Barrow v Carlisle match thread

[Lightflood]

Gutless and clueless

[Pedro]

I've only followed Barrow since 1968.
We struggled for resources for a long time
with some really bad directors.
The group we have here have alot of integrity just a shame we have such a poor Manager.
If we stay up.hopefully he will walk totally devoid of any ideas
If Cooper has belief in himself please leave when the season ends.

[FanzoneFan]

Mark Cooper came to the club on a three year contract can we afford to sack him ? I doubt it. His problem seems to be he keeps changing his plans.
A few weeks ago we were told we needed young hungry players in the January window - since then Wakeling and Harris ( I realise Harris has a knock at the moment) haven't had a look in. Ellis was club captain at the start of the year - a Cooper signing on a two year contract - now out on loan. Sea scores a spectacular goal against Scunthorpe iin the League Cup then an injury followed by being out of favour keeps him out of the side. The team was better when Cooper had less options. I really believe he doesn't know what our best line up is. When Spirit of 1990 begins to lose faith you know you're in trouble. Some of our performances this season have been dire, today wasn't a one off sadly, we're four points worse off than we were at this stage last season - that's how bad it is

[blue nige]

£1,000,000 reasons we can't afford not to !

[pjdaly]

Mark Cooper has decided to play (Brough) in a position that doesn't suit him. Get Brough and Hutton back at wing backs and start getting some decent deliveries into the box again. Early in the season when we looked a threat, most of it was coming from their deliveries.

Gotts is another one being wasted currently.

Lummy (I think) mentioned that Banks was better playing just behind the front two, not where he is playing now. If they can see what is glaringly obvious to most then why can’t the manager. We just don’t hurt sides, no penetration until we are backs against the wall

Yes to all the above. Hutton and Brough can be as good as wingers if we let them get forward. We know Banks and Rooney are the only ones who know how to score so Banks playing so deep (until we're two down of course) does my head in. All the above changes might make us a bit more vulnerable defensively but we just have to have a go in the remaining games, and certainly at home. We are just dying by caution.

I've followed Barrow for 60 years now and there have been far more downs than ups in that time but I find I am hating watching this season just about more than any other, not simply because of bad results at home but because of this sterile unwillingness to get forward and give it a go. As others have said we only really upped the tempo and pressed once we went two down today. I've seen some bad times at HS but heaven knows I'm struggling to remember when I was more miserable than now.

[Tony]

If we can't afford to sack him, put him on gardening leave, put Taylor in charge and if were going to go down let's go down fighting

[walneyroad]

Cooper is living on past glories - he shows no passion at all himself so how does he expect the players to do so?
In his after-match interview he said something like 'we'll have to take it up a gear next week in training'. That remark is beyond belief. They should be in top gear now - not next week - next month - next year!
I've asked it many times and nobody can answer - he had and was still having great success with FGR and they SACKED him. WHY?

[Pedro]

£1,000,000 reasons we can't afford not to !

I would have thought required levels of achievements would have been written into the contract with bonus payments or waivers to let him go if they are not met.
Hardly think where we are meets any required milestone
We have a accountant in charge .

[walneyroad]

I would have thought required levels of achievements would have been written into the contract with bonus payments or waivers to let him go if they are not met.

It is common practice in business that when you are recruiting staff you get references from previous employers. Did we do this with Cooper?
Did our Chairman speak to FGR about why they sacked him, despite bringing them so much success?
I think we know the answer to that by looking at what we are being served up week after week.
According to RC it was the biggest league crowd at HS for over 60 years. It will be another 60 if we continue with this clueless lethargic clown in charge of the team.

[mall]

And what is it to be next week then ?. Play for the point, get beat by the odd goal and hope those around us fail as well.

[Fazered]

As we all agree we are awful just now. When Gotts and Stevens arrived the one thing I really liked about them was how confident they were with the ball. They are much worse now. Like so many of the players they have no confidence.
I don't think sacking Cooper now will do any good but at the end of the season he must go

[walneyroad]

And what is it to be next week then ?. Play for the point, get beat by the odd goal and hope those around us fail as well.

More than likely. In his interview with Adam he blamed the players for playing it to the side and backwards. Who trains them? Who sets the tactics? He said that at half-time all he said was 'go out and express yourselves'. That's real motivation isn't it? He's a man going through the motions to pick up a nice fat salary.

[Jonty]

It was game in which Barrow needed to start with pace, aggression and passion from the first minute and let them know we were there. The fans were up for it in numbers and vocally and lets not forget we could have finished above them with a win. How it unfolded has left me as disappointed leaving the ground as I have been in a long time.

[SayitagainSam]

6 pages of consensus that 'we were shite' can't be wrong. Carlisle were marginally better. Cooper has been an abject failure. No way to sugar-coat it. Facts don't lie. I would love to ask him: Why is play-maker Gott at right-full back? Why do we play hoof-ball and into the wind at that? Why do we give the ball away with so many bad passes? Clearly our forwards can't score, they're simply on the pitch to make-up the numbers. Glennon had a shocker. We will likely stay up because there are 2 worse teams than us. There were 2 positives however, a good attendance (which won't last) and a sunny day.

[Barrow Lad New]

A gifted second goal gave Barrow a mountain to climb in the local Derby watched by a large 4,658 crowd including 612 visiting fans.

In the 12th minute, Gordon headed wide from a Brough cross. Carlisle were then forced into a 19th minute change as the injured Guy was replaced by Whelan.

Carlisle ended the half on top. On the half hour, an Armer cross was tipped over by Farman for a corner. Two minutes later, a 20 yard shot from the right by Gibson flew across the goal and went in off the left post for 0-1.

In the 40th minute a Dic kenson cross went high and wide

Barrow had a chance to level two minutes later from a Rooney free kick but Brough failed to convert from close range.

We also started brightly in the second half, at last showing an urgency missing from the first period. Two minutes in a Rooney free kick was headed wide by Platt. Three Barrow corners were defended and, on the hour, Carlisle replaced Armer with Devine. Gordon then headed wide from a Brough cross.

Things then went downhill for the Bluebirds. Farman was booked in the 65th minute and 10 minutes later was culpable for Carlisle's second. In between, Barrow made two substitutions, Hutton and Stevens coming on for White and Glennon. In the 75th minute a break by Simeu found Dennis on the right. Farman came out to meet him and a simple kick past the stranded keeper dribbled inside the left post, despite a frantic attempted clearance on the line.

Three minutes later, after Sea replaced Amadi-Holloway, Banks reduced the arrears, scoring from a narrow angle from the left following a Rooney corner. Another three minutes on, Dic kenson was booked for a challenge, Rooney's free kick being saved. In the 88th minute a Banks free kick heading inside the left post was punched away.

In the 90th minute Rooney was booked for a foul on Gibson and in the 4th minute of time added his free kick to rescue a point sailed well over the bar.

Gotts was awarded Barrow's man of the match. We probably deserved a point overall but ended up as the architects of our own downfall.