Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2018 5:10:01 GMT
With 11 games to play, where do you think we'll finish?
|
|
|
Post by Epworth Hatter on Mar 14, 2018 7:01:09 GMT
Good idea for a thread, downy!
I know we have some games in hand, but they are getting stacked, which is not good for a P/T team. I predict a whimperingly depressing 10th.
|
|
|
Post by bringbacklenwhite on Mar 14, 2018 9:15:59 GMT
Agreed - 10th at the best.
What are Southport on at the moment ? We could do with some of it.
At least we have enough points not to finish last.
|
|
|
Post by hatter_in_macc on Mar 14, 2018 11:09:39 GMT
I shall go with ninth, for a bit of variety - but not with huge confidence!
And it could be lower if there are further postponements between now and the end of the season. The team's performances have not been up to standard too often, granted - but the state of the pitch at EP, and the decision that led to its ruin by a meaningless Development Squad fixture involving other clubs, have cost us hugely.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2018 14:34:22 GMT
5 votes so far with 1 forecasting a play off spot.
20% chance sound about right?
|
|
|
Post by hatter_in_macc on Mar 14, 2018 14:43:47 GMT
Probably, Downy, yes.
The frustrating thing is, we have a run-in that, all things being equal, is pretty benign - other than the trip to Kidderminster. All the rest of the matches would be winnable - and perhaps they still are. But I do fear that our FA Trophy run and the weather have conspired to create a schedule which will be too big an ask for us as a part-time outfit.
|
|
|
Post by gazz on Mar 14, 2018 16:10:27 GMT
Outside the playoffs is where we'll end up, so for that reason the position is irrelevant for me - failure is failure.
Something has to change between now and the start of next season, because this shambles has gone on long enough now. Whether that means the board, the players, the manager, or even all three, I honestly don't care - success is success.
If that surprises people, then so be it. I'm totally behind Jim and there's no bigger fan of his than myself, but if it takes his departure to get our club over the line and out of this footballing purgatory, then I'll take even that - knowing how much he loves the club, I think he would too.
I 100% hope that it doesn't need Jim's departure, but this is about Stockport County and things HAVE to change.
|
|
|
Post by dudleyhatter on Mar 14, 2018 18:13:53 GMT
Good but depressing thread idea Downy
|
|
|
Post by dudleyhatter on Mar 14, 2018 18:15:23 GMT
5 votes so far with 1 forecasting a play off spot. 20% chance sound about right? Sadly the percentage chances are falling with every vote!
|
|
|
Post by another_ruined_saturday on Mar 14, 2018 21:14:34 GMT
spot on gazz. i'm hoping he'll get a go with this p/t / f/t hybrid, but he really has to make that work - and for me that just means the first positive season at this level - or his time will run out.
by positive, i don't mean sneaking into fifth, sixth or seventh, and i don't expect us to win the thing. i want to see some fight, some skill and some success. top three or four needed.
|
|
|
Post by another_ruined_saturday on Mar 14, 2018 21:15:37 GMT
and this season? like maccy says, it's quite a benign looking run-in, so i will say eighth. and that will be a horrendous failure.
|
|
|
Post by another_ruined_saturday on Mar 14, 2018 21:17:32 GMT
bloody hell...whose utterly bleak outlook gives us a vote for 13th?!?
|
|
|
Post by gazz on Mar 14, 2018 21:28:40 GMT
Oh, go on then, I'll have a vote - I'll say 9th.
|
|
|
Post by hermannsays on Mar 14, 2018 22:08:09 GMT
Guiseley and North Ferriby are oft-cited examples to convey to the fans that there is little point in PT sides seeking promotion from this league. Even with that in mind, I was hoping that having recruited the entire squad and worked with many last season (or even before that), something decent would be moulded by JG. However, 3 games in, there was already the threat of some players being replaced.
Another hope was that we would start seeing the benefits of the extra training some players have been doing in recent months. Unfortunately, while it's nice to hear players are doing it, it doesn't seem to have positively impacted our performances or results. Compared to last season, I think we've looked less organised, less coherent and a mile away from that side which, without any additional training, was able to put together a meaningful win/draw run - the kind we now need to even have a chance of play-offs. As the only current top 14 side to have failed to string 3 or more consecutive league wins together this season, I'm not seeing much to suggest things will suddenly click so I've gone for 13th as our finishing position. My goodness though, I hope it's higher than that!
Q: How many games have we conceded at least 2 meaning we need to score 3 to win? A: Too many.
One lot of August programme notes highlighted that last season's success was built on a strong, well-organised defence. While going to be using the same types of systems that really need at least one good defensive midfielder, last season's FL calibre #4 was replaced with... well, no-one. Try as he did, Ball isn't that player.
And behind him, last season's joint best defensive duo was split, not to bring in the big leader type pre-season comments talked about, but someone who brought some 'balance'. It's telling that, by October, we were chasing a 33-year-old PT player from Curzon (not sure how that fits with the future) to try to fix the very same position... and that we've since gone with a 20-year-old loanee.
Even if Oswell is now regularly highlighted for his failings, I think it's quite hard to look through this season's highlights and not attribute most of our concessions to defensive errors such as poor clearances and bad positioning, a heck of a lot of set-plays, or system issues such as teams easily getting in behind Duxbury.
On systems - given JG mentioned early on that Walker, in part, hadn't done well because he's used to having width (and we play without width), we can ill afford to keep using the budget to recruit players whose game really prospers in systems or styles we don't plan to use. It's great to want players to be 'coachable' and 'adaptable' but, for example, if we're going to play in a way that requires the #9 to be a big target man for Stephenson to get flicks off (like Dean was at Chorley) or to hold for Warburton (like Cummins was at Curzon), then a player like Oswell is surely going to struggle to be that figure no matter the effort he puts, the number of training days or the quality of the coach working with him. As the season's progressed and we've played as if he's Big K in disguise, going narrower to try to become more solid (even less than half the width of the pitch in possession), it's dried up the top end quite heavily while the oppositions still seem to get chances with a high xG values.
Anyway, for as disappointed as Mini-Herm and I have been this season leaving EP and knowing the capabilities of the players and JG has not shone as much as it could have, I do think that the careful recruitment of 6/7 players could make a dramatic improvement next season. I really hope JG's efforts, experience and love for the club is reflected in good performances and results in 2018/19.
|
|
|
Post by hermannsays on Mar 14, 2018 22:08:46 GMT
bloody hell...whose utterly bleak outlook gives us a vote for 13th?!? *Waves*
|
|