Sturrock or The Players?

[ryansm05]

You are blaming Sturrock but it's irrelevant that Freddy didn't score.....priceless

Freddy is not immune to missing, and never was. The problem is the standard of football and level of consistency, although our early season form has in a way been our downfall with regards to expectancy.

The one thing going against Mr. Sturrock is the amount of players he has brought in this season, i.e. Martin, Harris, Leonard, Kalala, Daily, Dickinson, Eastwood, Baldwin, Flood, Benyon, Hills, Sampson, Belford, Daniels and on top of this managing to keep hold of Ryan Hall off the back of his early season form, while managing to sign Timlin on a permanent deal too.

Personally I feel promotion should determine how Sturrock is judged, although I'm far from impressed of late. But if we scrape a 0-0 penalty win at Wembley, I'll be singing his praises like the rest of you!!!

 

[Firestorm]

The old wimbedon got to the 1st div playing direct football
Stoke seem to be doing ok
Stevenage went up last year
So the tactics can work if the players are able to apply the orders

Personally I think is one of those things which happens and it's not as if slipping up after Xmas is something new
We are a third / fourth teir team who have moments of extreme over achievement
This is going to be one season where we have done about as expected at the start of the season
Not our best but certainly not our worst

 

[eastlondonblue]

Has it got nothing to do with the fact we try to nullify the oppositions strengths with a team that's not big enough, strong enough or powerful enough to do so. Every team should play to its strengths and ours is surely the passing game. We've got a lot small players who r good on the ball but were trying to bully teams out of the game! So for me its managers tactics even though I think ps has done a good job with not much to work with.

 

[Medway Blue]

70% Sturrock, 30% players.

Not playing to our players' strengths is criminal. You have Benyon, Harris, Eastwood and Dickinson in the side, all of whom have top scored in this division or higher with past clubs and with 15-30 goals, and yet when they've played here, they've been constantly running the channels. What happened to a striker playing in the box and scoring goals there? Look at videos of Eastwood's first spell here - ball played to feet and he excels. Look at videos of Harris and Dickinson - vast majority of their goaks scored by getting on the end of crosses or loose balls in the 6 yard box. It's so painful to watch them carrying out instructions which have them playing essentially as extra wingers or advanced playmakers and then look to the box and see no ******* there. There is so much ammunition in our striking department and the manager has spectacularly failed to choose formations and tactics which make the most of the goalscoring prowess and plays to their strengths - instead the ball just goes over their heads. Add to this the awful and unbalanced midfields that he persists with, with only one winger and thus no service, and it's safe to say that Sturrock's style has blunted and deadened the obvious attacking quality of what is a very strong side at this level.

The rest is the players. I do feel as though they are not great believers in the styke of play that they are being asked to deploy. That's no excuse though - they are inconsistent, heads drop too quickly when things aren't going their way, and there eas certainly a lack of passion and will to win yesterday. Ask them to play like they did against Cheltenham though and I think you'd see an improvement again.

 

[ooh-andy-ansah]

Sturrock brought the players in, he has no excuse, he can't say he's inherited a squad on long contracts that he can't get rid of, his squad, his tactics. By his own admission the players don't always listen to him. I don't think they believe in what he's asking them to do. No co-incidence that since TB left results have been dire, in my opinion TB was the go between who managed to keep things under control.

How many players has Sturrock brought to the club, played them straight away (which would have ****ed off those who lost their place), then dropped the newbies a couple of games later ? The man is one can short of a six pack in my opinion.

 

[Wise Head]

Sturrock. Last season we didn't have enough quality in the squad to mount a promotion push and mid tsble was about right. This season we have one of the best squads in the division (Swindon and possibly Crawley are better). We're under performing and what is worth playing fairly dire football as well when we have the ability in the squad to play entertaining passing football. The main problems are poor tactics, constant changing of personnel and playing players out of position despite having a large squad - all done to Sturrock. Whether we go up in the play offs or not, new manager please.

