Carlisle United at Home Saturday 30/10/2021

[guest49]

Another great performance watching on my now standard pre Sunday lunch matinee. The first goal was a quality team effort. Etete is becoming a real handful, goals or not. At this rate we will be going up, so let’s not compound the mistakes of our recent past. Both times when we have been promoted under KT and DBs ownership there have been wholesale changes to the playing staff and in the case of Chris Wilder, management team. Build some team spirit and momentum and then watch it disintegrate over the summer along with our chances. Stability and continuity has to be a consideration moving forward. Add to the squad but keep the main elements of the squad together wherever possible. The last twice we got promoted it was an absolute joke, and from the outside chaotic. If we carry on this upward curve it is vital that we learn from it and move early instead of aimlessly fannying about.

Regardless of promotion or not, Etete will be the first gap to plug.

[everbrite]

Drink the long draught Dan, for the Hip Priest. He is not APPRECIATED.
Just about to board Iona, nice way to start my hols 😀

Iona! Whatever next😎

[Shoemender]

Third home win on the trot against very poor opposition since the Sutton debacle which now seems a distant memory. Lewis obviously deserving of MOM with a good hat trick but overall a very good team performance after a slow start, similar to the last 2 home games. Koike was outstanding, Etete a real handful and Horsefall and Guthrie didn’t let anything past them winning just about every header. Hopefully McGowan is ok as he will be a big miss although Revan didn’t look too shabby. As I said, 3 wins against probably 3 of the worst teams in the league but you can only beat what’s in front of you. Throw in the Tranmere result though and we’re certainly not far off. Agree with some other posters, probably Sowerbys best game for us and think he’ll only get better. Also, we looked more likely to score with 1 striker on the pitch than 3!!

[west stand oap]

After a drab opening 40 minutes we scored a fine counter attacking goal and after that Carlisle seemed to fall apart. They looked shakey at the back all of the second half and as at Tranmere we could have had more goals. They did not have a shot on target and so Roberts had his 4th consecutive easy game. The defence was untroubled apart from Koiki's fine block on concrete Rod early in the game and the defensive midfield pair both had good games in fact nobody had a poor game.
With Tranmere and Rotherham both conceding yesterday I believe we are the only efl team to have 9 clean sheets.
Reading the comments on what is needed in the January transfer window I note a considerable change in posters recent opinions. Nearly everybody previously said we needed a new number 10 but now not a single mention after yesterday. Also a lot of players now receiving praise who previously received adverse comments ie: McGowan was getting bad reviews after his first few games which I found puzzling, Koiki was not a full back and needed moving into a more forward position yet his surging runs from deep cause the opposition lots of problems. Lewis, Flores, Hoskins, Connolly and Pinnock ( who is among the leaders with assists in the division) all received bad reviews. Perhaps we need to accept that the management team know what they are doing.
It is often said that anyone can beat anyone in this division but it would be extremely disappointing to lose to teams like Mansfield, Stevenage and Carlisle after their displays here.
Finally having watched the efl show on Quest I note that our former 'keepers did not cover themselves in glory yesterday, Cornell at Peterborough and Mitchell at Hartlepool.

[DrillingCobbler]

Third home win on the trot against very poor opposition since the Sutton debacle which now seems a distant memory. Lewis obviously deserving of MOM with a good hat trick but overall a very good team performance after a slow start, similar to the last 2 home games. Koike was outstanding, Etete a real handful and Horsefall and Guthrie didn’t let anything past them winning just about every header. Hopefully McGowan is ok as he will be a big miss although Revan didn’t look too shabby. As I said, 3 wins against probably 3 of the worst teams in the league but you can only beat what’s in front of you. Throw in the Tranmere result though and we’re certainly not far off. Agree with some other posters, probably Sowerbys best game for us and think he’ll only get better. Also, we looked more likely to score with 1 striker on the pitch than 3!!

Your last line says it all!

Exactly what I said after the game (and thought) at the times of the subs. It was like we went back in time, to when we were playing 4-4-2 before the last 5 games which have re-galvanised us.

It was a worthwhile experiment. What better time than to try and get Kamamba off the mark against punch drunk opponents, 3-0 down with 20 minutes left?! That said, we only have to look at Middlesbrough's comeback from 3-0 down at Stoke to remind us what can happen! The latter, under new management just like Carlisle were yesterday. Of course, we never looked like conceding a goal, let alone 3...BUT those last 20 minutes will serve us a reminder that we simply lose all of our creativity when we go for what looks like on paper, a gung ho formation! 4-2-3-1 is absolutely the way forward with this squad, only when we are chasing a match or (like yesterday) winning comfortably,  should we potentially deviate from it in order to get minutes into the players who are not getting starts.

