[Westbars Spireite]

 Bonnyman, on 12 May 2025 - 01:42 PM, said:

I’d go pepple and put Gordon at right back sparked left, gamble but we need to gamble , where’s madden gone?

It was said he missed the Accrington game with a strain/pull of some sort.

[lindave]

 born in 1866, on 12 May 2025 - 10:03 AM, said:

Nice to see Jeff King and Harry Tyrer at the match........... Once a Spireite...........

Ban Kingy from Walsall,we have lost 4.0 and 2.0 the matches he came to. He is a jinx.lol.

[lindave]

 hilly81, on 12 May 2025 - 09:43 AM, said:

What in the Lindave 11 is this?!

Just for you Hilly,cheeky sod.

Boot.

Mcfaz.Grimes. Palmer.
Manders.Metcalfe.Banks.Colclough.
Dobra.Pepple.
Grigg.

** Cooky would be pulling his hair out.

[hilly81]

lindave, on 12 May 2025 - 01:50 PM, said:

Just for you Hilly,cheeky sod.

Boot.

Mcfaz.Grimes. Palmer.
Manders.Metcalfe.Banks.Colclough.
Dobra.Pepple.
Grigg.

** Cooky would be pulling his hair out.

Now that is a Lindave 11!

[JonB]

lindave, on 12 May 2025 - 01:50 PM, said:

Just for you Hilly,cheeky sod.

Boot.

Mcfaz.Grimes. Palmer.
Manders.Metcalfe.Banks.Colclough.
Dobra.Pepple.
Grigg.

** Cooky would be pulling his hair out.

Not as bad as it could have been but Colclough as a wing back wont work. Banks is nowhere close to being fit i dont think but even if he was i'm not sure about that as a central 2, should be Metcalfe and one of Fleck\Naylor. Pepple in the number 10 role off Grigg is bonkers, if Pepple plays it has to be right up top with Grigg.

[essexspireman]

BreadNoButter, on 12 May 2025 - 10:36 AM, said:

There’s no game more needing of cookie to not be stubborn more than Friday, change it totally. Let’s be real, we’ve not beaten Walsall in 3 games, Sadler has got cooks number it’s now time for his plan B if he’s got one or it will be 4 we’ve failed to beat them! If we want to play 1 up top and pass it round at back, side to side then it’ll just be what Walsall expect and what they want.

Exactly, yesterday was the most effective neutralisation of Cookball that I have seen. Fair play to Walsall for that but we can’t be like that again and expect a different result.

[Search & Destroy]

Cooks play off record is not great

This will be the 4th attempt with us

[lindave]

JonB, on 12 May 2025 - 01:59 PM, said:

Not as bad as it could have been but Colclough as a wing back wont work. Banks is nowhere close to being fit i dont think but even if he was i'm not sure about that as a central 2, should be Metcalfe and one of Fleck\Naylor. Pepple in the number 10 role off Grigg is bonkers, if Pepple plays it has to be right up top with Grigg.

I just pick the tem and let them sort their own positions out, just like we used to do on the local field as kids. I was always stuck in the 6 yrd box waiting for the scraps to come my way. (move over will Grigg, I'm ready and willing to play at Walsall. and I'll make sure the keeper doesn't sink to his knees for no reason.lol).
I hate the common terms used these days, false number 9, no 8 or 10 role, what load of crap, they were inside forwards in my day.

[h again]

essexspireman, on 12 May 2025 - 02:13 PM, said:

Exactly, yesterday was the most effective neutralisation of Cookball that I have seen. Fair play to Walsall for that but we can’t be like that again and expect a different result.

Might just be me, but I don't think Cookball is what it was. I remember when he first came here with Accy Stanley, his team just passed us out of sight in all parts of the pitch, and did it without going back and sideways all the time. It must be the case that oppositions have found a way to neutralise it, and in fact it's happened quite a lot this season with teams pressing very hard and giving us no time on the ball. Walsall were just the latest of many.
In those circumstances it helps to spread play to the wings a lot, but yesterday our wingers weren't in the game

[Westbars Spireite]

We also appeared to be lacking anyone in the centre circle when we have the ball deep and were looking to build.

This post has been edited by Westbars Spireite: Today, 03:28 PM

[prolurker]

h again, on 12 May 2025 - 03:26 PM, said:

Might just be me, but I don't think Cookball is what it was. I remember when he first came here with Accy Stanley, his team just passed us out of sight in all parts of the pitch, and did it without going back and sideways all the time. It must be the case that oppositions have found a way to neutralise it, and in fact it's happened quite a lot this season with teams pressing very hard and giving us no time on the ball. Walsall were just the latest of many.
In those circumstances it helps to spread play to the wings a lot, but yesterday our wingers weren't in the game

I would say we haven't seen true Cookball since his return on the basis the players we've been able to recruit haven't been as good technically as the previous Cook regime.

That's not a dig at our current squad, we've got some great technical players for the level we've been but we had Morsy (went on to prem level), Cluas (prem), Cooper (prem), Doyle (champ), Evatt (prem) etc etc who had a higher skill ceiling than whats here at the moment. Would say the next round of recruiting will be the most interesting as it'll closely morph what we saw in summer of 2013 which catapulted ultimately into the L1 playoffs 18 months later.

