Losing patience with cloughs tactics

[Blade56]

I saw it earlier on the NewsNow site (pretty reliable I've found). Seems it's on the Mirror's online site, they cite Tom Hopkinson in Sunday People Sport as the source. Saw your update, seems you've seen the same report. None of this surprises me, so expect to see Evans wearing someone else's colours soon.

Was inevitable if true, selfish two faced pre Madonna. It's his frikin mess and the club and fans have stood by him until he and HIS mistake became bigger than the club. Bit of advise for him, buy a bottle of wine, order a pizza, put a dvd on and stay home wth your missus in future.

 

[itsinyerblood]

Was inevitable if true, selfish two faced pre Madonna. It's his frikin mess and the club and fans have stood by him until he and HIS mistake became bigger than the club. Bit of advise for him, buy a bottle of wine, order a pizza, put a dvd on and stay home wth your missus in future.

It has crossed my mind if Evans is capable of listening to anyone. He may nod his head to suggest he agrees, but I think there's something deeply ingrained in the fella that prevents good advice from being absorbed. I'm sure promises were made to Evans, but his interpretation is that he's been let down, mine is that circumstances change, and when that happens you act accordingly. Every question that is raised about this matter can be answered by the fact that the root cause of all of this was Evans' behaviour. Can he change? Let's see once the spotlight begins to follow his on-pitch activities. One thing's for sure, as long as he plays football there'll be a media presence in his life.

 

[Mancblade1889]

Curiosity.
So how do you judge when to stop going, When we've gone in to fourth, third, second or first place. Or perhaps if we lose a couple of places? maybe you're predicting a rapid fall down the table- are you?

The truth is I will probably never stop going to watch but this constant frustration with clough and the board is at a all time high and makes the four hour round trips harder to undertake.

 

[Fulwood Blade]

The main problem yesterday was the players poor form rather than tactics - Flynn, Murphy, Baxter and Scougall lacked the nous desire or touch to unlock the Oldham defence, Campbell Rice scored from the right as soon as he came on then immediately switched to the left when he insisted of beating the full back and then bringing it back on the inside before he tried to 'cross' and never looked a threat
The back four apart from Harris were woeful and well Doyle was Doyle!
What did disappoint me was that Mr Clough did not change anything in the last ten minutes to try to win the game despite the poor performances of the players on the park !
More a point won yesterday rather than two lost - Oldham did look one of the better sides to visit the Lane this season !!

Do you not think your last sentence explains the rest of your post?

Best team we have played by a long way - Rochdale were the previous best we have seen, but we managed to beat them. Yesterday we did not - that is just football and it's the way Oldham play their football. I very much doubt a small squad like Oldham can carry on playing like that week in week out especially when we get the Feb time with injuries/suspensions and playing 2 games a week to catch up for all the postponements etc.

Oldham were very good on their day out - Gregory said about Crawley a while ago that it was the best they had played - they have been poor since - Oldham "might" go the same way.

UTB

 

[Harry's Game]

Negative Nigel sets sides up not to be thrashed and hopes to win by the odd goal, you will of course get wins that way when you are playing side who aren't much good like Crewe or Donny, but you need huge slices of luck to get results against the better sides in the League playing that way.

In all our League matches against the best teams we have only one win from those games at Peterboro, where the star man was Davies who seems to have disappeared to the land of Collins for the last month.

Time has arrived to cut the shackles and have a sodding go at trying to win games from the off.

 

[Fiery Blade]

Do you not think your last sentence explains the rest of your post?

Best team we have played by a long way - Rochdale were the previous best we have seen, but we managed to beat them. Yesterday we did not - that is just football and it's the way Oldham play their football. I very much doubt a small squad like Oldham can carry on playing like that week in week out especially when we get the Feb time with injuries/suspensions and playing 2 games a week to catch up for all the postponements etc.

Oldham were very good on their day out - Gregory said about Crawley a while ago that it was the best they had played - they have been poor since - Oldham "might" go the same way.

UTB

My point being that whilst Oldham looked a good side we were far from our best - too many individual errors, not enough guile and being very predictable But yes, a good point won given the circumstances !

 

[zablade]

Negative Nigel sets sides up not to be thrashed and hopes to win by the odd goal, you will of course get wins that way when you are playing side who aren't much good like Crewe or Donny, but you need huge slices of luck to get results against the better sides in the League playing that way.

In all our League matches against the best teams we have only one win from those games at Peterboro, where the star man was Davies who seems to have disappeared to the land of Collins for the last month.

Time has arrived to cut the shackles and have a sodding go at trying to win games from the off.

