Today

[super_pig]

I'm amazed people are kicking off so much. Weir needs time to completely rebuild us ala O'Deiscoll at Donny. We must be patient.

the writing is on the wall mate.. read it or ignore it

 

[TAMUS]

I beg your pardon , i never promised you a Rose Garden .

 

[JohnDenver]

the writing is on the wall mate.. read it or ignore it

The writing hasn't changed recently. We'll sell any player of value given an offer, and will continue to do so until someone subdidises us again. If we make it to promotion in these circumstances it'll be a huge achievement.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

I don't think KMac would have made must difference as we rarely ot the ball forward in the first half( no shots at all in the first 40 minutes( and the second half we seemed to bypass central midfield.

To explain, I felt the first 20 mins the players were trying to adjust to his absence. There were a few instances where we got the ball to Coady and he just wasn't strong enough. Had K-Mac been able to take a few touches, the likes of Brandy & Murphy could have been getting the ball in the final third, rather than having to run with the ball from the halfway line. Coady only started to offer anything in the 2nd half, and Taylor was incapable of holding the ball throughout. We didn't have anyone to link up the play. That wasn't the only problem, but using the ball a bit better those first 20 mins might have changed the confidence levels a bit.

 

[super_pig]

The writing hasn't changed recently. We'll sell any player of value given an offer, and will continue to do so until someone subdidises us again. If we make it to promotion in these circumstances it'll be a huge achievement.

i meant for this season. 'that' writing about selling anyone at any price any time has been in neon lights since jones and birchenall left

 

[super_pig]

I beg your pardon , i never promised you a Rose Garden .

ear worm alert
too late.. shit.. i probably deserved it

 

[TAMUS]

Along with the sunshine , theirs got to be a little Rain sometime .

 

[Blade59]

It is of course important that we don't over react based on one performance. However we need to recognise the warning signs that are clearly there. Against Notts County we played some nice passing football , albeit against ten men for most of the game. Despite our domination however we rarely tested their keeper until the last five minutes and lacked a real threat up front. The Burton game was a typical United league cup performance of recent years and probably best quickly forgotten. Yesterday listening to the commentary and reading comments and reports from people who saw the game it was clear we couldn't compete with them from first minute to last. As their fans sang, they were simply to good for us. I couldn't name their keeper as the commentator never needed to mention him. In addition to yesterday we have the Kmac situation and whatever people say about him DW has clearly designed our style play around him.

So where does that all leave us. If Kmac goes we either have to find a suitable replacement (unlikely) or alter the style of play to suit the squad we have left. Either way we need to address the total lack of a goal threat throughout the team. We also need to be able to adapt the style away from home to prevent us been overrun as we were yesterday. A box to box midfielder would probably help here. As we stand there are probably enough poor teams to see us mid table but our lack of goals will see us unlikely to challenge seriously for the play offs which is where I think we should be aiming.

 

[Foxy]

As their fans sang, they were simply to good for us.

I didn't think they actually showed that much and I was expecting them to look better.

They'll be a strong side this year, but we simply didn't turn up (barring a few minutes), so they didn't really need to look good.

 

[Guesty]

Just seen the goals. Never mind their second, what the hell was McGinn doing for the first? He was just jogging casually as Forshaw ran through.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

Listened to radio commentary and watched highlights.....

Bad day at the office, end of. They started brightly and we seemed far too relaxed. Once they get onto the front foot we couldn't seem to build any momentum ourselves.

First goal was well taken, maybe we could have got tighter. Second goal was a gift and McGinn will just have to try and learn from that mistake and not dwell on it, shit happens.

Overall we didn't seem to play with the same urgency and attacking intent. We didn't press the opposition like we did against Notts County. Just need to work on consistency, its a project so we need to patient it won't click overnight.

 

[Hartley Hare]

My overall impression from a few minutes of highlights is how slow our players seemed. Just jogging back, they did not appear to be making any effort to keep up with play.