[calvin plummers socks]

 Siberian Spireite, on 12 May 2025 - 11:50 AM, said:

Did something go off with their keeper after the match? I heard some odd reaction as I was walking out

Warfey “sparking the c*** out” ?

[Mr_Pleasant]

 prolurker, on 12 May 2025 - 03:31 PM, said:

I would say we haven't seen true Cookball since his return on the basis the players we've been able to recruit haven't been as good technically as the previous Cook regime.

That's not a dig at our current squad, we've got some great technical players for the level we've been but we had Morsy (went on to prem level), Cluas (prem), Cooper (prem), Doyle (champ), Evatt (prem) etc etc who had a higher skill ceiling than whats here at the moment. Would say the next round of recruiting will be the most interesting as it'll closely morph what we saw in summer of 2013 which catapulted ultimately into the L1 playoffs 18 months later.

If only we can replicate what we had back then in central midfield and get the 2025 versions of Morsy and Ryan.

[prolurker]

Mr_Pleasant, on 12 May 2025 - 03:53 PM, said:

If only we can replicate what we had back then in central midfield and get the 2025 versions of Morsy and Ryan.

Every chance we can, sounds like we're shopping in similar standards of players this time around. Huge few weeks ahead.

[spireitetoo]

 Search & Destroy, on 12 May 2025 - 02:55 PM, said:

Cooks play off record is not great

This will be the 4th attempt with us

It isn't, he's never won one yet, but his record in the same league the next season is almost perfect . Winning the league title more often than not.

[Westbars Spireite]

What is odd is that in 6 play-off games so far there have been 2 draws and 4 away wins. Hopefully that trend continues tonight with a 4-0 away win.

[dart in the crossbar]

The final 25 minutes from watching the full match on Sky.

We were well on top at the start of the final 25 minute period. We had the ball around their penno area and created good chances. Then their keeper went down. And stuff got on the pitch. And the ref took a vape off. And we lost our momentum for a period.

Metcalfe ran the ball forwards towards Dobra a couple of times. He had previously tended to pass the ball.

Fleck made a poor pass after some poor control.

Gordon started to come inside more with the ball. Often to a central position.

Mandy made a couple of errors on the ball.

We went back to periods of passing the ball around across the back and to Boot.

In the last 15 minutes Gordon made a couple of errors on the ball. He also gave a poor throw that put us under pressure.

Duffy stood off their boy around our penno area. They missed a half-decent chance as a result. (They shot over the bar)

Duffy turned their man and put in a very good cross for Pepple to head on target. Keeper saved it. One of the best crosses of the game

Sparkes put in two good crosses and one average one

The ref did ok. It was too difficult to judge the hardball against Dobra as there was no replay etc. It happened immediately before the keeper / objects period and was the end of our period of best presure.

and that's that

a few more thoughts to follow

[Sammy Spireite]

 dart in the crossbar, on 12 May 2025 - 04:47 PM, said:

Duffy turned their man and put in a very good cross for Pepple to head on target. Keeper saved it. One of the best crosses of the game.

His mistimed his header and it went goalwards off his shoulder, which took the pace out of it.

[dart in the crossbar]

so, taking out the live emotion and first viewing out of an assessment. I'd now come up with the following:

1. Colclough did better than I thought. He had a decent game.
2. Fleck had a really poor game. Worse than I'd thought (and I wasn't impressed). He did very little to get the ball. He hardly showed at all. When he received the ball he often mis-controlled it and/or gave a poor pass.
3. Metcalfe and Mandeville worked very hard to provide outlets for their teammates. They had a lot of the ball. But usually they then opted to play the ball backwards to out back 5. When they played forwards (passing or sometimes running with the ball) we were a threat. They were unlucky not to get assists.
4. As with '3'. We changed our tactics at the start of the second half. For a period we played the ball forward. It seems odd that it needed a HT teamtalk to start doing this. And odd that we went back to the old ways towards the end of the game.
5. Gordon did ok and contributed a lot. He also made a few errors towards the end of his time on the pitch.
6. Duffy and Sparkes put in some decent crosses in the short while that they were on
7. Olakigbe struggled.
8. We stood off them for most of the game. For a short period at the start of the second half we closed down much better.

We are a better footballing team than Walsall on that showing. We could have scored four or more goals with better finishing / better luck.

As to the next game, presuming that Cook doesn't change the formation... On that showing, Fleck should be out of the squad. Naylor did very little in advanced CM other than work fairly hard. I'd put him alongside Metcalfe with the instructions to put his foot in, compete in the air and play the ball to Metcalfe or our 10s. I'd probably start Sparkes at LB for his crossing. I'd start Dobra in the 'Naylor' position. I'd not start Olakigbe. On that showing the wide 10's should be Colclough and Duffy.

I'd be looking to bring on Pepple as first second half sub to play up with Grigg unless were are level. I'd probably be taking off Naylor. I'd be reluctant to bring on Olakigbe unless we go to 5 up front or something.

Watching the game again on Sky shows that, whilst we lost, this isn't over yet by some way. Walsall were nothing special at all. Bradford City were a much better first half team at ours IMHO

COYB

Sammy Spireite, on 12 May 2025 - 05:01 PM, said:

His mistimed his header and it went goalwards off his shoulder, which took the pace out of it.

ah ok thanks. I couldn't see that on the telly.

[Sammy Spireite]

I wonder if 3 games (albeit one wasn’t a full game) in 8 days caught up with fleck, particularly given the heat yesterday?