Pilgrims' Patter

The Forum => The B-Ark => Topic started by: wismo on August 06, 2022, 03:37:51 PM

Title: Nightmare
Post by: wismo on August 06, 2022, 03:37:51 PM
29 minutes gone 3-0 down
Title: Re: Nightmare
Post by: Dipdodah on August 06, 2022, 05:23:09 PM
At least we won the 2nd half  ;)
Title: Re: Nightmare
Post by: lonegunman on August 06, 2022, 05:32:41 PM
Not really what I was hoping for.
I look forward to reading the reports on here later.
Title: Re: Nightmare
Post by: semion on August 06, 2022, 05:41:13 PM
Wtaf was that.  :o   Cox has some serious issues to deal with.  Post match interview is important to the fans.  Hope he calls it like it is.  Including looking at himself
Title: Re: Nightmare
Post by: Uncertain Corridor on August 06, 2022, 05:46:08 PM
Where was he when we were 5-0 down??
Title: Re: Nightmare
Post by: Mad Dog on August 06, 2022, 06:00:18 PM
In the stand I believe, serving a ban
Title: Re: Nightmare
Post by: Batistuta on August 06, 2022, 06:05:32 PM
Biggest issue I have stems from preseason. We didn't build up to this game with what was going to be our starting back three and then to come in with that lineup was an absolute joke. How was Pollock on the bench???

From preseason you could see the back three wasn't really working, other than the 45 mins against Gainsborough I can't think of a notable passage of play where we both created high quality chances and looked defensively solid. We need to move away from that formation, I wouldn't know what we swapped to after the fifth goal because I had left by this point.
Title: Re: Nightmare
Post by: oxo on August 06, 2022, 07:28:12 PM
Like many others I was amazed to see Joe Leesley at centre half and play all the game  especialy as only just over a week ago he was still having treatment for his injury so obvously not match fit. Zak Mills plays 90 minutes with no pre season. Sends a poor message to those on the bench in my opinion. Oh how we missed the midfield skills of Shane Byrne nobody out there capable of putting a foot on the ball and no more than three passes strung together all game. I hope this is a one off and serves as a good kick up the backside for the players and staff. Will be at Gloucester next week and hoping for something better.  UTP
Title: Re: Nightmare
Post by: wismo on August 06, 2022, 09:04:05 PM
I did wonder why Leesley and Mills started as they only signed at the end of the week and hadn’t been involved with the pre season. Like you say it must be a kick in the teeth for those on the bench
Title: Re: Nightmare
Post by: Fishtoft Crew on August 06, 2022, 09:40:32 PM
Just listened to Paul’s interview which I have to say is embarrassing.  Conceded five at home then took the positive of scoring three !!!! To late game over. 
Title: Re: Nightmare
Post by: Lee Newell on August 06, 2022, 10:21:40 PM
Leesley in a back 3? Can't understand this one. I'm a Leesley fan but that's a square peg I'm a round hole there, plus he can't be match fit having not played for months. Did Cox just want to get a left footer on left side of back 3? Funnily enough I was listening to Paul Cox interview last night and one of the things he said was that one of the problems last season was not having the right squad mix and having to play full backs as centre half in back 3.
Title: Re: Nightmare
Post by: Dipdodah on August 07, 2022, 09:20:49 AM
I have waited until today to try and put a level headed comment on yesterday's debacle.  I know it was the first game of the season and I have taken this into account. The midfield was nonexistent, and with the plan yesterday, we have no need for one. Hoof ball seemed to be the plan.  We did not try to play out from the back, every time the keeper had the ball he over kicked it. Leesley had a mare of a game, playing in a position he is not used to.  He was totally lost. The forwards ran round like headless chickens chasing high balls that Peter Crouch would struggle to get. I worry for the rest of the season unless tactics change. I will make a proper assessment after six games, as I am sure DN will. I am not privy to the playing budget, but I would think it is on par with last season.  I hope PC has not increased the size of his squad to the detriment of quality, only time will tell.

On another note, what's happened to the bitter?  I have my pre-match drink in the concourse bar under the East stand.  I have two cans of Worthingtons, and so do my friends.  We total seven of us on a normal match day.  Yesterday the chiller had three types of lager, cider and non alcoholic drinks. I can understand this in the Townend due to the average age of the supporter. But us old buggers are bitter drinkers.  I heard a couple of others also complaining about the lack of Bitter. So who ever does the ordering " bring back our bitter please "
Title: Re: Nightmare
Post by: Oakham Pilgrim on August 07, 2022, 02:11:27 PM
I've also slept on it, but that hasn't made any difference. I know we're usually told that we supporters don't understand the game, but yesterday takes the biscuit. When I saw the team I couldn't understand why Leesley (nothing against him) was starting, given that as far as I'm aware he has barely kicked a ball since his bad injury. And I thought it was also a mistake to leave out Crawford (given what I'd seen of pre season) and possibly Gordon. Then when I saw Leesley lining up in a back three, a position I'm not aware him playing before) I was even more bemused, particularly when we had a centre half (Hereford's player of the season last year?) on the bench. I don't know if PC addresses this in his interview, but I'd like to hear his justification for these bizarre decisions.

