[Bonnyman]

A lot of talk yesterday about the standard of our defending in the season opener and probably rightly so,it did occur sometime after the match that although we have a relatively large coaching staff,its mainly filled with coaches who were offensively minded,i could not possibly know how much time is spent on the art of defending but with our season signings its pretty obvious we are going to adopt a keeganesque attitude to football.
Yesterday our defending was shambolic,i have questioned why williams was not in the squad and have sung his praises but yesterday he imo did not look sharp,virtually wrestling his man to the ground on numerous occasions in the first half so hardly surprising he gave a penalty away,but that aside the back 4 was strung out like washing,it still had the same distances when the fullbacks went forward which left huge spaces when we lost possesion,which brings me onto their initial equaliser,why did grimes go out to engage when the ball went in behind horton,unless he was 100% certain he could either stop the cross or win the ball he has to protect his goal,he just left a huge hole to put the ball into.
Away from home one things for sure untill the defence is sorted and tightened up,Jones should come back in to play alongside Naylor....sort the defence out we win the league.

This post has been edited by Bonnyman: 06 August 2023 - 07:50 AM

[Nickycw]

I was thinking about Naylor and Jones too. I’d be more comfortable with these two, if everyone else bar the two CBs is going to be attacking. But I don’t see it happening very often

[Bonnyman]

Nickycw, on 06 August 2023 - 07:53 AM, said:

I was thinking about Naylor and Jones too. I’d be more comfortable with these two, if everyone else bar the two CBs is going to be attacking. But I don’t see it happening very often

post can be moved to shambolic did not realise it was being discussed in detail

[Walton Spireite]

Bonnyman, on 06 August 2023 - 07:55 AM, said:

post can be moved to shambolic did not realise it was being discussed in detail

One step ahead mate. My first post yesterday.

[Bonnyman]

Walton Spireite, on 06 August 2023 - 08:00 AM, said:

One step ahead mate. My first post yesterday.

great tactical insight lol

[Middle East]

I have to agree the defence were all over the place yesterday which given how decent they have looked in the pre season friendlies was a surprise. That said as they are the same players from last season everyone knows that we are capable of shipping one of two goals a game, but I have to say there were more holes on show yesterday than on a golf course!

It's been there to see for some time that we need a quick mobile centre half and I'm sure Cook knows that too and it's the one area we haven't recruited in yet, but I am fairly certain he will get the backing to bring one in....it just needs to be the right man!

We will also probably need to ship 2 or 3 players out to be able to fund that though.

The big positive for me is despite our propensity to concede in every match, at the other end of the pitch I'm confident we will still score more than the opposition.

Total rollercoaster yesterday but 3 points in the bag!

I'd guess Oldham fans will be alot more concerned than us this morning!

This post has been edited by Middle East: 06 August 2023 - 08:45 AM

[Phil V 72]

Webb said in the post match that in a few weeks these mistakes won’t happen. Let’s hope he’s right.

[Misnomer]

Bonnyman, on 06 August 2023 - 07:49 AM, said:

A lot of talk yesterday about the standard of our defending in the season opener and probably rightly so,it did occur sometime after the match that although we have a relatively large coaching staff,its mainly filled with coaches who were offensively minded,i could not possibly know how much time is spent on the art of defending but with our season signings its pretty obvious we are going to adopt a keeganesque attitude to football.
Yesterday our defending was shambolic,i have questioned why williams was not in the squad and have sung his praises but yesterday he imo did not look sharp,virtually wrestling his man to the ground on numerous occasions in the first half so hardly surprising he gave a penalty away,but that aside the back 4 was strung out like washing,it still had the same distances when the fullbacks went forward which left huge spaces when we lost possesion,which brings me onto their initial equaliser,why did grimes go out to engage when the ball went in behind horton,unless he was 100% certain he could either stop the cross or win the ball he has to protect his goal,he just left a huge hole to put the ball into.
Away from home one things for sure untill the defence is sorted and tightened up,Jones should come back in to play alongside Naylor....sort the defence out we win the league.

Absolutely spot on, mate. I was going to post something similar yesterday but I knew it'd receive the usual garbage from certain folk.

The defence is a mess and the priority should have been to sign a CB.

Keegan-esque is a perfect summary. Thankfully, we have Colclough and Dobra; without them, we'd be completely bolloxed.

Keeper was solid
Grimes was national League north standard and always will be
Likewise Williams (who I thought would be much better)
Sheck was ok but all over the place and his passing hasn't improved one bit
Horton did ok

Naylor was well off the pace and needs Jacobs next to him.
Banks ditto

Colclough and Dobra were excellent
Grigg....no idea what he did or what 'quality' he brings to the team. You'd think, against a team of part-timers, he'd have at least got a couple...nope

Mandy was his usual self and that free kick was top drawer.

Quigley.... about time he earned his wages. Good header (for once).

New lad, Jacobs, looks exactly what we need in midfield. Quick, eager, box to box. I think Banks will be on the bench for the next game.

