Match Thread: Lincoln City v Hartlepool United

[clanfordimp]

I too don't agree with getting ride of the manager, but he has to be less stubborn and change his tactics and formation to cater for the players we have at the moment, and their abilities. Once long term injuries return, change the formation and tactics.
That is MA's biggest failing his inability to change.
When Fergusen first took over Manure, he didn't win for something like his first 9 games, but they stuck with him and look what he did. My post about having the fight for relegation still stands, I honestly don't think the current crop (excluding injured) have the kahunas for a relegation dog-fight, it will be telling if the manager has over the next few games.

What could he do at the moment with the players he has available to him?

I'm not making excuses for him because he is just as culpable as the rest of the recruitment team for what we have.

How could we change the style, or the formation. Which players could adapt or be good enough to play any other way than as we do now. We needed to change it last week and this week but we couldn't because we don't have players to bring off the bench to make a difference, there's nobody who is any different to anyone else this is why there is no plan b.

Well we've got 6 games and 18 points to play for before the magic wand can be waved.

Is there anyone out there who knows where the next goal is going to come from never mind the next point?

 

[Chimpimp]

Albert Einstein: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

But isn't that exactly what has happened over the last 18 months.

We continue with the same style but the results have become different.

Michael Appleton knows the problems much better than any supporter.

We are still short of Scully, Bridcutt, Walsh and Hopper and perhaps the definition of insanity should be expecting us to greatly improve until some of them are fit and we get a couple of more potent attacking players.

The thing that has probably come as a bit of a surprise is how quickly we have gone backwards in terms of confidence and people taking responsibility to take the risks that create goals.

Here's a thought, perhaps the players have been doing better than we should have expected given the circumstances and now they have hit a bit of a wall.

Anyway, we are where we are.

Michael Appleton has actually gone up in my estimation in the last few weeks.

I have every faith we will move forward in the long run with MA.

His comments about changing things but not making things worse are spot on.

The one thing you can be sure about is we haven't go the right players to play more direct.

So we return to our personnel short comings and they are experience, physical strength/maturity and attackers with pace and class.

It's a catch 22 with the players we have and their state of confidence. Asking them to totally change the approach overnight would be madness.

So for me we have all the right people in charge doing most of the right things.

In the immediate future - Tuesday night - it's ignore the boo boys and try again. We need 3 points and the most likely way to achieve it is pretty much the same again. Bridcutt would make a difference. It would move nearer to the midfield MA wants. It would allow Fiorini a break. He is 19 and is in his first season of English League football. If he can get a break and come back with renewed confidence that might be beneficial to all.

Listening to Liam Scully he was implying the crazy finances this summer means it's not altogether surprising, the lower depths of our squad are not as strong as we would like. Not that we were planning in August to be playing all our young new recruits every week.

I know none of this means a hill of beans to the critics who just want to see win after win...

...but the best chance of those wins returning is to let the manager get on with it and actually support the team.

I know you all agree.

 

[Pompeyimp2]

Is it just me, or is the only real problem we have is scoring goals? We play (relatively) good football in most areas of the pitch but once we get near the opponent's goal it turns to rat shit - so we are not an appalling, disgraceful club, we are one that cannot score goals. That is, IMHO, the only problem we need to solve

Dons tin helmet and awaits incoming fire!!

 

[sedgleyimp]

Having read through the thread there does seem to be the usual suspects suggesting MA should go. Now he clearly has to shoulder some of the blame for the formation and current form, but is still a very good coach and I have faith in his ability to get this right.
Honestly as well you have to say that it would be financial madness to bin him 7 months after extending his deal. Only Man United do that. Plus who do people really think could come in and do the job that he has done for the last two years. There is no realistic option out there. He is still the best man for the job, but he needs to reflect on what the problem is, and that problem is that the players we have are not suited to the kind of tactics he wants us to play. It worked great last year when we had Johnson and Rogers as speed merchants. We had Jorge Grant who could pick a pass to those wide players. We don't have those type of players amongst this current squad so we have to adapt the formation and tactics.

We have 6 games to muddle through before the 'promised land' of the January window comes around the corner. I'm not that convinced we will have a huge overhaul of players. Can we really expect to shift on enough players to allow for those gaps in the wage budget and squad? One or two maybe, but any more than that is most unlikely.

Really still so annoyed about today. Not the mythical big tie we could have got because the reality of being a Lincoln fan is that we'd have drawn Luton away, but more down to just how predictable we have become. You could see exactly how todays game would go in the first five minutes

 

[Imp2stone]

Would not be surprised if the next 3 games will be MA’ s Waterloo. I really want him to guide us up, but he has to accept team selection, & recruitment are down to him. Watching some of the players today, I’m really hoping he hasn’t lost the dressing room.

Not just today the last 7 matches

 

[sedgleyimp]

Is it just me, or is the only real problem we have is scoring goals? We play (relatively) good football in most areas of the pitch but once we get near the opponent's goal it turns to rat shit - so we are not an appalling, disgraceful club, we are one that cannot score goals. That is, IMHO, the only problem we need to solve

Dons tin helmet and awaits incoming fire!!