What has happend to Davies? I would have him in the team before Alcock or Flynn, has Clough fallen out with him as well?

 

[boo radley]

The truth is I will probably never stop going to watch but this constant frustration with clough and the board is at a all time high and makes the four hour round trips harder to undertake.

But you have to remember, lots of people are as frustrated as you.
Me. I find it a little frustrating we dominate games and are not able to kill them. Yesterday however, was a game we did not dominate and I think a draw was probably fair.

 

[Deadbat]

What has happend to Davies? I would have him in the team before Alcock or Flynn, has Clough fallen out with him as well?

He is injured

 

[cahill]

But you have to remember, lots of people are as frustrated as you.
Me. I find it a little frustrating we dominate games and are not able to kill them. Yesterday however, was a game we did not dominate and I think a draw was probably fair.

Took some getting used to yesterday watching a team dominating us as we usually dominate others. For example I thought we played Barnsley off the pitch, created a shed load of chances but , as usual, fail to score. We got lucky against Rochdale. Oldham were straight at us when we had possession, causing the usually calm and reliable Mceverly to fluff possession and passes, their tactic of leaving a player behind our defence worked a treat and unsettled our defenders. Their front players were strong, physical (sometimes too much) and played with intelligence. I enjoyed watching Oldham and it showed the limitations of our sideways passing style.

Also agree their fans created a good atmosphere. On second thoughts I think I'll start watching Oldham. I think we missed Wallace in midfield and Jose was always on a hiding to nothing at centre forward. Needed JCR to come on to unsettle their defence. After switching wings he tried to showboat a bit to zero effect

 

[boo radley]

Took some getting used to yesterday watching a team dominating us as we usually dominate others. For example I thought we played Barnsley off the pitch, created a shed load of chances but , as usual, fail to score. We got lucky against Rochdale. Oldham were straight at us when we had possession, causing the usually calm and reliable Mceverly to fluff possession and passes, their tactic of leaving a player behind our defence worked a treat and unsettled our defenders. Their front players were strong, physical (sometimes too much) and played with intelligence. I enjoyed watching Oldham and it showed the limitations of our sideways passing style.

Also agree their fans created a good atmosphere. On second thoughts I think I'll start watching Oldham. I think we missed Wallace in midfield and Jose was always on a hiding to nothing at centre forward. Needed JCR to come on to unsettle their defence. After switching wings he tried to showboat a bit to zero effect

The sideways passing can get very frustrating, especially when there is lots of space ahead of the player with the ball.
I also think we had lots of opportunities in the 1st half before they scored. a few corners and half shots.

 

[sheffielder]

Baxter didn't have his best game, however what he is mean't to do with balls fired into his feet with 2 defenders round him I will never know. There was nobody for him to give a quick lay off to. Basham doesn't know the position and Scougall should be playing off the top man.

So from the top.

1. Send McCarthy back because he can't pass water and then put Basham back there who can.
2. Put Reed into midfield and push Scougall off the top man.
3. When the opposition are down to 10 men with 10 minutes (inc stoppages) left stick on a fucking striker.
4. Sign someone who is quick and runs the channels to play up top and if you can't play the lad Adams and see what he's got. Playing Baxter at home as the loan striker does not work well.

 

[sheffielder]

Should Baxter as a lone striker mainly be considered as an away tactic?

This ^^

 

[Maidenhead]

Before yesterday Oldham had lost one game out their last 16 and that was by the only goal away at Bristol City.

It should therefore have come as no surprise to anyone that they looked a decent team yesterday.

A come back draw on the back of a below par performance was a pretty good result for us in the overall scheme of things.

 

[alcoblade]

Before yesterday Oldham had lost one game out their last 16 and that was by the only goal away at Bristol City.

It should therefore have come as no surprise to anyone that they looked a decent team yesterday.

A come back draw on the back of a below par performance was a pretty good result for us in the overall scheme of things.

I feel no different after yesterday than I do after any other of our performances really - win, lose or draw.

It's the lack of application from the off that frustrates the fuck out of me. As the game progresses we turn on the pressure and almost always overwhelm opposition. Which makes what's gone before even less forgiveable.

There's increasing pressure to buy more players, but I think that although it will always help, it's really missing the point.

UTB

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Before yesterday Oldham had lost one game out their last 16 and that was by the only goal away at Bristol City.

It should therefore have come as no surprise to anyone that they looked a decent team yesterday.

A come back draw on the back of a below par performance was a pretty good result for us in the overall scheme of things.

Dingles loss, Oldham draw, Notts County win under the flood lights, bring in on.

 

[Fulwood Blade]

I feel no different after yesterday than I do after any other of our performances really - win, lose or draw.

