Colchester United - League One (H) Saturday 6th September

[sallian]

Totally predictable result and performance. Deano seemed to think it was ok in his post match interview. 6 games in and no win.
As a season ticket holder I'm starting to dread home games. The only positive that can be taken was the performances of the young players who grew into the game as it went on. After a shaky start Flanagan improved and it seemed baffling that he was substituted at that point.
Can't see what Forde brings to the side though and we have him on a 2 year deal.Crazy.
We had nobody in the side who can beat a man until Benning came on. I think he has had a raw deal being dropped.

I really cannot see where points are coming from this season.

Maybe hope a few teams break the financial rules or something.... then work hard to avoid fourth from bottom....but we are already there

[latviancheese]

His dodgy tactics today appear to be desperate, and he is trying to be too clever. Nobody in our division plays stuff like 4 3 1 2. Its nonsense. Desperatly trying to catch an opposition manager out. I heard they doubled up on Andy Taylor, which shows you they scouted us beforehand.

Why the fudge would you play Keiron Morris in the hole, a winger, who is inexperienced. Give the lad a chance. He wont get a contract in January.

If you have Manset, and Bradshaw, two strikers, why are we playing narrow? Surely those two lads wants something to attack in the box.

Its just all to predictable, its cack. Did we really expect anything different though? Glad i saved my 20 quid entrance fee for the pub tonight.

[clawtheolder]

If there's not three worse teams than these pair god help us.

[leics_saddler]

[ridiculously_optimistic]

Yay, a clean sheet!

[/ridiculously_optimistic]

[tinned]

Stuff the namby-pamby "Let's see if Smith can turn it around". He won't get rid. Clueless fool who flatters to deceive. Two up front and play that narrow? fudge clueless, end it now.

[SoccerHQ]

1 point from managerless Colchester and Scunny is dreadful.

Very disappointing that after a couple of years of progress this season is shaping up to be a relegation battle in the weakest league one for a long time due to some lazy forward signings.

[Bristol Fan]

Nobody in our division plays stuff like 4 3 1 2.

And we didn't - it was a diamond, Flanagan at the back of it and Morris at the top. But it certainly didn't work. The only width came from the full backs and when they pushed forward it meant either Downing or O'Connor got dragged out wide when we lost the ball (as we always did) and got attacked by Colchester's wide men, with no cover from the inexperienced Flanagan (surely Chambers should have been given that job, not him - they did swap round after the first of the substitutions).

We were crying out for width but even when Baxendale and Forde came on in an uncharacteristically early substitution, they both played in the middle as we persisted with a formation that wasn't even slightly working, now with even more square pegs in round holes. With the industrious but completely unfit Manset joining Bradshaw (by far our best player and he wasn't exactly great) up front, surely today was the day to play the ball wide and cross it into the box - when we finally switched to having wingers for the last ten minutes we finally looked somewhat dangerous.

Terrible performance against a terrible side, who had many more clear-cut chances than us until the last ten minutes. Until Forde's excellent late free kick, I'm not sure we troubled their goalkeeper at all.

The injured players can't come back soon enough.

[leics_saddler]

Meanwhile, back in the real world...

I turned on the commentary after half an hour and Franksy had already worked us out.
Yes Franksy, that tactical genius, the Capello of WM.
I don't know how lesser mortals like opposition managers get on!

It's no good saying we can't judge one-trick Smith at the moment.
Shall we ask the league to suspend the league until the cavalry come?
Oh but hang on, he might play Sawyers at fullback with O'Connor in the hole or something.

Change it up or go.
It's that simple.

[PT]

We've always said how narrow the pitch is at our place. Appears it isn't narrow enough for Smith.

Seeing Chambers looking all confused on the left wing gave a clue that the formation, and fair play to those who reckon they could spot one, was a shambles.

Last 15 minutes we had Benning and Forde on, Chambers back in the middle and we looked dangerous. But too little too late.

Even with the injuries, if he had set the team up right from the start we might have won.

We haven't played a side who I reckon will finish in the top six yet and we've only managed three goals.

Oh well, clean sheet and the kids look decent.

[mosaddler]

been following wfc ever since we had nifty wingers in the likes of houghton and hodge etc.
we've tried and tested the diamond for a while now but in terms of defence it's been ok but attacking wise we have been firing blanks. It does not take a genius to work it out that the system needs a change...hope deano is reading this and changes the approach

on current players available this would be my line up

o'donnell

o'conner downing chambers taylor

forde clifford chambers benning

manset bradshaw


:wink:

[Neuromantic]

That was one of the most tactically inept performances from a Walsall manager I have seen.

