[The Earl of Chesterfield]

Struggling with some of the entitlement on here.

We just aren't gonna enjoy the dominance of last season. There're gonna be more fluctuations in form. We're gonna see squad rotations.

But from what I've seen so far we'll finish far nearer the promotion places than relegation ones which we should all celebrate if continuing...

[Bald magician]

I?ll be honest I woke up this morning a little disappointed we didn?t take all three points. I think it?s because we took the lead and didn?t expect the curse of cheek to actually happen this time ha

It?s clear cook was forced into make more changes that he wanted. This inevitably had an impact on the flow of the game and the overall outcome. I think with one change from the Doncaster game was in cooks mind but hey ho.

I?ll jump to the bigger picture. It?s looking very good ! We can cap of an excellent week on Saturday with 3 points against Walsall. I?d have snapped your hand off for 7 points in a week!

Nah don?t get the Jacob?s jibes. Very good player clearly needs a few games in the team to raise fitnesss and confidence levels. Please leave him alone

[Bonnyman]

After watching the highlights ( especially the 2nd goal) you just have to question us defensively, if you freezeframe their 2nd (free kick) and look at starting positions you would think Grimes was the attacker not the defender, who told him to take up that position? He is our biggest centre and he is giving players a free run inside of him , we actually have three men in the most bizarre position ever who are they picking up?

[Bald magician]

Ps it was a very entertaining game. I forgot to make myself
A brew at one point

[Cartman]

Bonnyman, on 02 October 2024 - 08:22 AM, said:

After watching the highlights ( especially the 2nd goal) you just have to question us defensively, if you freezeframe their 2nd (free kick) and look at starting positions you would think Grimes was the attacker not the defender, who told him to take up that position? He is our biggest centre and he is giving players a free run inside of him , we actually have three men in the most bizarre position ever who are they picking up?

Ring the club

We obviously need your expertise as a coach

[dim view]

Bonnyman, on 02 October 2024 - 08:22 AM, said:

After watching the highlights ( especially the 2nd goal) you just have to question us defensively, if you freezeframe their 2nd (free kick) and look at starting positions you would think Grimes was the attacker not the defender, who told him to take up that position? He is our biggest centre and he is giving players a free run inside of him , we actually have three men in the most bizarre position ever who are they picking up?

Just watched 'em and Jacobs is our most prominent attacker. Also I'd have, on the night, Dunkley more at sea than Grimes. Highlights show that players in great positions chose the wrong option more often than they chose the right one - a function of the conditions and the pressure.

[JonB]

Bonnyman, on 02 October 2024 - 08:22 AM, said:

After watching the highlights ( especially the 2nd goal) you just have to question us defensively, if you freezeframe their 2nd (free kick) and look at starting positions you would think Grimes was the attacker not the defender, who told him to take up that position? He is our biggest centre and he is giving players a free run inside of him , we actually have three men in the most bizarre position ever who are they picking up?

We've held a line on the 18yd box and they are stood in offside positions...teams setup to defend and attack like that at free kicks up and down the leagues every game.

[Bonnyman]

JonB, on 02 October 2024 - 09:04 AM, said:

We've held a line on the 18yd box and they are stood in offside positions...teams setup to defend and attack like that at free kicks up and down the leagues every game.

So you are saying that a centre half should be outside the attackers, how exactly do you stop someone getting first run, the players stood in offside positions are irrelevant they cannot do anything unless we back off on approach , grimes is simply stood in the wrong position

[Goku]

60s 70s Spireite, on 02 October 2024 - 07:55 AM, said:

It?s an exam question isn?t it?
If the keeper had parried the shot and it gone to Cheek, he would definitely have been given offside.
As it was he was offside as the kick was taken, but not when the header went in on Boot- he was behind the ball.

Any referees out there?

Not a referee, but definitely onside. Cheek starts offside but their player shoots and if you freeze it at the point it leaves their lad's boot, Cheek is being played onside by Dunkley, Grimes and possibly Naylor.

Also agree with bonnyman that the way we set up for that free kick is poor. It's a good ball but their man is unimpeded and Grimes isn't goal-side (unless his man is the one running late into the box, in which case it's still an awful set up but not Grimes' fault.) If you look at the highlights and pause it just before their free kick taker kicks the ball, there's no way anybody can tell me that's a good set up for defending a free kick.

Highlights here:

This post has been edited by Goku: 02 October 2024 - 09:30 AM

[JonB]

Bonnyman, on 02 October 2024 - 09:28 AM, said:

So you are saying that a centre half should be outside the attackers, how exactly do you stop someone getting first run, the players stood in offside positions are irrelevant they cannot do anything unless we back off on approach , grimes is simply stood in the wrong position

If Grimes is then looks like Dunkley is as well as he's stood in the same place for the guy just in front of him. There is also a third attacker between the men that Grimes and Dunkley, think its Dunkley, are near that isnt being marked at all despite the fact we have 8 defenders strung along the line to their 5 attackers of which two are stood offside.

