[Waller is my hero]

* You don't throw your dummy out of the pram because a player who has been outstanding is going back to the parent club
* (are you going to do it our Austrian loanee?)
* You don't radically change a team that is full of momentum
* You don't drop your best player
* You have ruined the momentum by what you have done
* You don't change tactics radically & then have a change of heart & go back.
* You don't play a star player that is obviously struggling with injury....look what happened!!

All you needed to do was go back to what was solid and working well in the first 4-5 games - Boco & Humphries -

This is going to be tough to turn around

[SpireiteFitzy]

Unless you have insider info we simply do not know what has gone off with Johnson, we certainly can't claim Cook is deliberately keeping him away in spite and he's earned enough respect for us to give him the benefit of the doubt until shown otherwise.

[Waller is my hero]

SpireiteFitzy, on 28 October 2014 - 10:54 PM, said:

Unless you have insider info we simply do not know what has gone off with Johnson, we certainly can't claim Cook is deliberately keeping him away in spite and he's earned enough respect for us to give him the benefit of the doubt until shown otherwise.

It is just bizarre that all of a sudden he spouts off in interviews that he needs to play his own players because Johnson is going back to Villa - yes...but not in the radical way in which you did it! You should play your best players all of the time.
It no coincidence that the pattern & purpose failed in the colchester game..3 or 4 changes??? Walsall..DJ not even in the squad..tactics radically changed...lost again...Result momentum lost...as in evidence tonight...they scored & heads dropped

[Siberian Spireite]

Waller is my hero, on 28 October 2014 - 10:59 PM, said:

It is just bizarre that all of a sudden he spouts off in interviews that he needs to play his own players because Johnson is going back to Villa - yes...but not in the radical way in which you did it! You should play your best players all of the time.
It no coincidence that the pattern & purpose failed in the colchester game..3 or 4 changes??? Walsall..DJ not even in the squad..tactics radically changed...lost again...Result momentum lost...as in evidence tonight...they scored & heads dropped

I think our heads dropped only after Swindon's third- we'd been matching them until then apart from the two goals.

Take a step back and look at what Cook has achieved at Town, and how he has achieved it. All clubs have bad runs. He'll turn it around, we'll stay up and it will be another deserved feather in Cook's cap. After all, who brought in Johnson in the first place?

[Radders]

Siberian Spireite, on 29 October 2014 - 09:13 AM, said:

I think our heads dropped only after Swindon's third- we'd been matching them until then apart from the two goals.

Take a step back and look at what Cook has achieved at Town, and how he has achieved it. All clubs have bad runs. He'll turn it around, we'll stay up and it will be another deserved feather in Cook's cap. After all, who brought in Johnson in the first place?

Is it possible to match a side that are roasting you 0-2?

[Siberian Spireite]

Radders, on 29 October 2014 - 09:30 AM, said:

Is it possible to match a side that are roasting you 0-2?

Obviously I wasn't referring to the scoreline. I don't have stats to hand but on the balance of play, chances created, possession etc, and just a good old-fashioned feeling of which side had the upper hand, it seemed an even contest until the third goal, with the obvious exceptions of Tommy (unusually) being beaten from miles out and Jones letting their chap score.

[Goku]

Can't agree. Thought they were miles better than us from the 25th minute onwards. We couldn't compete and they carved us open frequently whilst they gobbled up the majority of our predictable attacks.

[h again]

Siberian Spireite, on 29 October 2014 - 09:58 AM, said:

Obviously I wasn't referring to the scoreline. I don't have stats to hand but on the balance of play, chances created, possession etc, and just a good old-fashioned feeling of which side had the upper hand, it seemed an even contest until the third goal, with the obvious exceptions of Tommy (unusually) being beaten from miles out and Jones letting their chap score.

Bit harsh, I think. It was the sort of goal Gary Roberts specialises in, but when he scores them we don't say it's because the full-back let him, we say it's because he's a brilliant player.
The theory is that you turn the winger inside where he can be dealt with, and stop him getting outside to the byline at all costs. Jones got that bit right - trouble was the guy on the right wing had a left foot as well, and that's always difficult to defend.

[Goku]

h again, on 29 October 2014 - 11:25 AM, said:

Bit harsh, I think. It was the sort of goal Gary Roberts specialises in, but when he scores them we don't say it's because the full-back let him, we say it's because he's a brilliant player.
The theory is that you turn the winger inside where he can be dealt with, and stop him getting outside to the byline at all costs. Jones got that bit right - trouble was the guy on the right wing had a left foot as well, and that's always difficult to defend.

