Just back

[Cobi Budge.]

Were you at the Swindon and Burton games Dan?

I'm not saying Smalley is great or anything, I'm just saying it's extremely harsh to come to a complete judgement when he's simply getting a few minutes here and there, when he's started (up top) he's done very well.

 

[Dan Ellard]

Were you at the Swindon and Burton games Dan?

I'm not saying Smalley is great or anything, I'm just saying it's extremely harsh to come to a complete judgement when he's simply getting a few minutes here and there, when he's started (up top) he's done very well.

Swindon yes. Good goal, poor game aside from that in general. Burton I wasn't but heard mixed reviews about him.

Today he was utterly awful.

 

[tigertony]

Poor game and a bad result.
Fighting in the argyle end was awful,but I believe they we not argyle fans.
I did notice that they seemed to have northern accents.

Be surprised - Exeter were at home today. :lol:

 

[Steve Evans]

he should have put tyler harvey on instead of smalley. :furious:

 

[Dan Ellard]

One more thing: You can see why we've lost every single time this referee has officiated us. Gave us absolutely nothing in the second half, including when Mellor was body checked to the ground on the edge of the area. The referee then went over and had a word with Sheridan - how John didn't nut him one I don't know. One of the most obvious fouls I've ever seen.

 

[Argy1e]

Why are you apologizing to me for McCormick having a poor day Josh? I wasn't there, didn't say otherwise.

As for Deano though, think he takes from too much flack for people who just haven't liked him since day 1. Not saying he's a great player, but (although I wasn't there) I really think people go over the top.

Smalley was abysmal yesterday.

 

[Greenskin]

Were you at the Swindon and Burton games Dan?

I'm not saying Smalley is great or anything, I'm just saying it's extremely harsh to come to a complete judgement when he's simply getting a few minutes here and there, when he's started (up top) he's done very well.

Agree with this. Looks like Smalley is now becoming the scapegoat, there always seems to be one no matter how successful a squad of players is.Smalley did well when he came on against Pompey last week in spite of the nonsense talked on here-can't comment on yesterday as I wasn't there but the bloke in the Indy gave him three stars in contrast to some of the more extreme viewpoints expressed elsewhere, so maybe there's a balance to be struck [not that I give too much credence to either to be truthful]. It is indeed difficult to find your best form if playing on a limited basis only but Smalley has been successful in this division before and could yet turn out to be a valuable asset in the overall scheme of things-it could well be counter productive to spit too much venom in his direction, although in the last analysis people pay their money and are entitled to their say.

 

[Josh Pope]

He's not a scapegoat - he's just sh1te.

 

[Broc's Pilgrimage]

See I thought he was very good against Portsmouth. Blizzard plays much better as a attacking mid than a defensive one. He does the simple things well. Links up play for example with a short but effective forward ball. The midfield is a problem area. However, the issue is not having an engine room player who gets up and down the pitch. Blizzard, Cox and O'Connor are just to similar, in that they don't have the stamina like a David Norris or Alan Judge to run all game.

it was first game without Bobby and Blizz did play and press well that day ... main difference is Pompey didn't have 10% of Mansfields energy and drive from yest. their team were totally up for it. (burton first twenty mins was similar) From the off we looked unsettled with their energy and their front two, and didn't manage this well on the pitch by closing things down. with their hoof ball and big CF winning every knock down, this led to visible panic on our part. last fifteen mins banton did better than I thought he would and we did press well ... just to little too late.

nasty dirty game, crowd, day all round. I think we need another out and out attacking BReid. move on

 

[memory man]

1) McCormick at fault for the goal. Came out, could have got to the ball first, wandered back a bit and ended up in no man's land.

2) We had one shot in the first 70 minutes, Mellor somehow hitting the bar from point-blank range. A few more chances late on but in truth it wouldn't have been deserved. Mansfield were poor, we were worse.

3) Mansfield had one tactic: hoof, target man, second ball. We didn't deal with it. Yet again we got drawn into playing their game and it didn't work. Midfield too deep to pick up those second balls.

4) Hartley the best of the three at the back. McHugh couldn't win much in the air against his man but we should have crowded him out more rather than leaving him one-on-one against McHugh. Still not McHugh's best game in spite of this.

5) Andy Kellett has 3 options: Either a) tell the manager that like he said in his first interview here he doesn't like defending and he's a left winger, nothing else, b) learn how to bloody defend, or c) leave. At home we might just about get away with it but away from home there's nowhere to hide. He can't defend for toffee. Shambolic positionally and doesn't mark his man well enough. Gets drawn into stupid areas all the time without the ball. Nelson, O'Connor and especially Hartley all had a go at him during the game, and they were quite right to. Dangerous going forward but a liability at the back.

6) Cox and O'Connor were shadows of the midfield generals we had last week. Tackles were bottled all over the pitch but the main midfield battle was lost. A lot of the game went over their heads yes but on the occasions it didn't, they didn't do well enough at all. Blizzard played some sublime through balls in the first half but faded in the second.

7) Both strikers had a tough ask with the midfield deep, leaving them isolated.

8) Banton was excellent when he came on. Norburn was pretty good too. I'll get to the other sub in a minute.

9) That's 5 goals now in 10 away games this season - and only 2(!) from open play. Regardless of how good our defending normally is, we will not get out of this league unless that improves.

