Bakinson is a defensive midfielder. McCleary was always isolated. The system didn’t work, and Dodds has to take responsibility. It was a strange call to make at home, especially starting the day in 2nd place. I’d expect Bristol Rovers, who are fighting for their lives, to come to Adams Park and set up like we did — not the other way around.
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It was a terrible day at the office. It happens. But as @AstroBlue correctly says, Charlton beat Wrexham next week (of which Charlton will now smell blood for that Auto spot) and we can get a result against Orient and it’s back in our hands.
I think Dodds made some mistakes, I think the team performance was obviously dire which isn’t all Dodds’ fault and I’m sure lessons will be learnt, or at least I’m hoping they will be.
We’re in the playoffs, we can roll the dice now, we have nothing to lose.
But I beg Dodds for some formation so positivity.
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Bakinson was never anywhere near him. And rightly so - that’s not his role. So he sometimes had McCleary near him and even less often had Humphreys.
That’s the definition of isolated. No wonder he looks so annoyed now.
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Mcleary should never start…use him as an impact sub , drop Humphries for Lowry , get Bakinson out for Simons…so disappointed by today and by Dodds line up…he seriously fucked up and Nathan Jones absolutely took him for a fool. if we go to the play offs , Charlton will own us again…Really want Dodds to suceed however he is far to negative
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Even worse was Dodds setting us up that way at home to Stevenage!
We got away with it then, but you can’t rely on opposition centre halves falling over the ball for all your open play goals forever.
Eventually you have to allow your players to attack with purpose.
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Knowing he won’t be here next season, I think Kone has taken his foot off the gas somewhat. He is nowhere near the player he was, albeit this may be due to the effects of his last injury.
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He’s woefully out of form, but he’s not helped by tactics that leave him up against two centre halves on his own every game.
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Kone 2 goals in 12 under Dodds. Kone 16 goals in 28 games under Bloomfield. That doesn’t even consider the fact Kone made proportionally more appearances off the bench during Blooms, so his goals per minute is going to be even worse under Dodds. Manager / tactic issue. Nothing to do with the player. What’s he supposed to do when Norris lumps aerials up to him with loads of backspin and he’s up against one of the league’s best aerial defenders in Lloyd Jones. Not his fault one bit.
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Charlton are going up automatically if they play that way again against Wrexham.
Wrexham aren’t that great as a team, but they do have some great players. Charlton are a fantastic team.
It’s a very strange time. We still may go up auto? We are def in the play offs. It’s the second best league position ever…..
And yet, it feels like I did that evening after we lost to ‘the horse punchers’ the week before Torquay away - which is ridiculous.
Twists and turns to come just no point in being paralysed by fear of failure now. Got my ticket for Orient next Saturday. COYB’s!
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We’re top of the expected goals table over the last two months. Until today, we had created more / better chances than the opposition in every single game since Birmingham away. If you’re doing that consistently then I’d call it “good football”.
However, if your definition is more aesthetic, then I still don’t think we’re too bad. We’ve put together some nice passages of play in recent games. Reading first half, Shrewsbury, Huddersfield second half, Bolton second half. Some very promising attacking signs, without necessarily the goal return the play deserved.
I’ll be the first to admit that it’s not been as exciting or entertaining or incisive as Bloomsball earlier this season. Not even close. But (1) that incisiveness had largely ended throughout the 6 weeks or so before he left, (2) it may have raised our expectations far beyond what’s reasonable to expect of a League One team, and (3) we’ll never know how Blooms would have done with the rest of the season.
I’m 95% sure that we’d have a few more points than we do now and probably have been promoted had Blooms stayed, but we will never know. We may still get promoted with Dodds. It’s hardly Dodds’ fault that he had to follow such an abnormally entertaining first half of the season
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I think hes knackered. Its his first full season and hes played lot.
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That seems fair enough. I’d disagree we played nice stuff in either the Huddersfield or Bolton games, but that’s just opinions.
It’s not just about aesthetics though, it’s about trying to score goals and win.
If we don’t show more intent then win or not it’s moot to me. I can’t sit through 75 minutes of nothing every game in the hope we might score from a set piece in stoppage time.
Also, where do you get the xG stats from? I couldn’t find that stat and find it really hard to believe we have a higher xG than any of the other top four teams. But if we do then my mind is blown!
I knew would be a tough game against the Rev but that was diabolical. Management and team were all crap today. No-one comes out of that with much credit. Still in it though with two must win games to go.
Charlton and Brum are the best teams I’ve seen at AP…almost hope they get autos if not us as they would spank us in the playoffs.
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We still have a massive chance to be promoted. Why are you so negative all the time. Things have changed, why not try and embrace it. Whose to say Bloomfield would have got us promoted.
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Yes, we weren’t on the ropes at any point. Because we’d been knocked out after ten mins!
The autopsy isn’t about the goals conceded; it’s about how we created nothing. Again… Yet again.
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The ownership don’t care if we go up or not, they are only interested in the Academy.
When the first team ( and by definition the supporters) aren’t the most important thing in a football club , then that club is in serious trouble.
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Blooms might not have got us promoted.
But he also wouldn’t have set up at home to Stevenage as though he was playing late 70s Brazil.
He wouldn’t have had his team refuse to shoot in the first half of games.
These things matter.
I enjoyed the 3-2 Wrexham away defeat infinitely more than the 1-0 wins against Stevenage and Huddersfield.
The reason being one fills me with optimism and belief. The other just makes me fear for conceding one goal, as once that happens it’s game over.
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