May Contain Nuts

Bird's playing very well and will be a real asset next season.

You understood my point😁

Well yes, it's a self fulfilling prophecy.
If a team is coached with an emphasis on getting it wide rather than playing through the middle then they'll not learn to overcome teams to try to 'strangle' them, and struggle to do so when a team does that.
The excuse earlier in the season (Cheltenham) was that they'd outnumber us there, but now we're playing 3 in midfield with the addition of Adams that excuse goes away.
We've had the ability to play with 3 midfielders most of the season and chosen not to,  you can't simply expect everything to work out perfectly when changing to a 3 when it hasn't been practiced extensively and the team have been taught to almost fear playing that way.
And that's what I saw yesterday, the theory was good but the execution was poor because it looked unpractised.

It is though if you care about the more long term. The only people happy to swallow this are the ‘up at all cost’ opinions regardless of what happens afterwards in the championship 

I like Paul Warne and am desperate for him to succeed at DCFC. I like his style, his honesty and feel he has integrity and moral compass. However, serious questions to be asked following yesterdays performance which was too similar to previous performances:
- why is there such a lack of creativity in our play when he has had such a long time with this squad? 
- why do we not impose ourselves on weaker opposition, especially at home?
- why does it take us to concede a goal in order for us to display energy and desire?
- why do we never have any runners beyond Collins, when our tactic is so often hitting the ball directly towards him in the air? Seriously, what are we achieving with this tactic without runners around or beyond him?
- why do players not appear more motivated when you consider our position and the opportunity we have, especially in the earlier parts of each game when we are far too passive?
My opinion is that if he and the coaching team can resolve the 5 questions above, we can and will make the automatic positions. If we continue not to, then the best we can hope for is a play off lottery, and I wouldn’t fancy our chances over two legs against anybody if the issues have still not been resolved. Quality coaching and leadership now required for the remainder of the season. 🐏

Bird's playing very well and will be a real asset next season.

I'm not sure things are that bad. There are a handful of posters like this but most people are reasonable.

He won us 3 points at Port Vale which could end up being vital come the end of the season. If we do end up finishing in the top 2 this season, then he's made a contribution to that.

A competitive league one outfit second in the league. Some performances this season with ultra aggressive pressing and free flowing football when allowed to. 
The standard of the league is pretty poor and the matches can be difficult to watch. It’s a league problem. We need to get out of this league. 

The point I was making in the post you refer to is not once have I seen this Warne team persistently play aimless long ball and the ball being in the air more than on the ground. To say so is just untrue and a lazy stereotype based on Warne’s perceived style at Rotherham. Recent games I’ve seen centre halves split and Vickers playing the ball out to the side of the box then into midfield. That’s not lumping it. 

Bird's playing very well and will be a real asset next season.

OK, how about "we learned that Adams isn't Bob Malcolm"?

Bird's playing very well and will be a real asset next season.

Except the one which doesn't count because despite being in charge 6 months he wasn't officially their permanent manager until the next season.

Yes, and they're still our best and/or most effective players.
I actually thought our starting lineup today was pretty promising as it was as close to a WarneXI as we could put out considering who was fit enough to start, aside from Elder in for Sibley, Bradley in for the would-be-gone Cashin and Washington in alongside Collins (but then where do NML and CBT go?
...and yet we still had to change it because it looked poor and unrehearsed.

For what it’s worth I agree with everything you have said!
Have held off coming on the forum tonight as I imagined it would be awash with negativity after today’s result. Yes it was disappointing….no it is not the end of the world!
From what I have seen attending all home matches this season there is little to choose between teams in this league. Most players across the board including ours are Div 1 standard and the football as a result is often poor, again ourselves included. We have however proved hard to beat and won a fair few games hence we are second. Narrow margins have won and lost us points. 
Attendances have remained astonishing and do not reflect the few on here who are feeling unable to attend. In reality this forum reflects the opinion of very few of our 26,000 core of support which is reassuring. 
Warne deserves to see the job out which this season is promotion. If it does not happen then is the time to decide on his future.

Yes it’s means he has pedigree at this level, has us right in the mix in a wide open season with us being second, you’d think we were midtable bottom half by some of the comments. 

