Forest 2:0 Port Vale
Kids for a quid meant a larger than normal crowd for the visit of relegation threatened Port Vale, and relegation threatened Port Vale will be if they continue to waste chances like they did against Forest. Forest passed the ball around nicely and Nathan Tyson looks a class above when fit but, there's something not quite right about Forest at the moment and that's a worrying echo from last season.
In a nut-shell, too many players are in the wrong position to fit a system designed to be flexible.
Bugger that, we're in the third division, not the friggin' Champions League. Play 4-4-2, play two wingers on their respective wings, two centre-halves, two full-backs and two strikers. Play Lennon by all means, but make sure the other midfielder is mobile otherwise humpsville here we come.
A quick Collymore-esque half-way-line turn and run from Tyson set up Agogo for the first, with Lewis McGugan grabbing the second from close range. When Nathan Tyson almost inevitably went off injured, playing football left with him. Long ball football is dull at the best of times. Long ball football in the third division is turgid to say the least.
But, and this is the point, had Port Vale taken even half their chances, we'd have lost and lost big time.
Last season there was always a feeling that, even with the best squad of players in the division IMHO, we were deceiving ourselves with our lofty position and that feeling still remains. Top for Christmas hides away the fact that actually, we're not that good, we should be better, that this league is ours for the taking if only we kept it simple and too much managerial tinkering is costing us what should be an easy promotion push.
Calderwood has learned some of the lessons from last year, it's whether he's turning that learning into actions that's still under debate.
In a nut-shell, too many players are in the wrong position to fit a system designed to be flexible.
Bugger that, we're in the third division, not the friggin' Champions League. Play 4-4-2, play two wingers on their respective wings, two centre-halves, two full-backs and two strikers. Play Lennon by all means, but make sure the other midfielder is mobile otherwise humpsville here we come.
A quick Collymore-esque half-way-line turn and run from Tyson set up Agogo for the first, with Lewis McGugan grabbing the second from close range. When Nathan Tyson almost inevitably went off injured, playing football left with him. Long ball football is dull at the best of times. Long ball football in the third division is turgid to say the least.
But, and this is the point, had Port Vale taken even half their chances, we'd have lost and lost big time.
Last season there was always a feeling that, even with the best squad of players in the division IMHO, we were deceiving ourselves with our lofty position and that feeling still remains. Top for Christmas hides away the fact that actually, we're not that good, we should be better, that this league is ours for the taking if only we kept it simple and too much managerial tinkering is costing us what should be an easy promotion push.
Calderwood has learned some of the lessons from last year, it's whether he's turning that learning into actions that's still under debate.
posted by Lucky Col at
2:21 PM
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