Grimsby Reaction 3-1

[LlayDragon]

Originally Posted by Funny_Old_Game

From what I've seen of Tozer I don't believe he has the legs to play in midfield, even in a holding role. I'd much rather French have a go in there, great engine and good on the ball. Something has to be done otherwise we be too far behind come January.

Aye.

I don't really see anyone else in the squad who could do it. Besides we need Tozer in defence.

It would take a while for French to get used to it but this is where we are. The elephant has fallen asleep on the sofa.

[thedischunter96]

Mullin should be banging them in.....

[LlayDragon]

Originally Posted by bartonbank

We play long ball as that is PP's style

Yup.

We knew that before he got here, dispite some arguing that it was just because of circumstance.

[WV1]

Originally Posted by bartonbank

We play long ball as that is PP's style

I don’t mind that- if it works, but I’m not sure it is.

If we are going to play long ball to Hyde, I think his best partner would be Angus and not Mullin. Mullin likes to drop deap, whereas Angus runs in behind

[NottsRed]

Originally Posted by Back of the Kop

Lost count of the number of times the mixlr commentators said "we have to stop Grimsby walking through midfield onto our defence"

Literally everyone can see the root cause of why are struggling

Its been an issue since the first game of the season at Solihull but tonight was made worse with injuries, suspension and what can only be described as one of the most baffling additions to the squad in Redmond starting. Someone in the live thread said the defence was poor. Well when the midfield go AWOL the pressures going to be on.

Given the money we spent its difficult to figure out how 6 games in we have Redmond starting. Hopefully that should be the last we see of him. Dave Jones has to come into the Midfield on Saturday.

[JonesRed]

Originally Posted by noisy1

And yet our amazing media team won't have the balls to quiz PP on it.

That's if we even get an interview FFS

[Mozzarella]

We might as well have started with 10 men.

[harrypothead]

We are 6 games in, and it's our first lose. If anything it's a kick up the arse this squad and management team need. Just because these players have cost something, it doesn't mean they are the best players in the league, and tonight Grimsby have hopfully knocked that into our players.

We will be better on Saturday, we have to be. To be fair Grimsby have started better than we have this season and are a team on form. We will have more results like this one this season, but what's important is is how we bounce back, and fix the problems that are obvious to us all. Luke Young, James Jones, Devonte Redmond, Jordan Davies and Dan Jarvis are more than good enough to play at this level, and its down to the manager to fit them into a formation that suits them. We all know we are desperate for that defensive midfielder who can get his foot on the ball and control games, but unfortunately for us, all the money in Hollywood, and a league one manager with Premier League advisors could not find one.

Hopfully Parkinson will get the lads up for the game at the weekend, because we will find out over the next 2 games how strong this squad of players are.

[Prodigal Dragon]

Our main problem remains the midfield, but 3-5-2 demands the wing-backs create width at speed to allow the midfield to better support the 2 strikers and support the back 3 so they aren't being run at all the time.

PP has given himself a dilemma because he made Luke Young captain. LY is not our only weakness, but he isn't good enough to control the tempo in midfield. He is a perfectly capable squad player to come off the bench late on to add a threat. But he is no Mel Sutton or Scott Green

We can rant and rave as much as we like about not doing the obvious before the transfer window shut, and for retaining some of the players from last season. Those decisions were made, but PP must now look at what he has to make the team work as a unit, rather than a defence with some isolated strikers, and 5 players in midfield who collectively are not cutting the mustard -- albeit there are some good individual performances, most notably by French and occasionally by Davies.

Do we change formation and revert to 4-4-2? Possibly, if we played Angus and McAlinden in their true positions. But who is good enough and flexible enough to fill those 2 central positions? James Jones and...???

If there is a reasonably fit and capable midfielder out there without a contract we need them. This league will take no prisoners, so we need to start competing now; not in January.

So, we must somehow make do with what we have, and simultaneously stay within 10-15 points of the leader at Christmas. It's far too early to panic, but PP knows now the task he must master. We need success to keep this wagon rolling, so the team needs to deliver these next 2 games.

Best we get behind them on Saturday because they will need our vocal support against D&R.