Attacking Brand

[Staffordwhite]

Again though, PR, if Hemmings says there's no money for your manager, then there's no money. Remember , he's just a spokesman to the powers above. I'm sure if PR had his way, we'd have had all the targets we needed but he has to go to the table with agents offering 20 quid a week

True, but if your business needs a van and a trailer and your boss gives you £20,000 - you go and buy a car and a trailer for £20,000.

You don't buy a trailer for £20,000 and then tell the customer there's nothing left for the van you need to pull it.

Customer (ie. us): 'Well, that's not going to get the job done.'

Worker (ie. Ridsdale): 'Don't blame me, I didn't set the budget . . .'

 

[jumping mouse]

These strikers look like broken men.

Parrott spends most of his time on the pitch gesticulating and obsessing about where everyone else is playing. Like it is everybody else who is to blame if he is below par. Why not focus on his own game? "Fix yourself, not the world." There is much to work on. Example? I have lost count of the number of times the ball gets stuck in his feet. Why is that?

We have already created a blueprint that enables Riis to score over 20 goals in a season. We now seem content to ignore this. Riis is not without blame. He looks like he has little appetite to do the hard running without the ball. And balls into him rarely stick. There is no edge to him at all. And his game is poorer (at the moment) for it.

Much for these boys to focus on.

Lack of quality and competition from the bench. Literally nothing. That doesn't help.

 

[Hitman31]

The vast majority of my irritation lies with the owners but, as ever, the manager isn't above criticism when it comes to the things he can directly control. It's not at all clear to me how exactly we think we're going to start playing an attacking brand of football when Lowe's preferred system - and his preferred players within it - aren't coherent. We play Potts and Brady at wing back, both of whom have great qualities as individual footballers but neither of whom provide any forward thrust. Consequently we don't drag the opposition out of position, nor do we create any angles to move the ball around sharply enough, or in a more threatening way. One of Brady's biggest attributes is his crossing - but we have two strikers who don't thrive off crosses and aren't likely to pop up with a headed goal anytime soon. Make no mistake about it, it must be absolutely miserable to play as a striker in this North End team. Neither Parrot nor Riis are likely to see a quality through ball anytime soon, never mind several. As such, their confidence levels are through the floor. None of our central midfielders excel in their passing - a problem made worse by the previously mentioned lack of movement at wing back - and so the ball constantly ends up being passed to our centre backs who then get criticism for not being sufficiently able to play a sharp pass through the middle of the pitch. And then we get back to the owners again, because our ability to mix things up when we need a plan B is rubbish. What are we going to do when our first choice strikers are out of form? Play Maguire and Evans? I feel really flat about this club at the moment. Obviously it's great to have got a point out of a game when the opposition was so much better than us but it would not surprise me in the least to see us start slipping into trouble and soon. We cannot go on playing like this.

 

[Staffordwhite]

Parrot needs benching.

He's benched DJ & Browne 2 of the most senior players at the Club so can't see how Parrot is still starting.

Because the alternatives are a past-it journeyman and a guy made of glass, both of whom wouldn't look out of place in League 2.

Well done to our recruitment department this summer and hats off to whoever handed Ched and Maguire those contracts.

 

[Libertine]

The vast majority of my irritation lies with the owners but, as ever, the manager isn't above criticism when it comes to the things he can directly control. It's not at all clear to me how exactly we think we're going to start playing an attacking brand of football when Lowe's preferred system - and his preferred players within it - aren't coherent. We play Potts and Brady at wing back, both of whom have great qualities as individual footballers but neither of whom provide any forward thrust. Consequently we don't drag the opposition out of position, nor do we create any angles to move the ball around sharply enough, or in a more threatening way. One of Brady's biggest attributes is his crossing - but we have two strikers who don't thrive off crosses and aren't likely to pop up with a headed goal anytime soon. Make no mistake about it, it must be absolutely miserable to play as a striker in this North End team. Neither Parrot nor Riis are likely to see a quality through ball anytime soon, never mind several. As such, their confidence levels are through the floor. None of our central midfielders excel in their passing - a problem made worse by the previously mentioned lack of movement at wing back - and so the ball constantly ends up being passed to our centre backs who then get criticism for not being sufficiently able to play a sharp pass through the middle of the pitch. And then we get back to the owners again, because our ability to mix things up when we need a plan B is rubbish. What are we going to do when our first choice strikers are out of form? Play Maguire and Evans? I feel really flat about this club at the moment. Obviously it's great to have got a point out of a game when the opposition was so much better than us but it would not surprise me in the least to see us start slipping into trouble and soon. We cannot go on playing like this.