He's a few results away from having to go - I think people are waiting to see if this form continues when Mantom, Chambers and Cook come back in.

If it doesn't - he's on thin ice.

[TheSwift]

That was like watching a bucket of poo ferment for 90 minutes except less interesting.

[Lone Striker]

Afraid the manager got it wrong again today and it is becoming apparent that he is struggling to decide on what system or which players give us best chance of winning a game. We went with a diamond in midfield and all credit to Flanagan who took his chance and looked a decent player, the problem was it put Chambers in an unnatural position and he looked like a fish out of water, the result was switching the two midway through the first half resulting in Flanagan being less effective. Assuming the captain won't get dropped so using the diamond system will result in us not being as effective as we could be.

Really not sure what Manset is going to provide us with. If he plays he needs to be a centre forward not playing in a maverick role dropping into deep positions looking like a really poor number 10! The link up play between Bradshaw and Manset was non existent, at times the distance between them was almost the entire pitch width, not the way to play with two players up front.

The last three games have seen us play different systems in each, who knows what system we will play next week, let alone which players, today's substitutions made no difference to the performance, it is just to be hoped that Sawyers comes back reenergised as he is the only player who on his day is capable of unlocking defences. He may benefit from playing at the front of a diamond with two targets in front of him, picking the other three is more of a problem.

[leics_saddler]

To be fair, I might have played a diamond with attacking fullbacks today.
The difference is that I might have played the players in the correct positions.

[sallian]

1 point from managerless Colchester and Scunny is dreadful.

Very disappointing that after a couple of years of progress this season is shaping up to be a relegation battle in the weakest league one for a long time due to some lazy forward signings.

I think the problem is more in the structure and process.....tactics, chopping and changing, formation, motivation, ambition...rather than the forwards who probably can do okay under the right guidance and set up...but I guess the individual player's decision making on the pitch has been poor...along with execution

[Big Dave wfc]

Terrible game, terrible tactics, no leadership, no urgency, more atmosphere in a morgue, an idiot by the name of John on wm.
But on the positive side it was a clean sheet.

absolutely embarrassed at what I seen today, and ill say this, I think the players worked hard and not beating a side like colchester today was all down to the management!

If anyone thinks that we are going to stay up even with the savior mantom and co back in the side and the fella who picks up pros on the wednesbury road are back, you want to get checked into Dotty p's and why you are at it, get rammed up the back door by a piece of smooth timber 2x2 with very rusty tacks sticking out of it

SMITH F OFF

[JonnyOwen]

you want to get checked into Dotty p's and why you are at it, get rammed up the back door by a piece of smooth timber 2x2 with very rusty tacks sticking out of it

SMITH F OFF

:shock:

Bit extreme.

[sallian]

...hope deano is reading this and changes the approach

I have a feeling he did read it once, sometime last season...didn't liked what he read, then went on a mission of doing the opposite of what the spectators demand....along with a ban on players and coaching staff reading it

But maybe not

[sallian]

I had forgotten that we dropped through two divisions in the period of the 15 straight defeats....and the team that went down from the third included a few good players too.

Its like we have the same sort of rot going on.

Maybe they need to abandon the idea of little nimble delicate players altogether and get a totally physical, athletic bunch of players in....those who can run fast , jump high, tackle hard, shoulder charge strong, pass quick and shoot hard and powerfully ...so that even if the keeper catches it...he still goes flying into the net....a bit like that old arcade game 'Soccer Brawl'

[Big Dave wfc]

you want to get checked into Dotty p's and why you are at it, get rammed up the back door by a piece of smooth timber 2x2 with very rusty tacks sticking out of it

SMITH F OFF

:shock:

Bit extreme.

Gordon Bennett how frustrating to watch that pal, on another note I let Febian brandy get himself across the road as I was pulling out of the retail park.

[kshammer]

I actually think there could be a strike force this season. Shame the players behind are cack... so one paced and predictable.

Also, can someone buy Forde a wing mirror... he hasn't got a clue what is going around him.

