come, all that happened is more defenders crowded around them. They just need to have a go, making the keeper work itself will build confidence, look on the front foot.
I agree, at this moment in time I’m leaning towards it being a coaching and tactics issue.
For all his faults last season Keates said he thought Gordon ran round too much out of eagerness rather than it being the correct run to make. During the season he was mainly a bit part player and out of position until Cook got suspended. Gordon was played as a lone striker during this period and his runs were much improved and it seemed like he was a goal away from a run of form.
This season he has regressed to the running around for the sake of it, now I agree maybe it’s down to the player in this instance but it does raise alarm bells that under Keates and his coaches he seemed to improve and suddenly under the new regime he has gone backwards. Analysing goalscoring is hard as no striker has had a proper run and none have hit form and then drifted out of form whilst with us to judge!
Can’t disagree with this however for all DC says in the press about them pulling the trigger it seems strange that 4 strikers all try and look to work the ball into a better position than to shoot, suggests to me it’s something either they work on in training or they get a rollocking if they shoot and don’t score.
