[Blue95]

Watching the highlights Mandy looked so so positive, great bit of skill, drive and forward pass for the 1st

[lindo-spireite]

Cracking turn and finish from Colclough, hopefully kick starts his season

[60s 70s Spireite]

dtp, on 08 December 2024 - 08:41 AM, said:

I am not in to this getting on at one particular player during any match whoever he may be. James Berry has come a long way since we signed him and still has a lot to learn. What he needs to do out of possession is up to our coaching team to guide him not the fans in any particular stand. Yesterday, I heard one of them shout and tell him to chase the ball in the middle of the park then after he had moved in that direction blamed him for being out of position when the ball was switched by their defender to our left. Berry has a very languid style but he cannot be expected to burst into draw dropping attacking mode every time he gets the ball. Maybe expectation has got too high but even though there were moans in the stands he still managed a number of shots which had their keeper concerned.

I am with you. Lets leave it to Cook to sort him, not folk on the sidelines getting into his head.

[Blue5]

Blue95, on 08 December 2024 - 09:10 AM, said:

Watching the highlights Mandy looked so so positive, great bit of skill, drive and forward pass for the 1st

Just finished watching them with a slice of toast!

Not that we needed reminding, but the highlights demonstrate just how influential Dobs, Dilan, Mandy & Coco were yesterday in getting the 3 points. They were involved in everything.

[jonnythespireite]

OneDecentLester, on 08 December 2024 - 08:46 AM, said:

I know you?ve referenced home games there, but was there a lack of intensity when we pumped Crewe & Morecambe for 5, and Donny & Newport for 3?
Guess who played in all 4 of those games.

As you point out I was talking about home games where teams have tended to sit deep and Oldaker slows the game down too much.

rodney, on 08 December 2024 - 09:05 AM, said:

Can?t really judge on the one game yesterday but there was far more intensity, more forward passes and Mandy brought more energy.

Not sure the relevance of picking out the 4 away games but?

Morecambe - shocking first half and the subs changed the game
Newport - again subs changed the game but not a convincing performance
Donny - we played against 10men for about 40mins!
Crewe - great performance

IMHO DJ is ok for cover in CM but isn?t in our best 11. As it was his second red is it more than a one match ban?

Yes.

[LondonBlue]

Blue95, on 08 December 2024 - 09:10 AM, said:

Watching the highlights Mandy looked so so positive, great bit of skill, drive and forward pass for the 1st

He looks after the ball so well. Quality player under utilised this season.

[jonnythespireite]

LondonBlue, on 08 December 2024 - 10:05 AM, said:

He looks after the ball so well. Quality player under utilised this season.

His first thought is to play forward and quickly. Made a massive difference and the ?3? plus Grigg saw way more of the ball than they would if Mr Slow had been playing.

[Burgerman]

Mandeville had a blinder yesterday, his assist was sublime and if that pass was played in a prem game the pundits would have been drooling. The finish would have blessed any premiership game, mind.

[dim view]

Blue5, on 08 December 2024 - 09:21 AM, said:

Just finished watching them with a slice of toast!

Not that we needed reminding, but the highlights demonstrate just how influential Dobs, Dilan, Mandy & Coco were yesterday in getting the 3 points. They were involved in everything.

Yep, I'm not complaining but tactics which presented them 4 with that kind of room suggest to me that Atkins won't be in a job much longer. Suicide. They didn't have a low block or a high block. They had no block. Credit to them though for putting together the great move which resulted in that fantastic save from Thompson.

We have got to keep Colclough. It's not discussed much because of his dribbling skills, but his little trick and then acceleration from a standing start is probably unique in this and the next division, and he's genuinely 2 footed. I suppose it's a possibility that we'll be without both Berry and Dilan from the New Year so Colclough's input will be crucial.

[dtp]

Burgerman, on 08 December 2024 - 10:40 AM, said:

Mandeville had a blinder yesterday, his assist was sublime and if that pass was played in a prem game the pundits would have been drooling. The finish would have blessed any premiership game, mind.