[SWS1]

I want to know what Chester and Welshie think as they know more about football and WALSALL than most on the site (in contrast to myself who is higgerant, to be honest).
:wink:

[gerryhatrick]

I want to know what Chester and Welshie think as they know more about football and WALSALL than most on the site (in contrast to myself who is higgerant, to be honest).
:wink:

Plastic sheep-shaggers, the pair of them.
What the fudge do they know ?

[chestersaddler]

I want to know what Chester and Welshie think as they know more about football and WALSALL than most on the site (in contrast to myself who is higgerant, to be honest).
:wink:

Plastic sheep-shaggers, the pair of them.
What the donald do they know ?

dim byd o gwbl :mrgreen:

[Whitters]

Is there a case for not having a pre season in future?
At least we'd have fit(ish) players to choose from and it can't get any worse can it?

[WFC_Rob]

I wasn't there today, but seriously now - when we're playing Chambers on the left and Morris in the hole, what's it going to take to play Baxendale in his best position?!

Smith is currently doing exactly what he did during the 17 game winless run of 2012/13 - pot luck team selections week in week out. I appreciate the old adage 'do the same things and you'll get the same results', but it's getting ridiculous now. Forget the 'Smith hasn't got a plan B' that became last season's cliche. This season, we don't even have a plan A.

The worry is, the main problem now seems to be the area in which he has the most options - midfield. If Forde isn't match fit, don't give him a two year contract. Or if he's good enough for a two year contract, play him for God's sake - and play him in the position he played in when he apparently impressed so much.

[Exile]

Another point closer to the magic 50.

[LancsSaddler]

Apologies if I repeat what others have said, I scanned the previous posts but it was all very accurate and depressing.

I saw the starting line up and thought it was ok. Unfortunately that was me thinking that Smith was playing 433, with Chambers (our new left winger?) sitting, Clifford and Flanagan pushing, Morris and Bradshaw wide and Manset through the middle. Bradshaw could then come inside and get in the box as Morris gave us some width on the left, with Kinsella overlapping on the right.

Oh how wrong I could be...

Instead Smith played 4321, with absolutely no width AT ALL! now either he does not trust any of his wide players to get cross in or he just has no idea how to break down a poor League one team. They loved our tactic of trying to pass it through the massed ranks in the middle of the pitch.

We can blame the injuries all we want, but with the players he had available Smith picked a decent team but employed ridiculous tactics. He seriously seems to have lost the plot... or is just thick, having attended the meet the manager evening I will give him the benefit if the doubt and just say that he has got a bit muddled with all of the injuries.

It is strange that whilst the game had 0-0 written all over it (or maybe 0-1 to them) we still looked very very vulnerable in defence. We need a CB, everyone seems to know this other than Smith.

As a final thought, not only did Smith get his starting line up wrong, he then persists with the 4321 bringing on Forde (a WINGER) in the central free role. It was not until the last 10/15mins that he went 442. only 75 minutes too late.

Today Smith not only got tactically out-manoeuvred by a caretaker manager from the start, he then AGAIN failed to change his tactics positively.

[windowman]

well done to the fans for not getting on the players back

[Sadsfan]

One of our biggest problems is that there is no pace to our attacks - as soon as the ball hits our midfield we slow right down. Chambers can only pass sideways and has to be dropped straight away as he brings nothing to the team at all. Smith needs to go as he has reached the point where I think he picks the formation and the team out of a hat. Forde looks a poor signing and Baxendale has done nothing for the last season and a half. O'Connor looked better than holden though at centre half. We also spend too much time passing the ball to feet rather than into space for people to run onto and we don't gamble enough with playing through balls. Smith needs to get it through his thick head that there are no points on offer for having the most possession.

I know the scout for Burton Albion and he says that all the scouts that watch walsall play all go back to their managers and say the same thing: pack your defence when walsall are attacking and then hit them on the break because they'll never score. We know that too so why the hell does our manager seem not to?

I really don't see what Mantom will bring to the team, he's too powderpuff to be a midfield enforcer and he doesn't shoot enough to be an attacking midfielder. I watched him closely last season and in my opinion he's a distinctly average league 1 midfielder.

My team for Preston would be:

Caretaker manager: Neil Woods

O'Donnell
Kinsella Downing O'Connor Taylor
Morris Flanagan Clifford Benning
Manset Bradshaw

Subs:
Forde, Sawyers, Holden, McGilivray, Bakayoko, Chambers and some youth kid but not Baxendale.