Howard – 5 – could he have come and taken control for the 2nd goal?
Cordner – 2 – worst centre back we’ve had since Mamadou Seck.
Bedeau – 5 – poor game
Brown – 4 – would have been a 5 but penalty was his fault, first in creating the opportunity then the stupid challenge.
Butroid – 4 – doesn’t really offer anything, can’t tackle and isn’t any good going forwards
Green – 6 – some nice runs and decent play, would have been a 7 if not for giving away a needless penalty.
Spence – 6 – broke up play well enough but plays it too safe when on the ball.
Taylor – 5 – odd flashes but not in the game enough.
Gilliead – 7 our best player every week.
McAtee – 6 – decent first half but pretty anonymous second. Gives the ball away too much.
Turan – 2 – why did we sign this pathetic excuse of a footballer? I guess you get what you pay for when signing a non-scoring striker from a semi-pro, regional German team!
Cox – 4 – he must bang his head against the wall at the goals we concede but he doesn’t help himself with rubbish formations and substitutions coming too late in the day.
Ref – 4 – wouldn’t let the players breathe on each other let alone make challenges!
Keogh/Sharp…Hooper/Hayes. We don’t necessarily need a big and nasty up there to score goals. Olomola has the best track record of our strikers for scoring goals in League 2 bar KVV, I’d be more than willing to give him a decent chance.
There was evidence that Swann meddles in team affairs. A couple of years ago the squad were on a team coach (think it was one of those Austria pre season tours). Hakeeb was live streaming on Instagram…someone commented “where’s the gaffer?”…Jack King (who had left the club by this point) replied “you mean Peter Swann?” There was then laughter and comments such as “better take this down before getting in trouble”. If that’s not horse’s mouth then I don’t know what is!
They are poor though Les. There’s a reason we finished in the bottom echelons of League 2 last season and there’s a reason why almost every one of our new signings were playing non-league football last season. Some might come good (the majority won’t) but our season definitely needs to pick up soon or we’ll be finishing lower than we did last season with a serious relegation battle on our hands!
Did anyone really expect any different today with the team we’re able to put out?
Watson – the worst GK we’ve had since Tommy Evans (maybe worse than him!).
Hornshaw – playing kids football until this season and being played out of position.
Cordner – only played non-league until this season.
Bedeau – has always been a calamity waiting to happen.
O’Malley – playing kids football until this season.
Gilliead – the best of a real bad bunch.
Spence – first season in English football.
Vincent – only played non-league until this season.
Eisa – hasn’t really done anything of note since his last goal for us against Newport last season (15 league games ago).
Taylor – already turned him into a poor footballer (we seem to have a knack of doing this).
Jarvis – was deemed not good enough for Sutton United in the National League.
Cox – snapped up from being an assistant manager in non-league. Appointed because he’s from Scunny, no other reason.
Cox got the job solely because he showed an interest in it and was a local lad, no other reason. You look at it from the outside and all we’ve done is hire a non-league assistant manager with next to no managerial experience. If it was any other assistant manager from non-league with no managerial experience we all would have been up in arms!
Ignoring the financial situation this seems like our best signing of the season and a bit of a coup. 7 goals in 21 starts from CM for Port Vale last season is pretty darn impressive!
Bit embarrassing against a Man City side with an average age of 17. Never thought I’d say this but I pray to God that Watson doesn’t get injured if Kelsey is our backup!
Something has to be going on transfer wise with Eisa and McAtee. Eisa isn’t too bad defensively and always works his socks off, plus can score out of nowhere…no reason not to be in the team.
The process of elimination deduced that Beestin must have been the other player who was self-isolating along with McAtee. He gets back in the team but McAtee doesn’t because he has missed training? Hmmmm
Mostly Cox’s own fault…you don’t come in on day one professing to play attacking football (in a 4-4-2) and then deliver the exact opposite.
Stating that Eisa, a winger, “needs to get the ball and run at players” as the reason he didn’t play is bonkers…what are wingers supposed to do for crying out loud!? He’s arguably our best player and can win games on his own, so get him in the team.
Watson – 10 – not really sure what else would contribute a perfect performance from a ‘keeper so he’s getting full marks from me. 3 world class saves to win us the game.
Hornshaw – 5 – still a bit shaky at the back and offers nothing going forwards.
Cordner – 7 – strong performance.
Bedeau – 7 – as above.
O’Malley – 6 – a decent enough full debut.
Gilliead – 7 – our best outfield player.
Vincent – 6 – steady performance but didn’t really contribute much.
Spence – 7 – always seems to be in the right position to try and win possession.
Hippolyte – 4 – rubbish! How can he possibly keep one of the best wingers in the division out of the team!?
Hallam – 7 – lovely finish and worked his socks off.
Loft – 6 – worked hard but pretty much always made he wrong decision when on the ball.
Onariase – 7 – made some really important headers.
Beestin – 5 – got booked, did nothing else.
Butroid – N/A
Ref – 4 – so nit-picky with every decision!
Manager – 5 – still yet to see any attacking football. Reverted to 3 at the back with 15 minutes left and just invited constant pressure. Hippolyte over Eisa?
Wouldn’t mind seeing a 4-4-2 and attacking football as promised, especially being at home. Not sure we have the personnel for it, especially at full back, but if fit I’d go for:
Watson
Clarke
Cordner
McGahey
Bedeau
Gilliead
Spence
Vincent
Eisa
McAtee
Loft
If Colclough is fit then he needs to be coming off the bench and making an impact. We really need to start seeing the Colclough that was by far our best player in the League One relegation season until he got injured!
Cox hasn’t exactly got off to a flying start but I’m willing to give him time. What I can’t quite fathom or give him much time for is playing people out of position or not playing them at all. Eisa and Gilliead were two of our very few positives from last season but so far this season they’re yet to play a single game in their actual position. Move them back out to the wings and start actually attacking teams like Cox professed he would…not pass the ball about nicely at the back making your possession stats look nice with no cutting edge (been there before haven’t we??).
Funny that Northumbrian, I’d say the opposite and see the game better on TV…especially if comparing against being stood in the Cluggy trying to make out what’s happening at the other end of the pitch!
