Sean O'Driscoll's Comments And Tactics Dissected

[And Its Smith]

Our likeable manager said the following after today's game:

SO'D: "We're never going to be a team that's going to dominate position but I'll thought their effort was terrific."

That's because you told our best poacher to stand on the touch line for an hour so that we could punt long diagonal balls to him in the hope that he would win headers against his full back who was 5 inches taller than him.

SO'D: "They gave a performance and I'd be surprised if anyone was disappointed in them."

Well I was hugely disappointed with their constant ability to treat the ball like a hot potato

SO'D: "We gambled a bit for their opener before half-time and got punished."

No we didn't. Fontaine messed up a routine situation

SO'D: "We had to tweak one or two things. The home performances have been terrific and we have to maintain it."

How about playing people in position and playing our best players? Oh and you could also entertain not being so negative against such useless opposition.

I was shocked at the tactics today. O'Driscoll says that he practises in training what they are to do in a match so the players must spend every morning practising long diagonal balls. The ones who are best at it get selected.

[KnowleCity]

Awful game , awful tactics, shit players.

We wont be getting 19k at the gate for quite a while

[GodEmperor Palpatine]

Maybe its a case of no matter what, the players we have are just not good enough to compete at this level consistently.

[dancing dove]

He does not take well to criticism.

[Portland Bill]

You have to realise that his teams don't normally play like that.

Give the bloke time,he will get a team that plays pass and move football,his sides always have.

[bemmyredjeff]

Was quite positive when he arrived but am getting slightly more worried with each interview he gives.

They sound all too familiar.

[Esmond Million's Bung]

You have to realise that his teams don't normally play like that.

Give the bloke time,he will get a team that plays pass and move football,his sides always have.

I agree Bill, but I am disappointed that no dip into the loan market has been achieved and that smacks to me of the fact that relegation had been pretty much accepted and he has fallen into the suicide note that is believing that he can turn Elliott and Skuse into a useful midfield pairing, I just don't get that one at all, those would struggle together in the lower divisions.

However I will as always reserve my judgement to what he does in the summer, hopefully get rid of the overpaid lady boy 11 and replace them 11 hungry players +.

[Rule The Waves]

Set the side up completely wrong today - I know SOD has inherited a load of tosh from McWinless, but with the right team & tactics we could have pissed all over Wednesday today.

There was absolutely nothing between the midfield & front 2 today until Albert came on. We were never going to beat a team with 7 8ft defenders by playing long ball over the top rubbish.

Everyone always goes on about how much of a thinker SOD is - well to me he didn't do much of that before today!

[JammyOne]

We should have played a goalkeeper, and two strikers up front. That was our mistake.

[glynriley]

You have to realise that his teams don't normally play like that.

Give the bloke time,he will get a team that plays pass and move football,his sides always have.

I hope you're right Bill because I think there are a lot of people out there who need convincing.

Also his responses to questions on the radio today just made him sound daft.

[chinapig]

He is a football manager, therefore he lies. Including to himself.

[sglosbcfc]

Despite everything City were the better team and nine times out of ten would have won the game. We should be pleased we have SOD in charge and there is no way he can be blamed for relegation.

[reddoc]

Certainly doesn't sound like he's enjoying himself here. He's not daft, he knows we're down and the players aren't good enough, but it won't benefit him to say that. Wonder whether he's planning for next season with us or someone else entirely.

[Rocky]

Awful tactics, Fontaine back to his shit self - wtf is his problem?

Apart from City themselves Wednesday were the crappest team I've seen all season, embarrassing result.

[BCAGFC]

Our midfield is so pathetic & poor on the ball that we have to lump it forward, better to lose it in their half than ours.

I would get rid of the lot of them and build around Reid.

[sephjnr]

the suicide note that is believing that he can turn Elliott and Skuse into a useful midfield pairing, I just don't get that one at all, those would struggle together in the lower divisions.

We've known that shit for five seasons. We've found out that Fontaine and Nyatanga can do far more damage to Tom Heaton together at the same time.

[Harry]

Questions are beginning to be asked of SOD's tactics and team selections.

I for one will allow him time to build his own team so will not be slating him at this point.

However, the questions are :

Brighton home - We were well on top and Brighton were struggling. We should have made changes earlier in the game and took the impetus.

Wolves away - Devoid of confidence, Wolves were there for the taking, but no effort was made from the bench to go for the jugular.

Derby away - Poor team selection. Dropping Kelly to crowbar Golden boy Skuseless into the team.

Wednesday home - Again, fitting Skuse into the midfield with Elliot (a pairing that has NEVER worked), meaning Anderson having to drop to the bench (one of our only livewire attacking players).

That midfield today was never going to create anything (Skuse with no goals and no assists all season). Shoving Baldock on the wing. Playing Albert on the left when he came on. Taking Kelly off instead of Skuseless (who did eventually get removed).