 

[Earls Hall Blue]

Personally I think it's Sturrock's negativity at home & his sometimes baffling team selections.

I can understand away from home perhaps being a bit more defense minded, but at home we should be putting our best attacking team out & going for it from the off, and that means starting Martin. I really don't understand Sturrock's seemingly stubborn refusal to start him & Hall. Martin has done enough in the games he's played to warrant a starting place imo.

First half against Aldershot we played some lovely football & they couldn't get near us. Had we had a more accomplished striker up front, I reckon we would have won that game comfortably. Against Cheltenham, forget it was 10 men for most of the game, we played football again & created loads of chances.

The away wins we've had this season is nothing short of fantastic but our dreadful home performances have put us where we are now, scrapping for the lottery of the play-off's when we should be home & dry.

Christ knows what team we'll see Monday with the injuries & suspensions, but its time to throw caution to the wind & let the players play & ditch the negativity.

 

[Ayrshire Blue]

The old wimbedon got to the 1st div playing direct football
Stoke seem to be doing ok
Stevenage went up last year
So the tactics can work if the players are able to apply the orders

Personally I think is one of those things which happens and it's not as if slipping up after Xmas is something new
We are a third / fourth teir team who have moments of extreme over achievement
This is going to be one season where we have done about as expected at the start of the season
Not our best but certainly not our worst

But we don't have the players to play a hoofball style. We have too many ballers, we showed that against Cheltenham.

 

[OldBlueLady]

But we don't have the players to play a hoofball style. We have too many ballers, we showed that against Cheltenham.

We certainly don't with no Dicko or Corr up top. I guess that's why Mohsni has been brought up there, to win headers. Mondays' team selection will certainly be interesting.

 

[porterman]

So Sturrock takes yet another battering after yesterday result and performance. It does strike me that Gilbert, Prosser and the odd goalkeeper aside, us fans rarely lay any blame at the players' feet.

Sturrock has assembled an entire squad pretty much from misfits at other clubs (or sometimes club-less players). How many consistent performers do we have? Clohessy and Phillips maybe. But even Phillips's form has dipped since Christmas. The reason a lot of these players were out of favour with other clubs was most likely their frustrating inconsistency and fitness levels. And this have been shown up in our team the further we've got into the season.

This could also be the reason Sturrock seems unable to know what his best side or formation is. He never is able to know who will perform. There's often been uproar when he picked a side that we thought was wrong, that went on to win a game comfortably. The side that played yesterday was I'm sure the one us fans were clamouring for - but it failed spectacularly.

When berating Sturrock, think about what he was up against when he arrived and what he is likely to achieve - play-offs in his second season. He has had to battle more off the field incidents in a season that I can ever remember and some extraordinarily inconsistent performers.

This is a team made-up of lower-league misfits. Yes, he signed them, but what choice did he have?

Jim what a breath of fresh air you are, great to read a post from someone who has a good level of knowledge, players managers are human they have good and bad days, injuries and issues. Of course it was PS who kicked that player not Benyon and clohessys red card was all down to PS i would imagine, i think if more fans looked at the bigger picture or tried to learn a little more about behind the scenes they too would realise that human error and misfit players make for a less than perfect performance on the day. As for Freddy Eastwood a little effort and not to expect the ball at his feet wouldnt go amiss, he is in L2 now and must expect service from L2 players.

 

[Medway Blue]

Jim what a breath of fresh air you are, great to read a post from someone who has a good level of knowledge, players managers are human they have good and bad days, injuries and issues. Of course it was PS who kicked that player not Benyon and clohessys red card was all down to PS i would imagine, i think if more fans looked at the bigger picture or tried to learn a little more about behind the scenes they too would realise that human error and misfit players make for a less than perfect performance on the day. As for Freddy Eastwood a little effort and not to expect the ball at his feet wouldnt go amiss, he is in L2 now and must expect service from L2 players.

