BARROW v Crawley match thread

[McMark]

We are in a rut, were always going to miss the industry of Josh Gordon and Jordan Stevens. Only plus was Mike Jones got more game time.
Pat Brough named MoM.

[AugustusCorpa]

Shite. We’re getting worse. 4 wins from 17 league games. 7 without a win.
We have forwards who can’t score goals. Poor team.

[Matty]

Can't see where the next goal is coming from, let alone the next win!

[Jim]

As I said last week, we seem to have regressed from a reasonably competent mid-table side to a team that seems clueless and devoid of confidence. The change in tactics to tighten up the defence hasn't worked. Our midfield has gone missing. It was clear from early on that if Crawley scored we would be sunk.

Cooper said that if you can keep a clean sheet you will win more than you lose, but the alternative to that is that if you can't score, you risk losing to a mistake.

[mall]

In the s**t now.
I fear it may be too late come january-even if the board were to do anything.

[McMark]

In the s**t now.
I fear it may be too late come january-even if the board were to do anything.

Too late for what Mall??

[mall]

Survival in this league Mark.

[janwilder]

Very worrying.
Somethings not right.

For me, it's this change in tactics and personnel selected.

Cast you mind back. Cooper wants to play progressive free flowing football, playing through the thirds and keeping possession. We start the season with some nice interchanges in play and keep possession whilst not being too much of a threat to the opposition. Ultimately though, we grind chances out and score goals.

Fast forward then to when we go through a chunk of games where we get caught out through playing out from the back. These though, were INDIVIDUAL errors. Cooper abandoned the whole philosophy he'd implemented from the get go, trashed it and gone to long balls into the channels/up to small ish strikers, and hitting the big diagonal switch.

We don't have to players to play like this. Tactics like this bypasses getting our creative midfield players on the ball and leaves the attacking players feeding off scraps. It beggars belief. Looking at the defenders...James Jones is never a LG2 player, nor is Grayson in my eyes. I reckon his fastest mile is 14 mins. It's testament when your father (an experienced manager) doesn't touch you with a barge pole. Any ball over the top and this kid is struggling... I also don't think he's an out and out defender. I'm not really sure what he is, he's certainly not a midfielder either.

For me I think back to when we were still in the mindset of playing attacking football and we dropped Ollie Banks into the CB role vs Bradford. He was phenomenal and set the tempo, instigated every possession, played out the back with ease and also did the defensive side of the game very well. In this current format, he's having less and less of an impact on games and it's just confusing as to why MC has aborted what he's championed since the get go.

Rant over

Cooper out

[McMark]

Survival in this league Mark.

Far too early for them thoughts old lad!
But we need to strengthen when the time allows.

[Matty]

Very worrying.
Somethings not right.

Cooper out

Give over.

[CH BAFC]

Errrrr yeah, no words after that, rightly so booed after the game..... it's all gone abit pear shaped and negative football wise and the crowd, it needs sorting now and fast as it's a slippery slope.

[janwilder]

Cooper out

Give over.

It was a joke

[HenneysKnee]

I still think we are best with Tom White and Banks in centre mid, least White can help cover the fact that Jones and Grayson aren’t good enough at centre back

[Jonty]

I am not surprised at all that we got beat today. It was on the cards. Poor performance last week, not scored in however long it is, playing a team directly below us in the league. Big crowd at home- how often does it happen.

We should be playing with flair and without fear. Instead he’s changed the way we play. Its not working.

[Jim]

Time to admit the tactical change hasn't worked. I was certainly surprised that Kay didn't start. He can be frustrating, blows hot and cold, but he has pace and can make things happen. A forward line of an out of form Zanzala and a James who works hard but isn't a striker was never going to work.

Let's get back to the way we were playing 4 weeks ago. I would rather see a 2-2 where we should have won but gave two daft goals away rather than what we have been doing in the last three games.