Match Thread: Stevenage v Lincoln City

[Chimpimp]

Walker scored his goals in a good team. He didn't do a lot else but he does know where the goal is but he needs good service which means we have to get the ball in the box for him to thrive.

House scored around once in every four or five games. Not prolific for your main centre forward but there again he was chasing his arse most games closing opposition players down. The team on the whole only averaged around a goal a game which gets you relegated if you don't have a decent defence....fortunately, we did.

I'm not suggesting that we play with a big lump up front but I do feel we need someone in the squad who offers an aerial threat, attacking and defensively wise because its an area that we really have shortcomings in.

Will be interesting to see how the forward line actually lines up once we have everyone available for selection.

Yes, it would be nice to be in a position to find out. In other words have some fit and available players.

That's really where I am coming from...and we really are making do and mend at the moment.

Vale, Smith, Adelakun, Sorensen, Makama often in recent weeks our attackers

- which sounds like a reason rather than an excuse for not being very lethal in the air or on the floor.

When Walker, House, Hackett and then Moylan and before long Draper all prove capable of no better, then we might need to reconsider....

 

[WellingtonImp]

… The confidence seems to ebb away and we just become ragged. …

Not sure it’s confidence, not totally anyhow. More concentration and mental stamina, running out of ideas, running out of steam, etc. Need more experience and leadership out on the pitch.

 

[imp73]

Watched on ifollow

Steve evens reputation and his teams clearly precede him. I didn't think they were overly physical, reverted to any obvious dark arts or time wasted. He seemed to spend the entire game hunched at the back of the dug out - not even sure how he could see properly from there.

 

[PortMacImp]

Watched on ifollow

Steve evens reputation and his teams clearly precede him. I didn't think they were overly physical, reverted to any obvious dark arts or time wasted. He seemed to spend the entire game hunched at the back of the dug out - not even sure how he could see properly from there.

I agree with your assessment. I also think between the coaches on the touchline we have appointed the better of the two ex-Leeds United coaches.

 

[West Sussex Imp]

Watched on ifollow

Steve evens reputation and his teams clearly precede him. I didn't think they were overly physical, reverted to any obvious dark arts or time wasted. He seemed to spend the entire game hunched at the back of the dug out - not even sure how he could see properly from there.

Thought their keeper was allowed to dawdle too much but otherwise I agree. They were angelic compared with their side of rugby league players that Wesley managed in 2008-12.

 

[johnolbe]

Steve Evans is a right odious bloke sure enough but lets face it he is one hell of a motivator of average footballers and his reading of the game and ability to change the game is second to none in the lower leagues. He started with a tight diamond in midfield and we had the run of the flanks but second half he appeared to go more 442 and absolutely nullified us and smashed us into submission. That second half was more of a 4-0 mauling.
No complaints from me about how Stevenage play, they play to their strengths and I bet their fans have been more entertained far more than us City fans for the past 18 months. Somehow Jamie Reid, Kane Hemings and Jordan Roberts are looking hungry and fitter than they have ever looked before.
It’s not all about tactical coaching and improving players technically like we seem to continually bleat about, at this level man management and player motivation is still a major massive influence on a teams success.
Michael Scubala obviously has the credentials for success with the first parts but then again virtually all u21 coaches at top clubs do, the question will be ultimately has he got the credentials for the other parts needed for success. Every good manager needs a bit of a Steve Evans, John Beck, Keith Alexander or Danny Cowley in their DNA that gets players and the whole team to give that little bit extra

 

[plumbob]

Steve Evans is a right odious bloke sure enough but lets face it he is one hell of a motivator of average footballers and his reading of the game and ability to change the game is second to none in the lower leagues. He started with a tight diamond in midfield and we had the run of the flanks but second half he appeared to go more 442 and absolutely nullified us and smashed us into submission. That second half was more of a 4-0 mauling.
No complaints from me about how Stevenage play, they play to their strengths and I bet their fans have been more entertained far more than us City fans for the past 18 months. Somehow Jamie Reid, Kane Hemings and Jordan Roberts are looking hungry and fitter than they have ever looked before.
It’s not all about tactical coaching and improving players technically like we seem to continually bleat about, at this level man management and player motivation is still a major massive influence on a teams success.
Michael Scubala obviously has the credentials for success with the first parts but then again virtually all u21 coaches at top clubs do, the question will be ultimately has he got the credentials for the other parts needed for success. Every good manager needs a bit of a Steve Evans, John Beck, Keith Alexander or Danny Cowley in their DNA that gets players and the whole team to give that little bit extra

Always said the same to my mate. Evans is a very good lower league manager. Were he not a total prick, I'd quite happily have had him with us in the past.

