chadlad

Agreed, I am not suggesting possession for the sake of it but the better sides in this league will try and hurt you when they win the ball and not simply lump it up top. We have players who can deal with the ball in tight situations with their back to goal but our current tactics don’t allow for it. During our unbeaten run it seemed to me that we played in a direct but much more purposeful way by passing the ball when we had it.
Our only option now seems to be to hit it over the top behind their defenders for our aging strikers to chase down. Inevitably it comes straight back, we then have to defend again and try again to win the ball back. Sooner or later they score, sometimes more than once.

The BBC stats give us 30% possession of the ball against a mid table League 1 team. This tells me all I need to know about the style and quality of our football.
Warne seems like a bright bloke, he surely must realise that the game of football is not just about running. If you constantly give the ball back to the other team, sooner or later they are going to score a goal or three. Yes, they scored with a dodgy injury time penalty but they were always going to score at least one goal and I would say we were lucky to come away with a point.
If we control possession of the ball we control the game and the penalty doesn’t arise. IF we have the ball they don’t score, ability/skill, strength and fitness are ALL important and I don’t get the obsession with running. Pretty sure Chris Martin wouldn’t get into a PW team!
What I have seen so far under Warne’s tenure makes me have serious concerns about the direction we are going in. The style is very reminiscent of the Clough years but without the nurturing of the better young players such as Sibley, Bird and Thompson.  It’s not entertaining or good to watch and let us not forget that DCFC are in the entertainment business and some of the less committed fans will sooner or later vote with their feet if this continues into next season.
 

As others have said though, the more you control the game, the less chance the opposition have of scoring. 
Their penalty came about from one of numerous balls pumped into our area because we kept on giving possession away.
We need to start taking more control of games because the long balls are just giving away possession and inviting the opposition to attack us.

I'd say we stopped controlling games the day that Bird got injured.
Just how it seems to me and not sure if it is reflected in official stats.

The BBC stats give us 30% possession of the ball against a mid table League 1 team. This tells me all I need to know about the style and quality of our football.
Warne seems like a bright bloke, he surely must realise that the game of football is not just about running. If you constantly give the ball back to the other team, sooner or later they are going to score a goal or three. Yes, they scored with a dodgy injury time penalty but they were always going to score at least one goal and I would say we were lucky to come away with a point.
If we control possession of the ball we control the game and the penalty doesn’t arise. IF we have the ball they don’t score, ability/skill, strength and fitness are ALL important and I don’t get the obsession with running. Pretty sure Chris Martin wouldn’t get into a PW team!
What I have seen so far under Warne’s tenure makes me have serious concerns about the direction we are going in. The style is very reminiscent of the Clough years but without the nurturing of the better young players such as Sibley, Bird and Thompson.  It’s not entertaining or good to watch and let us not forget that DCFC are in the entertainment business and some of the less committed fans will sooner or later vote with their feet if this continues into next season.
 

Clocks ticking.

Whilst I’m grateful that we have a team one year later, I’m getting a little tired of that being continually pulled out every time a fan has a question on the absolute drab that’s being executed on the pitch.
The fact is Rosenoir bought some good players to the club. So we have, albeit small and albeit missing a couple of players in certain positions, but we have a good team of football players.
Therefore, I look at the current. The absolute dross that Paul Warnes tactics are delivering on the pitch are atrocious. Lumping it up but with no one in behind, playing into channels for either our none pacy strikers to chase or wingbacks who let’s be honest, we shouldn’t be wasting their time with defensive work, or the lack of imagination or creativity in our play.
The only reason I’m still supporting Warne is that he has specific tactics, he plays them and he he certainly doesn’t have the players to execute them. However, you’ve got to change your approach Paul. You need to work with the players you have, not with implementing a style which you don’t have players for. Show me you have the ability to do this.
However, I genuinely think that if anyone thinks we will get promoted to the Prem (one of the reasons Warne left Rotherham) plying his tactics is in cloud cuckoo land. It’s League One football and I can see, with the right players, how he could get out of this league but that’s it at most.
Right now though his tactics are costing us a League One play-off place. If we don’t get in the play-offs he’s failed as far as I am concerned.
I am not on the Warne out camp, I fail to see the value in constantly letting managers go and it’s too costly, but this season is certainly frustrating.

Do you remember when we used to have a far greater share of the possession under Cocu and Rooney, then you looked at the stats and the quality possession was oft shuffling the ball across the back line crab like then back again and so on.
But not actually generating any progression or hurting the opposition.
Which then sometimes resulted in a suicidal backpass to our goalie leading to a goal for the opposition. Or our goalie piddling around with possession on his 6 yard or across his penalty area leading to the same outcome. 
So stats can be very misleading used in isolation.