It's the lack of application from the off that frustrates the fuck out of me. As the game progresses we turn on the pressure and almost always overwhelm opposition. Which makes what's gone before even less forgiveable.

There's increasing pressure to buy more players, but I think that although it will always help, it's really missing the point.

UTB

I think it frustrates most of us, but football is alike a game of anything - the opposition is not going to tell you their play before hand.

NC got hold of the team at half time and we were much better. This is going to happen in some games.

In the end a fair result from the best team we have seen all season, but one who will finish outside the top 6.

UTB

 

[yorkshirecoast]

I think it frustrates most of us, but football is alike a game of anything - the opposition is not going to tell you their play before hand.

NC got hold of the team at half time and we were much better. This is going to happen in some games.

In the end a fair result from the best team we have seen all season, but one who will finish outside the top 6.

UTB

It was nothing to do with Clough getting hold of the team at HT. Clough's tactics weren't working, we went behind and had no choice but to be more positive and start running at the opposition - rather than sitting back and passing sideways as we had done most of the 1st half. The performance yesterday was no different to most this season.

 

[alcoblade]

I think it frustrates most of us, but football is alike a game of anything - the opposition is not going to tell you their play before hand.

NC got hold of the team at half time and we were much better. This is going to happen in some games.

In the end a fair result from the best team we have seen all season, but one who will finish outside the top 6.

UTB

But in all seriousness, is there one game when this hasn't happened?

I'm sure someone can identify one, but games where we take by the scruff of the neck are rarer than rocking horse shit.

Our upturn in late performance is now far too significant to be attributred to the manager working the other team out, or better fitness.

The simple fact of the matter is that Clough is being way too catious.

UTB

 

[Bergen Blade]

Good post. I mentioned elsewhere that Baxter hasnt scored whilst playing up front. I really do believe we are wasting him. I think Clough is trying to get a team that incorporates Baxter and Scougall. For me it has to be one or the other if neither can play in a two in midfield

Yes, I think you're right that all his four goals have been from midfield.

He has started as a lone striker in the following home games:

• Leyton Orient (2-2). Baxter had been subbed when we scored both goals.
• Barnsley (0-1)
• Oldham (1-1). Again we scored after Baxter had left the pitch.

So, it's not only that he's not scored as a lone striker. The team hasn't scored at all when he's played the lone striker role at home.

 

[grafikhaus]

Just wait until Mr McCabe splashes the cash in January ....oh yeeeeee of little faith.

Or more like our remarkable crowds will drift off and then it'll be 'We can't afford X, Y or Z.'

 

[Revolution]

Doyle - no goals
Basham - no goals
Reed - no goals
Wallace - no goals
Scougall - 1 goal.

Why the hell are we playing 3 of these 5 in midfield every week? What is the extra man contributing?

 

[DSB-91]

Saturday was frustrating because it wasn't a one off. We rarely start games positively and we often end up paying for it. We have mounted some great comebacks and late wins this season but it begs the question why does the team wait so long to show any attacking intent? When we do come forward more agressively we dominate and usually score which makes it even more annoying to watch us being so timid for long periods of the match.

 

[Tower Bridge Blade]

It wasn't tactics that were at fault on Saturday (although you could argue they were a contributing factor). Sadly too many players had off days doing even the basics. There were a lot of stray simple passes from normally reliable players and Clough can do all the coaching and tactics ahead of the game, but if the simple stuff on the pitch goes wrong, it's difficult to blame the manager.

Hopefully it was a one off and those players who were poor on Saturday won't repeat the mistakes. I personally came out of the Lane on Saturday very grateful for a point on the basis that we didn't play well and Oldham were a decent team

 

[Tezza1889]

How many times on Saturday did we not have an option when in possession, I remember even late on doyle has the ball, jcr is clear on the left, instead of jcr setting off and doyle hitting the long ball to the wing, he carried it forward, they got back in position and when doyle did pass it jcr did a few stepovers and nothing came of it.

Wa can't moan too much about the players not bombing on and hitting on the break, because there's never a forward in space when they cross the ball, might be a habit forming from our players to not launch quick attacks, you know, the ones that we usually conceed from every first half..

Clough complained jcr didn't cross enough, what's the point nige when we haven't got a forward in the box, maybee the players know they've got to take the ball on and have a shot..


Edit...

Why as well does he have to criticise a player every week? Can't be good for the team or the players confedance, jcr scores, gets slagged off, mcnults scores gets slagged off, there's a long list of players clough slagged off or cast adrift... collins, butler, porter.


Worry bout clough sometimes..