Brief Synopsis!!! (Northampton)

[Ollieargyle9]

Ness was "useless" when he first came back, Sarcevic was "overweight and out of his depth at this level". I think people need to stop writing players off before they've barely kicked a ball for us.

To be fair to Paton he is playing a more attacking role than he's played before, in a system he's only played on the training ground, that currently lacks the main focal point that makes said system actually work.

He wasn't great yesterday, his passing was off the mark and lacking much vision at times but when everyone in front of you is standing like statues it hardly makes creating something easy for you, especially if you're not a "something out of nothing" player like Carey or Lameiras.

Nobody came out of yesterday with much credit, it's harsh to throw the bulk of the blame on the man who's only just made his way into the team.

 

[cheshiregreen]

Paton has ankle ligament damage so he is probably back out of the reckoning for a starting place.

 

[Metal Green Mickey]

Ness was "useless" when he first came back, Sarcevic was "overweight and out of his depth at this level". I think people need to stop writing players off before they've barely kicked a ball for us.

To be fair to Paton he is playing a more attacking role than he's played before, in a system he's only played on the training ground, that currently lacks the main focal point that makes said system actually work.

He wasn't great yesterday, his passing was off the mark and lacking much vision at times but when everyone in front of you is standing like statues it hardly makes creating something easy for you, especially if you're not a "something out of nothing" player like Carey or Lameiras.

Nobody came out of yesterday with much credit, it's harsh to throw the bulk of the blame on the man who's only just made his way into the team.

The trouble is Paton by his own admission said he is a player who wins the ball and passes it simply to the better players. By saying this you already dig a hole for yourself. Especially if Adams put him yesterday in a more attacking role.

It wasn’t the fact Ness was “useless” as such that made me question him. It was the fact he is not much quicker than Fox and the problem is shown up against teams who have the mobility to run through us. Don’t get me wrong your right in the sense of how he has improved but the basic fact remains he hasn’t become any quicker.

Yesterday, the opposition played one simple and not very cultured long ball and it opened us up with too much ease. It reminded me of last season and this season how exposed we can by pace. Where on earth is any midfielders or fullbacks helping out the centre halves? The answer up the pitch and unable to get back.

People mentioned the absence of Taylor yesterday. For me the biggest worry was how a Northampton, a poor team most of the season, ripped us open easily.

 

[moles40]

Yes that’s the biggest concern,that a team as poor as Northampton have been could have scored 6

 

[Metal Green Mickey]

I do have a question.

It gets mentioned how weak our left hand side is and that we get targeted.

The other week there was a thread about how good ATS is. Yet surely, if Adams thought he was that much better than Sawyer he would have started him in games by now? Am I wrong to think this?

Since Adams changed the formation in December it meant the two full backs had to push forward to provide the width, almost playing as wing-backs, with the security of the two centre-backs and Fox behind them (I saw your thread about Fox, he's almost playing as a sweeper now).

Sawyer has good games pushing forward and had a great game against Peterborough and provided a great cross from the by-line for Taylor's goal.
The problem is if we lose the ball Sawyer, now nearly 33, struggles to get back and the opposition have regularly identified this and there's space down our left side.
Bradley, who is not the quickest himself, has to come across to cover for Sawyer. We then have our best header of the ball not in the penalty area.

Sawyer is fine if there's a wide man in front of him, as Wylde or Grant was earlier in the season.

On the other side of defence we have a younger and mobile pair, Threlkeld has the pace and energy to get up and down and if he's caught upfield Vyner has the pace and energy to come across and cover.
That's why, I reckon, opposition teams target our left side but not so much our right side.

Taylor-Sinclair might provide more energy but it would be harsh to drop Sawyer who is only playing to instructions.

Let’s take Threlkeld as an example because rightly you pointed out about Sawyer’s lack of pace and tbh l want to point out that on both sides there is an issue.

Now whether it’s a positional issue or a team communication problem, the fact remains Threlkeld leaves just as much as a hole in the back four when galloping forward as Sawyer. Yesterday you can see numerous times in the highlights, the same as the Charlton game that one long ball, down the middle and there is no full back or midfield cover. One moment a Northampton player has launched it from the back with no real finesse and suddenly out of nowhere Bradley is left one on one with their forward player. That can’t be right.