If only we could unearth a Blatherwick, a Bomber and a Dyche....then I'd have a lot more confidence in winning this league. Unfortunately, PC doesn't manage that way.

One thing about JD, he always knew: if you don't concede, you don't lose. Build from the back. On a shoestring, he just missed out on the League One play-offs.

[Goku]

Misnomer, on 06 August 2023 - 09:29 AM, said:

Absolutely spot on, mate. I was going to post something similar yesterday but I knew it'd receive the usual garbage from certain folk.

The defence is a mess and the priority should have been to sign a CB.

Keegan-esque is a perfect summary. Thankfully, we have Colclough and Dobra; without them, we'd be completely bolloxed.

Keeper was solid
Grimes was national League north standard and always will be
Likewise Williams (who I thought would be much better)
Sheck was ok but all over the place and his passing hasn't improved one bit
Horton did ok

Naylor was well off the pace and needs Jacobs next to him.
Banks ditto

Colclough and Dobra were excellent
Grigg....no idea what he did or what 'quality' he brings to the team. You'd think, against a team of part-timers, he'd have at least got a couple...nope

Mandy was his usual self and that free kick was top drawer.

Quigley.... about time he earned his wages. Good header (for once).

New lad, Jacobs, looks exactly what we need in midfield. Quick, eager, box to box. I think Banks will be on the bench for the next game.

If only we could unearth a Blatherwick, a Bomber and a Dyche....then I'd have a lot more confidence in winning this league. Unfortunately, PC doesn't manage that way.

One thing about JD, he always knew: if you don't concede, you don't lose. Build from the back. On a shoestring, he just missed out on the League One play-offs.

Jacobs isnt a CM. He plays in any of the 3 attacking mid positions or maybe up top but can’t see him getting a game in CM.

[Town_Fan]

I thought Grimes wss good yesterday, Williams had a mare and Sheckleford and Horton not much better.

I think that before we start panicking is that we will be better with King, Clements and Palmer back in.

Dorking worked very hard yesterday with the high press and there was a nervousness from the crowd that I dont feel helped. We need to be better at countering the high press with better / faster transition through midfield when in possession.

Truth is yesterday we should have had 6 or 7 and had we got them I don't think we would have seen the posts we have, with one noticeable exception from the resident wrist slitting halfwit and troll.

[Wooden Spoon]

Town_Fan, on 06 August 2023 - 10:27 AM, said:

I thought Grimes wss good yesterday, Williams had a mare and Sheckleford and Horton not much better.

I think that before we start panicking is that we will be better with King, Clements and Palmer back in.

Dorking worked very hard yesterday with the high press and there was a nervousness from the crowd that I dont feel helped. We need to be better at countering the high press with better / faster transition through midfield when in possession.

Truth is yesterday we should have had 6 or 7 and had we got them I don't think we would have seen the posts we have, with one noticeable exception from the resident wrist slitting halfwit and troll.

Deffo bring palmer back in, and get the hall forward to Naylor or the front 4 much quicker

[Valley Blues]

Misnomer, on 06 August 2023 - 09:29 AM, said:

Absolutely spot on, mate. I was going to post something similar yesterday but I knew it'd receive the usual garbage from certain folk.

The defence is a mess and the priority should have been to sign a CB.

Keegan-esque is a perfect summary. Thankfully, we have Colclough and Dobra; without them, we'd be completely bolloxed.

Keeper was solid
Grimes was national League north standard and always will be
Likewise Williams (who I thought would be much better)
Sheck was ok but all over the place and his passing hasn't improved one bit
Horton did ok

Naylor was well off the pace and needs Jacobs next to him.
Banks ditto

Colclough and Dobra were excellent
Grigg....no idea what he did or what 'quality' he brings to the team. You'd think, against a team of part-timers, he'd have at least got a couple...nope

Mandy was his usual self and that free kick was top drawer.

Quigley.... about time he earned his wages. Good header (for once).

New lad, Jacobs, looks exactly what we need in midfield. Quick, eager, box to box. I think Banks will be on the bench for the next game.

If only we could unearth a Blatherwick, a Bomber and a Dyche....then I'd have a lot more confidence in winning this league. Unfortunately, PC doesn't manage that way.

One thing about JD, he always knew: if you don't concede, you don't lose. Build from the back. On a shoestring, he just missed out on the League One play-offs.

How folk see things differently.

Naylor off the pace? He was the most composed player on the pitch by a mile and I’d say you can comfortably count on one hand the amount of times he gave possession of the ball away.

Horton did ok? He was the polar opposite of Naylor in possession and the amount of times he missed the pitch with a simple pass was astounding.

Shecks did ok but was all over the place and his passing was poor? I’m not sure those two assessments go hand in hand.

Griggs movement up top was excellent. It’s obvious he was going to get flack for not scoring but the way he moved the Dorking CH’s about was perfect for the three behind.

And as well as Dobra and Colclough played in possession, I thought there was a spell in the second half when Dorking got briefly on top and both of them disappeared.

