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[Longman]

Smikle has featured in two pre season games and two league games, of which I've seen 3, in which he has looked woeful in all 3. I can't help but feel that we bought him just to get another player in before the season started.

[oneedham]

Not negative post just my opinion of what I witnessed, I put in positives and ended it with keep going! It is what a forum is for.... opinions !!!

If we don't recognise where we could be going wrong early then we could lose out on vital points!

As I said last year this league is physical and higher intensity than people realise. The standard through all divisions apart from the Prem has improved so much over the last 5-7 years.

It is obvious we are better at attacking teams whilst the ball is on the floor and we need the likes of Richman and Clee every week if fit! Also Doughty must start every home game if fit, he and Clee just create a ridiculous amount of chances!

We need to start more on the front foot and let teams know we are on the pitch, we did that in the second half and there was a difference.

[PukkaPieman]

Smikle has featured in two pre season games and two league games, of which I've seen 3, in which he has looked woeful in all 3. I can't help but feel that we bought him just to get another player in before the season started.

I suggest you look at the goal highlights again of the 2 preseason games. He hasnt been woeful at all, why exaggerate? he's just finding his feet and getting to know the players and getting fitter. Give the lad a chance FFS.

[Longman]

Smikle has featured in two pre season games and two league games, of which I've seen 3, in which he has looked woeful in all 3. I can't help but feel that we bought him just to get another player in before the season started.

I suggest you look at the goal highlights again of the 2 preseason games. He hasnt been woeful at all, why exaggerate? he's just finding his feet and getting to know the players and getting fitter. Give the lad a chance FFS.
[/quote

He's had four games, I'm not writing him off after one game, I'm saying in the three games I've seen him in he has offered practically nothing, he looks lost, when he gets the ball all he wants to do is get rid of it to the nearest man. My original point is I don't see why everyone / alot of people were raving about him at the start of the season! 

[AltyTunnelSteward]

I don't know but I suspect that Brian Smikle did not have a 'proper' pre season like the rest of our lads.

Therefore he may well be trying to catch up his fitness in games (similarly to Reevesy at the start of last season)

Give the guy a chance

Re Walshaw, he is a proven player at this level. Given that Kyle Perry is never going to be the replacement for Duncan and that we need to change our goal creation methodology. James nneds to be given chance and more game time than he has had already IMHO before being written off

[bighairedmike]

We were poor last night against a very workmanlike, yet average Barrow side. Anybody who seems to think that just because we have won 2 on the bounce then everything is rosy, I'm sorry but you don't have a clue what you are talking about. The problems were there for all to see last night.

James Lawrie, as much as I like him, is not a winger. No matter which wing he was on he kept getting drawn inside, losing the ball and then being out of position. Didn't think he was terrible last night but we need to play him in a more central role upfront.

Kyle Perry played well last night, and as Jamie says we get drawn into playing long ball football when he is upfront. Against a big and physical barrow side I wouldn't expect anything else, and I think the manager got that call spot on. Walshaw and Lawrie would have been manhandled out of the game and we wouldnt have had the breaks we did without the bigman upfront. It's what we were crying out for last year in certain games and now we've got it. I don't expect he will start upfront every game.

We certainly miss the energy of Simon Richman in our midfield and he brings such a sense of balance to the side that you can see the problems we've had without him. I would have thought that he would start games on the right of midfield, then, as we saw last year, with about 30 minutes left he will be moved inside and Smikle will be brought on to give us the fresh, pacy attacking threat we know he has. Without Richman we have had nobody to play on the right so a half fit Smikle with no real pre-season has had to start.

Our back four were superb last night and I think having Havern and the left-footed Williams at CB works an absolute treat. They look so balanced and natural. However, with so many games at the start of the season I would expect to see a combination of Havern-Leather with Williams at left back at least 1 game in 3 so that Matty and Nicky don't pick up niggles and knocks so early in the season.

No, of course we haven't played particularly well, but at least we have won. Our only problem is that nobody in the midfield seems to know where each other are or what they are supposed to be doing. That will come with time especially when you have 2 new players starting there and somebody playing out of position.

Sorry for the length of the post, but I don;t understand how anybody can think there's nothing to moan about because we've won, and also how people  that are quite knowledgeable about football are saying we're woeful because of the circumstances we are in.

Anyway, onwards to Saturday and here's to another 3 points. COME ON YOU REDS!

[dopamine]

Perry = long ball, as we saw last night

only started trying to pass when he went off

Smikle = panic signing, not good enough

FFS give them a chance,....Perry 2 goals, 3 assists in less than an hour on the pitch, better than I expected.
Smikle hardly got to know his team mates yet, no pre-season, it takes time and first half LS deliberately played it tight and tucked him in.

Patience boy 

got no gripe with Perry he done really well, but it reality that we go long ball and passing is out of the window when he's on

The problem for me wasn't that we went too long ball with Perry, it was the lack of an alternative option when Clee wasn't on the pitch - there wasn't the movement up front/on the wings to get anywhere through short passing and nobody was running off Perry so there weren't the options even when we did go long. Neither of our wingers would get at their defence so eventually the ball always worked its way back to Havern who always played the long ball to Perry. The couple of crossing opportunities we worked were for Dens and Doughty...

Clee came on and injected a bit of pace and directness into proceedings - we then actually had an outlet and the thrust to get somewhere with the passing. Pretty much all of our quick short passing moves were down the left hand side with Clee's movement at their heart.

Without Clee or the option of a longer game with Perry as target man, I'd be worried as to where the chances were going to come from.

[Jenga]

What we missed last night was an attacking central midfielder to support to the front two.

[Timperley The Best]

What we missed last night was an attacking central midfielder to support to the front two.

moult can do that

[robininstockport]

What we missed last night was an attacking central midfielder to support to the front two.

moult can do that

Lawrie could do that

[Hash]

what we missed last night was understanding from the team , once they gel they will destroy teams , the 2 center backs were great , rodgers seems to have realized you can pass forward and buzz was outstanding , just need walshaw , perry reeves  clee to sort there sh*t out very disjointed from all of them as a collective , individually not bad  but lots to improve on and looking forward to , smikle needs time he will prove a good signing remember the pelters clee and richman got smickle will be the same we cant do with out them but it goes to show 12 months on 2 games in we winning games which we normally draw or lose

[AltyTunnelSteward]

If we are comparing to last season (HUGE error in my view) then what we are missing is Duncan

However

We have to get used to it, adjust to it and move on.

I'm absolutely positive that the management and players will be totally ecstatic to either read or have recounted to them that, after two wins from the first two games of the season and only not being top on goal difference there is so so much wrong with the team

[bighairedmike]

What we missed last night was an attacking central midfielder to support to the front two.

moult can do that

Lawrie could do that

He could, but when deployed as a winger its not a suitable option which was sometimes the problem last night. It would only work in a diamond formation, which then causes issues as to who is the holding player there.

[Mrs Warbouys]

Only here could we have a crisis after 6 points from 6, bring on Stockport and vauxhall

[markecky]

I don't really think there is much to argue about really and I reckon the manager will be feeling the same as most of the fans.  Pleased with the six points but lots to improve on.

Ollie Needham talks a lot of sense on here but can't agree with the comments on Kyle Perry.  He has played about 90 mins competitive football, made two and scored two.  We've got to be pleased with that return.

I'm sure Smikle is a better player than we have seen so far and the a lack of a pre season has hampered him.  He has got to start playing towards our goal though and stop turning back and then laying it off.  We've got loads of other people that can do that.

Imagine what it will be like if we lose one