The Robins Nest Forum

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yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssss !! get in 1-0

Nesty wrote:yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssss !! get in 1-0

Well done lads, gutted I'm missing this one, positive 1st half according to radio. Plenty of 2nd half options on the bench too. Let's see it through [THUMBS UP SIGN]

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we are missing Mullins & Boyle at the back, and need to pug central midfield by the sound of it

We dominated the first half and deserved to be ahead, while they looked dangerous on the break. Second half was much more even and it wasn't a great surprise when we fell behind, although there were individual errors for all of the goals I think. They looked like scoring every time they attacked tbh and we never looked like getting back in the game once we'd gone behind.

Desperately need Boyle or Mullins back, and the loss of Atangana is massive. Midfield looked really lightweight without him and both Thomas & Maddox were poor & short of ideas. You really don't want both of those in the same midfield - this has to be a priority or we'll be fighting for our lives again. Some tidy play from Waters when he came on so hopefully this move will work.

We were really good first 30 minutes and moved the ball around brilliantly. We looked easily the better team.

Second half we lacked leadership on the pitch and lost our shape and got punished. I said the same last week our record with Maddox in the side is appaling I fail to see what he offers other than a few nice touches. We need a couple of combative midfielders who can put their foot in and organise the team.

Yet the ‘poor’ Thomas produced what I read was a great assist, so without him we may not have gone in front?

Yeovil, Cambridge and Macclesfield all winning away from home. Just five points the gap now between us and Macclesfield.

We have to fill the defensive holes. Was Hussey playing in the central three? If so, not only is it a full-back out of position it is our most effective attacking player nullified as well. I would rather play Bower in the middle so we at least keep Hussey’s wing play and crossing.

And getting in CBs would allow Tozer to move forward to fill Nigel’s role. Preferably for Maddox - has even made an assist this season, let alone scored? Even injured players like Dawson and ex-players like Mooney have better stats than Maddox! Whereas Thomas is our joint second League scorer with four goals from 16 appearances (Ty has four from 21).

Could someone who knows their stats let me know what the win/lose/draw stats are for the last 15 games with and without Maddox starting in the team?

RegencyCheltenhamSpa wrote:Yet the ‘poor’ Thomas produced what I read was a great assist, so without him we may not have gone in front?

Yeovil, Cambridge and Macclesfield all winning away from home. Just five points the gap now between us and Macclesfield.

We have to fill the defensive holes. Was Hussey playing in the central three? If so, not only is it a full-back out of position it is out most effective attacking player nullified as well. I would rather play Bower in the middle so we at least keep Hussey’s wing play and crossing.

And getting in CBs would allow Tozer to move forward to fill Nigel’s role. Preferably for Maddox - has even made an assist this season, let alone scored? Even Dawson, Mooney and McAlinden have better stats than Maddox!

Thomas may have got the assist but that does not stop him giving an overall poor perfrormance.

Hussey started on the left of the back 3, and moved to wing back when Bower came on. Pring did ok I though, couple of mistakes but generally ok.

Tozer started the season playing just in front of the defence and did not perform well. He may be worth trying there when Boyle or Mullins get back. I'm not sure Bower has the experience yet to play in the centre of a back 3.

Waters was busy when he came on but I did not think he really threatened, and usually ended up losing the ball. For me he's too much like Addai/Broome/Maddox and is the solution to a problem we don't have.

We really need someone who can replace Atangana.

Ben3 wrote:Could someone who knows their stats let me know what the win/lose/draw stats are for the last 15 games with and without Maddox starting in the team?

By my reckoning, in the last 15 league games:

Maddox plays whole game: 3 loss, 1 draw, 0.25 ppg

Maddox starts but is taken off: 3 win, 1 loss, 1 draw, 2 ppg

Maddox comes on as sub: 1 draw, 1 ppg

Maddox does not feature: 2 win, 1 loss, 2 draw, 1.4 ppg

Combine the first three categories and total record when Maddox features: 3 win, 3 draw, 4 loss, 1.2 ppg.

Proper game of two halves that. Thought we looked very good first half and could have been more than 1-0 at the break. We started the second half fine then got caught on the counter attacked when pressing for the killer goal. After that their tails went up and they went from offering no real threat to looking dangerous every time they came forward. Second goal was very controversial with Norwood very clearly pushing Hussey and breaking on us, danger seemed to be over then Flinders spilled a soft shot and we were behind. Norwood caused us all sorts of issues and looked a top striker at this level - why did we not look at him instead of Rowe back in August?

After that we were weakened by the subs as we lost our shape and fluidity. Connor Thomas was largely anonymous in the middle and Clements went from looking really good to very shakey. Tozer looked amazing first half and second looked a liability. Billy came on, worked hard, showed some nice touches but didn't once run in behind so offered no real threat. Such a strange game.

Agree with most of this. Lost to a well drilled team

I felt Pring was largely anonymous and felt Hussey was a waste in back three. Agree we missed Nige and felt Barnett and Varney did not click. Next four games are pretty big. Need to hope for four to six points to keep looking up!