I think the conditions helped to determine the way we played with moving the ball more quickly forward out of centre midfield. Banks was doing this too from deeper. Strangely, I thought Mandeville seemed to be spurred on after his poor miss and his determination and pass through to Colclough was just reward.

Fair play to Tranmere though. They did not come to sit back with two banks of five. They did try and play some football but were exposed by our determination and quality on the day. Even then they produced numerous blocks and showed defensive resolve to keep the score down.

[60s 70s Spireite]

dim view, on 08 December 2024 - 10:59 AM, said:

Yep, I'm not complaining but tactics which presented them 4 with that kind of room suggest to me that Atkins won't be in a job much longer. Suicide. They didn't have a low block or a high block. They had no block. Credit to them though for putting together the great move which resulted in that fantastic save from Thompson.

We have got to keep Colclough. It's not discussed much because of his dribbling skills, but his little trick and then acceleration from a standing start is probably unique in this and the next division, and he's genuinely 2 footed. I suppose it's a possibility that we'll be without both Berry and Dilan from the New Year so Colclough's input will be crucial.

Re Colcough, folk complain of him cutting in from the left and shooting with his right, yet yesterday shows he can hit a ball with his left. Good and proper. I would think that the ball speed was way faster than any other that we have scored with this season.

[OneDecentLester]

rodney, on 08 December 2024 - 09:05 AM, said:

Can?t really judge on the one game yesterday but there was far more intensity, more forward passes and Mandy brought more energy.

Not sure the relevance of picking out the 4 away games but?

Morecambe - shocking first half and the subs changed the game
Newport - again subs changed the game but not a convincing performance
Donny - we played against 10men for about 40mins!
Crewe - great performance

IMHO DJ is ok for cover in CM but isn?t in our best 11. As it was his second red is it more than a one match ban?

My original point was that it?s ok to praise Mandeville without slating Oldaker. Someone gave some examples where it hasn?t gone so well for the team with Oldaker playing (despite him being probably one of the better players in many of our home games this season), so I balanced this with some games where it has gone well for the team with Oldaker involved.

FWIW, I?m actually surprised Mandeville hasn?t played CM for us before this game. When you look at his attributes, everything points to him being a very good central midfielder. For me he doesn?t have the raw pace / sharpness to be a wide man in this league, but centrally with his work rate, passing quality, willingness to put a foot in etc, just seems perfect for him.

[OneDecentLester]

60s 70s Spireite, on 08 December 2024 - 11:29 AM, said:

Re Colcough, folk complain of him cutting in from the left and shooting with his right, yet yesterday shows he can hit a ball with his left. Good and proper. I would think that the ball speed was way faster than any other that we have scored with this season.

Colclough is far more effective on the left than he is on the right. All of his best games for town have come down that side from memory. His signature move with the quick right footed step over and then onto his left is just impossible to defend against and as you say, he has the quality on that left foot to put a good delivery / get a shot away (as shown by his goal yesterday). I find when he?s on the right, he rarely seems to take his man on down the side for some reason and ends up quite ineffective.

Loved watching him back to his best yesterday though, without a doubt the most effective he?s been in a game since that ankle injury from the horror tackle he suffered against Gateshead. When he?s at it, he?s our best player imo.

[60s 70s Spireite]

OneDecentLester, on 08 December 2024 - 12:02 PM, said:

My original point was that it?s ok to praise Mandeville without slating Oldaker. Someone gave some examples where it hasn?t gone so well for the team with Oldaker playing (despite him being probably one of the better players in many of our home games this season), so I balanced this with some games where it has gone well for the team with Oldaker involved.

FWIW, I?m actually surprised Mandeville hasn?t played CM for us before this game. When you look at his attributes, everything points to him being a very good central midfielder. For me he doesn?t have the raw pace / sharpness to be a wide man in this league, but centrally with his work rate, passing quality, willingness to put a foot in etc, just seems perfect for him.

One thing Mandy does so well, exemplified by the turnover and assist, is the way he runs directly in front of his chasing defender so minimising any chance to be challenged for the ball. Makes up enormously for his lack of speed.

