RedRock

One can only hope that his ‘performance’ last Tuesday is not what we can expect moving forwards. Otherwise, it’s yet another passenger burning wages and risking the Club’s future. Maybe not Martin’s fault though, which in a way is equally worrying, in that our experienced Manager thinks the guy is up to three matches a week… and he is clearly not. Would I kick him off the bus? Yes, if we had a scouting system I could trust and we could bring in a younger Conference player of similar ilk. I’ve zero confidence in that system though so, maybe a case of better the devil you know. Would just hope the penny has finally dropped with our Manager and he now recognises Martin’s ‘game minutes’ limitations. Looks like an exciting season ahead where treading water is our goal.

After a great start, I thought Grimsby went on a dismal run in Nov/Dec and Ryan was dropped. May be wrong.

Think in terms of cost/benefit, only last year’s squad was worse performing. Forgetting costs, they are just carp but some way above the worst I’ve watched. Not massively above the woeful category line, but not really gross.

Yep. Seems nobody is prepared to take responsibility, to lead, to get hit by the ball or an opponent. To the players, however carp the coaching is, if indeed that is the case, just bleeding ignore it. Be a winner, be a fighter, play for the shirt, deal with the situation, take personal responsibility …. if the ball is there go get it, do a Bakes and win your battles, connect with it and get the ******* thing out of our box. If that involves flattening one of your half-arsed cosy club team mates in getting to that ball, then great. To the coaches, if you haven’t realised by now, our players aren’t the most intelligent, keep the message simple ffs and judge them on the most simple of measures …. are they winners or are they losers? Now go out and friggin destroy West Brom like your life depended on it.

Our defending and attacking set pieces reveals a lot about the character, or lack of it, of this team and the absence of ability of our coaches. We are totally useless. No attacking threat whatsoever and defending is just so limp-wristed. Easy to play against. As mentally and physically weak as we have been for 5 years, which I thought would be the first thing Pearson would address. Unless things change dramatically we’re going nowhere with this lot.

Think that’s a pretty accurate analysis of things … the only issue I’d have is I don’t think he’s given up the fight yet. Every time we produce a dismal performance, I listen to his post match interview and it calms me and leaves me thinking we have the right man in place. He says the right things, his analysis is spot on and he gives me an assurance that he’ll work to fix it. However, how much longer will that confidence last? We can’t just go on producing ****shows like last night. Just to take one playing ‘issue’ - why can’t he recognise that Martin can’t play 3 games a week in the only area where we are (very arguably) ‘overloaded’ in this unbalanced squad of ours. Martin is not a leader, not a Fammy in our own box heading away corners, so when running on empty not only is he powder puff in attack, he contributes little to nothing to the team. There is no justification for his inclusion in the team when he is knackered, it’s embarrassing for us, and it must be to him also. Enough talking now though, on to the ‘high performance centre’ and drill, drill, drill - like they’ve never experienced before. Sharpen their minds and bodies. They may lack skills, fitness, be tactically dumb, but it shouldn't be difficult from 30 odd players to pick out 11 winners and fighters and put them on the pitch to play for the shirt. Lummydaze, it is indeed worrying more than 12 months into his tenure we’re back to the very start point of a creating a football team and echoing what was being said throughout last season. Depressing.

Yep. Tanner add Kalas, plus King on bench. James and Williams are/were being nursed back and not 100%. Add Cundy and Atkinson to the recovery, not fully up-to-speed group. Williams now broken again with Scott injured. Can’t recall, was O’Leary on the bench? Simpson was obviously not fit enough and has gone.

Set aside the players for a moment. The questions that seem blindingly obvious to some of us regarding training and selection. Why is our injury record as bad as last season when this was identified as being a key area for improvement at the end of last season? Why do we keep failing to defend dead ball situations, and end up with situations like Massengo marking the opposition’s tallest player? Why do we continually select Martin when he struggles to deal with more than two games in a week? Why don’t we gauge fitness and fatigue levels pre-match? Scott was dead on his feet and a shadow of the player he can be from the very first minute. Why aren’t our players motivated, aggressive and assertive from the first minute? Players were crap, but some big questions for the coaches for me. Beginning to develop my first signs of a wobble on Pearson. Sure they’ll go soon and we will get back on track, but uncomfortable times.

Better coached side, with better players won…….we deserved nothing against what will probably soon be a League 1 side. Same old mistakes and problems on and off the pitch. We ain’t going nowhere unless we learn and change things, which we appear totally incapable of doing. Not good enough.

