Rochdale home 21.08.21

[Dr Feelgood]

Brady out again

[WasRambo]

Honeymoon over

[Mysterious Curle]

Nelson  

[Mysterious Curle]

They look the much better side so we can’t complain. Every ball seems to be hit long, they are much better in the air at the back than we are up top.

[cobbler151]

Only 3 games in, always going to happen.

Full backs looks a weak spot.

[Baldy]

Brady out again

He's got to go.

[Baldy]

Honeymoon over

Hello Was

[Baldy]

Oh dear.

[WasRambo]

Ugh... Duffed at home by Rochdale... That never sounds good

[1971cobbler]

You are right. Everything points to a Cobblers win. So I will be betting on 1-3 Rochdale 😂🤣😂

 

[Mysterious Curle]

Positives: None

Negatives: Mills, Nelson, Lewis and the managers tactical awareness.

[606 Parklands_Cobbler]

that was very....curleball

[guest49]

Proper bogey team. Forest Green and Bradford setting the early pace.

[guest2995]

appalling display .
No width , no penetration , no strength , no brains .
They out played us in every position on the pitch .
We need more creativity , better movement , more composure , more desire.
No positives whatsoever out of that game .
Let’s hope it’s a blip and we move on .

[Madrid Cobbler]

Ugh... Duffed at home by Rochdale... That never sounds good

It wasn't good. To be fair, Rochdale looked a better side than their lowly postion suggested. Second goal looked offside, but Dale deserved to win.

The most disappointing thing for me was the lack of creativity, intensity and urgency in the second half. We were far too slow in the second half and played far too many "safe" square or backward passes, giving Rochdale all the time in the world to organise thenselves and comfortably defend our inevitable hopeful punts upfield. Rochdale had big central defenders who were strong in the air and that tactic was never going to work today.

[Melbourne Cobbler]

Really poor performance. No out ball when in possession, acres of space for their players when they had the ball, no creativity, toothless up front and worst of all nowhere near full commitment. Couldn’t press a doorbell let alone one of their players on the ball. BAS was a pointless substitute, smacked of bereft of ideas from the management, I hardly know where to stop. I despise days like today, it was almost like we couldn’t be bothered and that’s a worry. Hoskins man of the match says it all because he was below average at best. On that showing we are going nowhere this season, form can be temporary but effort should be permanent. Where’s the winning mentality.

[guest3355]

Terrible performance. Was like watching a Keith Curle team.

No creativity and I don't think anyone had a good game.

Very poor subs too.

Still. At least the weather is nice.

[cobbler151]

appalling display .
No width , no penetration , no strength , no brains .
They out played us in every position on the pitch .
We need more creativity , better movement , more composure , more desire.
No positives whatsoever out of that game .
Let’s hope it’s a blip and we move on .

Not at the game, very clear Brady is still finding his best team. Rochdale always looked a good footballing side and always been a bit of a bogey team for us, you never know they might be up there at the end of the season.
Missed Frazier today that's for sure. 4-4-2 does not inspire me, and nether does bringing on BAS.
The two big lads up the top might not be the best combo ether.
Crawley will be a good indicator, very average league 2 side, very weak defensively, personally think we have enough to get three points there.  

[bungle]

The defeat itself doesn't bother me too much. Winning runs have to end at some point, and even Wilder's title winners tasted defeat at a similar stage of the season.

However, IMO the manner of the defeat has brought a few wider concerns to the fore which need to be rectified ASAP if we are going to have a successful season:

We are extremely reliant on set plays and have yet to score a league goal from open play this season. Despite Brady's stated desire to develop a more effective 'bums off seats' style following relegation, we are still repeating last year's fatal error and consistently failing to create enough chances from open play.

Why? Because he's keeping his two most creative central midfielders on the bench (Flores and Pollock) and playing a utility player out wide whilst one of the fastest wingers in the league gathers splinters on the sidelines. The entire creative burden is currently on Pinnock and sides will soon work out that if they stop him they stop our entire threat. McWilliams and Lewis are too similar and Lewis is the one who should make way due to Sean's superior pressing ability. We need a ball-playing central midfielder to stop the defence pumping it long and bypassing the midfield every time (which is always going to be a temptation for lower league centre backs when you play with two 6ft+ centre forwards).  

I'm definitely at the pro-Hoskins end of the spectrum on here, but the man simply doesn't have the crossing ability, assists or goals record to be starting for us at home on the wing. If we're going to play 4-4-2 it needs to be with proper wingers who can cross the ball: start Connolly and give him a run in the side. If Connolly isn't up to it (and Brady should know being a former winger himself) then use some of the Chuks money to get another winger in. Use Hoskins as sub to close games down when we're in the lead or, at a push, start him in tight away games where his superior workrate will pay dividends. If you play 4-4-2 then you have to get the wingers right - it's as simple as that.
 
At the other end of the pitch, I'd be tempted to bring Harriman back in against the stronger sides as soon as he's fit. He's arguably our best defensive full back.

Brady needs to be braver.


                              Roberts

           Mills/Harriman  Horsfall  Guthrie McGowan/Harriman

                             Pollock/Flores.  McWilliams

                   Connolly                                      Pinnock

                                Kabamba          Etete

[Melbourne Cobbler]

That’s all fair comment Bungle but there are deeper concerns for me. When ifollow is available tomorrow when we are in possession pause it. We had barely an option for our player in possession second half. If you do the same exercise for Rochdale there was movement and players in space everywhere. Entirely too much ambling around by our players out of possession both when we had the ball and when Rochdale had it. For me that’s where games are won and lost and that’s going right back to the dark days under JFH and Austin. Recruitment was supposed to be about players with the right mentality. I can accept a poor pass, a shot off target, a mistimed tackle, but lack of effort and commitment? Far too much half hearted trotting around, it was like watching the dressage final at the Olympics all over again.