This post has been edited by JonB: 02 October 2024 - 09:34 AM

[JonB]

Just to also add a bit more to this....its not the guy that Grimes is stood marking that gets his foot on it. Dunkley and Grimes are next to men then its the additional third player stood offside then drops back in that kicks it. The man Grimes is marking is never getting to the ball ahead of Grimes.

This post has been edited by JonB: 02 October 2024 - 09:37 AM

[Goku]

JonB, on 02 October 2024 - 09:37 AM, said:

Just to also add a bit more to this....its not the guy that Grimes is stood marking that gets his foot on it. Dunkley and Grimes are next to men then its the additional third player stood offside then drops back in that kicks it. The man Grimes is marking is never getting to the ball ahead of Grimes.

Somebody needed to take charge and organise and they didn't.. or, if they did, it wasn't a very good attempt at organisation!

[hilly81]

It's just bad defending. Not unlike Doncaster's defending for our first at the weekend.

[JonB]

Goku, on 02 October 2024 - 09:39 AM, said:

Somebody needed to take charge and organise and they didn't.. or, if they did, it wasn't a very good attempt at organisation!

Yep...dont think you can single out anyone, despite some wanting to, just as you say we didnt organise and the guy who won the ball was never marked. Not sure if we'd gone marking areas rather than particular players but it didnt work either way.

[Bonnyman]

JonB, on 02 October 2024 - 10:09 AM, said:

Yep...dont think you can single out anyone, despite some wanting to, just as you say we didnt organise and the guy who won the ball was never marked. Not sure if we'd gone marking areas rather than particular players but it didnt work either way.

I?m only singling him out as he is blatantly out of position, he should be inside and half and half to the attacker and ball, we are going to get massively found out if we don?t keep our centre halves protecting the area in front of goal as we are such a small side

[JonB]

Bonnyman, on 02 October 2024 - 10:20 AM, said:

I?m only singling him out as he is blatantly out of position, he should be inside and half and half to the attacker and ball, we are going to get massively found out if we don?t keep our centre halves protecting the area in front of goal as we are such a small side

You can single him out but the guy he is marking has no influence on the goal...its not that man that plays the ball back across. The guy that does is not being marked by anyone and Grimes is set up no different to how Dunkley is on the guy he is marking a couple of yards further across the box but you've not mentioned him at any point.

[danblue]

Bald magician, on 02 October 2024 - 08:21 AM, said:

I?ll be honest I woke up this morning a little disappointed we didn?t take all three points. I think it?s because we took the lead and didn?t expect the curse of cheek to actually happen this time ha

It?s clear cook was forced into make more changes that he wanted. This inevitably had an impact on the flow of the game and the overall outcome. I think with one change from the Doncaster game was in cooks mind but hey ho.

I?ll jump to the bigger picture. It?s looking very good ! We can cap of an excellent week on Saturday with 3 points against Walsall. I?d have snapped your hand off for 7 points in a week!

Nah don?t get the Jacob?s jibes. Very good player clearly needs a few games in the team to raise fitnesss and confidence levels. Please leave him alone

Sure as night follows day that Cheek scores against us!
IMO, I thought we looked good for the win with how we were playing. I did say somewhere else on the board that they would only score from a set piece or a gift. Lucky for us, only one gift was accepted -free header in 6yrd box and ultimately the set piece we didn't defend well.
On the flip side, Christmas came early for Grigg via Smith but our 1st goal was really well worked.
End of the day, I think a draw was fair but personally if we were full strength we would have rinsed Bromley

[Siberian Spireite]

Well, nine games in and I've not seen another side that worries me. We are in a bit of a false position given how well we've played, so keep this up and let's hope it balances out over the season with decisions etc (though the ref at Donny did go some way to correcting the injustices v Swindon and Gillingham).

[Fact Checker]

Siberian Spireite, on 02 October 2024 - 11:02 AM, said:

Well, nine games in and I've not seen another side that worries me. We are in a bit of a false position given how well we've played, so keep this up and let's hope it balances out over the season with decisions etc (though the ref at Donny did go some way to correcting the injustices v Swindon and Gillingham).

Completely agree with this. I see that as a good point last night against a team who will trouble many others (especially away from home on a wet Tuesday night).

We take it and we move onto Walsall for some more Cookball entertainment. It?s a good time to be a blue right now, try to enjoy it folks!

[sophocles]

Siberian Spireite, on 02 October 2024 - 11:02 AM, said:

Well, nine games in and I've not seen another side that worries me. We are in a bit of a false position given how well we've played, so keep this up and let's hope it balances out over the season with decisions etc (though the ref at Donny did go some way to correcting the injustices v Swindon and Gillingham).

Agree we've looked as good as anyone bar Vale. What is concerning and very annoying is that we've dropped eight points from winning positions. Add those points to our total and we're two points clear at the top of the table. I think it's fair to say that most, if not all of the goals we've conceded have resulted from our errors and poor play rather than opposition brilliance. I'm certain PC is well aware of this, and I trust him to sort it out, but gifting goals needs to stop pretty soon if we're to achieve what I believe we are capable of i.e. automatic promotion.