Stratford Updates

[Johnny Bud]

Sub: Hayward on for Parker

[andy]

Ft

[drummyb]

In fairness, not a bad showing. Plenty of good attacking football, but didnt quite have the luck. Stratford looked much improved from the team that came to the Grove, but a draw would have been a fair result. If anything, perhaps we lacked a bit of experience, strength and the achilles heel, height. But a decent showing and Miracle looks a bit more confident.

[andy]

Hmm, not sure I agree with that. For 30 minutes or so they never looked like causing us any trouble at all. After that we seemed to resort to a familiar pattern. Sitting back and hitting long balls again. Miracle ran a lot but again had no effect on the game. Admittedly their goal was a goal worthy of winning any match but we still had nearly all the second half to put it right. But aside from one occasion when we hit the post we never looked like getting back into it. They dealt with all our long balls (again) and were comfortable. We showed we could have done it when we pinned them back for the entire stoppage time but by then it was all too little, too late.

[Simons]

A draw might have been a fair result, but it seems that after every game we are talking about being unlucky. The plain fact is that the lack of goals is costing us the points. Only 9 scored in the last 10 matches, and in 4 of those, we haven't scored.

[drummyb]

There were long balls yes, quite agree. However I also noted Jack, Parker and the new lad had a few runs with the ball, and looked to pass the ball wide and use the wings. In fairness to Stratford, they had the experience to sit back and mop it up and thats exactly what they did, hence that little bit of experience.
See what youre saying with Miracle and cant wholly disagree, BUT I think his confidence is picking up, from where he was 4 or 5 games back.

[Scribbler]

A game we really didn’t deserve to loose, only beaten by a fantastic strike…. But no getting away from the fact we didn’t score again and to be honest the team doesn’t look like it’s got goals in it !!! Still pumping up long high balls, hoping that someone will get on the end of them… we shouldn’t be playing like this, but we do every game… we have small midfield and forward players and need to play the ball on the deck…. Fast pass and move and working opportunities out, running at taller slower and older defenders…. Moving up the pitch as an organised unit… but no we still pump long hopeful balls up to a tall, well drilled defence, rarely causing them any problems…… and to add to our problems, we sign a 5ft 4” striker/ midfielder and a tall right back!!! We’ve already got a more than capable right back and an abundance of small skilful midfielders in the squad…… we need to ad something different to the squad… and that would be someone who can score goals and we do need to adapt a system that suits the players we have…. IMO..

[Scribbler]

And another game where team selection left me a bit bemused…. Elliot starting ahead of three far better players on the bench ?? Can’t remember one thing he contributed to the game… don’t want to sound brutal but that’s my opinion…..

[fairweatherfan]

Good first half, not so good second half, but anyone saying we deserved to lose needs to give their head a wobble. Not saying that we deserved to win, mind.

Pretty poor from their players at the end as well, but hey ho...

[andy]

A game we really didn’t deserve to loose, only beaten by a fantastic strike…. But no getting away from the fact we didn’t score again and to be honest the team doesn’t look like it’s got goals in it !!! Still pumping up long high balls, hoping that someone will get on the end of them… we shouldn’t be playing like this, but we do every game… we have small midfield and forward players and need to play the ball on the deck…. Fast pass and move and working opportunities out, running at taller slower and older defenders…. Moving up the pitch as an organised unit… but no we still pump long hopeful balls up to a tall, well drilled defence, rarely causing them any problems…… and to add to our problems, we sign a 5ft 4” striker/ midfielder and a tall right back!!! We’ve already got a more than capable right back and an abundance of small skilful midfielders in the squad…… we need to ad something different to the squad… and that would be someone who can score goals and we do need to adapt a system that suits the players we have…. IMO..

This. This exactly.