10) McCormick got into a bit of a spat with their #25, no idea what about. Poor game though, had very little to do but what he did do wasn't very good.

11) TCE cretins who turned up - f**k off out of our club. There's probably an EDL march somewhere you could be attending instead.

12) Final word of the day goes to Deane Smalley. What an absolute joke of a player this man is turning into. Unbelievably selfish, very rarely moves off the ball, can't win headers, can't score apart from penalties, can't link up play, can't draw free-kicks... can't do anything. His only moment of note today was getting in the way of Cox who was about to shoot from 6 yards out with the keeper nowhere. Thanks a bunch Deane, clear off back to Oxford. I'll flaming drive you there myself if I have to.

McCormick 4

Nelson 6
McHugh 6
Hartley 8

Mellor 7
Cox 5
Blizzard 7
O'Connor 5
Kellett 3

Reid 6
Alessandra 6

Subs: Banton 8, Norburn 7, Smalley 1.

I always accede to those that were there and never comment on a performance I have not seen live. Indeed, "on the radio it seemed" winds me up more than Steve Evans faith in Tyler! For that reason I have to accede to someone who was there and accept that Kellet has gone from hero to zero in a week. Last week against Pompey was my first look at him live and I thought he wasn't far from sharing the mom award with Mellor. He looked comfortable with the ball and his positional sense seemed first rate. Now 90 minutes later it is suggested that one of his options (option c above) is that he should leave. Should we not expect a kid just feeling his way in League football to have up days and down days?

 

[Argy1e]

Few people being harsh on Kellett here, he didn't play well but he was nowhere near a 3/10. Whilst poor defensively he created quite a bit going forward and our best chances generally came after Kellett had played the ball in. Still because of his poor defensive work i'd say he was 5/10.

 

[IJN]

I agree he wasn't at his best but nowhere near a 3.

Saying that, Smalley (who I usually like when he comes on) did nothing to deserve a single point in my opinion. Terrible cameo.

Jason on the other hand...............

 

[Josh Pope]

Really don't agree about Kellett. Didn't seem to do as much as usual going forward, and he simoly couldn't defend. He often didn't, and when he did he just git beaten time and time again, quite disappointing, even though I do really like the lad. Think he's much better but in consideration maybe a 4 would be a little better than a 3.

As for Smalley, 100% with you! Not that I like him when he comes on (I just don't rate him in general) but it was so, so bad. One of the worst cameo performances by anyone, ever.

 

[Dan Ellard]

... because at home (especially against a rubbish team) we can get away with playing him at wing-back.

Away from home it's far too risky.

I doubt that O'Connor, Nelson and Hartley (3 times) would have had a pop at him if he'd put in a 6 out of 10 performance.

 

[Mannamead Green]

I've seen us play worse than that and get results, so I can sort of understand why Sheridan said what he said. After the subs we were the only team that looked like winning, but the change came too late and the first 70 minutes was disappointing. One of those where it was a below-par game for most, rather than a terrible one (except for two). Mansfield were a niggly Westley-lite team who we struggled to deal with because our most important players at defending against that style had off days. Our left-hand side was relentlessly attacked and didn't deal with it well.

McCormick - 5 - Below-par. Mostly at fault for the goal, shaky moments with collection of aerial balls and his distribution. Shouldn't have had a row with their striker, too.

Nelson - 6 - Not his worst game but not as good as he often is either. Good at winning the ball in the air but a little weaker than he usually is at the other things.
McHugh - 5 - An off day. Didn't go in for headers against their striker, which might have been a tactical instruction but it didn't work very well. Goal was some of his fault. Improved in the second half.
Hartley - 8 (MotM) - Had to do two men's jobs because of Kellett's defensive absence and did it well. Read the game well, solid in the air and made a few very important tackles. Marked down because of that backpass at the end.

Mellor - 7 - Pretty good. Wasn't tested much defensively because nothing came down his side (but that speaks well about his positioning). Decent going forward too, if he sometimes kept the ball for too long and took 'easy' options.
Cox - 5 - Not bad but not his best. Good going forward in the second half but didn't pick up the scraps in midfield well enough.
O'Connor - 5 - Like many, will often be better than yesterday. A few really good moments but didn't produce his strong ball-winning and aerial ability consistently enough.
Blizzard - 6 - Good going forward in the first half but was absolutely chugging before half-time. Didn't offer much defensively, but then again you don't expect him to.
Kellett - 2 - The most Jekyll and Hyde player I can remember seeing for quite a while. Yesterday, he was a joke defensively and wasteful going forward. We can play him at left wing-back at home but I'm not sure about it away.

Reid - 5 - Tried but didn't really do a lot.
Alessandra - 6 - Like Reid, but marked up for the fact he was effectively playing left-back and left-wing when we switched to 4-3-3.

SUBSTITUTES:
Norburn - 7 - Positive cameo. Picked out a few good passes.

Smalley - 1 - Hideously bad once again. Has no outstanding features as a footballer, which is compounded by his selfish and lazy attitude on the field. Getting in the way of Cox when it was an open goal summed him up. If he's playing then it should only be putting him in the shop window for January.

Banton - 8 - Looked very sharp. Used the ball cleverly and was probably the main catalyst for our revival in the last 20 minutes.