I think that the manager has to utilise his resources more fully, sooner rather than later, to either cement mid table obscurity or slow down the impending plunge to the fringes of relegation.
By that, I mean the forwards, Yaw, Reid and Nolan should be given significant time on the pitch to see whether they are an improvement on what he is currently going with. They may be just the spark we need; equally they may not, but surely they have to be given a chance?
Osabede must make way for one of them and neither the selection of Lavery and Gordon worked tonight. Our general play is much improved and the quality of the balls into Lavery were ok. I accept that he has a difficult job up on his own, but there is no excuse for his poor ball retention. He fails to hold the ball up for more than two seconds and therefore brings nobody else into the game and the moves break down almost as soon as they’ve started.
I’m struggling to blame Dutton here. Maybe I was just so fed up of Darrell Clarke’s ■■■■ football that seeing us playing better football is good enough for me as I don’t think we’re in any danger of going up or down. I don’t think we’ll need as many points as you usually would to stay up.
I feel for Dutton though, his ex-boss put together a really ■■■■ squad with limited ability. It’s difficult to do anything with this lot, but he’s trying and he has got them playing better football and it has definitely got better since the first game, that’s encouraging. Not saying we’re Barcelona, but signs are there that they’re improving with his style, we just have absolutely nothing up front now.
Reserving judgement on whether I think he’d be the right man to take over permanently for now.
It seems Reid is another loan to ‘taste adult football environment’. Or maybe loan to sell him club and convince him signing here is the best option. Something similar to first Sawyer’s loan or Mantom’s. I’m not against it, if it helps club in longer run.
The commentator tonight said we have scored only 16 goals in our 16 home league games…does anyone know what is the lowest number of goals we have scored at home in a season?
And a quarter of those 16 came in the second half v Port Vale so we’ve only scored 12 in the other 15 and half games!
A positive 1st half with good tempo and shape without really looking like scoring.
I actually thought at half time that we were only 3 players short of a decent team.
Replace Osadebe with Holden, Lavery with Adebayo and add Jules and we would have beaten them.
Unfortunately, Dutton tinkered at the break and the 2nd half was huff and puff and we lacked ideas.
Once they scored we were never going to equalise.
6 shots on target in 3 games tells us the system isn’t working!
Positives:
The back 4 were OK, especially Melbourne
Thought Vincent did really well 1st half.
Dutts is currently out of his depth and needs help.
Listening to his interviews it is clear he can’t see the wood for the trees.
This is something we need to stop if we’re serious about wanting to challenge in the top 7 rather than plodding along in League Two just existing. We’re not here to waste our loan spaces giving players a taste of a bit of first team training. Sometimes I do think do the people in charge of the club just want to be liked by everyone? Are they more interested in making the club look warm and welcoming to other clubs/players than actually being successful.
I really worry about where we’re going. A crap manager leaves and his cheap assistant takes over (looking ■■■■ scared).
Our best goalscorer has gone - and to be honest we we’re pretty ■■■■ when he was in the team anyway — and we look incapable of scoring goals. Add in our best creative midfielder is crocked.
Poor form, no leadership… where’s the confidence at? Can barely score a goal in normal form and so god forbid we get dragged into a relegation scrap.
We are at least trying to play some football rather than the Clarke method but we are seriously short of quality or fire up front.
Flash is a ghost of his former self and has forgotten that he should be a striker causing problems up front. He suddenly can’t jump or leap or shoot. I have rarely seen such a change in a player coming out of injury.
Lavery is just Lavery and not a target man in any format.
Holden and Wright should make a positive difference.
Clean sheets would be my first priority as we stand. It would firstly be a step in the right direction and generate at least a point per game until we hit around 50 points. Then try stuff for next season review.
We all really know play offs are a distant dream.
His interview after worried me more than the performance where he said we changed it at half time and we put more pressure on them as a result!! I thought we looked promising in the first half.There was no need to change the system .Perhaps change some of the players to try and make it more effective but why tinker?
I will give this man my support until the end of the season and I hope he can turn us around but if I were LP I think I would start thinking about who might be best able to steer us out of this decline next season.
The only player despite his current form capable of playing the lone striker role is Gordon. He did this effectively in the league above.
It’s almost like he’s protesting about being stuck out on the wing.
To be fair I’d probably do the same whilst witnessing Lavery play in his position so ineffectively.
I can only put it down to trying to basically stumble on a successful combination problem Brian has is you need some form of skill in the first place to do that.I actually feel for the bloke yes he’s took the role on of course you’d have a go but he’s been left behind with a right load of crap to work with by his so called mate up north!