Alive and kicking or dead and Buryed?

[The Rauldinho]

Positives from last night:

Pierre looked solid in a back three
Hoskins actually put in some decent deliveries
Clean sheet (somehow)
Facey

Negatives:
Distribution from the back was awful
We don't have left or right wing backs (Powell and Waters at RWB??)
Taylor made at least four glaring errors for every one decent tackle/interception
For a team full of big lumps, we lost a lot of headers against midgets

First half was okay, second half was dire. But I'll take a point against an in form team. With others around us getting results, it is another relegation dogfight at the moment. If we can recall Bunney when fit then we need to do so, otherwise some free agent wing backs are desperately needed. Have a feeling Facey will play left and McWilliams right when fit if not.

[threeinabed]

Adams is bossing the game

incorrect

[threeinabed]

Foley MOM. Adams best player on pitch .

he wasnt and he wasnt

[threeinabed]

I think Curle's first recruit ought to be a sports psychologist to work on Hoskins. He's a terrific little player; quick, skilful, energetic, great movement and positioning

he is quick - he has no other attributes - his movement is awful and positioning worse

[guest2995]

he wasnt and he wasnt

Adams was better than any player we had without a doubt .
His delivery is excellent

[Manwork04]

Adams was better than any player we had without a doubt .
His delivery is excellent

Spot on, Adams was the best player on the pitch all day long.
Hoskins is not a natural footballer, as has been said he just quick(for L2) no tricks doesn't have any composure and waste 90% of the ball when he has it.

[just.reading]

Adams was better than any player we had without a doubt .
His delivery is excellent

Did we ever properly replace Holmes and Adams when they left? Can't remember having any decent wingers since then.

Speaking of which, I see Ricky Holmes is up to his old tricks at Oxford:

From BBC: "Ricky Holmes had fired the U's in front three minutes into the second half with a superb left-footed drive after a sparkling run."

Edit: Just seen the goal, I feel sick seeing him in the all yellow of Oxford.

[threeinabed]

Spot on, Adams was the best player on the pitch all day long.

just checking to see how many assists he got last night in the 0-0 draw....................he wasnt even the best player on their team

[guest2995]

just checking to see how many assists he got last night in the 0-0 draw....................he wasnt even the best player on their team

Name a player on our side that played better than Adams .
I’ll wait ...........

[threeinabed]

Name a player on our side that played better than Adams .
I’ll wait ...........

you might want to read my sentence again

anyway, all 11 of ours scored as many as him and made as many as him.............dont recall him doing anything in the game once facey and powell switched sides - just his set piece delivery

[Irchy cob]

For what it’s worth I thought that Danny Mayor was their best player - he didn’t give the ball away all night. I think the fact that Adams was a returning favourite meant that we focused more on him but I thought Facey dealt with him pretty well.

[threeinabed]

For what it’s worth I thought that Danny Mayor was their best player - he didn’t give the ball away all night. I think the fact that Adams was a returning favourite meant that we focused more on him but I thought Facey dealt with him pretty well.

their number 10?! biggest threat on their team.

[Another Pedj]

That was my view

[ClarenceInDefence]

We would have lost convincingly last night had Austin still been in charge.

Bury looked more sharp and incisive in attack than any team we've played so far but we ultimately coped well with their threat.

Facey, a RB, played better at LB than Buchanan has all season. I couldn't see the early switch Facey made from right to left happening under Austin's watch either. It's a relief to have a manager that appears to have some tactical nous.

Taylor and Hoskins were probably our worst performers again. Cornell had little to do all game but his distribution was again poor as was Taylor's. All three will need replacing in January if not before.

Foley and Facey were probably our MOM's.

A point and a clean sheet was a decent outcome, all things considered.

While I admit it's easy for me to say now, IMO giving Austin the job rather than appointing an experienced manager in the summer has probably been KT's biggest mistake so far and how much it has cost us this season can't be underestimated.

[Joes Sweet Left Foot]

First 10 minutes the defense were all over the place and it looked like we were going to be in for a hammering, after that it settled down, players got used to the system and we played some decent football, albeit much more direct than under Austin. In the last 30 minutes of the first half we were well on top and should have taken the lead into half time. Typically Sam Hoskins first created then spurned probably our best chance. Second half was a bit a a non-entity with both teams cancelling each other out, and neither side seemingly capable of holding on to the ball. Typical league 2 fare.

In the end the system just about justified with the clean sheet, but who is going to score for us. This formation would be a good fit for Bunney if we could get him back. An energetic player who can supply decent crosses would certainly help but I'm not sure either Williams or VV are good enough to win their headers.

For the back 3 its only a matter of time before one of the them gets injured (lets hope its Taylor) and maybe Turnbull will get a chance. Shaun McWilliams will improve the midfield 3, and Morais should get a starting berth ahead of the other strikers.

