Great at the Back, No Potency up Top | Vital Football

Great at the Back, No Potency up Top

Trev_GFC

Vital 1st Team Regular
It’s been a good season and all credit to our defence, them and their clean sheets are the reason why we’re unbeaten so long.

We’ve just been a bit useless up top all season, and I mean creating chances as well as scoring. Other than Bolton we haven’t created enough in any game.

The ingredients are there for next season at the back although if we sell the likes of Tucker and Ogilvie we should be able to replace them with the money we make.

I do wonder if we’ll score enough of our chances with the likes of Hanlan and Akinde up top though.

signed Wayne Kerr mark two
 
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I wonder if any of the Ogilvie fans on here noticed he gave the ball away and then was caught out of position for Pigott's lob that Ehmer brilliantly cleared from under the bar. And that Wombles 2 goals were scored from the area where he is supposed to cover

We should snap off the hands of any club that makes an offer in the summer
 
I wonder if any of the Ogilvie fans on here noticed he gave the ball away and then was caught out of position for Pigott's lob that Ehmer brilliantly cleared from under the bar. And that Wombles 2 goals were scored from the area where he is supposed to cover

We should snap off the hands of any club that makes an offer in the summer

How bizzare you pick on a player who was no worse than most of the others alongside him today and has probably been our player of the season so far.

Sure you don't want to slam Tucker too, who didn't have the best of games. Shall we release him?

Akinde was by far the least effective (and looked most dis interested of all of the players in a blue shirt).
 
I wonder if any of the Ogilvie fans on here noticed he gave the ball away and then was caught out of position for Pigott's lob that Ehmer brilliantly cleared from under the bar. And that Wombles 2 goals were scored from the area where he is supposed to cover

We should snap off the hands of any club that makes an offer in the summer
A bit harsh slagging Ogilvie off on one under par performance after the brilliant shifts he's put in for most of the season.
 
Tucker and Ogilvie poor by their normal very high standards. Can't expect anyone to be superb every week.

Midfield wooden and hoofing plus one lazy forward and one that is allergic to scoring. Imo the main reason we lost.

Didn't anyone else rate Bonham highly, as I did? Felt sorry for him.
 
One poor decision from Bonham in the first half when Max had to spectacularly clear but other than that I thought Bonham was my MOM (not that there were many stand out candidates)
 
We don't create enough chances, sometimes not one in a game. Who knows what our forwards might do wlth different service/set up. No midfield protection for the defence today, nothing creative from the others, deserved defeat.
 
Tucker and Ogilvie poor by their normal very high standards. Can't expect anyone to be superb every week.

Midfield wooden and hoofing plus one lazy forward and one that is allergic to scoring. Imo the main reason we lost.

Didn't anyone else rate Bonham highly, as I did? Felt sorry for him.

Back 4 looked fragile today. Tucker bossed by Pigott. Bonham did well today.

I’m not sure what to make of Akinde. Doesn’t seem to have settled so far. Hanlon was good but never looks like scoring.
 
Evans tactics the key problem today - as last week. The plan to hold for 60 mins with defensive formation and hoofball; then put on 3 attacking players and take advantage of tiring defence; maybe ok v top teams but Lincoln & Wombles asking for trouble; should have battered W. first half with Graham, RCC and Roberts ; then if 2/3-0 after 60 put on the defenders. You could see Wimbledon gaining in confidence as the game went on with no score and creating chances so believed they could win even after conceding the equaliser. 5 points dropped
 
Can we please accept this: Hanlan’s useless. He’ll score if we give him 18 chances a game, but otherwise he’s better off hugging the touch line. He’s another List but with more strength. But now we have Akinde the role of muscular lump of shit with poor flick-ons and terrible goal-return ration is taken. On double the wages of anyone else at the club.
 
Can we please accept this: Hanlan’s useless. He’ll score if we give him 18 chances a game, but otherwise he’s better off hugging the touch line. He’s another List but with more strength. But now we have Akinde the role of muscular lump of shit with poor flick-ons and terrible goal-return ration is taken. On double the wages of anyone else at the club.

Oh for heavens sake. One poor and limp performance by the team and individuals do not become useless overnight. If we don't resign Hanlan then another club surely will and it might be one, which plays to his strengths. Akinde has barely settled in the team and this is still a physical league in which it is hard to play without such a player save with more money.
 