 

[impsimps]

I agree with your assessment. I also think between the coaches on the touchline we have appointed the better of the two ex-Leeds United coaches.

Whatever we think of Evans he has hundreds of FL games experience behind him and he saw from his point of view what was needed at HT and it worked . Neither of ours have any really , and it bothers me . The upcoming fixture list does not make pretty reading, and they will have to be quick learners or we could be in for a difficult few weeks. There seems to be an assumption that when the injured players return we will suddenly be ok, but it will take some time for them to get properly match fit , so to rely on them to solve our goal scoring problems may be a bit optimistic.

 

[SIMJON]

Y

Steve Evans is a right odious bloke sure enough but lets face it he is one hell of a motivator of average footballers and his reading of the game and ability to change the game is second to none in the lower leagues. He started with a tight diamond in midfield and we had the run of the flanks but second half he appeared to go more 442 and absolutely nullified us and smashed us into submission. That second half was more of a 4-0 mauling.
No complaints from me about how Stevenage play, they play to their strengths and I bet their fans have been more entertained far more than us City fans for the past 18 months. Somehow Jamie Reid, Kane Hemings and Jordan Roberts are looking hungry and fitter than they have ever looked before.
It’s not all about tactical coaching and improving players technically like we seem to continually bleat about, at this level man management and player motivation is still a major massive influence on a teams success.
Michael Scubala obviously has the credentials for success with the first parts but then again virtually all u21 coaches at top clubs do, the question will be ultimately has he got the credentials for the other parts needed for success. Every good manager needs a bit of a Steve Evans, John Beck, Keith Alexander or Danny Cowley in their DNA that gets players and the whole team to give that little bit extra

Yeah I agree. A young team.and an inexperienced (at management) team is a big gamble that has the potential to pay off massively, but also is quite risky. I do agree there is much more to cultivating a football team than the technical side and I do worry we've taken our eye off that, but we'll see.

I also agree that I expect to see a large turnover of players in the next 12 months.

 

[Ainsworth7]

I also agree that I expect to see a large turnover of players in the next 12 months.

I don’t disagree but if that’s the case the club could be in some serious bother. We’re projected to lose £3m this year because we pushed the boat out on permanent signings. If we’re in the same position we were two years ago but saddled with players we don’t want on long contracts instead of loan players I’m not sure where we go.

At the risk of repeating myself sacking Managers mid-season gets into a cycle that normally only heads in one direction.

 

[mikeosullivan]

I don’t disagree but if that’s the case the club could be in some serious bother. We’re projected to lose £3m this year because we pushed the boat out on permanent signings. If we’re in the same position we were two years ago but saddled with players we don’t want on long contracts instead of loan players I’m not sure where we go.

At the risk of repeating myself sacking Managers mid-season gets into a cycle that normally only heads in one direction.

Absolutely right. MS was brought in to make the existing squad better. Not to go o the board in January or even next summer and say 8 of them are not good enough and he needs replacements. That was not why he was hired.

We cannot afford to spend on recruitment like we did last summer. MS will have to work with the existing players plus Moylan and maybe Draper in January, plus the returning injured players. He may be allowed an incoming loan or two in January, but that will be it.

 

[APHLCFC]

I seem to recall MK saying something along the lines of us needing physically bigger players. We then went out and recruited the likes of Jensen, Hackett, Burroughs, Hamilton and Mitchell who are all big lads.

Now, a quarter of the way through the season the club are saying we want to dominate possession and produce players that possession based sides will want to buy. We've recruited a new head coach who theoretically fits in with that aim.

The problem is we've spent a lot of money on a squad full of players who don't fit with that style of play. There's been some muddled up thinking somewhere along the line.