Firstly, I don't think anyone is laying blame at Sturrock's door for the sendings off. The blame that's being levelled at him is that we set-up with **** tactics and were 1-0 down, playing like ***** and going nowhere before even Clohessy got sent off.

Secondly, funny, I could have sworn Eastwood scored 24 goals in his first season here by having the ball played into his feet......in League 2.......with League 2 team mates......hmmmmm.

 

[canveyshrimper]

Jim what a breath of fresh air you are, great to read a post from someone who has a good level of knowledge, players managers are human they have good and bad days, injuries and issues. Of course it was PS who kicked that player not Benyon and clohessys red card was all down to PS i would imagine, i think if more fans looked at the bigger picture or tried to learn a little more about behind the scenes they too would realise that human error and misfit players make for a less than perfect performance on the day. As for Freddy Eastwood a little effort and not to expect the ball at his feet wouldnt go amiss, he is in L2 now and must expect service from L2 players.

Care to tell us your link to the clan Sturrock mate? After all it was you that informed us he was coming to Roots Hall the day before it was announced.

 

[CC51DAS]

Firstly, I don't think anyone is laying blame at Sturrock's door for the sendings off. The blame that's being levelled at him is that we set-up with **** tactics and were 1-0 down, playing like ***** and going nowhere before even Clohessy got sent off.

Secondly, funny, I could have sworn Eastwood scored 24 goals in his first season here by having the ball played into his feet......in League 2.......with League 2 team mates......hmmmmm.

That's roughly one goal in every two games. If Fred manages another one in his next match he'll be keeping up with that. There was /is too much expectation resting on Freddie - he is not going to come here and score a hatrick every match.

And as I feared when I heard he had signed, several are already starting to get on his back which is not exactly going to improve his confidence is it ?

By all accounts he was injured yesterday and shouldn't have started. Maybe it was Freddie that Sturrock was referring to when he said in his post-match interview that he let his heart rule his head.

Let's hope he is fit for Monday because I'd rather have him in the team than watching from the stands whatever some think of his efforts.

 

[jerseyshrimper]

Sturrock chooses the team and the tactics and his tactics this season have been terrible.Timlin should be in the middle with 2 out wide, everyone else can see that why not him?.The continual hoofballs have been our downfall this season therefore Sturrock has to take the blame if the players are playing to his instructions.

 

[CC51DAS]

Out of interest, has anyone got any idea whether the players stand to earn more money through the play-offs or through the autos ?

 

[Medway Blue]

Out of interest, has anyone got any idea whether the players stand to earn more money through the play-offs or through the autos ?

Wouldn't imagine so, H. There is probably a promotion bonus or something similar no matter how they go up.

 

[CC51DAS]

Wouldn't imagine so, H. There is probably a promotion bonus or something similar no matter how they go up.

On that basis they could earn quite a few more pennies if they have a successful run in the play-offs then

 

[ryansm05]

I think most agree that we should have 2 wingers!! Hopefully we start Monday like this given suspensions:

Belford
Grant, Phillips, Barker, Hills
Hall, Timlin, Ferdinand, Martin
Eastwood, Mohsni/Harris

We just need to build some momentum now, and really hope we can push on in the playoffs!!!

 

[OldBlueLady]

I think most agree that we should have 2 wingers!! Hopefully we start Monday like this given suspensions:

Belford
Grant, Phillips, Barker, Hills
Hall, Timlin, Ferdinand, Martin
Eastwood, Mohsni/Harris

We just need to build some momentum now, and really hope we can push on in the playoffs!!!

Mohsni definitely in defence for me, either at centre back if Barker's not fit, or right back. Grant's been the most intuitive with his passing lately and I'd rather not lose his creativity in midfield.

 

[Another Surrey Shrimper]

Freddy shots over from 8 yards when it was easier to score....did he instruct freddy to do that?

Had Freddy scored at that point, we could have gone on to win as Bradford's heads would have gone down.

I think this is true, from the off it had the feel of a 'next goal wins' match, heads down as soon as you are losing, if we'd scored first I reckon they would have rolled over.