Nah. I have admit having been a staunch Pearson supporter, to be struggling with this. Perhaps, you can explain why Massengo has been assigned to mark their gigantic centre back at corners? Its got to be pre-planned. Wasn’t the case of chaotic, panic last- minute marking. That’s how we lined up at the corner. We’re still in this. We could even turn it round. But ffs this is just basic, elementary tactical errors, unless the players are that thick they don’t employ the marking systems they’re coached.

Half -time. Right Pearson, convince me you’re the right man. Rip into those physically and mentally weak players, sort your tactics out and send a transformed, energised, win-at-all-costs, well-organised team out for the second half. That was beyond pathetic.

Frankly, this is embarrassing. Defence all at sea, midfield non-existent, attack limp. So bad, I beginning to wonder about Pearson for the first time. Yes, blame the players but, seriously, can anybody explain wtf is Massengo doing marking a giant for a corner? What clown of a coach thinks that’s a good idea? Time for GJ type players been pinned against the dressing room wall. Dasilva the only player worthy of the shirt atm.

Lincoln and surrounding area exists in a massive ‘black hole’ as far as UK Geography goes. Just can’t understand how the hell Lincoln, which seems to be positioned somewhere in a vacuum middle left of our land mass, relates to the far north ‘Artic Circle’ towns of Scunthorpe and Doncaster and to Grimsby, a town on the Russian border.

What ‘recruitment team’? We haven’t got one to my knowledge. Therein lies a massive problem and the major cause of our decline.

Watched their last game and thought they looked a Premier League version of us. Think they are in serious trouble. Warriors are needed in the relegation mix, with a togetherness that makes the team better than the sum of its parts. Miles off.

Yes. Nige’s sharp and immediate reaction to Jon’s mild, but accurate criticism - albeit from a purely ‘on-paper’ perspective - that we are under-performing was quite revealing. Think Nige is imposing his will on the Club both upwards and downwards… as he views it as a completely broken. Whether Nige has the energy/motivation to see a complete renaissance through, whether the owners will put up with him, whether the fans have the patience….and, critically, whether Nige has the ability to deliver success (with or without funds) are the key questions. While, progress has been slow and patchy I’m still a believer that, eventually, Nige will crack it.

Think from about 1978 things went pear-shaped and apart from a few odd-seasons, we’ve underperformed. Given we’ve had a reformed Club, numerous Chairman, managers, coaches, players - it’s beyond personnel imo …. leading to my conclusion it’s an ingrained trait - the acceptance of failure or just being ‘ok’ - associated with the ‘laid back/comfortable’ culture of the area. Yes, poor judgement by successive leaderships has been an aggravating factor, but 40 plus years with 4/5 different leaders and we’re still a struggling Championship/Division 2 Club - on the law of averages even with some naff leadership decisions surely we should have done better than what’s been delivered. Don’t think Nige is prepared to accept failure or people not busting a gut to achieve success, whether that be in positions above (SL/CEO) or below (coaches/players), something he has in common with Cotts.

I think it’s a lack of ‘win at all costs’ mentality. We’ve been soft for ages, happy with being ‘ok’, but not willing to put the body on the line when the going gets tough. We’ve not bred winners in the Academy and tended to buy in good humans, not the fiercely competitive, challenging, nasty sorts. A big generalisation, but a bit of a Bristol thing I fear. Different attitudes to winning in the Midlands and North from my experience. I know having suffered from it when I lived in the Midlands. When I moved up there, how many squash, tennis, golf games did I snatch defeat from the jaws of victory to the natives and people from the Northern Territories. Literally dozens!!! Cotts had a winning mentality and single mindedness about him. Think Nige has as well. I detect a long overdue cultural change happening.

Well, he said he liked Dean and Steve was a brilliant owner, Jon doesn’t seem to have been around much and anyway appears a pretty inoffensive, nice chap, so ummm…. that’s a difficult one.

Very rare for breaking news to stop you in your tracks. This did. Great talent as both cricketer and commentator, and, just what a character. So young. Will be sorely missed.

Indeed, a truly dreadful game. Surprised if Everton stay up if that was their first team squad on display. Reminded me a bit of City on one of our (many) off days, although admittedly they didn’t concede a goal. However, that was only on the basis that Boreham didn’t mount an attack worth the name after the first couple of minutes ‘onslaught’.

Good old Jonathan. Only took 18 minutes to get the ‘Bristol City’ mention in to the commentary.

Think Alex was plagued by injuries with us. One of many who suffered the Ashton Gate curse. Cultured player who could grab a few goals too. Pity.

I thought Wells was decent. A little careless at times , but seemed intent on gift - wrapping the ball to Conway who, unfortunately, seemed to make a hash of most things in front of goal (aside from the gift by their keeper). Overall, bit ragged from both sides imo and a little surprised by the lack of real quality and controlled play.

Somewhat bizarrely they got mixed up from start of the game.