The BBC stats give us 30% possession of the ball against a mid table League 1 team. This tells me all I need to know about the style and quality of our football.
Warne seems like a bright bloke, he surely must realise that the game of football is not just about running. If you constantly give the ball back to the other team, sooner or later they are going to score a goal or three. Yes, they scored with a dodgy injury time penalty but they were always going to score at least one goal and I would say we were lucky to come away with a point.
If we control possession of the ball we control the game and the penalty doesn’t arise. IF we have the ball they don’t score, ability/skill, strength and fitness are ALL important and I don’t get the obsession with running. Pretty sure Chris Martin wouldn’t get into a PW team!
What I have seen so far under Warne’s tenure makes me have serious concerns about the direction we are going in. The style is very reminiscent of the Clough years but without the nurturing of the better young players such as Sibley, Bird and Thompson.  It’s not entertaining or good to watch and let us not forget that DCFC are in the entertainment business and some of the less committed fans will sooner or later vote with their feet if this continues into next season.
 

I take a lot of your points about how the team is playing currently but using the 30% possession stat from yesterday as the benchmark isn’t the one. We had 63% possession against MK Dons and 29 attempts at goal, each game in isolation throws up different stats that can be used to make a point.
Your other general points about controlling the ball are absolutely valid, I don’t want to see us go back to holding the ball for the sake of it and doing nothing with it. Earlier this season Warne seemed to have struck a balance in the side between controlling the ball and using physical attributes to get us on a winning run. I genuinely think if he can find the right players to complement his stubbornly pursued 3-5-2 then it’ll work as he intends it, however for the remainder of this season I think he should be looking to get back to that 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 that was working earlier in the season. 
He wants Knight in the side no matter what for all his running, but is he effective at the minute in midfield? I’d potentially use him at right back with Cashin, Forsyth and Roberts making up the back 4. Get Smith or Bird as the holding midfielder with 2 of Hourihane/Sibley/Bird as the others in the middle and play NML and Barkhuizen/Dobbin either side of McGoldrick. Get back to what was working and see if we can still sneak into that top 6. 

Job done today. Not a vintage performance but the result was never in doubt, we barely conceded a chance and should’ve scored more than we did. 
 
Yes we were playing Forest Green but we really looked solid today, reminded me of earlier in the season when we kept clean sheets for fun. Chester was excellent, as was Roberts and Cashin was back to his best. 
 
Regarding the rest of the team, Smith in his favoured position didn’t do it for me today, likewise Conor was frustrating but he was useful in managing the game in last 20 mins with his calmness in possession. Knight played well, I don’t know what Harvey White has to do to play, he was best player against Peterborough and has hardly played since. Bird on the other hand has been awful since he returned so it was spot on to leave him out, looked ok when he came on so gives Warne a decision particularly with Smiths performance today. 
 
The wing backs, Sibley couldn’t get in the game as everything went down the right. Mendez put 6 or 7 unbelievable crosses in today, thought he ran out of steam and should’ve been subbed off earlier. As for Didzy and Collo both were a bit up and down today but overall they played ok and glad they both scored.
The same solidity with moving the ball better in midfield will be a good blue print for us for the remainder of this season. I’d definitely be considering white or bird for Smith on Monday but otherwise wouldn’t make many changes.
It was must win today with the other results, and Monday is also must win. I think we will win before more sterner tests against Bristol and Exeter where we’re going to need to win at least one of those.
COYR!!! 🐏🐏🐏🐏🐏

As the Author of the poll, I can tell you what triggered me to post were the comments that I was seeing on the Academy Thread.
Every team hits dodgy patches of form - look at Manchester City and Liverpool. In our case, we narrowly escaped extinction. I think we only had five contracted players when Clowes and Rosenior managed to scrape together a squad, with no transfer fees and under spending constraints for wages, for this season. Warne was then brought in as manager - inheriting players not necessarily suited to his preferred style of play - and he has had only one transfer window BUT no money to spend. As I understand it, even selling players he would not be allowed to buy.
So, very definitely,  I can assure you that I am not trying to sustain any Anti-Warne sentiment on the basis of the difficult situation Warne has had to contend with or a - very understandable - dip in form. No, it's not that at all.
My concern is the bigger picture. The development, encouragement and fostering of the academy. The overall tactics and style of play if and when we get out of League One. That's what concerns me. It concerns me now as it did when he was appointed - and people warned then about tactics and non-use of the academy.
It's not just about where we finish in League One this season. Warne was brought in on a four year contract to build the whole club, not just to get us out of this division.
I hope that clarifies.
As an aside though: it's great that we have finally settled on a manager that you @Jourdan want to get behind 😉

He has improved this season playing LB but in centre midfield still WIP despite his goal threat. I would play him forward of Roberts instead of Dozy Dobbin.

