AwayDayYeltz wrote: ↑01 Nov 2020, 09:05
Paul Smith must be scratching his head this morning, wondering how the hell his team played so well and came away with nothing. As I mentioned yesterday we were 3-0 down, after Dunstable only had two attempts at goal. It was remarkable.
The first 20 or so minutes we were utterly dominant. However our failure to take chances, once again came back to bite us, as it has done numerous times this season. By the time Dunstable meaningfully ventured into Halesowen territory, which forced Brendon Bunn into a rash challenge, to gift away a penalty, we could and should have been 2-0 up.
The second Dunstable goal was a freak. A Forsyth header catching the wind and looping over Bunn into the net. A third quickly followed, and a mad 10 minute or so spell had us well and truly on the floor, and in all honesty won Dunstable the game.
I’ve never felt like this post game, because we played so well. The effort was there, and the players kept trying until the final whistle. I genuinely can’t fault the players, or Smith for yesterday’s performance. It’s a strange feeling.
In isolation, you would write off this match, and result, as a one off. One of those games that football throws up once in a royal blue moon. But when you look at the bigger picture, the signs have been there all season long, and yesterday highlights a long standing problem – that is, failure to take chances, coupled with sloppy defending, is costing us time and time again.
Take Corby, for example. 3-0 up, and just before the break Molyneux (who has been excellent this season) misses a great chance to put us further ahead. Then, after the break Cobourne misses another great chance, and hits the woodwork. We should have been out of sight before Corby grabbed, what should have been, a consolation goal. However, we weren’t, and Corby were gifted a lifeline. Then our sloppy defending, and individual errors cost us all three points, as we surrendered a 3 goal lead in an incredible 45 minutes, where we capitulated.
Again, in isolation, you’d say losing, when 3-0 to the good, is a freak. It’s one of those days. But one of those days, are occurring all too frequently this season.
Another example of our failure to take chances, and sloppy defending can be found when you look at our home win against Yaxley. We were dominant in the first half, and played so well. However, we switched off defensively, and allowed Yaxley back into the game, at 2-1. Thankfully, on that occasion, we managed to step up a gear, and our quality (which isn’t in question, even today) showed, and we were sublime in the second half, to take all three points. But the sign was there. Failure to put the game to bed, by not making numerous chances count, and sloppy defending, could have cost us.
I am by no means calling this a crisis, or anything as ridiculous as that, but it’s clear that something just isn’t clicking with us right now. I can’t quite put my finger on it. However, I get the feeling the squad isn’t as tight or together as it was last season, which could explain the poor results on the pitch.
The squad depth isn’t as good as it was last season, either. Yes, we’ve been decimated by an injury list longer than Dan Sweeney’s CV, and when Hewitt, Cobourne and Gregory return to fitness, we’ll look much stronger on paper. However, I believe that even with a fully fit squad, we’re down on quality from last season. I do understand that factors such as budget (I’ve no idea what our budget is compared to last season, but I’d be surprised if it’s the same or even more, due to COVID) and players moving onto a higher level of football, mean it’s difficult to maintain a quality squad. Simply put the players that have left us (Montel, Piggott, Sammonds, Ashmore and now Parsons) have either not been replaced, or have been replaced by players that aren't as talented. That’s a lot of quality for any club to lose.
Although the squad isn’t as good as last seasons squad, I believe that the group of players we have are more than capable of winning this league. They’re certainly capable of better than 4 defeats in 5 games.
I believe we must return to basics. I want to see a team selection where players are played in their natural position. I know it’s a little negative, but on Tuesday, the initial aim should be to keep a clean sheet. We must return to being solid and organised in defence. We need to stop conceding silly and avoidable goals.
I’d like to see us revert to a 4-3-3 or 4-5-1, whatever you want to call it. A back four of Evans (RB) McCone (CB), New Bloke (CB) and Bowen (LB). Or you could even play Wright at right back, and have a McCone and Evans centre back pairing (who were excellent, when paired together last season). Either way, we must start playing defenders in defence. It’s clear the experiment of playing Forsyth (or Ali, or at times both) as a centre back isn’t working. Sadly.
At least the above selection would give us a much more balanced, solid, and natural back line, that would give us a chance to stop leaking goals, and keep clean sheets.
We aren’t a bad team, we have a fantastic manager, and a solid group of players, the majority of which are a pleasure to support and watch. The team needs tweaking. 2-3 of players need to be moved on, and replaced with better quality, if possible. But there’s nothing terminal here. Far from it. It’s still very early on in the season, and I still believe we’ll win this league. We must, however, get back to basics, and start becoming a tougher, and more street wise team.