Threlkeld isn’t slow but l’ve seen often huge gaps in behind him. Now either he is being caught out positionally or Argyle (and this is why I suspect Sawyer is even more exposed with his lack of pace) midfielders don’t have the engines to cover them. What Ness and Fox are good at is passing the ball. Ness in particular can press well too and has a great shot on him. Are they too slow though both to play together?

You only have to look at our side. What’s the one element our team don’t have apart from Vyner (which is why he has proved a great success). It’s pace. If Carey and Lameiras had blistering pace behind and in front of them imagine how much more than not only opens up the field but gives them the confidence they are being covered as they attack.

It’s the key now to improve Argyle for next season and make this team become even better. Just imagine if this team had a “Argyle” Mackie uptop and a Noone out wide. Then put in a Sercombe (Rovers) in midfield for more energy. It would be Simply Mouth watering.

 

[Mark Pedlar]

In an attempt to negate the lack of height and stickability up front Adams is looking to the width that can come from the full backs pushing on. In doing that you leave gaps. The alternative is playing an extra central defender and sacrificing a midfielder. One of the issues yesterday was that when we pushed on we gave the ball away too softly. Both Carey and Lameiras love running with ball at feet but you need players drawing defenders and creating gaps. It's something that Taylor does well. Grant, a winger, is less good at it and Fletcher is still learning. It doesn't help that both number 10s come inside and compress the space even more.

We need a change of formation and tactics whilst Taylor is out. Adams couldn't find it in the autumn and I'm not confident he can do now.

 

[Metal Green Mickey]

Those type of gaps we have seen before.

They were present against Charlton.

Against Wimbledon and Rovers, at HP, it’s why Harrison and Taylor had such great games. They exploited those gaps.

I keep repeating it but go back to last season. Leyton Orient played us. They had one dangerman. That was Macey. Blistering pace. He tore us to shreds that night because of those gaps. Then one year one. Who scores against us again but this time for Wigan. The same man. On the counter attack.

One year on we still haven’t learnt as a team how to defend against pace. A change of formation might help but the lack of pace in our team is our greatest downfall.

 

[Balham Green]

Those type of gaps we have seen before.

They were present against Charlton.

Against Wimbledon and Rovers, at HP, it’s why Harrison and Taylor had such great games. They exploited those gaps.

I keep repeating it but go back to last season. Leyton Orient played us. They had one dangerman. That was Macey. Blistering pace. He tore us to shreds that night because of those gaps. Then one year one. Who scores against us again but this time for Wigan. The same man. On the counter attack.

One year on we still haven’t learnt as a team how to defend against pace. A change of formation might help but the lack of pace in our team is our greatest downfall.

Most teams struggle against genuine pace. Only solution is to sit much deeper. Do we want to do that?

 

[moles40]

:lol: Buy players with more pace then :lol:

Then our team won’t be as slow as some say it is

 

[Larry David]

You could see we were trying to play the ball out from the back rather than hittting Grant with the long ball but Northampton continually pressed our back four and forced errors time after time as we either struggled to adapt or simply weren't good enough to keep possession.

There was no energy and we were outfought all over the park. I felt the longer the game went on the more Northampton grew into it as their confidence returned.

We just looked completely bereft of ideas and panicky at the back.

Back to the drawing board.

 

[Balham Green]

You could see we were trying to play the ball out from the back rather than hittting Grant with the long ball but Northampton continually pressed our back four and forced errors time after time as we either struggled to adapt or simply weren't good enough to keep possession.

There was no energy and we were outfought all over the park. I felt the longer the game went on the more Northampton grew into it as their confidence returned.

We just looked completely bereft of ideas and panicky at the back.

Back to the drawing board.

Spot on. Outmuscled in Midfield. Could have done with Toums yesterday.

 

[PL2 3DQ]

A new rule was introduced two seasons ago where an injured player doesn't have to leave the pitch after receiving treatment from the physio IF the offending opposition player is booked.

Against Northampton Paton was fouled and after receiving treatment he had to leave the pitch despite the Northampton player getting booked.

I think a similar incident happened in the Peterborough game.

So has this rule been abolished for this season or a mistake by the ref?

