The lack of pressing on the keeper was pathetic, at 3-1 down at home to assist them in their efforts to ‘play for time’ by allowing the keeper to stand with the ball unchallenged is ridiculous.
There’s so much wrong with this team, the back three are so error prone that we could reduce errors at the back by 33% simply by switching to a two!
Part of their issue though is that they don’t have a reasonable passing option, Clunan makes himself available but is so lightweight that he gets bullied off the ball so they’re scared to give him it. Add to that the wing backs are so terrified to take on a player that the ball inevitably just comes back to the centre halves which puts them under pressure again. This is why we saw it go repeatedly (and mostly pointlessly) long on Saturday. All of that said Nicholson may well be the worst player I’ve ever seen at GP, he simply cannot pass the ball consistently and is an accident waiting to happen.
The midfield is also an ocean of nothingness that can be ran through at will, their first and third goals being prime examples (and Spennymoor’s 3rd regardless of the ref). We are cut apart by a couple of simple passes regularly and players are allowed to travel a long way without being challenged.
I think the biggest priorities are:
– Change to a back 4, let the full backs play at full back and drop Nicholson.
– Sign a midfielder with some physicality who can gain control of the middle and bully the opposition.
– Sign a left winger so we can play 451 or 433
