Tynan, Hawkins and Moore

[David Holden]

With De Bolla not fully fit, this may be the time to drop Luke back into midfield behind Chukki and Rafa.

[Slartibartfast]

When Luke plays in that role he does have the ability to get ahead of the forwards, Liam Coleman is probably the only other midfielder we have who will run past the front two.

 

[Ebbsfleet Fan Jamie]

I would try nade instead of chucki for a couple of games, luke is playing well, but chucki im not sure about. if luke playes in midfield behind chucki and nade we will not have a striker on the bench

[Hempstead Gaz]

Originally Posted By: Slartibartfast

Originally Posted By: Chatham Gary

This was clearly a day when available players dictated the 3-5-2, and Satanage exploited the gaps behind our wing backs.

As a point of interest C.G. had everyone been available do you really think we would have played anything other than 3-5-2?

My views on 3-5-2 are well documented. When it is working, we look like we can beat any team in the league. However, some teams play 2 wide men in forward positions (as Satanage did), bomb the ball down the line into the channels and we cannot deal with it and look like a pub side.
When this happens, it is vital we change our system to cope and adapt, ie go 4-4-2 with proper full backs tucking in and not having to push up to support the midfield.
That isn't just my view, it is in virtually every coaching manual and should be LD's first instinct.
Sadly, if LD does have a fault, he rarely adapts the team play quickly enough.
That said, giving our defensive injury crisis, there appeared precious little LD could have done.
As an armchair manager, I might have pushed Slatter to right back and gone 442 that way.
That is my theory, for what it is worth, and clearly is open to debate.

[David Holden]

I thought that's Liam's biggest fault was that he didn't accept that Sodje was a God

[Slartibartfast]

I thought Liams biggest fault was not making his substitutions early enough

[Slartibartfast]

Personally I think the players are much more important than the formation.

For instance if we had had Ricketts and Opinel as our two wide midfielders we would bo doubt have been stronger defensively although possibly when they are played the formation should be called 5:3:2.

When DeBolla and Long are playing well 3:5:2 looks a good attacking formation when they aren't it seems like the forwards are isolated and the midfield get bypassed.

 

 

[Hempstead Gaz]

Your second paragraph emphasises the problem exactly, Slarti.

When we bypass the midfield we are often awful, when we ping it around, we can be excellent.

With 5 in thje midddle, do you not feel that things can get a bit crowded? Who is the holding player, who attacks, who is the playmaker?

With 4, the roles are much more precisely defined, whether you play a flat 4, or in a diamond?

With 5, you can have the option of being defensive , with Ricketts and Slasher, or attacking, with Mcfee and Purcell.

It rather depends on the opposition, and also player availability.

So far this year, the latter hasn't been an option.

[eufckev]

Just because we lose 1-0 to a team who's doing well in form, all this starts off, all the moaning of replacing players to different positions or reducing them to the sub bench etc etc etc.

 

Why?

 

Are we not allowed to lose or something? Fair enough, no one likes losing, but it's part of the game. You have to be a good loser to be a good winner, and vice versa.

Let's just get behind the lads week in, week out, and at least point out the positive aspects of a match, win, draw or loose. If we did score them two late goals, then this topic would be full of good comments, and there wouldnt be any talk of replacing players and changing their positions.

 

Remember, Liam Daish is the manager, he trains them up nearly every day, he knows what their abilities are in terms of skills, positioning etc etc etc, more than what us fans do. Liam Daish knows who his best team is on the day.

[Bill Kent]

Sensible post Kevin

[Matt (GNFC)]

While i dont think we have a bad squad i have been a little shocked that we havent added more depth to the striking unit. Charlie was a huge loss and for me despite what has been said on here, Onome Sodje, i believe, was a bigger loss as he was only going to get better and better. We have only replaced him with Nade so in effect we are one striker light and we lost our two best strikers. Luke isnt and out and out goalscorer, Chukki isnt at this level and Rafas always proved hit and miss for other clubs. I worry about where the goals are coming from, LD said at the start of the season that it was upto others to chip in, which is what so far they have been doing but thats not necessarily going to get us enough goals to win games over the course of the season.

[Hirsty]

Don't include me in the "moaning" reference please.

 

One good thing did come out of Saturday ( apart from having too many beers !). I went in The Rose pub ( is it Wood St. or Rose St. ?) for a pint or six to watch the Sheff Wed game, upon which we will not dwell apart to say that I always thought that when a defender played the ball with his arm to keep it out of the attacker's way in the penalty area that a penalty would be the conclusion of the incident....or am I getting old ??...anyway...can I just say that I thought it was a great boozer....nice & clean, friendly people, good tv, good bogs !! ..and Strongbow !!

 

I will return.....

 

Cheers,

 

 

[Ian_D]

Talking on penalties, what was everyones view of Macca's sending off?

 

Cameraman, any clear footage?

 

Personally judging from the the players reactions, especially Tynans, and the Stevenage fans, I dont think it was.

Hopefully Macca will appeal and his card overturned otherwise I can see up getting in trouble for the next three games....

[David Holden]

Originally Posted By: Ian_D

Talking on penalties, what was everyones view of Macca's sending off?

Cameraman, any clear footage?

Personally judging from the the players reactions, especially Tynans, and the Stevenage fans, I dont think it was.
Hopefully Macca will appeal and his card overturned otherwise I can see up getting in trouble for the next three games....

One game!