If memory serves there was a ball in the air going towards Jones (can't remember how it ended up there) - Jones had no awareness of his man (the eventual goalscorer) being there and made no effort to run/sprint to where the ball was heading and he would've got to it and most likely headed it away. Instead he ambled and then realised it was heading to their man but by then it was too late. Their man then rinsed him and bagged. It was really poor defending imo.

I've not seen any highlights so that's my interpretation, I may well be wrong but he seemed far too lackadaisical and we paid for it.

[Brookie]

I said a few days ago that preferred Boco on right hand side of midfield to shore up defence, also think Clucas and Jones decent pairing on the left.

The central defensive pair are fine individually but don't work as a unit.

In my opinion Banks should be given the opportunity to play in the hole to give that ariel threat and he carries a goal threat.

Morsy and Ryan have a great understanding, the sum is greater than the parts so why separate them.

The Huddersfield Loanee started OK but faded, clearly not fit so seems odd only a one month loan, is it a trial with a view to a permanent move, Cookie did want him in the summer of 2013.

Last night I felt we looked promising early on but the final ball into the box was not incisive enough and we need to shoot from the edge of the box more often.

We were beat by a better team but I also feel some of the referee's decisions and bookings had an effect on the players and made them think twice about tackling, Jones standing off for the second goal for example.

It was also the first game where I thought the players exhibited a loss of confidence. They are all happy in their roles and perform well when things are going their way but lack the nous to respond to changes in the game. As a unit they work well but there is no player in the team who can grab a game by the balls and effect a change, Johnson could be the one but unfortunately Saturday, if he plays, is his swansong

[Tha Knows...]

Radders, on 29 October 2014 - 09:30 AM, said:

Is it possible to match a side that are roasting you 0-2?

We did a lot of attacking in that opening half hour and much of it was excellent, searing pace and great passing and movement but without the finish. We looked vulnerable when they came forward and they scored 2 in quick succession. If that constitutes a roasting in your opinion so be it. Sometimes goals come for you and against you like that without reflecting the balance of play. The first 20+ minutes was among the best attacking play I have seen under Cook - and against a very good side too, it has to be remembered. Clucas did a super turn in the box, leaving a defender for dead, and then lost his cool and shot straight at the keeper. Disappointed with his general contribution last night.

[Phil V 72]

Spire-Power, on 29 October 2014 - 11:43 AM, said:

We did a lot of attacking in that opening half hour and much of it was excellent, searing pace and great passing and movement but without the finish. We looked vulnerable when they came forward and they scored 2 in quick succession. If that constitutes a roasting in your opinion so be it. Sometimes goals come for you and against you like that without reflecting the balance of play. The first 20+ minutes was among the best attacking play I have seen under Cook - and against a very good side too, it has to be remembered. Clucas did a super turn in the box, leaving a defender for dead, and then lost his cool and shot straight at the keeper. Disappointed with his general contribution last night.

It has been largely the case all season, we've been good going forward, weak at the back - and once the goals dry up (as they will do from time to time) the shaky defence will let you down.

It's a problem that's been there all the time, it's just amplified by recent results.

We caught teams cold at the start of the season, now they're settling down. We've been found out a little bit and the players have lost a little confidence. However, remember after some poor results we ended up with a pretty good defensive record last season, so PC got it right in the end. The question is, do people trust him to do the same again?

[Tha Knows...]

Phil V 72, on 29 October 2014 - 11:50 AM, said:

It has been largely the case all season, we've been good going forward, weak at the back - and once the goals dry up (as they will do from time to time) the shaky defence will let you down.

It's a problem that's been there all the time, it's just amplified by recent results.

We caught teams cold at the start of the season, now they're settling down. We've been found out a little bit and the players have lost a little confidence. However, remember after some poor results we ended up with a pretty good defensive record last season, so PC got it right in the end. The question is, do people trust him to do the same again?

Ok but I am saying we were electric in an attacking sense in that opening, not just good. Barring the finishing of course!

[Phil V 72]

Spire-Power, on 29 October 2014 - 11:56 AM, said:

Ok but I am saying we were electric in an attacking sense in that opening, not just good. Barring the finishing of course!