 

[Ruskingtony]

I think we are now realising how much we are missing House. He will never be a 20 goal a season striker but he gives you so much more. And he isn't a big lump but he could still hold the ball up. His pressing was second to none and he always kept the opposing defence 'occupied '. At the moment it is far too easy for the oppositions defence hence we lose the ball up front and we have nobody to slow them up and the ball keeps coming back at us. Perhaps Moylan or maybe Draper can do that for us but we won't know until January at the earliest and there are a lot of games till then. I think it is going to be a tough few weeks and Skubala will need the fans to keep behind him till then.
I think we have also deluded ourselves into thinking we have the best squad we have had for a long time. Yes we are stronger defensively in the midfield to compliment our defence and have some real grafters. But where is the flare and creativity? Every team we play seem to have at least one or two creative midfielders or wide players. With the exception of Mandriou who is totally hit and miss at the moment we have nobody else.
I forgot to mention Bishop who could add a bit of flare but to be honest I have given up on him. Do we know what his current injury is and how long he will be out this time? Sadly even if he comes back we know it won't be for long so I don't think he counts in the general scheme of things.

 

[Riiiiik]

Give the new guy and the team a chance. He's had one week and one game, taking info from a guy who'd had one month in temporary charge of the team. Whilst also missing O'Connor, Roughan, House, Walker, Bishop and Recco Hackett to pick from. Against a well drilled, aggressive team with an experienced manager in a play off position and we lost 1-0, away from home. It's not like we lost 0-6 at home is it?
We faded in the second half to a better team but I saw enough in the first half to know we can be the better side in matches to come. UTI!

 

[Pompeyimp2]

Give the new guy and the team a chance. He's had one week and one game, taking info from a guy who'd had one month in temporary charge of the team. Whilst also missing O'Connor, Roughan, House, Walker, Bishop and Recco Hackett to pick from. Against a well drilled, aggressive team with an experienced manager in a play off position and we lost 1-0, away from home. It's not like we lost 0-6 at home is it?
We faded in the second half to a better team but I saw enough in the first half to know we can be the better side in matches to come. UTI!

Well said

 

[clanfordimp]

Absolutely right. MS was brought in to make the existing squad better. Not to go o the board in January or even next summer and say 8 of them are not good enough and he needs replacements. That was not why he was hired.

We cannot afford to spend on recruitment like we did last summer. MS will have to work with the existing players plus Moylan and maybe Draper in January, plus the returning injured players. He may be allowed an incoming loan or two in January, but that will be it.

To be honest mike I think there has to be significant investment into the squad if the board want to compete at the top end of this league.

First of all we have to see the formation MS wants to play and I'm sure he discussed that during the interview process with the board.

Of players who are currently in the first team Burroughs and Mitchell are not our players and are unlikely to be here next season and the likes of Shodipo, Adelakun and Makama and some of the other younger players will either be released or have been moved out on loan somewhere and hopefully Bishop's contract is up this summer and he has to go as soon as it is.

So that's going to leave us with a pretty big dent in the squad although up front we do have players to come back although those four or five or players are going to be competing for one or two places in the team depending how we play.

This team as it stands has some decent players but the squad isn't deep with quality, flair, creativity and lacks strength or the ability to have players to change to a plan b when that situation arises.

All things which are going to be a challenge to MS and I'm not saying he will be able to change it in a whirlwind but he will have to evolve the squad in time and will need the backing to do that because this squad and the balance of it is not good enough to be anywhere near the playoffs never mind be in the Championship.

 

[mikeosullivan]

To be honest mike I think there has to be significant investment into the squad if the board want to compete at the top end of this league.

First of all we have to see the formation MS wants to play and I'm sure he discussed that during the interview process with the board.

Of players who are currently in the first team Burroughs and Mitchell are not our players and are unlikely to be here next season and the likes of Shodipo, Adelakun and Makama and some of the other younger players will either be released or have been moved out on loan somewhere and hopefully Bishop's contract is up this summer and he has to go as soon as it is.

So that's going to leave us with a pretty big dent in the squad although up front we do have players to come back although those four or five or players are going to be competing for one or two places in the team depending how we play.

This team as it stands has some decent players but the squad isn't deep with quality, flair, creativity and lacks strength or the ability to have players to change to a plan b when that situation arises.

All things which are going to be a challenge to MS and I'm not saying he will be able to change it in a whirlwind but he will have to evolve the squad in time and will need the backing to do that because this squad and the balance of it is not good enough to be anywhere near the playoffs never mind be in the Championship.

I still think we have the basics there Clan. We are badly missing a decent left (wing) back whether MS goes for a back four or a back five, a creative midfield/forward player (Mandroui has been a big disappointment for me and Bishop is just not that player), and a decent winger.