[Westbars Spireite]

60s 70s Spireite, on 08 December 2024 - 11:29 AM, said:

Re Colcough, folk complain of him cutting in from the left and shooting with his right, yet yesterday shows he can hit a ball with his left. Good and proper. I would think that the ball speed was way faster than any other that we have scored with this season.

Being able to absolutely **** a football is an underrated attribute.

[Mr Mercury]

OneDecentLester, on 08 December 2024 - 12:08 PM, said:

Colclough is far more effective on the left than he is on the right. All of his best games for town have come down that side from memory. His signature move with the quick right footed step over and then onto his left is just impossible to defend against and as you say, he has the quality on that left foot to put a good delivery / get a shot away (as shown by his goal yesterday). I find when he?s on the right, he rarely seems to take his man on down the side for some reason and ends up quite ineffective.

Loved watching him back to his best yesterday though, without a doubt the most effective he?s been in a game since that ankle injury from the horror tackle he suffered against Gateshead. When he?s at it, he?s our best player imo.

Agree he was excellent yesterday, maybe the CC trial date now being well in the distance he had a weight lifted, albeit for 14 months, off his shoulders for a while?

[dart in the crossbar]

A few random thoughts on v Tranmere and more generally.

Several players did really well; Dobra, Colclough, Thompson and Williams included. Mandy, Markandy and Sheckleford were outstanding. The others did well enough too.

As has been said, it was refreshing seeing a CM play positively without the usual batting the ball back from where it came. Down to Mandy. If there's a question about the CM future; there's the answer.

Great to see Hobson and Drummond get minutes and grand that the lad scored.

More generally. I didn't especially want to post it on here as the guy has been superb, but Jones looked well out of sorts in his last home appearance. He was off balance when he got a nasty one and seemed very upset by it. He didn't seem right throughout his appearance. Whatever happens next, he's been an absolute star for us and has contributed a lot to help us to be where we are now.

I caught some of the other L2 game highlights today. L2 teams that I've not seen. What struck me was the poor footballing ability of many of the other teams. Poor control, poor distribution, poor decision making, poor finishing. A fairly random sample of a few games, but we look a very decent footballing side in comparison. I saw a bit from L1 and would say pretty much the same. I'd certainly rather be supporting us than them.

onwards

[Blue5]

The Earl of Chesterfield, on 07 December 2024 - 11:57 PM, said:

So how much time?

Two seasons?

Three?

Supporters with "nous" realise Cook's the most successful manager Chesterfield FC has ever had. Arguably the best pound-for-pound outside the Prem'.

I'm convinced you are, or have an association with a former manger quite rightly removed from his post to be so maliciously out of step with our fanbase...

I was just listening to the Sky Is Blue podcast. According to Phil, the last time we were higher than this in the EFL without being relegated goes right back to the last time Cookie was here.

[Johnnyspireite7]

Blue5, on 08 December 2024 - 05:59 PM, said:

I was just listening to the Sky Is Blue podcast. According to Phil, the last time we were higher than this in the EFL without being relegated goes right back to the last time Cookie was here.

Phil's memories are playing tricks then cos we finished 18th in League One the season after Cook left.

[dim view]

dart in the crossbar, on 08 December 2024 - 05:51 PM, said:

A few random thoughts on v Tranmere and more generally.

Several players did really well; Dobra, Colclough, Thompson and Williams included. Mandy, Markandy and Sheckleford were outstanding. The others did well enough too.

As has been said, it was refreshing seeing a CM play positively without the usual batting the ball back from where it came. Down to Mandy. If there's a question about the CM future; there's the answer.

So, the lesson learned from a great performance.
It's simple. Our system works much better when the ball goes forward earlier and quicker to our creative players, who are probably the best in this league.
I think we would have seen a lot more of this if Fleck had been fit, but tactics have got to be tweaked to try to achieve it. Mandeville's 2 stunning passes, one to Colclough, one to Dilon, being copybook examples.

In terms of analytics presumably our possession stats, always good, have to skew towards our '3' (or 5 when our two fullbacks are pushing up) rather than the back 4/CM.

This of course puts a great deal of responsibility on one CM to major in the necessary defensive work to strive to keep clean sheets.

Piece of cake Cooky.