Sloppy and shocking. What a contrast to the Notts County game.

 

[Kenilworth]

Here's another take on it from my observations yesterday.
If I was a manager picking a first team XI from the players on show yesterday the only ones I would pick wearing the rose and sea cutlasses would be Long, Collins and Brandy.
Tells you all you need to know.

 

[Highbury_Blade]

George Long's penalty save looks better every time i see it.

 

[Racy]

How did anybody expect us to perform yesterday with all the crap flying around about McDonald.

If he was injured it doesn't rock moral situations like this do.

 

[alcoblade]

How did anybody expect us to perform yesterday with all the crap flying around about McDonald.

If he was injured it doesn't rock moral situations like this do.

If we can't perform because we might be selling a player then we might as well all pack up now.

UTB

 

[Toronto Blade]

Not to worry the trendy phrase is patience the club is in transition.
The board should be able to push and hide behind that one for a few years at least.

 

[Guesty]

Not to worry the trendy phrase is patience the club is in transition.
The board should be able to push and hide behind that one for a few years at least.

Transitioning into not being a club at all, perhaps.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

Did anyone seriously think that we were going to piss the league and win every week? I said on here after the Notts County game that there would be days like yesterday. New manager, new system, new players and working within a much tighter budget.

Football fans are ridiculous. One win and optimism is sky high, one defeat and we're going to be relegated/not have a club.

 

[Rodley]

Not to worry the trendy phrase is patience the club is in transition.
The board should be able to push and hide behind that one for a few years at least.

I think chucking the toys out of the pram after any defeat, sale, transfer rumour etc is still universally popular mate.

 

[Rodley]

It is of course important that we don't over react based on one performance. However we need to recognise the warning signs that are clearly there. Against Notts County we played some nice passing football , albeit against ten men for most of the game. Despite our domination however we rarely tested their keeper until the last five minutes and lacked a real threat up front. The Burton game was a typical United league cup performance of recent years and probably best quickly forgotten. Yesterday listening to the commentary and reading comments and reports from people who saw the game it was clear we couldn't compete with them from first minute to last. As their fans sang, they were simply to good for us. I couldn't name their keeper as the commentator never needed to mention him. In addition to yesterday we have the Kmac situation and whatever people say about him DW has clearly designed our style play around him.

So where does that all leave us. If Kmac goes we either have to find a suitable replacement (unlikely) or alter the style of play to suit the squad we have left. Either way we need to address the total lack of a goal threat throughout the team. We also need to be able to adapt the style away from home to prevent us been overrun as we were yesterday. A box to box midfielder would probably help here. As we stand there are probably enough poor teams to see us mid table but our lack of goals will see us unlikely to challenge seriously for the play offs which is where I think we should be aiming.

Didn't we have over 20 shots against Notts?!

 

[Highbury_Blade]

Didn't we have over 20 shots against Notts?!

 

[alcoblade]

Football fans are ridiculous. One win and optimism is sky high, one defeat and we're going to be relegated/not have a club.

Spot on.

We weren't very good before Notts County. We're still not very good. Lots of work to do.

UTB

 

[awblade]

Defenders were taking too much time on the ball between passes, especially as Brentford's forwards and midfielders were closing them down straight away. We were always seeming to play ourselves into trouble because of it.

Also we are much too lightweight, obviously I don't want any of the players to be like Kitson was, some strength so they are not so easily knocked off the ball would be nice though.

Like people have previously mentioned, there are warning signs but nothing too drastic to worry about....yet. After we scored we were massively on top for the next few minutes and it looked like we were the team who would win, then they got a goal from nowhere and never looked back.

Final point, if Weir has built the team around McDonald with no one who can take his position is pretty stupid, as he made it clear he was looking to move elsewhere. And continuing that, to me, Weir looked a bit lost as he walked out for second half. Not sure what others thought of him??

