Monday 13 December 2010

Dreadful Non-Event: Takeover Related Factors?

We were dreadful in all departments against Walsall. Our side just did not turn up. There’s not an awful lot more to be said but here’s a few observations:
No inventiveness in midfield and no punch upfront.
The overall perfromance was so poor that inevitably some of the weakenesses of some players, e.g. Samedo do be creative, stood out like sore thumbs.
Subs did not help. Reid made no impact and he focuses on impressing a small element of the crowd with his ball skills and not the overall team objective. His error was at the root of their goal. Martin had a run at them but flattered to deceive again for the short time he was on and looked frustrated at all around him.
Once Walsall scored the only real positive you can identify were some stupendous, last gasp defending by Doherty and others that prevented another 4 goal rout.
The tactic of substituting Fry (who did not play badly) for Reid and moving Jackson to full back again backfired badly. Jackson was our most likely first half threat and removing him was counter productive, and he is not as effective at full back as Fry.
I could not figure out whether the team was still shell shocked from their drubbing at Luton. Or, is the side unsettled about the takeover and any internal rumours?
Is it just a coincidence that their form has dipped following release of the news about the take-over? Do some players fell at risk and it's affecting their game?
If this could be the case then a ‘clear the air’ initiative is urgent
Hartlepool will not be easy and a home defeat against Southampton would pitch us back down the table with everything to do to get back to where we are.
A good position after the Xmas period is essential.

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