Wednesday have acquired a good away record this season by sitting back and counter-attacking, so today was always a game where we could afford to play the more attack-minded players, knowing we would have more possession and territory - there was no point playing Baldock wide, leaving out Anderson or playing the extra midfielder.

Ultimately it came down to another dreadful individual error from Mr Hapless himself, but the set-up was all wrong from the word go.

As I said, some questions of Sean's decision making are beginning to show, but I am not going to judge him on this season. My eagle-eyes are looking in his direction though!

[Lrrr]

Awful result, if you look at the statistics it makes it all the worse, Wednesday had 1 shot on target and it came from Fontaine's mistake, other than that they created sweet **** all and we wasted numerous chances at the other end, particularly the chance where Baldock put Davies in. One thing that stands out though is how reluctant players appeared to be to shoot when they were around the edge of the box, instead they just passed the ball to each other around the end with an occasional cross which our players weren't going to win because of Wednesday's players.

Pretty much every fan in the stands I guess could have seen that we needed to keep it on the floor today yet we insisted on playing long balls forward all game.

[AshtonGreat]

Certainly doesn't sound like he's enjoying himself here. He's not daft, he knows we're down and the players aren't good enough, but it won't benefit him to say that. Wonder whether he's planning for next season with us or someone else entirely.

If he knows the players aren't good enough, why didn't he invest in the loan market? Big, big mistake

[Roger Red Hat]

Questions are beginning to be asked of SOD's tactics and team selections.

I for one will allow him time to build his own team so will not be slating him at this point.

However, the questions are :

Brighton home - We were well on top and Brighton were struggling. We should have made changes earlier in the game and took the impetus.

Wolves away - Devoid of confidence, Wolves were there for the taking, but no effort was made from the bench to go for the jugular.

Derby away - Poor team selection. Dropping Kelly to crowbar Golden boy Skuseless into the team.

Wednesday home - Again, fitting Skuse into the midfield with Elliot (a pairing that has NEVER worked), meaning Anderson having to drop to the bench (one of our only livewire attacking players).

That midfield today was never going to create anything (Skuse with no goals and no assists all season). Shoving Baldock on the wing. Playing Albert on the left when he came on. Taking Kelly off instead of Skuseless (who did eventually get removed).

Wednesday have acquired a good away record this season by sitting back and counter-attacking, so today was always a game where we could afford to play the more attack-minded players, knowing we would have more possession and territory - there was no point playing Baldock wide, leaving out Anderson or playing the extra midfielder.

Ultimately it came down to another dreadful individual error from Mr Hapless himself, but the set-up was all wrong from the word go.

As I said, some questions of Sean's decision making are beginning to show, but I am not going to judge him on this season. My eagle-eyes are looking in his direction though!

I have to disagree. We totalled controlled the game, all of it. 1 f uck up allowed them to score. If we'd taken our chances(Davies in particular. Has anybody seen him sprint yet?), the game would have been over by half time.

[Esmond Million's Bung]

We've known that shit for five seasons. We've found out that Fontaine and Nyatanga can do far more damage to Tom Heaton together at the same time.

"We've known that shit for five seasons". and 4 successive managers still pair them together in some vain hope that one day they will gel, that is the point.

"We've found out that Fontaine and Nyatanga can do far more damage to Tom Heaton together at the same time". Really?, I suspect a lot of people have known that for roughly the same time period and guess what again 4 successive managers have done nothing about it.

[reddoc]

If he knows the players aren't good enough, why didn't he invest in the loan market? Big, big mistake

Curious isn't it? Guessing the right players weren't available. Didn't Wednesday get Howard from Hartlepool? That strikes of desperation.

[Harry]

I have to disagree. We totalled controlled the game, all of it. 1 f uck up allowed them to score. If we'd taken our chances(Davies in particular. Has anybody seen him sprint yet?), the game would have been over by half time.

Rog, the way I saw it was that yes, we did dominate the game, and yes we had the chances to win it, but that masks the deficiencies in the line-up.

As I said, Wednesday are happy to sit back and concede possession and territory away from home, we should have set the team up with flair players on the wings, 2 in the middle and 2 up top.

No need for Baldock to play wide. No need for both Skuse & Marv in the middle, and no need for Albert to play on the left where he hasn't got a clue and ran the ball out of play 3 times!

[uncle bad touch]

The guy is completely clueless, useless, and a liar.

Sack him now!

Don't you think we would be better off with Ward or Johnson???

[TRL]

Having watched it, the effort looked like bog standard effort, not the effort you would expect for a team fighting for their lives.

The football seemed to be based largely on hotting a massive diagonal put to the smallest bloke on the pitch out wide.