Part of that is nonsense, in that Troy and Riis have had chances and not taken them. Chances that if they had taken would probably see us second in this division.
Troy Parrott shots per game 2.4. Shots on target per game 0.9. Big chances missed 4
Riis shots per game 1.9. Shots on target per game 0.8. Big chances missed 4.
That's in just 8 games. 4 big chances each.

Ryan needs to somehow sort their heads out.

If you think those shots per game are low as a comparison last year Mitrovich had stats of 4.5 shots per game, 2.1 on target. Over the season he missed 24 big chances. That was in a team just down from the prem and a man getting £100k a week.

 

[Randall Flagg]

Because the alternatives are a past-it journeyman and a guy made of glass, both of whom wouldn't look out of place in League 2.

Well done to our recruitment department this summer and hats off to whoever handed Ched and Maguire those contracts.

It sounds insane but I'd think about playing Maguire and Riis for a stint. Not because Maguire is any kind of goal threat, but because he has an eye for threading a pass. We need to give Riis something to work with. It can't be any worse than the existing alternative of zero goal threat.

 

[nomorebigideas]

For who? Mr Tumble or 45mins of Ched?

Evans was knackered after a 20 minute cameo last night, let alone 45.

Whoever on Earth thought we didn't need a Striker by the end of the window might as well be on Government they're that deluded.

And what's the news with "Can play as a second Striker" Ben Woodburn? Everything has gone mightily "Wee knock" quiet there...

 

[Walton]

True, but if your business needs a van and a trailer and your boss gives you £20,000 - you go and buy a car and a trailer for £20,000.

You don't buy a trailer for £20,000 and then tell the customer there's nothing left for the van you need to pull it.

Customer (ie. us): 'Well, that's not going to get the job done.'

Worker (ie. Ridsdale): 'Don't blame me, I didn't set the budget . . .'

If the owner of a football club gives you a budget of one million GBP and you require two goalies, a ball playing CB, an attacking CMF, two RWB’s, two LWB and two twenty goal a season striker’s, you are going to struggle, even if your name is Merlin the Magician.

 

[Hitman31]

Part of that is nonsense, in that Troy and Riis have had chances and not taken them. Chances that if they had taken would probably see us second in this division.
Troy Parrott shots per game 2.4. Shots on target per game 0.9. Big chances missed 4
Riis shots per game 1.9. Shots on target per game 0.8. Big chances missed 4.
That's in just 8 games. 4 big chances each.

Ryan needs to somehow sort their heads out.

If you think those shots per game are low as a comparison last year Mitrovich had stats of 4.5 shots per game, 2.1 on target. Over the season he missed 24 big chances. That was in a team just down from the prem and a man getting £100k a week.

I cannot believe for a second that you think the only reason we've scored 2 goals in 9 league games is because Parrot and Riis missed some chances. If the solution to our attacking woes is 'sorting their heads out' then we really are in trouble.

 

[Libertine]

I cannot believe for a second that you think the only reason we've scored 2 goals in 9 league games is because Parrot and Riis missed some chances. If the solution to our attacking woes is 'sorting their heads out' then we really are in trouble.

So let me get this right you don’t think we’d score more goals by not missing chances? Are you really saying that?

 

[RibbletonWhite2.0]

Parrot needs benching.

He's benched DJ & Browne 2 of the most senior players at the Club so can't see how Parrot is still starting.

Pretty obvious. Look at the bench.

Our options are start one up front - you will complaint that’s too negative.

Or start ched or maguire - enough said.

 

[Magic Sponge]

The fans will turn on Lowe, whilst the chairman and the owners remain in situ waiting for the cycle to begin again. Must be music to PR's ears hearing the start of the dissent in the crowd.