And another observation: although it didn't affect the result, like last season I was appalled by Southport's dreadful play-acting and time-wasting. Every time they were tackled they went down as if they'd been poleaxed, with a yell that could probably be heard at the Stump. I've no idea if the manager encourages this, but I can't respect any manager who does. I hope I'd say the same if if it was our manager.
Title: Re: Nightmare
Post by: Oakham Pilgrim on August 07, 2022, 02:25:12 PM
Have now listened to PC but wasn't convinced by his reasons for the team selection. . He says the usual thing about hindsight, but it wasn't that with me when they lined up at 3pm yesterday!
Title: Re: Nightmare
Post by: brummie exile 1960 on August 07, 2022, 02:32:20 PM
I've seen the interview with PC and it's obvious he knows he made a mess of things yesterday. "Hindsight is a wonderful thing" he said. In other words, I got it wrong. I'll be very interested to see the line-up for the Gloucester game. Anyway, yesterday is history, life will always kick you in the teeth given half a chance.
I was going to Gloucester next week until ASLEF announced a day of strike action. I'll have to settle for Twitter instead.
Title: Re: Nightmare
Post by: steve m on August 07, 2022, 04:36:02 PM
I have generally enjoyed PC's interviews and found them to be honest, sometimes brutally so....

Today's, however, appeared to be taking place in a parallel universe with our beloved leader disassociating himself from the disaster on Saturday......nothing to do with him apparently!

I rather think he has a strange perception of reality!

I hope this was an aberration and normal service will be resumed shortly.
Title: Re: Nightmare
Post by: Cavalier on August 08, 2022, 07:14:35 PM
I have generally enjoyed PC's interviews and found them to be honest, sometimes brutally so....

Today's, however, appeared to be taking place in a parallel universe with our beloved leader disassociating himself from the disaster on Saturday......nothing to do with him apparently!

I rather think he has a strange perception of reality!

I hope this was an aberration and normal service will be resumed shortly.

Have to agree as I was expecting a full scale apology for the defensive setup which contributed to our defeat. I don't think it appropriate to excuse it as his teams usually start the season slowly.
Title: Re: Nightmare
Post by: Kirtonian on August 09, 2022, 11:39:35 AM
This result has sent me nothing but negative thoughts. I can only make a few visits each season because of my footballing commitments in the Midlands so Bank Holiday Monday is on hold at the moment.
Title: Re: Nightmare
Post by: Timshorts on August 09, 2022, 08:52:19 PM
I'm hoping that we will shortly discover that southport are shit hot and that we might still be a playoff team....
Title: Re: Nightmare
Post by: TheThirdTwin on August 10, 2022, 10:02:16 PM
I'm hoping that we will shortly discover that southport are shit hot and that we might still be a playoff team....
more likely it’ll be the high point of Southports  season and it’s downhill from now onwards. We gifted them their chances and they happily put them in the back of the net.
Title: Re: Nightmare
Post by: dt woodhall on August 11, 2022, 04:04:39 PM
I say upfront I was not there as at present I'm not able to attend. What strikes me is that up until now Paul Cox has been pretty much spot on but despite signing some very good players on paper, in the last week he signs two very good players and feels under pressure to play them regardless, despite signing a player of the season defender from Hereford. I'm really surprised he did that and can only think he'll sort it out in the next couple of games. I'm convinced that in their right position both these latest signings will be fantastic for the club this year. If we win these next 2 away games things will look better but what a shocker for the first game of the season, by the way yet another player not good enough for us ie Archer has a great game!!
Title: Re: Nightmare
Post by: Dave H on August 11, 2022, 09:27:35 PM
After attending the 0-0 Forest friendly and watching a tight defensive display from B Pollack , Myles , Shiels , Mbeka , Brown and others I made the mistake of predicting we wouldn't be easy to score against. Needless to say 5-0 down at home on   the opening day of the season  I had to concede I know nothing about football.  The Pilgrims performance was everything teams spend pre-season trying to avoid , ie Disorganised,  lacking   communication  and  helping the  opposition to goals everytime they attacked  ( Although the ref didn't help playing a lovely 1-2 for the 4th 🤨)Archer was yet another ex player bound to score as they all seem to. At least we've got 45 games to put it right and individually some great players , hopefully they can start passing to each other on Saturday and Jordan Crawford might get to start.
Title: Re: Nightmare
Post by: Pete Brooksbank on August 12, 2022, 08:28:03 AM
Playing Leesley at left centre-back was attributed to "injuries". Sorry - that simply doesn't wash for me, we had enough options on the bench (or not even named in the squad and not reported as injured) for a back three to be assembled that made far more sense. And if the back three didn't make that much sense to the gaffer, then he should have ditched the wing-backs and played a more conventional back four - something we did second-half so it's obviously been worked on in training. Leesley himself didn't make any obvious individual errors - at least none I saw - but the defensive shape was all wrong and Southport took complete advantage.

It was a tactical howler and one I don't want to see repeated merely to accommodate a player in the side whose re-signing, I have to admit, didn't make much sense to me, even if he is good at set-pieces. I did think Cox had found him a settled place in the side prior to his injury, but this was just weird.
Title: Re: Nightmare
Post by: Pete Brooksbank on August 12, 2022, 08:29:42 AM
At least we've got 45 games to put it right and individually some great players

I don't know about you Dave, but I feel like I've been following the sentence "We've got some great players" with the word "but" for about a decade now.....
Title: Re: Nightmare
Post by: Mad Dog on August 12, 2022, 10:17:40 AM
We do sign some great players - sometimes players capable of playing at a higher level. The regular "but" is their inconsistency. If they can achieve week in, week out, they wouldn't be playing for us. We just have to hope that it's more often than not and that enough are on form for a particular match - that is why we will always need some 90 minute "workers".
Title: Re: Nightmare
Post by: noughtyforties on August 12, 2022, 10:39:28 AM
We always seem to get the '2nd best' players in the league or players just past their best, yes money and location are big factors but if we are serious about trying to get out of this league we've got to be liberated from the caution that DN (righty) exercises. Just a couple of marquee signings, not advocating going mad but signings to make people sit up and take note.