Taming The Shrews

[guest2487]

I think it's fair to judge JE this season as it's his team. Last season was a free pass really. So far, not great. Time will tell I guess.

[everbrite]

For what t it's worth, I do lik
the 3-5-2 line up.

 

[Ralap]

I think Powell's defending for the goal was exemplary. Give the attacker as much space as possible.

Phillips would play that position far more effectively. 

[606 Parklands_Cobbler]

Just seen the penalty appeal in the last min. It was so far in the box, its not even a debate. The shrewsbury player is still in the box when long had his knees down on the line. Ref bottled it, even had a clear view.

[guest3063]

Just seen the penalty appeal in the last min. It was so far in the box, its not even a debate. The shrewsbury player is still in the box when long had his knees down on the line. Ref bottled it, even had a clear view.

Exactly what I've been saying about officials. Don't worry he will have another game next week to do a similar thing without sanction. They are never accountable for decisions they make. Livings are at stake but they couldn't care less.

[guest49]

Not sure he actually touched him but the ref obviously saw/thought that he did, he also saw/thought it was outside the box, so I don't have a lot of confidence that there was contact (or certainly minimal contact) in the first place.

It's a long season and we pretty much have a brand new team. It would have been nice to hit the ground running but a big ask when the team are relative strangers (you can't replicate a league game in a friendly) and a few players still out.
I just hope that these players turn out to the talented bunch a lot of people have been getting excited about over the past few weeks.
It's the same every single season. You never know what you are going to get until there have been a few games played.


 

[everbrite]

Exactly what I've been saying about officials. Don't worry he will have another game next week to do a similar thing without sanction. They are never accountable for decisions they make. Livings are at stake but they couldn't care less.

Your clutching at straws - Salop just about merited their win overall. They played better than us for a start. No shot on goal by us too.

[everbrite]

I'm afraid this has to go back to JED - the formation & team selection didn't help but the absolute shocking lack of vision has to reflect on tactics and/or motivation - and that is the managers responsibility.

Well that's a true anti JED comment - it was the players who let us all down. Could have played any system you like and still end up with a poor result.

[tcobb]

So  it's not down to JE selecting the team or choosing the formation, it's down to the players. That's ok then, just need to find who signed on nearly all the players then.

[Dr Feelgood]

Well that's a true anti JED comment - it was the players who let us all down. Could have played any system you like and still end up with a poor result.

sorry that made my day...

[defender]

We must have been very unlucky yesterday We kept them out for nearly 93 mins and then concede in the 92nd min was very had to swallow.

[bungle]

                   Cornell

   Buchanan  Pierre Taylor  Phillips

               Kasim  Poole

         Powell     Crooks   Waters   

                       Rico/Long

Can anyone make a case that the team above wouldn't have made a much better fist of yesterday's encounter? (With O'Toole and Foley to replace Poole and Powell when fit.)

For me it's quite simple: we now have the personnel and the budget to become an established top-half league one side. If we don't then it will be down to the manager's stubborn adherence to out-dated tactical systems and his unwillingness to drop big name players like M.Taylor and Barnett. I don't buy this 'need time to gel' business at all - we lost yesterday due to our manager's poor tactical decision making. Playing 3-5-2/5-3-2 in League One makes no sense; a lot of teams play one up front, meaning that that there is no need for a spare man in defence. Moreover, IMO we conceded a lot of goals last year due to a lack of decent midfield pressing/defensive midfield cover not primarily due to central defensive inadequacies. Playing 3-5-2/5-3-2 will mean that we are dangerously outnumbered in midfield in the vast majority of games - hence Shrewsbury's 58% possession (according to the BBC).

Like Martin Wilkinson before him, JED has received the kind of budget that his predecessors would have killed for. He has to start making better decisions or, like Wilkinson, he will need to be replace by somebody who is better suited to the task.