[Alan W (GNFC)]

I honestly didnt think we were that bad on SAturday. If you take the number of saves each keeper had to make, it must have been pretty even and the corner count doesnt suggest we were outplayed either. Yes - I accept they played the better, slicker football and going forward, they were good. They also probably had more clear cut chances than us, but that said, McPhee virtually cut out the threat down our right in the second half (I feel he deserves more credit than he gets for his performances, given that he's slotted pretty well into the right back/ midfield position, when he seemingly was a striker before he joined us). Lets praise LD for switching him to that position in the second half, even if he perhaps should have played McPhee there from the start (The other right back option was, of course, sat on the bench (Starkey) and given that he is supposedly a natural right back, it may have been worth taking a chance on him given our injury issues, although it may have meant leaving Slatter or De Bolla on the bench).

 

I only saw the last 15 mins of their game with Oxford the previous Monday, but their wingers were stretching Oxford as well, so its no disgrace for our makeshift defence having found it hard as well.

 

As others have said, though, why do our fans criticise so much after 1 defeat? I heard people whinging how bad we were near the tea hut and how disjointed we were, but for goodness sake, how many 1st choice players are out injured? Even the replacement right back we brought in a week ago (Goodhind) managed to get injured at Cambridge. Bear in mind as well that De Bolla and Slatter probably werent fully match fit and most should surely understand how we wont have performed at our best.

 

Lets just hope the lads get back on track tomorrow night against Histon - it wont be a walkover, but if we had a choice of teams to play after a loss at home, Histon would , I suspect, be amongst them. I'll still settle for a 1-0 win, though!

 

Incidentally, the other thing that hasnt been mentioned was the poor attendance again on Saturday - just 1201, when Stevenage had brought 300(?)- dreadful! ( I know its brought up regularly & like everyone else, I dont know the answer to attracting more)

 

 

[The Truth]

Originally Posted By: Kevin - EUFC TIL I DIE!

Just because we lose 1-0 to a team who's doing well in form, all this starts off, all the moaning of replacing players to different positions or reducing them to the sub bench etc etc etc.

Why?

Could it possibly be because this is a forum to discuss Ebbsfleet United?

[Graham S]

Originally Posted By: Alan W (GNFC)

Lets just hope the lads get back on track tomorrow night against Histon - it wont be a walkover, but if we had a choice of teams to play after a loss at home, Histon would , I suspect, be amongst them. I'll still settle for a 1-0 win, though!

Incidentally, the other thing that hasnt been mentioned was the poor attendance again on Saturday - just 1201, when Stevenage had brought 300(?)- dreadful! ( I know its brought up regularly & like everyone else, I dont know the answer to attracting more)

Histon beat Salisbury 2-0 on Saturday, so I'm not so sure they're amongst my favourites, if we again have to field a side & formation largely dictated by injuries. An ugly 1-0 win, secured by the daftest own goal in living memory will suit me fine, too.

Personally, I thought Satanage looked very good - some excellent passing in midfield & an ability to launch incisive attacks very quickly. I can see them staying in the top 2 & am only amazed that Crawley managed to beat them on the opening game of the season.

The attendance - yes, extremely disappointing; I wouldn't be surprised to see it well under 900 tomorrow. A really good FA Cup run with mega tv exposure might swell the gates, with some of the extras just being impressed enough to stick with us. (Hmm. Memories of the 600 odd who turned up to watch us beat Cheltenham, a week after an alleged 10,000 had travelled to Villa Park, comes to mind here. And let's not dwell on what's likely to happen when we are drawn away to Kettering or Lewes in the final qualifying round.)

Graham S

[jc]

Originally Posted By: Chatham Gary

In truth, we were given a good lesson in how to keep posession, pass accurately, and run into the channels where full Backs ought to have been, but weren't... Satanage exploited the gaps behind our wing backs.

Disturbingly, this analysis could equally be applied to last season's meetings with Stevenage.

Originally Posted By: 1 TOOTH

also purcell looks out of his depth,he had a mare on monday and was not much better yesterday.

But the game before, against Halifax, he put in a man-of-the-match display - it's more a question of consistency and being a young player who's developing than being 'out of his depth'.

Originally Posted By: Hirsty

can I just say that I thought it was a great boozer....nice & clean, friendly people, good tv, good bogs !! ..and Strongbow !!

Don't go telling everyone, Hirsty - the quality of that pub is the secret of only a select few Fleet fans!

[Hempstead Gaz]

Originally Posted By: jc

Originally Posted By: Chatham Gary

In truth, we were given a good lesson in how to keep posession, pass accurately, and run into the channels where full Backs ought to have been, but weren't... Satanage exploited the gaps behind our wing backs.

Disturbingly, this analysis could equally be applied to last season's meetings with Stevenage.

Even more disturbing, JC, was that that we were also undone by the same tactics against Weymuff, Sarfport and Kiddies.

On this occaision, I do have a great deal of sympathy for LD in that his selection and formation does appear to be largely governed by who is the least injured of his squad.

Where we have not improved from last year though, is our ability to adapt to the particular methods of play of opposition.
We have a plan A, but we rarely use plan B, because there doesn't appear to be one.

I do take some heart from Saturdays performance, though - last year we would probably have gone down by 3 goals, against Satanage we fought to the end, and indeed could have snatched an (underserved) equaliser.

Another worry is our increasing injury list. Are we simply unlucky, or is it a fitness/training thing.
Chatting to an ex special forces friend last night, they would run on a sandy beach for up to an hour, 4 or 5 times a week, and he admitted that extra training gave him legs of steel. I have heard this type of thing was done by Brighton players on Brighton beach. Perhaps LD could get the lads down to Gravesend prom and jog on the beach there!!!

[Bloodnock]

Does Macca get suspended for one game or three?

DH intimated earlier that it was only one game or am I mistaken?