Akinde was just the type of player we needed; to allow Hanlon to play the role he did last year alongside Eaves. He could become the next Akinfenwa with the right support - i.e. we must get a winger in the side all the time ; Graham seems to have the skills. RCC should also start - he links up well with Hanlon and can add a goal or two. We seriously miss Byrne, but O'Keefe getting better recently.

So my solution; play a back 4 (Jones to move back there if Ehmer our ); a midfield of Willock, Okeefe (holding) and RCC; Graham, Akinde & Hanlon the front 3 (then Jones, Pringle & Roberts a good 3 subs) ; then we can play through the middle and stop the hoofball, and get some crosses into Akinde for others to feed off him

We'd win more games, but might lose a couple; but more entertaining - but doubt enough points to make up the 7-point gap to playoffs in just 10 games
 
I agree that we are too defensive with O'keefe, O'connor and jones in midfield . I would also say that we don't create many chances but that wasn't actually true yesterday, our final ball was too often poor which meant a half chance became a nothing chance. Hanlan most guilty. He would do all the hard work in driving into the box but then cut it back to one of theirs rather than pick out a blue shirt.

Graham but in some great crosses but none one got onto them.

Akinde seemed really disinterested - similarities to JET very alarming. He needs to up his contribution and fast.

I think the title of this thread is correct. Hanlans to start making the right decisions, Akinde needs up his contribution and we need to start being more attack minded at home. Ehmers injury might dictate though with Jones possible going into CB.

Wayne was correct on the other thread - we have been on a long unbeaten run not a winning run. Maybe now Evans need to start thinking about next years set up, give RCC a run and see if he is worth a deal. Hanlan must frustrate the life out of Evans. He has everything except the end product. I am not sure if he is worth persevering with. What will change ?
 
Hanlan, RCC, Graham, all put in some decent crosses, our problem is we don't commit players into the box. We have a major problem of players standing and watching, rather than taking the gamble.
 
One poor decision from Bonham in the first half when Max had to spectacularly clear but other than that I thought Bonham was my MOM (not that there were many stand out candidates)

I may be being harsh, but I thought Bonham could have done better with both goals. Certainly the first one - the first save was an easy one and he should have pushed it wide or wider if he couldn't catch it and possibly the same for the second goal, although that view is based on an initial viewing having seen the highlights. MOM for me was Graham by a country mile for us. Looked like the only one on the pitch from either team with any class and creative ability. Other than him, any attacking play from each team evolved around hoof ball and cheating which to be fair Wimbledon did better than us. If Akinde wants to be a carthorse up front, he should watch a video of Piggott to learn how to do it properly - the guy has little talent but is a menace. His dirty play, strength and play acting were certainly too good for our defence and too clever for the match officials yesterday.
 
FFS Hanlon is not a striker any more than Bonham is. Akinde is supposed to be the goalscorer, not Ogilvie.
 
I may be being harsh, but I thought Bonham could have done better with both goals. Certainly the first one - the first save was an easy one and he should have pushed it wide or wider if he couldn't catch it and possibly the same for the second goal, although that view is based on an initial viewing having seen the highlights. MOM for me was Graham by a country mile for us. Looked like the only one on the pitch from either team with any class and creative ability. Other than him, any attacking play from each team evolved around hoof ball and cheating which to be fair Wimbledon did better than us. If Akinde wants to be a carthorse up front, he should watch a video of Piggott to learn how to do it properly - the guy has little talent but is a menace. His dirty play, strength and play acting were certainly too good for our defence and too clever for the match officials yesterday.

For an official who blew against us in the first minutes of the game for what appeared to be no more than hands touching, rather than pushing, he appeared to let a helluva lot of diving and feigning injury go unchecked. I was rather surprised to see him yellow card one of their players for time wasting. I was amazed to not see their defender not get a red for his play acting.
 
Whilst yet again our forward play yesterday was hugely frustrating - especially the useless and fading Akinde and talented but lacking in potency Hanlon, you have to say it like it is and our back 5 were poor yesterday - especially Tucker who hasn’t maybe read too much of the press, as seemed to be overly playing things at times and got caught out several times and really should have buried that header at the end. It’s been a good run based on our back 5 so credit to them all for that - lessons learned yesterday. Roll on Sunderland and three points to get us back in the playoff mix.