I wasn't there, so it was just a general comment. I'd leave it to others to comment directly on last night, all I'd say is any good work we do in the attacking third is undermined by poor defensive play, and it's been like this all season (see Huddersfield for example)

[Mac's Back]

Phil V 72, on 29 October 2014 - 11:50 AM, said:

It has been largely the case all season, we've been good going forward, weak at the back - and once the goals dry up (as they will do from time to time) the shaky defence will let you down.

It's a problem that's been there all the time, it's just amplified by recent results.

We caught teams cold at the start of the season, now they're settling down. We've been found out a little bit and the players have lost a little confidence. However, remember after some poor results we ended up with a pretty good defensive record last season, so PC got it right in the end. The question is, do people trust him to do the same again?

Personally I'm not as trusting as I was given that his bizarre actions are largely responsible for our current poor run of form. I used to think he talked a great deal of sense but the contradictory content of his recent interviews suggest he's a man in complete turmoil.

[Tha Knows...]

Phil V 72, on 29 October 2014 - 11:59 AM, said:

I wasn't there, so it was just a general comment. I'd leave it to others to comment directly on last night, all I'd say is any good work we do in the attacking third is undermined by poor defensive play, and it's been like this all season (see Huddersfield for example)

I can assure you that the Swindon defence looked very vulnerable in the opening 25 mins! We were getting round the back of them at will.

[kh83]

Spire-Power, on 29 October 2014 - 11:56 AM, said:

Ok but I am saying we were electric in an attacking sense in that opening, not just good. Barring the finishing of course!

the finishing is the most important part if the attack. So when you fail at this, i cant see how we can claim that our attacking play was electric.

[Siberian Spireite]

Goku, on 29 October 2014 - 11:37 AM, said:

If memory serves there was a ball in the air going towards Jones (can't remember how it ended up there) - Jones had no awareness of his man (the eventual goalscorer) being there and made no effort to run/sprint to where the ball was heading and he would've got to it and most likely headed it away. Instead he ambled and then realised it was heading to their man but by then it was too late. Their man then rinsed him and bagged. It was really poor defending imo.

I've not seen any highlights so that's my interpretation, I may well be wrong but he seemed far too lackadaisical and we paid for it.

That's actually what I was getting at. Fair comment that their man Byrne did very well, 'H', and had two effective feet, but Jones seemed to misjudge the flight of the original cross as it came into the LB position, didn't attack it, then closed Byrne down, but then lost him. It didn't help Jones that his booking was harsh- in contrast to most on the Kop I did think it was a foul, though not a particularly cynical one, and from that point onwards Jones' own performance dipped.

[h again]

Goku, on 29 October 2014 - 11:37 AM, said:

If memory serves there was a ball in the air going towards Jones (can't remember how it ended up there) - Jones had no awareness of his man (the eventual goalscorer) being there and made no effort to run/sprint to where the ball was heading and he would've got to it and most likely headed it away. Instead he ambled and then realised it was heading to their man but by then it was too late. Their man then rinsed him and bagged. It was really poor defending imo.

I've not seen any highlights so that's my interpretation, I may well be wrong but he seemed far too lackadaisical and we paid for it.

Like you, I can't remember how the ball got to their man. It may be that Jones could have cut it out, but once it got there it was a very well-taken goal - just like Gary Roberts scores, in fact.

[Radders]

Spire-Power, on 29 October 2014 - 11:43 AM, said:

We did a lot of attacking in that opening half hour and much of it was excellent, searing pace and great passing and movement but without the finish. We looked vulnerable when they came forward and they scored 2 in quick succession. If that constitutes a roasting in your opinion so be it. Sometimes goals come for you and against you like that without reflecting the balance of play. The first 20+ minutes was among the best attacking play I have seen under Cook - and against a very good side too, it has to be remembered. Clucas did a super turn in the box, leaving a defender for dead, and then lost his cool and shot straight at the keeper. Disappointed with his general contribution last night.

Ok so perhaps roasting was a little harsh... However this was a long way from the best performance we have seen. Yes in that opening 20 minutes we got down the left quite well without really creating much of note. They were an ok side. I'm not sure if they were as good as Oldham or MK Dons but they were good against what turned out to be a poor town performance. Oldham looked good against an excellent performance. In terms of stats they had something like 10% more possession, and a lot more shots on and off target from what I recall seeing on BBC.
Thought the ref was dire - but we can't blame him for the way we surrendered