My take ...

[Isaw Joeshaw]

Trouble is, it's habit-forming.

We start most games at them, attack, ball gets cleared, we're back up the pitch in a relentless campaign to get the first shot in or goal scored. Then, you can almost set your watch on it, we switch the fuck off and lose impetus. Possession is hard to regain and retain and we end up pushed back into our own half and under immense pressure. Even if a goal or maybe two up, we still let everyone know we are there for the taking. We allow ourselves to be pushed into the kill zone out by the side of the penalty area and it's there teams do the job on us, regain the ball and get back out. Then we are back pedalling big style trying to stop the counter because the wingbacks are so far up we haven't got a traditional 'back four' who defend in a line. We then get panicked fail to get a fucking grip on the game and return, strangely, to the same predictable tactic of playing it out wide. It's only when NDaiye gets the ball at his feet he takes player on and goes round them. None of our midfield, even Doyle and McAtee, seem to have that confidence or quality to one-two round their opponents or even burst past at speed with the ball close at feet. Every time we get the bal it's humped forward to Jebbison. somewhere near McBurnie or up into space for Sharp to chase on his own and hang onto until support arrives.

Eventually our pattern is so readable it only takes a few instructions from the opposition dugout and we are clean out of ideas.

It's THAT predictable.

pommpey

A very fair and accurate summary of what has been the major shortcoming in what has otherwise been a very successful season so far .

The number of times we have allowed teams with nowhere near the squad depth and quality of our own even allowing for injuries , not only to get back into games but dominate them for long periods , has at times been embarrassing .

Blackpool at home was the classic example when after going 2-0 up , we surrendered our momentum , made them look like the promotion contenders and finished up desperately searching for an equaliser to get a scarcely earned draw .

Whilst in general I have huge admiration for Hecky , Jack and Macca and what they have achieved , this has been a constant feature of many of our matches and one which by now could and should have been resolved .

 

[pommpey]

pommpey What would your marks have been at half time? I thought up to that point we had done ok.
2nd half obviously a different story.

Davies 5/10: Nowt much to do. When he did I didn't feel much confidence
Osborn 5/10: Still runny-aroundy-and-nowt-much-else-productive
Basham 4/10: Still looked vulnerable in the LCB role
Egan 6/10: The only defender pulling his weight
Anel 4.5/10: Still lacking a great deal. He used to join the attack as wasn't easily robbed
Bogle 4/10: Stitched in a one on one where you'd think he would be better. Going forward not a great deal
McAtee 4/10: Carrying a knock
Norwood 6/10: Managed to keep the initiative going when we suddenly went limp
Doyle 6/10: Good assist and some ventures in gaining the upper hand ... for waht it was worth. No one else bothered much as Wrexham put us under more pressure
Jebbison 6.5/10: Feeding off lumped forward hoofs but still looked capable and dangerous
McBurnie 7/10: Less shithouse more wanting it. Great header with the goal

pommpey

 

[blade67]

Have said it before and will say it again, you can't play Doyle and McAtee together. It just doesn't work, and it is no coincidence that yet again when they both start we have conceded 3 goals.

As has been pointed out, we'd not conceded when McAtee went off. I thought we'd been the better side, albeit a bit wide open on the break.

2nd half we were outplayed and weak

 

[Norwood's 6 iron]

Trouble is, it's habit-forming.

We start most games at them, attack, ball gets cleared, we're back up the pitch in a relentless campaign to get the first shot in or goal scored. Then, you can almost set your watch on it, we switch the fuck off and lose impetus. Possession is hard to regain and retain and we end up pushed back into our own half and under immense pressure. Even if a goal or maybe two up, we still let everyone know we are there for the taking. We allow ourselves to be pushed into the kill zone out by the side of the penalty area and it's there teams do the job on us, regain the ball and get back out. Then we are back pedalling big style trying to stop the counter because the wingbacks are so far up we haven't got a traditional 'back four' who defend in a line. We then get panicked fail to get a fucking grip on the game and return, strangely, to the same predictable tactic of playing it out wide. It's only when NDaiye gets the ball at his feet he takes player on and goes round them. None of our midfield, even Doyle and McAtee, seem to have that confidence or quality to one-two round their opponents or even burst past at speed with the ball close at feet. Every time we get the bal it's humped forward to Jebbison. somewhere near McBurnie or up into space for Sharp to chase on his own and hang onto until support arrives.

Eventually our pattern is so readable it only takes a few instructions from the opposition dugout and we are clean out of ideas.

It's THAT predictable.

pommpey

Totally agree, we desperately need another midfield player with that capability. Berger does it at times, but not often enough.
And I would come back to my original point, when the ball does get lumped forward which at times we need to do, there is no way that our midfield with Doyle and McAtee in it will win the second ball.