 

[Cobi Budge]

1) With Matthews returning and Makasi injured there were 2 changes to the starting line-up. Letheren dropped to the bench where he replaced Cooper. Makasi's place was taken by Balham Green's hero Paul Paton with Sarcevic fit enough to take a place on the bench. Ainsworth also fit enough to return where he replaced Sangster. No sign of Taylor unfortunately.

2) Awful first half from Argyle. Reminiscent of a game in October or against Charlton. Toothless up front with no shots on target and very little possession. Lameiras unable to find a green shirt with a pass and everyone taking turns in giving the ball away with a loose pass. Northampton totally deserved their lead, Argyle having 3 or 4 warnings before they scored.

3) Grant and Carey unable to get into the game. Paton clearly not used to his role, and alongside an off form Threlkeld we were exposed down the right a lot. Matthews made a point blank save and but for Bradley and some wild finishing from Northampton we were lucky to go in only 1 down.

4) We needed to make changes at half-time, would today be the day that Adams recognised that plan A wasn't working and have something else up his sleeve? Half time news from the other grounds wasn't good either. It wasn't looking like it was going to be a great day.

5) Argyle started the second half far more brightly than they had been at any point in the first 45. Paton went down injured and was replaced by Sarcevic to a warm welcome from the Argyle fans. Argyle switched Grant and Lameiras. Matthews made another great save. Argyle reverted to type and the second duly followed.

6) Argyle started going long with no result. Matthews made yet another save. We were being over run. Chances came and went for Northampton. If you had no idea which team was facing the threat of relegation you would guess it was the team in green. The first Argyle shot on target came from Threlkeld in the 72nd minute.

7) Into the final 15 and Ainsworth replaced Fox. Carey now more central in a 4-4-2 with Ainsworth on the right. Last 10 and Fletcher on for the ineffective Grant. The game well and truly lost, although I must admit I lost confidence after conceding at the end of the first. We were playing so badly I couldn't see us ever scoring.

8 ) Vyner had one of his poorest games in a green shirt but was still one of the better Argyle players. He, Fox and Bradley the only ones to really come out of the game with any credit although we did look better with Sarcevic on the pitch. We couldn't even force the ball home with the goalie on the floor at the end of the game.

9) Adams has reverted to the autumn manager. We have no idea without Taylor and stubbornly keep going with hitting the ball hopefully forward with no-one who can hold the ball up. Without Taylor, Lameiras AND Carey are not the same players and we need more steel. He desperately needs to find an alternative formation and that isn't going to happen. The season ends unless Taylor becomes Lazarus.

Remi Matthews - 6
Oscar Threlkeld - 5
Zak Vyner - 7
Sonny Bradley - 7
Gary Sawyer - 6
David Fox - 7
Jamie Ness - 6
Paul Paton - 6
Ruben Lameiras - 5
Graham Carey - 6
Joel Grant - 5

Kyle Letheren - unused
Yann Songo'o - unused
Gary Miller - unused
Aaron Taylor-Sinclair - unused
Antoni Sarcevic - 6
Lionel Ainsworth - 5
Alex Fletcher - 5

How have you given Matthews the same rating as Sawyer, Paton and Ness?

Matthews kept it from being embarrassing with save after save.

 

[Cobi Budge]

A good day out but unfortunately a very poor performance. The issue isn't even Taylor being out, the ssue is that we're trying to use Grant in the same way that we use Taylor, and that'll never work. Our season isn't over and I still feel like we can be good enough without Taylor, but we need to tweak our tactics/formation as the last two games have demonstrated a worrying lack of creativity and cutting edge. On to Tuesday.

Matthews - 9
Threlkeld - 4
Vyner - 6
Bradley - 4
Sawyer - 4
Paton - 4
Fox - 5
Ness - 4
Carey - 5
Lamerias - 5
Grant - 4

Sarcevic - 5
Ainsworth - 5
Fletcher - 5

 

[phil thefluter24]

What really rubs it in if the Rochdale & Scunny games had been played when they should we would have had a fit Taylor on the field, think someone has run over a black cat but perhaps it was not meant to be this season. Never mind have them up the road & Sunderland to look forward to, how the mighty have fallen!