Mistakes Made By All

[Godzilla]

[Slave to the rhythm]

I agreed with your analysis until your final paragraph. I don't see how anybody can make such a bold statement as "Johnson is the man to take us forward" when there is absolutely no evidence that this is the case. I see a man who is floundering, making numerous bad signings and who has just made the unforgivable error of playing his son instead of players who have proved their worth to this club over a considerable period of time.

It is complacent in the extreme to say that we have a strong squad of players and we will turn it around over time. Again, I ask where is the evidence to back up this assertion? In my opinion, we have yet another badly assembled squad of lower-division lightweights who are neither inspiring nor entertaining.

Blackpool showed us up today for what we really are - mediocrity personified.

[tommy doc]

Agree with most of that, would only dispute dropping Ewok. I can't see the justification for dropping a striker who's just scored twice in his last game from left midfield, and playing two strikers who have scored once between them all season and have looked off form since day one.

[potbelly]

Ian Evatt was class for them today.

As Jim Bowen once said. "Look what you could ....."

[Chappers]

In my opinion, we have yet another badly assembled squad of lower-division lightweights who are neither inspiring nor entertaining.

A good report, but rather than the positivity at the end, I think that the above quote sums it up. Less quantity, more quality would be better.

[Godzilla]

I agreed with your analysis until your final paragraph. I don't see how anybody can make such a bold statement as "Johnson is the man to take us forward" when there is absolutely no evidence that this is the case. I see a man who is floundering, making numerous bad signings and who has just made the unforgivable error of playing his son instead of players who have proved their worth to this club over a considerable period of time.

Because I see Johnson as a quality manager. I see what he has done at other clubs, and he has an excellent record. I see what he did with us during the last 25 games or so of last season, and see the football and results he can produce with this group of players. In my opinion, he is a good manager. All managers make mistakes; Wilson made them by the dozen and almost got us promoted twice. I like the way Johnson does his business at our football club, and while some people judge him as arrogant, stubborn etc. I see him as a quality authority figure and a leader. Just because he's made mistakes over 3 games, I'm not going to be as quick to write him off as some will.

It is complacent in the extreme to say that we have a strong squad of players and we will turn it around over time. Again, I ask where is the evidence to back up this assertion? In my opinion, we have yet another badly assembled squad of lower-division lightweights who are neither inspiring nor entertainin

Blackpool showed us up today for what we really are - mediocrity personified.

My evidence would be the last 25 games of last season. We have only made one real change to the team (or the team that I'd start with, anyway), and that's Jevons instead of Savage. Now, while I concede that last season was last season, and it's a completely different story now, with different targets and different goals to aim for, 25 games or so is a long time to sustain good form; all with almost the exact same group. I can only judge Johnson on what he has done here so far, and after that awful start that he had, he really turned things round and got us producing good football with the results to match. I'm not going to judge Gary Johnson four games into a football season, when he has proved that he and his players can clearly do a lot better. I suggest you don't either.

Edit: One thing I will add, and this isn't specifically aimed at AndyJones2004; It is a lot easier to write a team off after they've just lost than it is to keep a sense of perspective. Having now browsed the forum, it is clear to me that too many people are taking the easy option.

[exiledinwatford]

Good post and an even better final post. Bring in Jevo (or I would have Enoch) for Savage and let the new players compete for places with the players who finished last season so well having the shirts to start with.

[screech]

You say about last season, well that's just what it was. We were in a real hell hole last season and he got a team playing together to get out of the mire. This season counted from game one and after four games the table doesn't lie.

Bradford and Huddersfield will say they put enough in to their game to justify winning the games, we say we were sloppy at defending and unlucky, well 3 out of four games we have been very sloppy at defending is that all unlucky? Or maybe tactical decisions have let us down so far.

As TOMF posted earlier Johnson against a very bad Tinman

Johnsons is:

Played 42 Won17 Drew 7 Lost 18 - Win Percentage 40.4%

Tinnion was:

Played 61 Won 22 Drew 22 Lost 17 - Win Percentage 36.1%

And Johnson had a brilliant run of games in that which may or may not happen again.

Quite frightening really.

[SimplyRed]

It clearly seemed as though Johnson was trying to accommodate his son into the team, without wanting to sacrifice Skuse completely.

Key statement - this was the single most important mistake Johnson made and was the major reason why we played so poorly.

But will he drop his son or Noble? Who would you bet on?

[Godzilla]

Key statement - this was the single most important mistake Johnson made and was the major reason why we played so poorly.

But will he drop his son or Noble? Who would you bet on?

It concerns me that he'll drop neither, and persist with a central partnership of Noble and Johnson. Ability wise, they probably are our best two midfielders after all.

Unfortunately, picking your best players isn't always what's best for the team, and unless they improve as a pair quickly, we'll begin to suffer from the absence of Skuse or Russell in there.

[screech]

Exactly right, he's paid good money to make tough decisions based on what's good for the club, not what's good for the family.

I don't care if it's Noble or Lee Johnson that has to make way as long as we don't have a repeat of that farce yesterday where we don't have a right or left midfielder in the team, are without a holding midfielder and playing a player up front who is really off his game.

If he refuses to make changes and persists with playing players out of position just to keep them happy, then he will be the loser by facing a bunch of supporters baying for him to resign.

There was absoloutely no need to make wholesale changes to prove a point to anyone, the tea lady could have told him Skuse is not a right winger, my fear is Johnson thinks he needs to prove things all the time instead of just sticking with a common sense line up based on players ability, form and playing them in their correct positions. Not bloody rocket science is it, happy players will do more for the manager than ones who don't have an effing clue where they'll be playing next.

[no1cityfan_tucks]

It concerns me that he'll drop neither, and persist with a central partnership of Noble and Johnson. Ability wise, they probably are our best two midfielders after all.

Unfortunately, picking your best players isn't always what's best for the team, and unless they improve as a pair quickly, we'll begin to suffer from the absence of Skuse or Russell in there.

totally agree, We need either Noble or Johnson with either Skuse of Russell. Skuse and Russell are ball winners, and Noble and Johnson are ball users. We need the right mix. Until then we will fall short.

[Chappers]

see what he has done at other clubs, and he has an excellent record.

Correction - His record at cambridge was modest, at Latvia the reports were mixed, so he has a good record at just one Club. Barry Fry had a good record at one Club! Again, the evidence of last season is mixed, you focus on the good run, but fail to mention the record-breaking run. You ask us all to keep a sense of perspective, but as has been posted elsewhere, we have an over-sized, totally unbalanced squad of modest journeymen, and early performances are worrying. Three defeats and a very scratchy win against a poor Scunny team, and lets be honest, the standard of opposition is a lot higher this season.

We are not so much 'writing things off', just giving a very honest assessment of what we have seen so far.

[cider head]

For Tuesday, I'd revert back to an 11 of:

Basso

Orr - Carey - Fontaine - Woodman

Murray - Russell - Noble - S. Brown

Jevons - Brooker

top post...

And i'd go with that team for sure