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[GB Alty]

We'd all love better players in every position, but we've got what we've got based on the funds available. I'm happy to see this team develop over the season, but then I've learned over the last twenty years to keep my expectations under control.

Thank God for some common sense. I agree wholeheartedly - in my case 45 years' experience tells me to temper my expectations!

does your 45 years experience tell you to expect our best two players to be left on the bench?

[Saughall Robin]

We'd all love better players in every position, but we've got what we've got based on the funds available. I'm happy to see this team develop over the season, but then I've learned over the last twenty years to keep my expectations under control.

Thank God for some common sense. I agree wholeheartedly - in my case 45 years' experience tells me to temper my expectations!

does your 45 years experience tell you to expect our best two players to be left on the bench?

My 45 years experience tells me that he probably kept them on the bench for the first hour to stop them getting the sh*t kicked out of them so he can bring them on as 'game changers' later on. Also, they will be most effective against teams trying to play football and not hoofball merchants who could put them on the sidelines for a few weeks and really do some damage to our chances. No one will convince me that LS doesn't realise that Reeves and Clee are two of his key players this season.!

[distancetraveller]

You should always field your strongest team especially at home whoever your playing regardless of the opposition. OK we have a better squad than last season but were not that strong that we should be leaving arguably our two best players on the bench. At home we should be going to win games not sending two good players on for the last 20 mins in the hope of nicking a draw. Fkn ludicrous.

Points will be hard to come by this season so let's get as many as poss with our home fixtures.

[RocketDan]

Have to agree with you about Griffin - he didn't fill me with confidence in the conference north and looked out of his depth last night.

Cavanagh looks like he could boss the midfield and  is probably our best centre midfielder since Tom Kearny. Gillespie looks dangerous when dropping into the hole off the centre backs and also has a cute touch.

Probably would have expected at least a point from our first two games but its early days and the lads are getting use to this level. We really need to kick on though - if we were a bit sharper we could have got a point last night.

[Toff Apple]

Gillespie impressed me last night with his closing down of defenders, twice we won the ball back

[Toff Apple]

My thoughts are that we had a couple of really good break aways in the first half that were let down by poor final balls.  We were outplayed for the first 20mins but came well back into it by the second half.  Great goal for their 2nd, otherwise felt we might have drawn.  Its still early days.  Can crowther play right wing?  I would swap him with lawrie and put clee on the left.

[oneedham]

We'd all love better players in every position, but we've got what we've got based on the funds available. I'm happy to see this team develop over the season, but then I've learned over the last twenty years to keep my expectations under control.

Thank God for some common sense. I agree wholeheartedly - in my case 45 years' experience tells me to temper my expectations!

does your 45 years experience tell you to expect our best two players to be left on the bench?

My 45 years experience tells me that he probably kept them on the bench for the first hour to stop them getting the sh*t kicked out of them so he can bring them on as 'game changers' later on. Also, they will be most effective against teams trying to play football and not hoofball merchants who could put them on the sidelines for a few weeks and really do some damage to our chances. No one will convince me that LS doesn't realise that Reeves and Clee are two of his key players this season.!

I totally disagree, unless Reeves and Clee had tightness from Saturday then they should have started. We are not good enough to come back against teams in this league, I may sound harsh but we aren't. Without Clee we hardly create any chances at all, so let's go out each game with our strongest eleven and give it a bloody good go. The other reason I disagree is that we bring impact players on when the rest of the team were shattered so who's going to get in the positions, Clee and Reeves can't take an entire team on themselves. If I was a manager I would go in each game without any respect to my opposition, I would start high tempo and I would look to take the game to them. I would have had the wide men working a lot harder in the first half as we could have easily been two down at half time, both chances coming from crosses. I feel benching good players gives a negative approach before a ball has been kicked. It is a clear indication that Sinnott believed we would desperately need two of our best players to come on and change things whether that was from a draw position or goals down. We need the mentality of let's get out there and be two up at halftime, especially at home.

[Neil C]

Lincoln was my first ever Alty game, so I don’t have the history of last season or beyond, so for what it’s worth, here’s my thoughts (based on the Lincoln game only).
Lincoln are a big and powerful team.  They have filled their ranks with guys that are quick and strong.  The only team really looking to play football last night were Alty.  But unfortunately at this level, strength and pace are key, and in my view both were clearly missing.
Coburn looked slow, and his kicking off the deck, whether dead ball or passed back to him, is poor, this only increases the pressure on the back line. Also, if he dominated his area, the first goal wouldn’t have gone in as he should have been collecting it.
I completely agree with the OP, Marshall looks so unfit and overweight it is unreal.  I can’t believe that players like him and Perry are still able to get a game Conference level.
On Perry, my guess is that he was in for his height and, erm, size against a big team.  He may as well not have bothered, only won a single header in the entire match until he was hauled off, and was muscled off the ball far too easily.
Crowther was woeful in the first half. Left the left back exposed and 2 on 1 far too often as he was wandering all over the pitch and looked completely spent after 10 minutes. Didn’t tackle, and looked scared to compete in case he got hurt.
On the positive note, and as I said earlier, I thought Alty were trying to play football. And the Skipper (forgive me I didn’t catch his name) played well, as did Williams and Gillespie.
I’ll be coming back to watch more games, and hope to be cheering a successful season, but I think an injection of pace and physical presence is a must.

[Saughall Robin]

We'd all love better players in every position, but we've got what we've got based on the funds available. I'm happy to see this team develop over the season, but then I've learned over the last twenty years to keep my expectations under control.

