This is not Clough's fault

[alcoblade]

We will..but I must say that in my opinion, Colin or Evans not the answer either.

Maybe, maybe not, but I'd wager their 12 promotions against all the other nonsense that'll be used to choose the next manager.

UTB

 

[yuley82]

No, but you can't say that about any manager. Do you think Cotteril has made mistakes? Yes, but he's got the team to cover those errors up. A manager is only as good as his players.

And who brought those players in?

 

[Lane Ender]

I recall him being fairly solid. The next home game he played though (vs QPR?) I think he was tactically subbed at h/t.

Take the point above that this example was a necessity due to injuries though, rather than choice as happened today. Clough's post-match suggested he was keen to give McGahey a break though, while highlighting how he's exceeded expectations this season.

I thought he looked like he'd just come out of Sunday League that day

 

[Captain]

Wallace, JCR, McGhey, Alcock, all shit?
3 of that 4 are in the highest average rated in games this season but shit?

All shit? Results , performances , league position ! This type of player won't worry opposition sides! Now if Ched was playing that would put fear in the likes of Bristol City, Posh and even MK Dons.

 

[Hartley Hare]

Who is Ched?

 

[Cyprus Blade]

I have said it before and I'll say it again - our transfer "department" is woefully inadequate and needs sorting out big-time. No point throwing money at them because they wouldn't know where to spend it or where to look for players. We have about 12 weeks to get organised for the January window - on the evidence of TDD and the loans windows I am not optimistic.

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

All shit? Results , performances , league position ! This type of player won't worry opposition sides! Now if Ched was playing that would put fear in the likes of Bristol City, Posh and even MK Dons.

A player who hasn't kicked a ball professionally for over 30 months and had has one impressive season in his career?
I think the opposition will very much fear a fit and firing Wallace, JCR, Baxter, Scougs, and Murphy in league one.

 

[Captain]

Clough didn't sign Baxter or Murphy! Squad poorer than last seasons without a doubt, need to attract players from higher divisions not those playing for struggling 1st/2nd division sides.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

I thought he looked like he'd just come out of Sunday League that day

Out of sheer curiosity, I thought I'd take a quick look at Deadbat's ratings from that game. Rather than just give Collins's, and as we all need to be reminded of better times, here's the lot:

Kenny 7/10 – Actually had very little to do from start to finish. Dealt with most things well although errant punch at end could have led to a goal.

Kozluk 8/10 – Excellent. Numerous blocks, tackles and a big goal line clearance at the end. Thought he played very well today and showed no little skill in a committed performance.

Armstrong 7/10 – Did alright defensively. His distribution was up and down but he has come in and done quite well and Unsworth won’t be an automatic returnee.

Collins 7/10 – Did alright to say it was his first start. He looked comfortable enough against a poor side. He will be tested more severely in the weeks to come but he came through his first test.

Morgan 8/10 – Determined performance. He won most things in the air and like Kozluk got in a lot of blocks and clearances. An old fashioned defensive display but led by example. Considering he was a major doubt that makes his performance even more impressive.

Jagielka 7/10 – Still needs to do more but broke up enough of the play and made enough tackles and breaks forward. An improved performance from the other night. Solid if not spectacular.

Tonge 8/10 – Excellent again. Great goal and some really astute passes. Rarely wasted the ball and technically very good. Probably the most gifted player on the pitch in terms of what he did on the ball.

Montgomery 7/10 – Like Jags, he won tackles, and helped us control a lot of loose balls. He was not outstanding but covered a lot of ground as he always does and generally maximum effort in a game like today is enough when everyone distribution was generally poor.

Ifill 7/10 – Up and down performance. Sometimes showed an excellent touch and looked dangerous

Dyer 7.5/10 – Like the other night, his touch and hold up play was excellent. He also linked play very well but his miss in the second half was a bad moment and could have sealed the victory long before it was ensured. Worked well with Ade.

Akinbiyi 7.5/10 – Harried and worried the Wednesday defenders. He held the ball up well and also looked a genuine threat. Could have had a few goals with far easier chances than the corker he smashed in. He did cause a hell a lot of problems for Coughlan and Bullen and was actually physically too strong for Coughlan on a couple of occasions.

Subs :

Horsfield, Geary and Flitcroft – All came on at varying stages in the last 10 minutes as United sought to close out the game and helped us to hold on to our lead (just!).