Players seemed all too easily to choose the long option, when possession could be kept.

The support play to the strike force was non existent.

The effort given after we scored was what I would of expected from a team 1-0 down at home fro pretty much the whole of the 2nd half, not the last 2 minutes.

The whole game was not at all what I would have expected from a team needing to to win not draw.

Most worrying, the mass pile on celebration when we scored, sorry get the **** back up and try and get a winner. And the hand shaking and back slapping after getting a pretty pointless draw when a win was the minimum required.

Worrying

[Esmond Million's Bung]

Having watched it, the effort looked like bog standard effort, not the effort you would expect for a team fighting for their lives.

The football seemed to be based largely on hotting a massive diagonal put to the smallest bloke on the pitch out wide.

Players seemed all too easily to choose the long option, when possession could be kept.

The support play to the strike force was non existent.

The effort given after we scored was what I would of expected from a team 1-0 down at home fro pretty much the whole of the 2nd half, not the last 2 minutes.

The whole game was not at all what I would have expected from a team needing to to win not draw.

Most worrying, the mass pile on celebration when we scored, sorry get the **** back up and try and get a winner. And the hand shaking and back slapping after getting a pretty pointless draw when a win was the minimum required.

Worrying

Most of them are so dull they probably think we are actually top of the league and gunning for promotion or of course trying to improve their chances of winning the prestigious player of the season especially in this momentous season.

[Guest]

Questions are beginning to be asked of SOD's tactics and team selections.

I for one will allow him time to build his own team so will not be slating him at this point.

However, the questions are :

Brighton home - We were well on top and Brighton were struggling. We should have made changes earlier in the game and took the impetus.

Wolves away - Devoid of confidence, Wolves were there for the taking, but no effort was made from the bench to go for the jugular.

Derby away - Poor team selection. Dropping Kelly to crowbar Golden boy Skuseless into the team.

Wednesday home - Again, fitting Skuse into the midfield with Elliot (a pairing that has NEVER worked), meaning Anderson having to drop to the bench (one of our only livewire attacking players).

That midfield today was never going to create anything (Skuse with no goals and no assists all season). Shoving Baldock on the wing. Playing Albert on the left when he came on. Taking Kelly off instead of Skuseless (who did eventually get removed).

Wednesday have acquired a good away record this season by sitting back and counter-attacking, so today was always a game where we could afford to play the more attack-minded players, knowing we would have more possession and territory - there was no point playing Baldock wide, leaving out Anderson or playing the extra midfielder.

Ultimately it came down to another dreadful individual error from Mr Hapless himself, but the set-up was all wrong from the word go.

As I said, some questions of Sean's decision making are beginning to show, but I am not going to judge him on this season. My eagle-eyes are looking in his direction though!

EXACTLY how I feel. He could be the right bloke for us, but if some recent tactical decisions had been made by certain other managers they'd be lambasted on here. Worth severance pay to get him in... I'm unconvinced. I want the transfer window to start so we can see what he really thinks about our squad. Until then he's trying to polish a turd, although going an odd way about it

[Red-Robbo]

I have to disagree. We totalled controlled the game, all of it. 1 f uck up allowed them to score. If we'd taken our chances(Davies in particular. Has anybody seen him sprint yet?), the game would have been over by half time.

Aaaaaah. I wondered if anyone else had watched the game I saw!

I thought we were pretty good VFM in the first half - apart from Fontaine's ineptitude. Wednesday stifled and a number of chances that on another day would've come off - notably Davies' running onto Baldock's pass 3ft in front of goal. (WTF happened there?!) At half-time, we must've had 60 or 70% of possession.

It started unravelling in the second half with the long balls caused by frustration. Jones made some reasonable subs for the visitors and we - of course - waited too long to make our changes.

We still looked the better side though. It sums up our season that the penalty wasn't given and they made at least three miracle blocks of goalbound shots - at least one accidental.

Don't get me wrong, I'm hardly over the moon at the result, but to say the players were shit is wide of the mark, with one exception.

[ashton_fan]

If you look at the stats Wednesday only had one shot on target to our nine. A few weeks ago when Del was manager we'd have thought this was a good performance, we've just been spoil by recent home results. I thought the lads showed tremendous spirit to keep going till the end, who knows this could be the turning point? The only thing I'd disagree with today was leaving Anderson out who's been outstanding in recent home games, he should have played instead of Skuse. I don't think we do well with both Skuse and Elliot in the team and you can't leave Marv out at the moment. All the managers we've had recently seem to want Skuse in the side if he's fit regardless even if his midfield position is already occupied by someone else, I can't quite work it out!

[Roger Red Hat]

If he knows the players aren't good enough, why didn't he invest in the loan market? Big, big mistake

That would be because he didn't feel there was anybody available that would be better than we already have. An entirely sensible decision.