Thank God for some common sense. I agree wholeheartedly - in my case 45 years' experience tells me to temper my expectations!

does your 45 years experience tell you to expect our best two players to be left on the bench?

My 45 years experience tells me that he probably kept them on the bench for the first hour to stop them getting the sh*t kicked out of them so he can bring them on as 'game changers' later on. Also, they will be most effective against teams trying to play football and not hoofball merchants who could put them on the sidelines for a few weeks and really do some damage to our chances. No one will convince me that LS doesn't realise that Reeves and Clee are two of his key players this season.!

I totally disagree, unless Reeves and Clee had tightness from Saturday then they should have started. We are not good enough to come back against teams in this league, I may sound harsh but we aren't. Without Clee we hardly create any chances at all, so let's go out each game with our strongest eleven and give it a bloody good go. The other reason I disagree is that we bring impact players on when the rest of the team were shattered so who's going to get in the positions, Clee and Reeves can't take an entire team on themselves. If I was a manager I would go in each game without any respect to my opposition, I would start high tempo and I would look to take the game to them. I would have had the wide men working a lot harder in the first half as we could have easily been two down at half time, both chances coming from crosses. I feel benching good players gives a negative approach before a ball has been kicked. It is a clear indication that Sinnott believed we would desperately need two of our best players to come on and change things whether that was from a draw position or goals down. We need the mentality of let's get out there and be two up at halftime, especially at home.

That's what we did at Aldershot and look what happened.
Having said that, That approach is more understandable in home matches.

[Saughall Robin]

Lincoln was my first ever Alty game, so I don’t have the history of last season or beyond, so for what it’s worth, here’s my thoughts (based on the Lincoln game only).
Lincoln are a big and powerful team.  They have filled their ranks with guys that are quick and strong.  The only team really looking to play football last night were Alty.  But unfortunately at this level, strength and pace are key, and in my view both were clearly missing.
Coburn looked slow, and his kicking off the deck, whether dead ball or passed back to him, is poor, this only increases the pressure on the back line. Also, if he dominated his area, the first goal wouldn’t have gone in as he should have been collecting it.
I completely agree with the OP, Marshall looks so unfit and overweight it is unreal.  I can’t believe that players like him and Perry are still able to get a game Conference level.
On Perry, my guess is that he was in for his height and, erm, size against a big team.  He may as well not have bothered, only won a single header in the entire match until he was hauled off, and was muscled off the ball far too easily.
Crowther was woeful in the first half. Left the left back exposed and 2 on 1 far too often as he was wandering all over the pitch and looked completely spent after 10 minutes. Didn’t tackle, and looked scared to compete in case he got hurt.
On the positive note, and as I said earlier, I thought Alty were trying to play football. And the Skipper (forgive me I didn’t catch his name) played well, as did Williams and Gillespie.
I’ll be coming back to watch more games, and hope to be cheering a successful season, but I think an injection of pace and physical presence is a must.

That is, for my money, an excellent first(ish) post full of insight for a newcomer on here! Keep posting.

[oneedham]

Lincoln was my first ever Alty game, so I don’t have the history of last season or beyond, so for what it’s worth, here’s my thoughts (based on the Lincoln game only).
Lincoln are a big and powerful team.  They have filled their ranks with guys that are quick and strong.  The only team really looking to play football last night were Alty.  But unfortunately at this level, strength and pace are key, and in my view both were clearly missing.
Coburn looked slow, and his kicking off the deck, whether dead ball or passed back to him, is poor, this only increases the pressure on the back line. Also, if he dominated his area, the first goal wouldn’t have gone in as he should have been collecting it.
I completely agree with the OP, Marshall looks so unfit and overweight it is unreal.  I can’t believe that players like him and Perry are still able to get a game Conference level.
On Perry, my guess is that he was in for his height and, erm, size against a big team.  He may as well not have bothered, only won a single header in the entire match until he was hauled off, and was muscled off the ball far too easily.
Crowther was woeful in the first half. Left the left back exposed and 2 on 1 far too often as he was wandering all over the pitch and looked completely spent after 10 minutes. Didn’t tackle, and looked scared to compete in case he got hurt.
On the positive note, and as I said earlier, I thought Alty were trying to play football. And the Skipper (forgive me I didn’t catch his name) played well, as did Williams and Gillespie.
I’ll be coming back to watch more games, and hope to be cheering a successful season, but I think an injection of pace and physical presence is a must.

[/quote ]excellent post, you seem to know your football.  We need more football knowledgeable heads on here!

[oneedham]

Well I am glad to say my eye’s are still in good working order after watching Alty TV. Watching it again people must see what I meant about Lawrie in the first half, they attacked and attacked down our right and he was no-where. I do not believe this is entirely his fault, I believe he is told to drift into central positions by the Manager but I think we are more effective when we have wide men who hug the byline.

This then opens the middle up for Williams’s runs and also for ON THE GROUND passing to our forwards as we are one of the worst teams to gain anything from long balls hoofed up as we only have Perry, who doesn’t really do much.

Marshall’s defending in the first half was woeful .

In fact Lawrie’s tracking back was even worst in the second half, no attempt at cutting the cross out which led to their second goal, Griffin no idea where his man was AGAIN. I am not sure if Richman is good enough for this standard but we need his closing down and energy wide right.

Far too many crosses on Tuesday night and hardly any were cut out before going into the box, we need to work on closing down. We can't have passengers in this team.