 

[ThatJa]

Clough wanted 14 signings, he got 14 signings, forgot about them ones.....................

 

[Lution Mckenzie]

everyone a bit down because we lost the "derby" .. lol .. This has been said since the start of the season.. Clough is the HEAD COACH therefor his job is to motivate and get the team playing how he wants them to play.. Now if there are board restrictions, SO WHAT.. are we really a team that only show fight when we go behind or for the last five minutes of the game? Clough isn't doing his job properly, simple as that.. There's no denying we have some very good talent within the squad.. Flynn and Murphy showed that last season and look at them now.. Murphy had a slow start and Flynn looks like a different player.. So who do we blame a players lack of previous form on? The board? lol .. I think not pals, Clough is the manager, its his job to work with what he is given since he took the job in the first place.. I doubt the board will have coaxed him in on a load of bull'.

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

Clough didn't sign Baxter or Murphy! Squad poorer than last seasons without a doubt, need to attract players from higher divisions not those playing for struggling 1st/2nd division sides.

Highly improbable comment.
How can the squad possibly be weaker? We had no forward for starters. You think the midfield squad is weaker? How so?

 

[Blackheath Blade]

everyone a bit down because we lost the "derby" .. lol .. This has been said since the start of the season.. Clough is the HEAD COACH therefor his job is to motivate and get the team playing how he wants them to play.. Now if there are board restrictions, SO WHAT.. are we really a team that only show fight when we go behind or for the last five minutes of the game? Clough isn't doing his job properly, simple as that.. There's no denying we have some very good talent within the squad.. Flynn and Murphy showed that last season and look at them now.. Murphy had a slow start and Flynn looks like a different player.. So who do we blame a players lack of previous form on? The board? lol .. I think not pals, Clough is the manager, its his job to work with what he is given since he took the job in the first place.. I doubt the board will have coaxed him in on a load of bull'.

At least you've not called Clough an idiot this week.

 

[alcoblade]

Highly improbable comment.
How can the squad possibly be weaker? We had no forward for starters. You think the midfield squad is weaker? How so?

The squad isn't weaker but the team is. Right now that's all that matters.

UTB

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

The squad isn't weaker but the team is. Right now that's all that matters.

UTB

I really don't believe the team is weaker either.
You put a settled striker in that team and its significantly stronger. As it is with Wallace for Coady there's no much in it, apart from we have McNulty or Hogdon rather than a midfielder thrown up there.
Wallace, Doyle, JCR, Baxter, Murphy/Scoogs, McNulty/Higdon.
You think that's weaker than last season?

 

[yuley82]

I think we can all agree clough signed quantity over quality.

 

[alcoblade]

I really don't believe the team is weaker either.
You put a settled striker in that team and its significantly stronger. As it is with Wallace for Coady there's no much in it, apart from we have McNulty or Hogdon rather than a midfielder thrown up there.

A bit wishful there Bob. Wallace might have it in him to be as good or better than Coady, but you can't take the good bits and multiply by 1,000 if only the bad bit weren't there. Being a crock is a factor, and right now he is. Coady was reliable. We're like butter at the back now - losing at £2M player has, no shit Sherlock, weakened there. And Brayford was like another attacker.

Take out JCR and you have to google all our signings. I don't think there's ever been summer transfer activity as uninspiring. Game changing it certainly wasn't.

Playing the way we do, the attackers are a bit irrelevant. We just don't do enough of it, unless we're trailing. And that's possibly where we agree. My faith in the management has started to wither.

UTB

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

Nobody would have said Coady was consistent or reliable at this stage of last season.

 

[alcoblade]

Nobody would have said Coady was consistent or reliable at this stage of last season.

If our benchmark is the utter shite that Weir served up, then we can agree we've improved on last year, and settle for 17th spot.

UTB

 

[Lution Mckenzie]

At least you've not called Clough an idiot this week.

He's a complete Clown this week thats why

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

If our benchmark is the utter shite that Weir served up, then we can agree we've improved on last year, and settle for 17th spot.