[everbrite]

So  it's not down to JE selecting the team or choosing the formation, it's down to the players. That's ok then, just need to find who signed on nearly all the players then.

The buck stops with JED , but of course its also down to the players or at least they should share some of the responsibility for such a shambolic performance. Blaming the system is merely an excuse and not the reason.

[everbrite]

                   Cornell

   Buchanan  Pierre Taylor  Phillips

               Kasim  Poole

         Powell     Crooks   Waters   

                       Rico/Long

Can anyone make a case that the team above wouldn't have made a much better fist of yesterday's encounter?

The 5-3-2 system is just merely an excuse as is taking a swipe at JED. Based on yesterdays performance that side above might well have also lost. Kasim too slow, Powell ineffective and Crooks not sure if he is totally fit or even interested! I prefer to give JED a few more games yet;with the proviso he must find another wing back pdq. Rico also did not look good; partly due to the poor service thru' out the game.

[pattcobb]

                   Cornell

   Buchanan  Pierre Taylor  Phillips

               Kasim  Poole

         Powell     Crooks   Waters   

                       Rico/Long

Can anyone make a case that the team above wouldn't have made a much better fist of yesterday's encounter? (With O'Toole and Foley to replace Poole and Powell when fit.)

For me it's quite simple: we now have the personnel and the budget to become an established top-half league one side. If we don't then it will be down to the manager's stubborn adherence to out-dated tactical systems and his unwillingness to drop big name players like M.Taylor and Barnett. I don't buy this 'need time to gel' business at all - we lost yesterday due to our manager's poor tactical decision making. Playing 3-5-2/5-3-2 in League One makes no sense; a lot of teams play one up front, meaning that that there is no need for a spare man in defence. Moreover, IMO we conceded a lot of goals last year due to a lack of decent midfield pressing/defensive midfield cover not primarily due to central defensive inadequacies. Playing 3-5-2/5-3-2 will mean that we are dangerously outnumbered in midfield in the vast majority of games - hence Shrewsbury's 58% possession (according to the BBC).

Like Martin Wilkinson before him, JED has received the kind of budget that his predecessors would have killed for. He has to start making better decisions or, like Wilkinson, he will need to be replace by somebody who is better suited to the task.

Well for a start you've got a centre back playing midfield. Mind you JED had a right midfielder playing full back.
We sign two per postion then when we have injuries ( and btw why have we got injuries?) the second choice doesn't play but a midfielder does. As touched on before now in this thread. JED kept promises to his early signings to the detriment of the overall shape of the team.
An example Bowditch. He may as well have not been there, offered nothing in attack, nothing in defence.
And although Cornell was OK, question must be asked as to how with all our financial clout we've started the season without signing another keeper.

[Coolcat]

Oh dear - where to start and what to add from the previous posts.

Just got back a little while ago. How quickly pre season enthusiasm can be extinguished so quickly.

Today's manor of defeat - I hate to confess but I left just before the goal so my daughter and I could beat the traffic - was tough to take, as despite our ineptitude in possession, direction and passion, I felt we defended well. Shrewsbury had the majority of possession, certainly got the best from the ref and had numerous set pieces which we dealt with well. We limited them to a couple of half chances at goal all game and nearly held out for what really would have been an undeserved and tepid draw.

So, the game itself. I thought the back 3 are proper defenders, old school defenders. Big, burly, no nonsense and completely hopeless on the ball. They couldn't pick a pass if their life depended on it - albeit Barnett happened to drop a sublime diagonal onto powells feet from a cool 40 yards but I'm not sure that it wasn't more luck than judgement. They won almost everything in the air thrown at them and believe me, there were so many balls thrown into the box from set plays I was surprised we didn't concede far sooner.

Poor Buchanan as has been said is not a wing-back. He is a solid left-back but does not have the pace and stamina to charge up the line like Spurs' Danny Rose.