The two Ethans are good enough in midfield even for a passing/possession game.

Again depending on the system MS wants to play, a centre back who can bring the ball out of defense (Like Montsma) would be a plus. But I still think with the players potentially coming back from loan and injury, we are only 2-3 short - and that can be filled in January from the loan market.

Haks I'm sure will leave, Makama needs to go out on loan, and Shodipo will most likely not be kept on after January, so that will free up some space.

But I do think the basics are there and most of the money spent last summer and before on Jensen, the two Ethans, O'Connor (if he gets his form back), and hopefully Moylan will stand us in good stead and will give us a play-off chance.

Championship level, as you rightly say, is a totally different matter and would need big changes.

 

[Sincilbanks]

I think we are now realising how much we are missing House. He will never be a 20 goal a season striker but he gives you so much more. And he isn't a big lump but he could still hold the ball up. His pressing was second to none and he always kept the opposing defence 'occupied '. At the moment it is far too easy for the oppositions defence hence we lose the ball up front and we have nobody to slow them up and the ball keeps coming back at us. Perhaps Moylan or maybe Draper can do that for us but we won't know until January at the earliest and there are a lot of games till then. I think it is going to be a tough few weeks and Skubala will need the fans to keep behind him till then.
I think we have also deluded ourselves into thinking we have the best squad we have had for a long time. Yes we are stronger defensively in the midfield to compliment our defence and have some real grafters. But where is the flare and creativity? Every team we play seem to have at least one or two creative midfielders or wide players. With the exception of Mandriou who is totally hit and miss at the moment we have nobody else.
I forgot to mention Bishop who could add a bit of flare but to be honest I have given up on him. Do we know what his current injury is and how long he will be out this time? Sadly even if he comes back we know it won't be for long so I don't think he counts in the general scheme of things.

Sooner or later everyone ends up agreeing with me :)
Sincilbanks

Vital Football Hero​

• Sep 16, 2023

Yes I would agree
Always going to miss quality players but after today would expect us to continue to play with two up front until Vale is fit. If those two are Mandroiu and Reeko-Hackett it will be ok.

"I think the issue is more that we lose what Hackett provides out wide, and I think House's level of work up front is sometimes underestimated"

 

[johnolbe]

I think we are now realising how much we are missing House. He will never be a 20 goal a season striker but he gives you so much more. And he isn't a big lump but he could still hold the ball up. His pressing was second to none and he always kept the opposing defence 'occupied '. At the moment it is far too easy for the oppositions defence hence we lose the ball up front and we have nobody to slow them up and the ball keeps coming back at us. Perhaps Moylan or maybe Draper can do that for us but we won't know until January at the earliest and there are a lot of games till then. I think it is going to be a tough few weeks and Skubala will need the fans to keep behind him till then.
I think we have also deluded ourselves into thinking we have the best squad we have had for a long time. Yes we are stronger defensively in the midfield to compliment our defence and have some real grafters. But where is the flare and creativity? Every team we play seem to have at least one or two creative midfielders or wide players. With the exception of Mandriou who is totally hit and miss at the moment we have nobody else.
I forgot to mention Bishop who could add a bit of flare but to be honest I have given up on him. Do we know what his current injury is and how long he will be out this time? Sadly even if he comes back we know it won't be for long so I don't think he counts in the general scheme of things.

Do you think we are the only team to suffer serious injuries tho. The answer is no we are not, continually bleating about it gets tiring. If House missing has totally derailed our season then the finger needs pointing at the recruitment as has been consistently stated. Walker is a walking crock and has been for 3 years, Hacket isn’t a natural central striker even when fit. Vale looks like a schoolboy playing men’s football, Makama is still light years away and Freddie Draper is scoring goals for Walsall.

 

[simes69]

Do you think we are the only team to suffer serious injuries tho. The answer is no we are not, continually bleating about it gets tiring. If House missing has totally derailed our season then the finger needs pointing at the recruitment as has been consistently stated. Walker is a walking crock and has been for 3 years, Hacket isn’t a natural central striker even when fit. Vale looks like a schoolboy playing men’s football, Makama is still light years away and Freddie Draper is scoring goals for Walsall.

Well, you can discredit the forwards injury situation if you like, but it is a major factor in my opinion and deeply unfortunate.

That's why we are having to play a winger who's been transfer listed for 18 months and someone who should be at Peterborough Sports up front regularly in League One fixtures.