UTB

Just comparing like for like.
At this stage last year Coady was no better than Wallace. Who's to say how good Wallace could be, he's looked like he has the potential to certainly match Coady.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

I don't want Clough to leave - I think he is as good as we'll get for the foreseeable future.
However - you can't absolve him from blame completely. He had the whole summer to get "his" players in, and he did - lots of them. Enough for a whole team. The club have indicated that they gave him the funds he asked for.
I think he's spread the money too thinly, buying several squad players rather than the 2-3 of genuine quality that we actually needed. None of the new guys (except possibly Alcock) have performed well over a few games yet.
The Butler episode hints at problems behind the scenes as well.

A lot of blame needs to be placed at the door of Simon Clough, he's paid to advise his brother who to sign.

 

[alcoblade]

Just comparing like for like.
At this stage last year Coady was no better than Wallace. Who's to say how good Wallace could be, he's looked like he has the potential to certainly match Coady.

Oh, I agree with that. But come the end of the season, we knew what we had with Coady. We don't know what we've got with Wallace.

UTB

 

[BornOnShorehamStreet]

I really don't believe the team is weaker either.
You put a settled striker in that team and its significantly stronger. As it is with Wallace for Coady there's no much in it, apart from we have McNulty or Hogdon rather than a midfielder thrown up there.
Wallace, Doyle, JCR, Baxter, Murphy/Scoogs, McNulty/Higdon.
You think that's weaker than last season?

One thing, how many consecutive matches have we seen the same 11 start.

It would be a good thing if we could get some consistency there first IMHO

 

[Bladesmanstan]

How many consecutive matches have we left it til last 10mins to score except orient

 

[alcoblade]

How many consecutive matches have we left it til last 10mins to score except orient

Yep, a big problem. Just not grabbing games by the scruff of the neck. Reactive and negative. That's the manager's fault.

UTB

 

[Kev Gee]

Before anyone starts even mentioning him leaving.

I'm a great fan of Clough, I think he reads the game well and knows the game inside out. However, what can he do? No manager can achieve greatness with one (or two) hands tied behind his back. He wanted Freeman and Bennett - we got neither. He wanted 3 on TDD - he got none of them. Clough identified what me wanted for promotion and it wasn't given to him.

Many people complaining about our 'negative' approach to games. What do you expect? We can't play expansive football if we don't have expansive players. It doesn't help that we get threads such as 'do we need loans', which is probably the same thought as our beloved board.

I think it's a crying shame for Clough, as we finally have a great, likeable manager and the club have not delivered the backing to provide him with success. It's dark days for our club at the moment. This is not a knee-jerk post, to today's result, just pre-empting a growing 'Clough out' brigade starting to slag him off for not having us in the top 2.

Not good enough from our club, a shame for Clough and a greater shame for us suckers who turn up week in week out.

100% agreed.

Be careful what you wish for.
Give him time. He will come through for us.

 

[grafikhaus]

How many consecutive matches have we left it til last 10mins to score except orient

Only two now (scored v. Swindon after 66 mins.), but I get your point. I started this chart...



...because, last season we were particularly poor at getting late goals (after game 40, we'd only scored three goals in the last ten minutes). So it would be simplistic to suggest that this season's stats. show improved fitness/determination. So far this season, we've been in front for just 75 minutes. We've been behind for 299 minutes. As we know, the visiting goalie at home games may as well bring a deck chair for the first half. So therefore, we only 'get going' when we fall behind. In fact, we've only scored 3 first-half (League) goals so far - the last one being at Preston. We've scored 12 second-half goals. Summat's wrong.

Or, as we saw yesterday, too little, too late. We've got away with it in the Rochdale and Gillingham games, but the margins are too tight for comfort.

 

[grafikhaus]

Yep, a big problem. Just not grabbing games by the scruff of the neck. Reactive and negative. That's the manager's fault.

UTB

In a nutshell, alco. Reactive and negative. Remember the Crawley game? Despite (disgracefully) time-wasting with about ten minutes left, Crawley had a shot deep into injury time which struck Higdon on the line. As I've said, we've 'winged it' too many times so far this season. We're not in control of our own destiny.

 

[Guesty]

A player who hasn't kicked a ball professionally for over 30 months and had has one impressive season in his career?
I think the opposition will very much fear a fit and firing Wallace, JCR, Baxter, Scougs, and Murphy in league one.

The first half of this post, I couldn't agree with more.

However I find the idea that other teams will be scared of Scougs a bit hard to swallow - the boy just isn't all that. And a fully fit Wallace is like the Easter bunny or the second gunman behind the grassy knoll - a fiction, a myth.