David Cornell had a solid game but handling and catching may be an issue going forward but that is being over critical. To say he had the best distribution from anyone in the team is a shocking admission but at least he was able to play out JED's game plan of "hit the target man".

Unfair criticism on Rico. He did his best as the lone striker but believe me, no one could get the ball to his feet. He tussled well with defenders but blame cannot be placed at him alone. He will score goals for us this season.

Billy Waters is a class act and will be our saving grace this year. Tried hard but again, had to do most of the running, hold up play by himself to find no one and nothing at the end of it.

... and that's where the little praise ends. The rest of the team were completely ineffective.

I felt really sorry for Taylor. He must know in his mind that his body will no longer move the way he wants it to. Slow, laboured, off the pace. I'm sure when we read his 4-4-2 interview in a few years time that he will highlight this game as the day he knew he was finished.

No excuses however for Bowditch, Powell or Crooks. Bowditch was dreadful, powell anonymous for large periods and Crooks didn't really look interested if you ask me. I'm sure there is a player there who could easily dominate this division but doesn't look entirely fit or even sure what his role is in the team.

Kasim came on and showed a couple of nice touches but two dreadful corners and sadly another lacking any pace. Long tried hard but the game was long gone and we clearly accepted a draw with 20 mins to go. God knows why we took Waters off?!

Revell, akin Rico, tussled, ran around a bit and tried to get his head on the ball but despite a few aerial wins no one had the inclination to get on the end of it.

We can't play 5-3-2, we simply do not have the players for it. It really was a shambolic performance devoid of any structure, plan, direction, ability or passion. It was one-dimensional and relied on the gk and defence ploughing long balls up front with no real direction. It was dire and makes me extremely concerned about the season from this showing. I just hope we develop some better understanding but there was nothing today to fill anyone with any confidence, particularly with our style of play. All I can say is that defensively, I think we won't be broken down too easily but the direct nature of play and lack up talent further up the field may suggest we will sit deeper and deeper in games, particularly away from home! I do hope I am wrong?!?

God help us!  

Excellent post! Yes, I too have seen little or nothing from Crooks to inspire in his short time here - yesterday, certainly no exception! Hope things change on that front.
Get the point about Rico...trying but still completely ineffectual!
Crap corner from Kasim. Feel any postives regarding him is just a reflection on the others!

[Tabasco Kid]

Clearly they did football basics deserted them on the day. What you think of Cornell performance?

No comment as I wasnt there, but I should be at  QPR on Tuesday.

[guest2487]

At least 60% of the team didn't know what they were doing on Saturday. Or at least looked like they didn't know what they were doing.

[EssTeeFree]

The 5-3-2 system is just merely an excuse as is taking a swipe at JED. Based on yesterdays performance that side above might well have also lost. Kasim too slow, Powell ineffective and Crooks not sure if he is totally fit or even interested! I prefer to give JED a few more games yet;with the proviso he must find another wing back pdq. Rico also did not look good; partly due to the poor service thru' out the game.

On the flip side to those arguments Powell has played his whole career as a winger/wide forward and is suddenly being asked to play as a wing back, a world of difference. Crooks could be not quite there with fitness given he had only two halves in pre season, similarly he could be frustrated at being completely out numbered in midfield.

You say JED needs to sign a new wing back but he would tell you he has 5 of them, 2 of which he signed pre-season, presumably with the intention of them playing that very role.

I get that the players were bad yesterday but you can't just write off the system being a reason for that. They're all players who have a reasonably good pedigree, they haven't become bad, disinterested players over night. Either the system is confusing them or they haven't grasped it yet. That's not to say it can't or won't happen in time of course, plenty have given the example of Sheffield United from last season and it's a fair point.

I'm not anti JED at all, I want him to succeed, because it means we succeed. My view was that the jury was out on him last season but I recognised he came into difficult circumstances. Best to judge after 10 games as always, I just hope we start to see a bit more cohesion from the team.

[guest2934]

Utter Gash.