If he doesn’t get us up this season then questions should be asked. The comments are the same every week and they are lazy. Banging on about style of play even when in some games we’ve actually played good football.
I was all set for him to go after that Stevenage defeat and said he needed an amazing run to keep in the job, he’s had that run and put us right in the mix. I don’t understand those who literally wait for us to drop points (some even don’t wait for that) to spout the same old crap. There are two teams in any game and Shrewsbury made that a right royal scrap and downright ugly, not Warne’s tactics IMO. 
I think he will get us up. I think he should get us up, his real test is how competitive can we be with him in the championship and on that I’m not convinced. But while he’s here I’ll continue to back him until it becomes abundantly clear we need a change and right now with us second in the league no one can say we need a change while keeping a straight face. 
 
 

I wasn't surprised by the result nor the performance.
No control yet again against a really average side who we should be dominating against. Sat on a 1 goal lead for some bizarre reason. Our only saving grace was Adams coming in and finally stopped midfield from getting bulldozed, he's a great player for this side. Exactly what we need.
Every point we have picked up since the turn of the year feels like "that'll do." The standard football is "that'll do." Unimpressive, turgid guff with no confident platform to build on if we gained promotion. Winning or drawing purely based on a team which happens to have some quality when needed, absolutely nothing to do with the manager and his setup. It's deflating and I can't believe I feel like that in a promotion race. We did get unlucky at the end with the header that somehow ended up hitting the bar. But then I'd argue we should have been 1-0 down when Bradley yet again fluffed his clearance and their lad hit it wide. 
Thought the crowd gave everything for the team today and did well to put up with more horrible football on offer. It's definitely déjà vu of last season but we don't have McGoldrick to bail Warne out this time.

I work on the basis that if I'm confused about all the positional changes from in front of my TV, the players must be absolutely baffled. Warne has won games with his subs recently, but he cost us two points today. Nobody seemed to know who they were marking or where they should be and it descended into primary school kick and chase at times.
Adams is fantastic though. Once he's fully match fit, he'll eat this league up. Perfect mix of nasty, ratty b****** and actual footballing brain (exactly what I thought Fornah would be).

Anyway, anyone want to talk about the good and bad bits about the game ? Individual performances ?
 
Or is this just the usual polarised Warne is a clown, Bradley is a liability, recruitment is rubbish, Sibley should play for England, Collins is a donkey, Ipswich were better than us. Etc etc etc ? 
 
for me, I had big hopes for Ward but he seems to have self doubt, doesn’t instinctively seek front foot which he is undoubtedly capable, thought Sibs did a couple of stormingly good tackles then spoilt it giving the ball away and being too lightweight. Back line did well, major blooper apart. Adams is a machine that bites, Collo just never gives up and gives everything and is effective. NML full of fight but carrying that foot injury took his edge away. Birdy looks much freer with Adams behind him. Not moaning about the ref except as far as his lack of interest in wrestling 

Exactly how I feel. This is the first season in over 40 years that I can’t be arsed to go to a game. It is weird that we are in 2nd but I am so underwhelmed. Even with a lot of the games I’ve seen on tv, the football is laboured and turgid…..

I've reached the apathy stage. 
When my lad came downstairs this morning, and said he didn't feel well enough to go, I was kind of relieved. 
I just don't find the disruption to the day worth the time and cost invested, sadly. 
It's the same old performance at home, match after match, against teams who always seem to be 16th-19th in the league when we play them!
 

That's the result of playing it from back to front too quickly with players not able/quick enough to get themselves back onside after pressing and ending up behind opposition defenders.

All the chat about subs, reffing, late goals, fine...I get it.
For me though the takeaway is that it was another dull as muck afternoon. If we win, I'll wear it, when we don't though...I just start thinking about what could have done instead and I wonder why I'm bothering.

Yet same Lino allowed their player early in the second half who was clearly offside to run through and nearly score!! Consistency. The officials did not help us today, we should’ve had a pen, they should’ve been down to 10 men, but then to counter that if Hourihane had been sent off for that tackle wouldve had no complaints, definite red for me.

I wonder if one of these days we might try and actually out football one of these crap outfits who turn up to play like this, or whether we will continue to willingly play them at exactly the game they want us to.
When you play win at all costs football and don’t win then you should absolutely expect criticism.