It also makes any January shopping easier to target. Clearly, we don't need 4 strikers with this formation, 3 would be suffice. We do though need more options further back, but Id argue that those positions are easier to fill financially, as its strikers who cost the most money! We've got a number of players who can bomb forward (Kioki, McGowan, Pinnock, Connolly and Hoskins), but very little cover when it comes to midfield screeners.

Clearly, Brady and co set up the squad pre-season with 4-4-2 in mind and they've had to adapt quickly which is great credit to them. Its that flexible approach to management that we've been missing for many a season. However, we now have a squad that has less cover in key positions because of it, as well as having a number of misfiring strikers who are unlikely to play much unless Ete becomes unavailable.

It will be interesting to see where 'the committee' focus our recruitment priorities!

[Winslow Lee]

as well as having a number of misfiring strikers who are unlikely to play much unless Ete becomes unavailable.

As well as the lack of goals I worry that our 3 other strikers don’t have the attributes to fill in for Etete as a lone striker in the 4-2-3-1 formation should he be missing.

[DrillingCobbler]

As well as the lack of goals I worry that our 3 other strikers don’t have the attributes to fill in for Etete as a lone striker in the 4-2-3-1 formation should he be missing.

Absolutely. The only one perhaps on paper that does have would be Kabamba. His early season form was alright, and he looked quite promising as a target/link man in the Rico type mould. For whatever reason it hasn't yet happened for him. The other strikers are both players I think would struggle in our current formation, regardless of their own form....

[BackOfTheNet]

Absolutely. The only one perhaps on paper that does have would be Kabamba. His early season form was alright, and he looked quite promising as a target/link man in the Rico type mould. For whatever reason it hasn't yet happened for him. The other strikers are both players I think would struggle in our current formation, regardless of their own form....

I've certainly not written Kabamba off, he looked good in the preseason games and lively in the opening game but has faded badly since.

Strikers thrive on confidence and he desperately, desperately needs a goal to get him going. Look how much Etete has come on in leaps and bounds since he got his!

[Another Pedj]

Third home win on the trot against very poor opposition since the Sutton debacle which now seems a distant memory. Lewis obviously deserving of MOM with a good hat trick but overall a very good team performance after a slow start, similar to the last 2 home games. Koike was outstanding, Etete a real handful and Horsefall and Guthrie didn’t let anything past them winning just about every header. Hopefully McGowan is ok as he will be a big miss although Revan didn’t look too shabby. As I said, 3 wins against probably 3 of the worst teams in the league but you can only beat what’s in front of you. Throw in the Tranmere result though and we’re certainly not far off. Agree with some other posters, probably Sowerbys best game for us and think he’ll only get better. Also, we looked more likely to score with 1 striker on the pitch than 3!!

You ,by your own admission,no longer go to any games so from whom do you get this,albeit correct, information?

[guest3063]

Finally having watched the efl show on Quest I note that our former 'keepers did not cover themselves in glory yesterday, Cornell at Peterborough and Mitchell at Hartlepool.

And Adam Smith at Stevenage.

[West Stand]

You ,by your own admission,no longer go to any games so from whom do you get this,albeit correct, information?

You are getting Shoemender and Shoemaker mixed up.

[west stand oap]

Yes, Shoemaker is the one with the elves.

[everbrite]

You are getting Shoemender and Shoemaker mixed up.

 
Surely they are related👌

[Shoemender]

 
Surely they are related👌

We are, by shoes.

[everbrite]

We are, by shoes.

Thought the attendance of under 5000 which was boosted by the 500 or so Cumbrians. To me that is a disappointing attendance?

[Winslow Lee]

Absolutely. The only one perhaps on paper that does have would be Kabamba. His early season form was alright, and he looked quite promising as a target/link man in the Rico type mould. For whatever reason it hasn't yet happened for him. The other strikers are both players I think would struggle in our current formation, regardless of their own form....

I hope Brady uses the 2 upcoming cup games to try some of the fringe players in the 4-2-3-1 to see how they would fit in should they be needed rather than change formation, although with injuries I guess there is limited scope.

[Shoemender]

Thought the attendance of under 5000 which was boosted by the 500 or so Cumbrians. To me that is a disappointing attendance?

Very disappointing although I thought there were no more than about 300 Carlisle fans at the most.

[CobblerForever]

Thought the attendance of under 5000 which was boosted by the 500 or so Cumbrians. To me that is a disappointing attendance?

288 per the NTFC website.

[Winslow Lee]

I guess attendances probably not helped with from 2nd October to 6th November we have 7 home games (Four league & three cup)

[Coolcat]

Thought the attendance of under 5000 which was boosted by the 500 or so Cumbrians. To me that is a disappointing attendance?

500...can you count??? I guessed at 210..turns out was 288, of which the ones I spoke to came from Wellingborough and hadn't set foot in Carlisle in three years!