Wycombe Wanderers v Torquay United - 12/10/13

[thegreedygull]

perhaps the club should invest in a couple of mannaquins to defend corners and free kicks, I'm sure they couldn't do any worse :slap:

[tomogull]

I agree, it is not good to hear people at matches having a go at a young lad starting out in the professional game. It wasn't a good three minutes from Courtney yesterday, it happens. But I think most can see he has potential. If you know him, make sure he keeps his chin up, ignores the 'terrace experts', if he heard them, and here's hoping he continues working hard to get to and be as good as he can be, with the opportunities to show it.

Good post Rjc. To COURTNEYtorquay11 - I was not at Wycombe so obviously don't know about any comments. But I suspect there would have been comments from frustrated fans about whoever was sent on with just 3 mins to go when the game was all but lost. The same the previous week against York when he got about five minutes playing time when the game was definitely lost. It is not fair on the lad. Stepping up to league football, even Division 2, is tough for any young player. We can all see Courtney's potential. I think this season will be a learning season in terms of experience and that we'll see the best of him next season. Also a long way from home and mates - not easy, but best wishes for his time in this part of the world.

[tomogull]

Just a couple of points from the Wycombe game - I was not at the game so don't know whether it's fair comment or not that we deserved a point at least. I listened to the second half commentary on Radio Devon (maybe we would have won if I hadn't switched on !). Dave Thomas from the Herald Express was commenting on the game. I respect his football knowledge - two points he made (a) Wycombe have upped their tempo in the second half and we're not matching them and (b) we're being overrun in midfield. To those who were there, were these valid observations ?

[AustrianAndyGull]

Just a couple of points from the Wycombe game - I was not at the game so don't know whether it's fair comment or not that we deserved a point at least. I listened to the second half commentary on Radio Devon (maybe we would have won if I hadn't switched on !). Dave Thomas from the Herald Express was commenting on the game. I respect his football knowledge - two points he made (a) Wycombe have upped their tempo in the second half and we're not matching them and (b) we're being overrun in midfield. To those who were there, were these valid observations ?

My view of it was that the game did become more stretched and at 2-2 I knew there would be a winner. I looked only one way though as Wycombe put pressure on us although I secretly harboured hopes of a breakaway goal. Watching the game though it was perhaps only a matter of time before they got a third.

As to why there are a few reasons it could of been. We seemed to visibly tire from the middle downwards the last 25 minutes and we made far too many schoolboy errors, mix ups, taking an age to clear the ball, kicking it directly to a Wycombe attacker, just getting in each others way generally and not being decisive. Mansell should be dropped as he just has no effect whatsoever in games anymore. It is like he has shrunk into a miniature version he is that ineffective now. We need dominance in the middle and total aggression. Manse is old hat now and a piece of p*ss to play against sadly. I'm upset at saying that but it's the truth IMO.

The pattern emerging is that whenever a team puts any sustained pressure on us we will concede, I think stats bear that out. It's just a case of how many and if we can get away with it. That is whether Downes is in the side or not. At Wycombe he brought on McCourt minutes before they got the winner, we were under pressure yet he takes off Benyon (who put in a hell of a shift) and brings on McCourt for his debut for just 15 minutes when he is just thrust into the action. This left Hawley up top who hadn't a sniff all game and was well marshalled, with Benyon off this is a green light for them to crank up the pressure and get men forward. Then he waits until the 84th minute to bring Craig on. Why? Then he brings Cameron on with 2 minutes to go, WHY? BRING ON YOUR SUBS AFTER THE 3RD WENT IN ALAN IN THE 76TH MINUTE - WHAT IS THE F*CKING POINT IN WAITING WE ARE LOSING THE GAME!!! Again, totally bizarre.

[AustrianAndyGull]

I've had a rattle of my brain and made some great sounds too as it happens but I have changed my mind about the Wycombe result. I lay 100% blame at the door of Alan Knill.

Does anyone think that if O'Connor had played we may have got at least a point?

I do and therefore I find the inexplicable decision to sign him only for him to be lost to international duty when we needed him desperately a total joke. Knill himself today on the BBC website said, "We can't keep conceding as we are" and he also said, "I could make excuses that we're missing players but............".

Perhaps we wouldn't be missing as many players Alan if you had bothered to do any research. I bet he didn't even know he was a centre half! This is such an appalling error of judgement that only someone working for a circus could execute it to perfection then blame the fact that we are missing players!

I also believe this put undue pressure on Pearce (who coped admirably given the circumstances) and I reckon Pearcy might think this bloke DOES actually work for a circus, juggling football players. Well he's bloody good at it as he never drops anyone.

Sounds like he is also good at throwing knives?

We had injuries at Wycombe and perhaps that is why most of us are being more forgiving of the result but why should we? We put 11 out there on Saturday who were 2-1 up at half time let's not forget and again Knill makes a series of bizarre substitutions. Plus with Pearce back and playing well that meant we only had Cruise out of position. In the middle we lost Harding but i'd take Lathrope any day of the week. Mansell is the weak link in there yet still gets picked.

I'm sticking my neck out and admitting that I believe we have a manager who is just winging it, he does not have the faintest idea of what he is doing down here. I will never shout Knill out and I still sing Alan Knills Yellow Army but I am finding it difficult to support someone wholeheartedly who makes such incredibly odd decisions on a weekly basis. If he'd have kept it simple and played to our strengths (Chappell being one of them) then we'd be comfortably mid table now IMO.

Azeez has to start on Saturday, he is alive, he's direct, he scores goals. If he doesn't start then that would be one bizarre decision too far.

Oh and I expect Bodin back in the 11 given how much consistency and thought goes into our managers running of the team.

Sort this out please Alan, it's really not too difficult.

[AustrianAndyGull]

Also to add to the above comments re: O'Connor.

He gets a few days to train with the squad before we played York and then played alongside Cruise. Now he goes away for a week and will return for another few days before Mansfield to now play alongside Pearce!

We should rename the official site CONFUSED.COM!

O'Connor will now be under even more pressure against a better team than York IMO all because of Knill faffing around like an idiot.

Maybe Knill could stick McCourt in and drop O'Connor to the bench! Hey, maybe O'Connor WILL be on the bench and he will go with Cruise?! Who the f*ck knows!!!!

NO RHYME OR REASON

[royalgull]

The problem is and was we didn't have a football league standard centre back in reserve to step in once Downes got injured. Cruise playing at right back vs Oxford was a disaster, Cruise playing centre back the last 3 matches has cost us all 3 matches. That sounds harsh on Tom and it's not really his fault, he's not a central defender but due to our squad mismanagement he's been forced into that position. In every game we've conceeded from a set piece where blokes have had free headers on our goal. In every game our defensive positioning has been diabolical.

I actually felt sorry for Pearce as well on Saturday, it was obvious to me after 10minutes he wasn't right and although Kuffour clearly hand balled it for the 1st goal, I think a fully fit Krystian Pearce wouldn't have a) let that long ball bounce and b) wouldn't have been outpaced and more to the point out muscled by Jo Kuffour, but again due to us not having anyone else it was forced on us.

I've banged this drum for long enough I think it's time to let it rest now the proof of the pudding has been in the eating and we've lost 3 games on the bounce to mediocre sides that had we had a proper defensive unit fully fit and capable in those 3 games we wouldn't have lost any of them.

[Lloyder5]

Only saw the York game, but Cruise was not the reason we lost that game. We lost because we didn't score when we were on top. Our final ball and shooting/heading lacked precision. We then conceded and it seemed there was a general collapse in morale, until the team rallied marginally but too little and too late to make any impact.