 

[LoughboroBlade]

Final point, if Weir has built the team around McDonald with no one who can take his position is pretty stupid, as he made it clear he was looking to move elsewhere. And continuing that, to me, Weir looked a bit lost as he walked out for second half. Not sure what others thought of him??

He certainly looked the part from where I was sat - and was continually in conversation with his two assistants, generally staying enthusiastic and calm. Lost his rag a bit with some of the decisions first half (particularly our first booking after a Brentford player had only had a talking to for a worse challenge, McCormack I think). Quite the contrast though to Rosler, who alternated between being extremely quiet and screaming at his players. After one error in the first half by their left back, he simply yelled "What the f**k was he thinking?!" to the amusement of most in the stand.

One person that was completely absent from the bench was Morgan. Has he been completely cut off from the first team? Thought I'd read on here that he was still involved in the pre-match warm-ups with the back 4.

 

[Blade59]

Yes according to the stats. However how many of those caused the keeper to make a serious save. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the performance against Notts and thought our approach play was really good. The problem was that most of the final attempts on goal lacked any conviction and didn't trouble the keeper. Maybe this is something that can be improved in training but we do seem to lack players who will take the ultimately responsibility in the final third of putting the ball in the back of the net.

Didn't we have over 20 shots against Notts?!

 

[bladesadviser]

All this talk of transition and rebuilding is fine but for how long can we do this. If Weir fails to get us out of this league in the next two seasons we will have been in this league for 4 years, then who comes in? Then the whole process starts again and we are in the league for 6 years, 8 years.Attendances drop to 12/13k, sponsor money is less, we are not an attraction for the rare occasions that Sky film a game in our league and suddenly League 1 (or the third division) becomes our natural home

I am not saying Weir is the wrong man for the job but we can't as a club become anyone's start on the career ladder whilst not moving upwards.

 

[highpeakblade]

Went yesterday and I'm not all totally doom and gloom after all we weren't totally terrible however for me we weren't set up right and weren't up for it as much and were beaten by the better team on the day by a country mile.

In comparison to Notts County for me we were defensively set up, whether this was down to no McDonald linking up with and sitting behind the striker I don't know but we weren't as attacking minded and we didn't put the ball around as well as we did last week which was disappointing.

Another huge disappointment for me was how despite having an extra man in midfield we still got bossed and at times they walked straight through us to go on to the attack, at times Grigg and Donaldson dropped deeper to win stuff in there but overall we just didn't handle it all as well as we should have especially on the deck.

Brentford's front two and the number 4 in midfield were the cut above the rest and won the game for them. We found ourselves a bit deeper again and going forward despite a bit of early optimism we showed nothing for the most.

Looking at the player ratings I'm surprised to see such high ratings for Maguire and Collins. Overall the back four for me couldn't handle their front two. Maguire made a couple of important challenges but was outpaced and outskilled with trickery and again turned inside out a few times.

If we are to carry on playing with 1 up front we need an attacking midfielder should we be without McDonald, the only ofther option is to revert to 2 up front with Taylor and Porter. Honeymoon perios over and too many casualties yesterday against a team who were up for it.

Not the end of the day but lots to work on and would have liked Weir to have looked at changing it a bit earlier, we were obviously losing the battle in midfield at times and didn't have many outlets going forward. Porter and McFadzean deserved a longer run out.

P.S I couldn't get used to us in that kit yesterday what so ever. Didn't like seeing us in it and it almost made me feel uncomfortable.

 

[Latters]

The only transition we are seeing is the sale of better players and their place in the squad being taken by sub-standard no-marks that nobody has ever heard of. The squad is worsening on a six-monthly basis. This is not a good foundation on which to "rebuild".

 

[Foxy]

P.S I couldn't get used to us in that kit yesterday what so ever. Didn't like seeing us in it and it almost made me feel uncomfortable.

We said similar on Twitter. I suppose it's one of those things we'll get used to, but it seemed a bit wrong.

We've drastically changed colours before, but it didn't feel like this

Guess it didn't help subconsciously that we were also playing a side in red and white.