jono

I am not sure it’s a tactics thing. Our midfield works sometimes - as against Barnsley (helped when cash and Bradley used them ! ) but as a unit there isn’t quite the right mix. Smithy is a good rater and quite deft but gets out muscled against certain teams. Conner drifts around, quite precise and intelligent but not exactly a dynamo and Birdy is on another level but too much of the time he’s on his own mentally. I think we badly need some pure power - I’m joking in a way, but a league 1 2020’s version of Gerard, Lampard, Robson. Front foot, bit of vision, touch, give and goes ( anyone got a fat bank balance 🤣)

I’m up for that, as long as you’re not the one dancing on it

Bland first half, honours even. We were the better side (just) but it looked very rough and ready. Better second half, some real grit shown and heads didn’t drop. NML on great form. My pick though was Nelson (and Cash) Solid as rocks and even marched out from the back occasionally to break lines. Bold, tough measured performances from both. Cardless ref .. odd bod he was. Didn’t do a bad job on reflection but their goalie got away with time wasting, No46 blatant dive, Chrissy Martin treading on thin ice with his new wrestling career coming soon. We were blameless Corinthian saints as always 🤪 Not enough players on Birds wavelength .. he sees and does stuff that others don’t, but the runners aren’t awake enough when he plays the ball. NML continues to imperiously burn rubber, Sibs works hard but just doesn’t seem to have the muscle to compete at the critical moment when he’s done the difficult bit. Barks seemed off it, Collo, usual bruisers effort and for him some nice touches, Smithy is intelligent but got bullied a bit. Subs all did well and made a difference in pace and urgency. Not a pretty win but just the job considering Bristols position and form.

I think you started well but much as I wanted Chrissy to get a deserved warm welcome; I thought he did pretty much nothing apart from the goal ( yes, daft comment perhaps, it is something he was always good at, he clearly still has the instincts ) but really he looked slow and the wrestling efforts on Nelson and Cash were last chance saloon stuff. Their No10 was slippery and mobile but they didn’t link as well as you might have thought with a different Martin. Collins didn’t score, but all round was much more influential and involved to my mind. And yes a Martin in his prime would have been a better player than Collins .. not arguing that, but today ? I didn’t see anything to re kindle the flames.

I was right in front of that. Should have been booked. As they said in some movie or other “Dive Dive Dive” pathetic effort. 5/10 for cheating do not pass go, do not collect 200

Flat. Not without effort but too slow too often, not winning seconds. Giving it away too easily. Brizzle look ok but nothing special. One of those games where we huff and puff but can’t break through while they look like they are patient and organised and will get one on the break. Come on lads time to speed it up

You don’t need any specialist knowledge. All that is important is a good heart which you must have from sharing genes with B4. Oh and wanting us to win. I’d also add Daniels excellent understanding of transfer values could be helpful. Deduct a zero if we are buying and add a zero if we are selling. Who need economists and politicians ! We will all miss Daniel so much on here. Funny, passionate, friendly, positive and a Ram of the first order. Hoping he gets a wonderful acknowledgement and Pride Park bounces for him on Saturday ❤️

If he had game changing talent on a consistent basis it would have been evident by now. I Don’t buy the arguments. No doubt at all he is a useful player and has done some good things. I am more than happy when he’s in our team but I don’t lean forward in my seat and go “great, Sibs is in, light the blue touch paper.” .. He’s a good lad, a good player but golden child, misused genius ? Nope !

That is fair … what was Collins doing playing right wing for big chunks of the game ? He does that in certain games for no logical reason that I can fathom, and it always coincides with, surprise surprise .. no goals. Get in the box man

Whatever .. but he’s had a lot lot more than 10 minutes here and there

Roy, you know a lot about the game, you’ve watched a lifetime of football, I know from our PM’s that you are a sound, well read intelligent and thoughtful man, but honestly with the anti Warne thing and the Sibley my love child stance you are being a bit of an obsessional scratched record and seriously one dimensional. Come on, regardless of position or a run of starts and whatever caveats are chucked in, has Sibs really got even close to his early promise or his occasional purple patches. ? I am sure you’d lambast the likes of Lawrence or Ince for the level of performance we’ve seen from him, but somehow Sibs gets a free pass time and again. I Just don’t get it ? he’s a good lad with some ability, that from time to time shows up. That said he isn’t a Will Hughes or anything even close. You wouldn’t build a team round him, you wouldn’t chose him as a dead cert on a 1 V 1, you wouldn’t say he’s Mr 100% graft and passion. You wouldn’t say he was team spirit personified or possessed of vision and a football brain. He’s a Ram and I’ll back him all the way when he’s playing but seeing him as a wronged and misused super star in the making is bonkers. .. And that is how you come across. Hey, each to his own, it is just opinions but there does come a point when hard evidence negates even the most sincere feelings and instincts.