[Walton Spireite]

Valley Blues, on 06 August 2023 - 10:46 AM, said:

How folk see things differently.

Naylor off the pace? He was the most composed player on the pitch by a mile and I’d say you can comfortably count on one hand the amount of times he gave possession of the ball away.

Horton did ok? He was the polar opposite of Naylor in possession and the amount of times he missed the pitch with a simple pass was astounding.

Shecks did ok but was all over the place and his passing was poor? I’m not sure those two assessments go hand in hand.

Griggs movement up top was excellent. It’s obvious he was going to get flack for not scoring but the way he moved the Dorking CH’s about was perfect for the three behind.

And as well as Dobra and Colclough played in possession, I thought there was a spell in the second half when Dorking got briefly on top and both of them disappeared.

Spot on post. There will be alot of Town fans who do not see what Naylor brings. They dont understand the game.Horton did ok - omg.

[azul]

Walton Spireite, on 06 August 2023 - 10:49 AM, said:

Spot on post. There will be alot of Town fans who do not see what Naylor brings. They dont understand the game.Horton did ok - omg.

Reminded me of Robbie Weir

[Goku]

azul, on 06 August 2023 - 11:25 AM, said:

Reminded me of Robbie Weir

What a nasty thing to say

[DIFH]

Walton Spireite, on 06 August 2023 - 08:00 AM, said:

One step ahead mate. My first post yesterday.

There’s your answer then, stay off the beer.

[azul]

Goku, on 06 August 2023 - 11:42 AM, said:

What a nasty thing to say

I might be suggesting they both have well manicured beards

[Misnomer]

Valley Blues, on 06 August 2023 - 10:46 AM, said:

How folk see things differently.

Naylor off the pace? He was the most composed player on the pitch by a mile and I’d say you can comfortably count on one hand the amount of times he gave possession of the ball away.

Horton did ok? He was the polar opposite of Naylor in possession and the amount of times he missed the pitch with a simple pass was astounding.

Shecks did ok but was all over the place and his passing was poor? I’m not sure those two assessments go hand in hand.

Griggs movement up top was excellent. It’s obvious he was going to get flack for not scoring but the way he moved the Dorking CH’s about was perfect for the three behind.

And as well as Dobra and Colclough played in possession, I thought there was a spell in the second half when Dorking got briefly on top and both of them disappeared.

Yes, off the pace. He wasn't quick off the mark and was dreading water a couple of times. I didn't say anything about his possession/passing but, whilst we're here....he did give it away a few times. As someone has already said, he did the simple things effectively...like sideways passing. Personally, I didn't see much difference between him and Banks. I certainly didn't see anything of his 'ginger Pirlo' tag; maybe you did?

Horton is a poor defender; who actually is a good defender in our team? Seriously, name one? So, in that respect, I don't expect him to put in an excellent defensive display. However, I think he combines well with Colclough...so yeah, in that respect, he did ok.

Sheck...see above; he's another poor defender but, when he gets forward, he can combine well. However, yesterday, his passing was off. So yeah, for him, he did ok.

Grigg's movement was so good, he barely got in a position to shoot. Sorry, mate, he's been brought into the team to get in scoring positions and actually score.

Were any of our goals down to his movement? First goal - no. Second goal - no. Third goal - no. Fourth goal - no. He was so effective, he was taken off at the 80 min mark for Quigley who, actually did get into a scoring position and stuck it in the net.

They've never been good at tracking back but, on several occasions, Dobra did exactly that. They were behind everything we did when going forward.
Numerous times, they looked to pass through the defence and, numerous times Grigg's movement was so good, they obviously didn't spot his runs.

And I'll repeat myself. Dorking are a part-time outfit. I expect better from certain players.

This post has been edited by Misnomer: 06 August 2023 - 12:02 PM

[valemadness]

Valley Blues, on 06 August 2023 - 10:46 AM, said:

How folk see things differently.

Naylor off the pace? He was the most composed player on the pitch by a mile and I’d say you can comfortably count on one hand the amount of times he gave possession of the ball away.

Horton did ok? He was the polar opposite of Naylor in possession and the amount of times he missed the pitch with a simple pass was astounding.

Shecks did ok but was all over the place and his passing was poor? I’m not sure those two assessments go hand in hand.

Griggs movement up top was excellent. It’s obvious he was going to get flack for not scoring but the way he moved the Dorking CH’s about was perfect for the three behind.

And as well as Dobra and Colclough played in possession, I thought there was a spell in the second half when Dorking got briefly on top and both of them disappeared.

Just after they went in front, we lost our midfield entirely and seem to forget how to play football. Just kept trying to pump it forward with no accuracy. As soon as we started passing it on the floor and actually being purposeful, then we got a lot more settled and composed.
Hopefully we learn not to panic like that.

[Paragon of Virtue]

Dorking might be part-time but some of the players in their squad have hundreds of football league games under their belts, Craig, Fuller, Francomb...
They're a decent side and will take points off the teams chasing promotion, no question.