Pace is useless without composure to score or assist in the box. 

Embarrassing thread… said as much recently but was put on the naughty step.
Enough is enough, delete the thread now 11 points from the 10 games since the thread was started says it all.
Step up mods, the playoffs could be in your hands 🙂
 

Embarrassing thread… said as much recently but was put on the naughty step.
Enough is enough, delete the thread now 11 points from the 10 games since the thread was started says it all.
Step up mods, the playoffs could be in your hands 🙂
 

1Wildsmith 6 might have done better with both goals
12Smith 3 unbelievably poor
33Davies 5 not the same player as last season
Roberts 7 did okay 
6Cashin 5 allowed a poor game
3Forsyth 5 gave the ball away for 2nd goal
8Bird 6.5 tried to pass the ball, not just hit and hope
4Hourihane 5.5 unlucky to be hooked, could easily have been others
McGoldrick 6.5 tried hard but nothing really came off for him
11Mendez-Laing 4 what has happened to the early season NML?
Dobbin 6.5 see didzy
17Sibley 5.5 see Hourihane
Barkhuizen 6 
22Springett 3 see Smith
Knight 6 
9Collins 4 lots of effort but lacks ability
Management 3 wrong team selection, poor substitutions, horrible tactics

Embarrassing thread… said as much recently but was put on the naughty step.
Enough is enough, delete the thread now 11 points from the 10 games since the thread was started says it all.
Step up mods, the playoffs could be in your hands 🙂
 

I'd like to see Sibley start this game, probably on the left wing although I know a lot of people on here don't like him playing there. The crossing from our wide players has been absolutely atrocious recently and Sibley is probably the best we have in that department other than Hourihane.

I'm a Warne fan and but he got it horribly wrong on Saturday and chickened out of putting it right until too late.
Very much had the Wembley Way feeling when I saw the line-up and who was on the bench.
Curtis has too much credit in the bank to be criticised - the question is whether he should now be picked and, if he does get picked, how it affects the play. It appears that if Curtis plays, there is a no passing through midfield policy applied so we go wide and/or long. Who do you pick to get on the end of lumpball.......a striker who wins headers and can hold it up (DM) or one who doesn't (JC)?
Bird didn't touch the ball for 20 mins and Hourihane had scraps.
My wife asked for a prediction pre-match and I said Springett would get hooked after 60 mins having contributed nothing. Springett should be nowhere near our first 11. It's not his fault he's picked but we essentially started with 10 players and elected to play with about 6 of them.
The coaches were deliberating making changes from about 25 mins and jibbed until 43 mins - should have been before their second goal. Hourihane is one of our best players - if we choose to involve him in the game. Didn't deserve hooking IMO.
Yes, some other players had stinkers but this was Warne's fault. I hope he shares the blame after he's had time to reflect rather than losing the dressing room......where he now has some bridges to build.
Pick the right team and involve the better players in the play and play-offs aren't a problem. COYR

I could not agree more Davey boy. For me the most concerning aspect of recent games has been the hit and hope style of football. It’s not very easy on the eye and is probably the reason that we have struggled against the better teams in this league.
 

Wildsmith
 Rooney   Chester.   Fozzy.   Robbo
   NML.      Knight.   Bird.    Dobster
                         Sibbo
                    McGoldrick

Wildsmith
Smith          Forsyth      Cashin       Roberts
                    Bird               Hourihane
NML                     Knight               Barkhuizen
                        McGoldrick           

HW is obviously a good player, great first touch, good range of passing and looks to have a goal or two in him. Like others he was bruised and battered at Barnsley but he will learn from it.
He isn’t going to replace Bird or Knight but he does offer competition for places in CM. If Hourihane needs a rest I would have thought HW would have the skillset to do the job.

HW is obviously a good player, great first touch, good range of passing and looks to have a goal or two in him. Like others he was bruised and battered at Barnsley but he will learn from it.
He isn’t going to replace Bird or Knight but he does offer competition for places in CM. If Hourihane needs a rest I would have thought HW would have the skillset to do the job.