I am opposed to changing our manager now, I just think it’s fundamentally wrong for so many reasons but yours is the best counter argument I have seen. He missed an opportunity in bigger picture terms. My guess this time round is he thought a group buoyed by Saturdays win would cruise through this game with confidence and vigour which is a rational assumption I don’t think he got any tactics wrong but his players didn’t meet his expectations when younger hungrier lads might have done. No guarantee of course, it was a reasonable decision but it didn’t work. I am still ok with Warne, I still want him given time (This full season ) but too many more choices that don’t bear fruit will make me question

Oooops 🤣🤣🤣

So, you don’t think they needed to run more and make fewer individual mistakes ? Change the manager again ? It’s not the players having a bad day ? It’s all down to bad coaching ? It has nothing to do with an opponent who made fewer mistakes, were more hungry for the ball and worked their bollox off ? Let’s take Cashin - probably tops of our lot for desire and effort but they worked him over, pure and simple. No coaching, “dimensions” or tactics are going to change that. We didn’t exhibit enough team play or effort and we misplaced too many passes. We got beaten by a side that were better than us on the night. Virtually the same team that bossed Barnsley and came out on top. … I’d be asking the players to question themselves rather than reverting to a sack the boss knee jerk reaction.

Yes, but whoever was on the pitch they did need to “run more” which was what I think you challenged ? . I think you want to imply that Warne is simplistic or even crude ? Well that’s the message I got from your original post. Sorry Roy, perhaps I am mistaken ? but I certainly felt the sneer and dismissiveness in your tone ? Is that what you were suggesting or is it something else ? From my point of view, having been at that match, it WAS very simple .. There wasn’t much between the sides in skill deployed. We didn’t hoof it or play “bad” football. (You might argue that played football badly though. ) Very simply, Crewe were as good as we were individually but worked harder. They deserved their win simply because of that. This loss wasn’t about style of play or tactics .. this was about effort and errors .. Collectively there was not enough of one and too many of the other.

We can talk about tactical shortcomings or managerial failings all day long but the bottom line tonight is that we made too many individual errors and failings in bad passes, poor crosses and pedestrian movement of the ball, which coincided with an opponent who had 11 players who worked very hard whilst displaying some good skills, quick thinking and a winning attitude. Very disappointed, lacklustre everywhere. Sibs is a good lad for sure, but he isn’t going to attract higher league attention whatever position he plays in.

Yes Roy. They do. We were beaten by an athletic team with little difference in skill level but they worked harder for longer than we did. Throw whatever you want at the management but for me we were hopelessly casual all evening bar the first 5 minutes of each half. A big chunk of that is down to players and leadership on the pitch.

Well I am going with visiting nephew, half fan who really supports Luton and is slumming it after going to Old Trafford where the away support sang we’ll follow you back to London 🤣 Anyway, wet Tuesday replay against unfashionable opponents, times are tough so anything over 5k isn’t the end of the world. Looking forward to seeing some of the young guns

I think perhaps this is also a test for Warne himself. Is he a solid league 1 manager or can he create a competitive team a level higher ? I don’t think there is much difference between mid level L1 and Championship .. just fewer individual errors and, on average, a better first touch. You’re right though on the Rotherham comparison. If we go up and don’t compete then it isn’t good enough, he’d have to go, but for me he has time at least for this season. If we don’t go up and next season doesn’t start with us in the top two or 3 after say 5/10 games then my patience would wear thin. I just don’t want us unnecessarily pulling the trigger on yet another manager.

I really do get that but just maybe amidst our dreams of greater things, perhaps we shouldn’t be thinking of Warne as a Clough or even a Smith. Just a manager who will do a job and set us on the first lap or two of a relay and then pass the baton to another, for the next leg. ? Maybe Warne isn’t the long term manager but as the short/medium term he needs our support ? Before we get a Ferrari perhaps we need to get comfortable with our modeo andget to a destination where we might get the keys to something better.

Happy days. Real fighters performance. Some good football thrown in too. Think Cash ran Collins close for MOTM and thought Smith did some excellent ratting. Barks blew hot and cold, how did he miss that having done the hard bit so well ? Not much in it first half but the goal early in the second was a kick in the round objects that they couldn’t recover from. After that we ran it. We all know Collo’s weaknesses but he played damned well today and roughed up anyone who came near him. In a word Gutsy. There was a similar and welcome attitude in all our team today. No one was going to be intimidated and it showed.

Oh that is so sad Angie x. We all had a friendly giggle with B4. He always took even the worst and put a positive outlook on it. He’d have been delighted that Collions scored a brace today. His match report would have given us a lift as always A proper Ram. You’ll be chatting with Cloughie now “young man” . Much sympathy to his friends an family.

Which reminds me of a joke I heard in my youth Whats the difference between Ansels Bitter and making love in a rowing boat. ? They’re both ducking close to water

I normally have strong opinions and favourite players but it’s tricky to chose at the moment. The only thing I want and that consistently works is 4 at the back. These players have all had good days this season in one game or another, but I wish to heck they’d all decide to have a good day at the same time. Collins needs the ball in the box but if that isn’t going to happen then Washington is more versatile. Bradley has his issues but at least plays the ball out to midfield on the floor. Dunno .. hope they give us room to play. We need this to stop the one step forward one back rut we keep slipping in to.

Have to disagree. There have been a few dour games with players “off it” but I’ve also seen some good football and at times a team playing as a unit. It’s considerably better on the pitch than under Pearson and despite Cocu’s grand plan and intelligence it wasn’t very exciting at all. Heart in mouth as we fussed around on the edge of our own box waiting for inevitable mistakes and at the other end just not scoring goals. .. naaa I still like watching us and I see goals going in. We aren’t Barcabut I know these boys will be thereabouts a seasons end