Sadly, Pring was very easily beaten in the play that led to the first goal. We missed Hussey on the left. And Broom, who is my player of the season so far, didn't do himself any favours by picking up a needless yellow for diving as this seemed to weigh him down for the rest of the game.

Maddox strikes me as the type of player that is being produced by the bucketload in the Premier League academies. Technically very competent, but lacks the combative element due to playing far too much football where the emphasis is on improvement rather than winning. I guess that's what we're meant to provide, but he really needs to grow a pair and turn his talent into something more substantial by delivering the goods in both boxes rather than in areas of the pitch where you look good but ultimately don't hurt the opposition.

RegencyCheltenhamSpa wrote:

Ben3 wrote:Could someone who knows their stats let me know what the win/lose/draw stats are for the last 15 games with and without Maddox starting in the team?

By my reckoning, in the last 15 league games:

Maddox plays whole game: 3 loss, 1 draw, 0.25 ppg

Maddox starts but is taken off: 3 win, 1 loss, 1 draw, 2 ppg

Maddox comes on as sub: 1 draw, 1 ppg

Maddox does not feature: 2 win, 1 loss, 2 draw, 1.4 ppg

Combine the first three categories and total record when Maddox features: 3 win, 3 draw, 4 loss, 1.2 ppg.

Thanks RCS

So in the four games he played all game we’ve got a total of one point - in the five he hasn’t played at all we have won two, drew two lost one

I’m not singling him out but some players are not winners at this level. Some players aren’t very good but ARE winners.

I’d drop Maddox next game and see what happens

Pring getting a lot of stick it seems. I felt he did ok, he's clearly not as good as Hussey and will be on the bench once Boyle is fit.

Also criticism of Maddox very unfair, his removal was the beginning of our downfall.

the run of 3 home games in a row against Macc, Camnridge and Yeovil are massive, massive games.

Not critisicim per se, just felt that it made us less balanced. I'd have had Alcock in back three and played Hussey from start

THECHOIRBOY wrote:Not critisicim per se, just felt that it made us less balanced. I'd have had Alcock in back three and played Hussey from start

Sounds a better option to me; Hussey at LWB and Alcock in the back three

Thirded. Tozer playing out of defence is becoming predictable and a liability. The back five was awful once Tranmere worked us out.

We have to turn possession into goals. We had the possession first half but are a bit hit and hope in and around the box. The first half was nice to watch but too often the end product wasn’t there.
Scoring just before half time we seemed to think we’d done enough to go on and win the game but Tranmere raised their commitment in the second half and we couldn’t match it. We have to use games like this as part of a learning curve for some of our players and I’m sure that’s exactly what MD will do.

Sorry but have to disagree Tozer has been a revelation back there and needs to continue. He's pivotal to the way the team plays and it's a breath of fresh air, so easy to blame the defence when the midfield were not covering them in the second half.

doesn't happen too often, however honest enought to say, I agree with Robin on this one. My impression with Tozer in midfield, was get rid of him asap. Sitting at the back he looks composed and comfortable. Playing the ball out of defence rather than the usual boot up field by Flinders, looks a lot more composed as a team> Also usually means we get to the half way line with the ball. Rather than the lottery of who gets their head to a high ball,
3 very very soft goals, defence totally over run in 2nd half. No cover at all. First half we looked like Brasil

We may have looked like Brazil in two thirds of the pitch but not in the box!

Alf wrote:We may have looked like Brazil in two thirds of the pitch but not in the box!

Indeed. Frustrating when people talk about “played some good stuff”, or “dominating possession”, etc. It is balls in the box which win games - you can have all the possession in the midfield but if you don’t get it in the box it is boring, ineffective and pointless. Credit to Tranmere; they let us play it around and have the ball in harmless areas where they were not threatened before going for the underbelly second half. I personally wish the possession statistic was not ever published or discussed as it is irrelevant in terms of which team is best and which deserved to win.

Tozer has been a bit of a liability recently im afraid lost possesion twice v FGR and cost us two goals. Should have put the ball out of play for Tranmere's 2nd yesterday as well.

Quote from Robin earlier...."After that we were weakened by the subs as we lost our shape and fluidity. Connor Thomas was largely anonymous in the middle and Clements went from looking really good to very shaky. Tozer looked amazing first half and second looked a liability. Billy came on, worked hard, showed some nice touches but didn't once run in behind so offered no real threat. Such a strange game."....fair comment however.....
Didn't think that Tozer looked amazing first half, just didn't make too many errors, but was still struggling to catch up when past! Do not believe he is decent Lg2 material if aiming for top half finish; the sort of player that completes a struggling side! Thomas and Pring to my mind didn't bring too much too the table either. Varney, Broome and Flinders stand outplayers on the day. Maddox a conundrum; would have replaced with Addai earlier. Bryant willing, lacks control, sharpness, sadly not a goal scorer. Can't see us breaking out of the bottom few on this performance or squad.

Micky Mellon figured us out in the first half, changed it up, instructed them to get into us, and we had no plan B. Also, conceding within a minute/70 seconds of the start of the second half didn't help.

Don’t forget that MD is learning his trade as well. He’s got many things right over the past few weeks but we came off the rails a bit in the second half but hopefully he can turn this into a positive for both himself and the players.