samo II

But, more crucially, no points. Never expected us to get anything here, but it is more the fact SC is starting to show the sort of pointless caution that hobbled and then ruined McInnes' reign. We lined up to try and frustrate a team who are flying, and they predictably tore into us, quickly putting the game out of our reach, and removing almost any point of us bothering to turn up. One shot on target about says it all; even at the darkest times earlier on this season we carried a goal threat, and it is probably the one aspect of our game that needed the least tinkering. But tinker we have, and tonight we chose to start a side with only 3 players who'd scored for us this season; Baldock, Elliott, Flint, and the last of those who's scored more own goals than those for us, including ANOTHER tonight. That isn't to mention us leaving out top scorer and single positive from a dire, dire season on the bench; insane decision. Utterly insane. Only decent thing about tonight it that Rotherham did us a favour and stopped Tranmere taking a step away from the relegation scrap... but that said, our next opponents won with aplomb against a team we couldn't defeat to do exactly that. As I said; expected no points from these two games, but at least expected Cotterill to play a settled team and allow us to try and play our own, primarily attacking game. We have to go for broke now, especially in the next three games, where less than two wins will see us well and truly favourites to go down. If we don't start throwing caution to the wind, playing our best players in the actual positions, and realising that winning every second game is more profitable than drawing them all, we are gubbed. Oh, and El Abd may end up being a decent signing, but considering we've gone from conceding 2 in 3 in the league prior to his arrival, to shipping 8 in 3, I think he perhaps isn't quit the answer to our problems. Just saying.

What's that?

That is the one thing I don't think is true about the above.... when we play our best players at least.

But I thought he was a defensive liability, and playing with him was like having 10 men?

Well, he's on now. Let's see what happens.

Carlisle 3 nil up against a team we gifted a 2 goal lead two games back.

At this stage, clawing back a goal to avoid worsening our goal difference would be a plus. That said; we've got 3 centre backs, two wing backs and two defensive midfielders on the pitch, so that isn't looking likely.

It's an improvement on most of our loan signings who get serious injuries after about 5 minutes usually..

How the actual Fbomb JET hasn't been brought on at HT I have no idea. I mean, it isn't like we need to score goals to get back into this or anything?

No need to apologise. Frankly, I rather we had the one on the bench on the pitch.

Carlisle beating MK Dons 2-0. People thinking they were an easy game too; looks like they've got the sort of fight to get out of this mess, unlike us.

No we don't; he on the bench.

Worrying thing is that with this scoreline at half time, it is totally plausible our one asset (decent goal difference) will be damaged by deciding to play defensive against a free scoring team.

Wonder what the hell the formation is going to be, probably.

Well, "hindsight" includes the word 'Hind', as in rear, which is where those who said dropping JET would make a difference to our defensive crisis were talking out of. So, yeah; hindsight.

2 goals conceded already?! But how can that be; we dropped JET!?

True, but I think the problem hasn't been the lack of targets, but our ability to get the ball to them...

Have we scored more than one of these this season? Because God help us if that is true.

In this formation, with little width, I hope we see more of Pack's offensive game, rather than him being asked to mop up in front of the defence; that should be Elliott's role tonight. I think Pack is a good player who we've yet to see the best of, but he's not naturally inclined to be played so far down field; it hobbles his game. Hope tonight is an opportunity for him to impose himself more. Yup. I can understand people wanting to see players bust a gut, but JET's ability to drag us back into games with assists and goals is not something simple effort can replace.

Can't imagine he'd have travelled if that was the case.

So, I guess this is the acid test as to whether those laying the blame for our defensive woes at the feet of JET are right. I presume those who see him as a liability expect a clean sheet tonight now; we'll see. Me? I hope we do well, regardless of line up, but it being Marvin not Wade Elliott in the middle tonight, and with a CB on the wing, I see next to no creativity in that team. I pray and pray hard to be proven wrong.

The real question is... WHICH ELLIOTT!?

I think these are valid points, and no one is going to argue that we need to stop shipping goals, particularly ones from set pieces. But I think it is the idea that our relatively decent set of performances under Cotterill, particularly in the league, are being written off due to us shipping two goals to a team who we're one goal from the Premier League last year on their own patch in a cup competition that seems odd. He's come in, set us up to play to our strengths and not just to counter our opponents, and made us a competitive again, where under SO'D we had shown a negligible amount of fight, even in the improved performances towards the end of his reign. I think a decent comparison is the Sheffield United/Orient pair of games, and the Walsall/Stevenage ones under each manager; both same in a shot space of time, on against top half opponents, the other against fellow strugglers. And while we matched, if not edged, the Orient game where were able to play more open, expressive football, in a 'grinder' against United we had no character or fight to match theirs, and this was clear from the side we put out. Against Walsall and Stevenage in comparison, we set up our stall to take the game to both, and were aggressive in imposing our game, which reaped dividends against Stevenage, and was enough to see us over the line against Walsall. Ultimately, everything from the set up to the attitude has shifted, and though it was a shame SO'D couldn't get the sort of fight needed from the players, Cotterill has, statistic be damned, and that is clearly showing, regardless of last night's unfortunate loss.

No, you're probably right, and I have no doubt that beating higher league opposition would have boosted confidence no end. But at least MK Dons might have slightly more tired legs, and at least they didn't win, so no boost for them!