I wouldn't say it was the only problem as often the final ball falls down and we do overcomplicate attacks so often. A striker needs service and that is lacking from the flanks. That said if we had someone with that instinct in the box, there is no doubt that absolute peach of a low cross put in by Robson just before he was subbed today would have resulted in a goal

 

[Davidimp]

Is it just me, or is the only real problem we have is scoring goals? We play (relatively) good football in most areas of the pitch but once we get near the opponent's goal it turns to rat shit - so we are not an appalling, disgraceful club, we are one that cannot score goals. That is, IMHO, the only problem we need to solve

Dons tin helmet and awaits incoming fire!!

Lincoln City the jigsaw team, we fall apart in the box

 

[Imp2stone]

Is it just me, or is the only real problem we have is scoring goals? We play (relatively) good football in most areas of the pitch but once we get near the opponent's goal it turns to rat shit - so we are not an appalling, disgraceful club, we are one that cannot score goals. That is, IMHO, the only problem we need to solve

Dons tin helmet and awaits incoming fire!!

Totally agree. One up front against 3 defenders what chance have we got. We are tops at passing to goalie to RB then to goalie LB then to goalie then loosing it. There must be something better

 

[riby]

Looking good at the next three games, v Crewe cheltenham and donny I would say we need 5 points minimum.

 

[mikeosullivan]

Or we weren’t able to get the players we wanted

I'm not sure that is the case, apart from Whittaker, as all the others were signed much earlier in the summer.

The permanent signings (Bishop, Sorenson, Adelakan, Robson and, last season Brammal), we paid money for and therefore should have been thoroughly researched by the recruitment team. At the moment, not one has been up to standard.

Loan signings are more of a gamble. Last season Johnson and Rogers paid off. This season Fiorini and N'Lundulu haven't. But there is no excuse for the director's money that has been wasted on those permanent signings.

Out of our last nine signings, going back to Poole and Brammal last January, only Poole has been anywhere near what was needed. Although Eyoma's total loss of form is not the fault of the recruitment team, only one of nine major signings being a success has to be.

Based solely on that, it is no wonder we are where we are now. Injuries have made it worse of course, but most of the signings were brought in as starters - not squad members.

 

[Imp2stone]

Back home...

Just so very very very annoyed with that

I've not been so annoyed since October 2011 when we lost 4-0 at Tamworth

I had to drive past Tamworth on the M42 to get home. Didn't help with my annoyance.

Probably caught pneumonia walking back to the car.

Have I mentioned I'm annoyed.

Annoyed

So sorry for you it was bad enough living local

 

[sedgleyimp]

Anyway I'll be at Crewe on Tuesday as it's a close one for me and I've already got my ticket.
Keep the faith

 

[WellingtonImp]

Back home...

Just so very very very annoyed with that

I've not been so annoyed since October 2011 when we lost 4-0 at Tamworth

I had to drive past Tamworth on the M42 to get home. Didn't help with my annoyance.

Probably caught pneumonia walking back to the car.

Have I mentioned I'm annoyed.

Annoyed

That was a truly truly truly dreadful (lack of) performance at Tamworth. Will never forget that game. It was a game that I had arranged to attend on one of my trips back from overseas. Tested my staying power of being an Imp. So sorry that memories of that debacle had to be dredged up again! Don’t think we’re quite that bad, but we do need to find some solutions to our problem areas soon. Keep the faith, UTI.

 

[Sincilbanks]

So sorry for you it was bad enough living local

The weather made it an awful drive back on the A46 / M69 as well, just to darken the mood...

 

[Imp2stone]

Anyway I'll be at Crewe on Tuesday as it's a close one for me and I've already got my ticket.
Keep the faith

Hope we turn up on Tuesday beacause it hasn’t been good in the last 7 matches. Today we had the opportunity for big money for our club and we blew it. Hopefully you will enjoy your Tuesday evening

 

[Davidimp]

Losing has one o, two is loose like when you have the shits.

 

[bbh 11]

I think of the permanent signings only Robson show any promise to me.

 

[redimpsfan100]

I don't mind getting beat by a better side, today Hartlepool were definitely not a better side, we gave them 3 clear cut chances and they took 1.

We, however, looked completely pedestrian in terms of our effort and desire. No reaction whatsoever to going a goal down, no attempt to make something happen just a team sleep-walking to defeat and just hoping something turns up...

So..... they were better after all?

 

[sedgleyimp]

Don’t think we’re quite that bad

We are nowhere near that bad...yet!!!!

 

[the one legged imp]

8500 fans per match is decent for a club of our size in this Division.
I have no doubt that could rise with a team challenging for play off places.

However this is Lincoln City and as we all know most people with season tickets are probably new to following the club long term through thick and thin.
The acid test for the clubs future depends on how many season tickets are renewed for next season.
Football fans are fickle and the lower down the pyramid you are the harder it is to hold onto those fans.

We have to stay in this Division otherwise I see our crowds dropping by half.

The Cowley factor has run its course. And as good as it was, we are called Lincoln City not Cowley bros fc.

Proper football fans know the score. Unfortunately the game is riddled with plastics and even at this level we have a very large percentage of fair weather fans.

And it's getting cold and wet out there right now.