Last night Crooks was our most creative player, JJOT a little off the pace and Foley just about O.K.  Facey did a decent job on Adams who was their most creative player, every cross he put it was spot on. Pierre probably the pick of the back 3, and Cornell made the saves he had to. Bowditch was useless, Powell had one decent run and cross otherwise ineffective, and Hoskins did his usual headless chicken impersonation.

On reflection a reasonable start but much still to do.

[GrangeParkCobbler]

We would have lost convincingly last night had Austin still been in charge.

You know this how??

Deal in facts......the last home game under Austin we drew 0-0 against Notts County, last night we drew 0-0 against Bury.

Curle has a big job on his hands...the team has gone 4 games without a goal, the last goal was a penalty and our last goal from open play was over a month ago. The team has only won once at home since January, and only won once in 13 games this season.

Fingers crossed he can address and remedy some of these facts!!

[guest2995]

First 10 minutes the defense were all over the place and it looked like we were going to be in for a hammering, after that it settled down, players got used to the system and we played some decent football, albeit much more direct than under Austin. In the last 30 minutes of the first half we were well on top and should have taken the lead into half time. Typically Sam Hoskins first created then spurned probably our best chance. Second half was a bit a a non-entity with both teams cancelling each other out, and neither side seemingly capable of holding on to the ball. Typical league 2 fare.

In the end the system just about justified with the clean sheet, but who is going to score for us. This formation would be a good fit for Bunney if we could get him back. An energetic player who can supply decent crosses would certainly help but I'm not sure either Williams or VV are good enough to win their headers.

For the back 3 its only a matter of time before one of the them gets injured (lets hope its Taylor) and maybe Turnbull will get a chance. Shaun McWilliams will improve the midfield 3, and Morais should get a starting berth ahead of the other strikers.

Last night Crooks was our most creative player, JJOT a little off the pace and Foley just about O.K.  Facey did a decent job on Adams who was their most creative player, every cross he put it was spot on. Pierre probably the pick of the back 3, and Cornell made the saves he had to. Bowditch was useless, Powell had one decent run and cross otherwise ineffective, and Hoskins did his usual headless chicken impersonation.

On reflection a reasonable start but much still to do.

Spot on

[Another Pedj]

yes with the exception that their dominance was nullified immediately following Facey being switched to the left.

[everbrite]

First 10 minutes the defense were all over the place and it looked like we were going to be in for a hammering, after that it settled down, players got used to the system and we played some decent football, albeit much more direct than under Austin. In the last 30 minutes of the first half we were well on top and should have taken the lead into half time. Typically Sam Hoskins first created then spurned probably our best chance. Second half was a bit a a non-entity with both teams cancelling each other out, and neither side seemingly capable of holding on to the ball. Typical league 2 fare.

In the end the system just about justified with the clean sheet, but who is going to score for us. This formation would be a good fit for Bunney if we could get him back. An energetic player who can supply decent crosses would certainly help but I'm not sure either Williams or VV are good enough to win their headers.

For the back 3 its only a matter of time before one of the them gets injured (lets hope its Taylor) and maybe Turnbull will get a chance. Shaun McWilliams will improve the midfield 3, and Morais should get a starting berth ahead of the other strikers.

Last night Crooks was our most creative player, JJOT a little off the pace and Foley just about O.K.  Facey did a decent job on Adams who was their most creative player, every cross he put it was spot on. Pierre probably the pick of the back 3, and Cornell made the saves he had to. Bowditch was useless, Powell had one decent run and cross otherwise ineffective, and Hoskins did his usual headless chicken impersonation.

On reflection a reasonable start but much still to do.

Good report

[ClarenceInDefence]

You know this how??

Deal in facts......the last home game under Austin we drew 0-0 against Notts County, last night we drew 0-0 against Bury.

Curle has a big job on his hands...the team has gone 4 games without a goal, the last goal was a penalty and our last goal from open play was over a month ago. The team has only won once at home since January, and only won once in 13 games this season.

Fingers crossed he can address and remedy some of these facts!!

I don't, it's my opinion however based on my observations.

We may have kept a clean sheet in the last home game but the fact is that was the one and only clean sheet in 10 league games under Austin, which was against a team at the time who were on a disastrous run of form, sat in the bottom two, had just changed manager and offered very little if anything up front.

Last nights clean sheet however came against an in form team who sat in the play-off places, whose forwards looked sharp and dangerous from the off (Adams, Maynard and their number 10 Mayor as pointed out by others were all excellent) and whose manager had recently won the manager of the month award. The comparison between them and Notts County at the time of each match could hardly be more glaring.

Austin showed no sign of changing from a flat back four set-up and despite how poor he has been for ages I struggle to imagine him dropping Buchanan being that he clearly favoured him and we also have no other recognised LB.

Under Austin we conceded 17 in 10 matches. However we have already kept as many clean sheets in 1 game under Curle than in 10 this season under Austin.

I agree that Curle's got a bog job to do due to the lack of confidence in the squad and the run we are on but feel confident come the end of the season his appointment will be seen as a big turning point for us.