No wins in 5 at home and 1 goal scored is frankly not good enough, regardless of the opposition. But, looking at the options from the bench last night what else can we expect.

Really cannot understand the sense in persuading a manager to join us with the obvious cost involved and then failing as a club to back him properly in the transfer window. This just doesn't add up for me.

 

[Hitman31]

So let me get this right you don’t think we’d score more goals by not missing chances? Are you really saying that?

There’s little point in me dignifying this with a response because I’m not going to persuade you, am I? Of course, more chances are important. But to quote the statistics you’ve provided as being particularly meaningful - suggesting that somehow they’re the core reason why our current style of play is so incredibly blunt - is, in my view, a game for people who don’t understand how raw data differs to actual insight.

 

[Walton]

Parrott spends most of his time on the pitch gesticulating and obsessing about where everyone else is playing. Like it is everybody else who is to blame if he is below par. Why not focus on his own game? "Fix yourself, not the world." There is much to work on. Example? I have lost count of the number of times the ball gets stuck in his feet. Why is that?

I seem to remember debates about we have no leaders on the pitch.

Maybe Parrott is right, maybe some players aren’t following instructions .

Maybe he is making the runs and we don’t have a midfield creator who can spot the runs and make the passes.

Maybe Parrott is doing his job and dragging defenders out of position and other players aren’t exploiting the gaps.

I suppose that there are two sides to every story.

 

[Staffordwhite]

If the owner of a football club gives you a budget of one million GBP and you require two goalies, a ball playing CB, an attacking CMF, two RWB’s, two LWB and two twenty goal a season striker’s, you are going to struggle, even if your name is Merlin the Magician.

True, but you prioritise.

Goalkeeper(s) had to be top priority as there was literally none in the club.

After that, looking at our goal return and the past performance of the players on the books, the forward line should have been top priority.

Admittedly, Maguire got injured (shocker ) in the first friendly, but the club should have made it clear to Ched and SM that they were no longer in RL's plans and the club would do whatever it could to help them find a move elsewhere (subsidising wages, free transfer, whatever).

Instead, neither were listed and it doesn't look like any real attempt was made to move them on.

Surely RL knew they weren't good enough and he knew the budget, so why didn't we get busy sooner?

Unless of course, RL looked at them and thought: 'Yeah, they'll do for me.'

In which case, we really are in the clag.

 

[Libertine]

There’s little point in me dignifying this with a response because I’m not going to persuade you, am I? Of course, more chances are important. But to quote the statistics you’ve provided as being particularly meaningful - suggesting that somehow they’re the core reason why our current style of play is so incredibly blunt - is, in my view, a game for people who don’t understand how raw data differs to actual insight.

Yep we'll leave it there I think.
If you can't see that in some games this season we've created chances that would have won games but weren't taken then in my view you don't understand how putting chances away works to turn a 0-0 into a 1-0.
I'll move on.

 

[Staffordwhite]

It sounds insane but I'd think about playing Maguire and Riis for a stint. Not because Maguire is any kind of goal threat, but because he has an eye for threading a pass. We need to give Riis something to work with. It can't be any worse than the existing alternative of zero goal threat.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think you're right.

That's how shambolically desperate we've become; nine games into the season, everyone's fit . . . and Sean Maguire is somehow a genuine suggestion for a starting place. 🙈

If that doesn't sum up how bad things are, nothing will.

 

[Durutti]

It is quite dour to watch but we are very solid. Not the end of the world for me.

 

[Durutti]

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think you're right.

That's how shambolically desperate we've become; nine games into the season, everyone's fit . . . and Sean Maguire is somehow a genuine suggestion for a starting place. 🙈

If that doesn't sum up how bad things are, nothing will.

I totally agree. Maguire and Riis was the last decent partnership out of what we have left. It isn't ideal but they work really well together. Desperate times.

 

[pne1881]

For who? Mr Tumble or 45mins of Ched?

Because the alternatives are a past-it journeyman and a guy made of glass, both of whom wouldn't look out of place in League 2.

Well done to our recruitment department this summer and hats off to whoever handed Ched and Maguire those contracts.

Posted this before but why not give Mikey O'Neill a go?

He can't do much worse.