Col Ewe v Sheepless Nights......I'll get my Coat....Colchester Luton

[oakroader]

NEXT 6 GAMES....
blackpool-home-draw-if we're lucky
barnet-away-draw-if we're lucky
orient-home-win-if we're lucky
Mansfield-away-draw-if we're lucky
notts county-home-draw-if we're lucky
acc Stanley-away-draw-if we're lucky
8 points-if we're lucky!!!!

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

I really do like Jones, but he's his own worst enemy sometimes. He's made some baffling selection choices this season - I remember the Crawley (A) game when he dropped both the front two which spectacularly backfired.

He calls his substitutes "game changers" - yet the last 2-3 games he's brought on Olly Lee as the last sub when chasing a win - he is not a game changer.

The worst thing though that frustrates me more than anything is the lack of motivation and desire in that team. I can forgive lack of ability, but attitude is a prerequisite. If it was a team at the wrong end of the table, it could be slightly understood, but that is unforgivable in the situation.

Being fair, I'm not sure he would have put Lee on if Cook hadn't got injured. Be prepared for Saturday because I think he is going to start if Cook isn't fit. He can't play Gray after completely embarrassing the lad yesterday and Mullins won't be fit so Rea can't play the holding role, so I think Lee is going to start. Brace yourself!

He needs to change the diamond formation badly. I don't normally watch from behind the goal but from that view our lack of width that first 30 Or so minutes was writ large for all to see.

He has got some balls on him bemoaning our inability to defend crosses when he plays a formation that actively isolates full backs and leaves them terribly exposed. What the hell is O'Donnell supposed to do isolated against a decent attacking full back when he isn't the best defender at the best of times? He says he highlighted him (Dickenson) as a threat in the week, but what did he do to stop that threat?? Isolate him 1v1 O'Donnell? What was he thinking? That's not O'Donnell's fault that's on Jones putting his player in a position to fail from the off.

When he changed to match Colchesters formation we looked better, had width and got crosses in (our delivery is abject unfortunately), players like D'ath got on the ball and we looked more of a threat through Vassell in particular but we were 2-0 down by then and it was too late.

He can blame that first half on us not being "at it" but he highlighted the threat and basically did nothing to stop it.

 

[oakroader]

He's proving to be tactically inept to adapt our squad from game to game based on the opposition threats!!

 

[djs]

In his post match interview, Nathan Jones first stated that he didn't want to change the formation but had too when we went two down, and it was after this change that we got on top.
Later in the same interview he said that there was nothing wrong with the formation that he started with.

I know that managers think that supporters are 'know nothing muppets', but really, are thousands of us all wrong, and can't ANY of the coaching team see the bleeding obvious? I mean, they've only had most of a season to notice that something isn't quite right (understatement klaxon)

 

[Bosox]

To be honest, I don't particularly think the formation is the problem. Not saying it's great but I think it would be fine with the right players. Imagine a good version of Jonathan Smith who could do that box to box role breaking up attacks and providing a goal threat. Imagine a quality number 10 in behind Hylton and Vassell instead of Cook going through game after game unnoticed.

And imagine a really good holding midfielder instead of a defender like Rea or a... nope I don't even know what Lee is supposed to be. Then put them together with Pelly providing his moments of magic and madness and you'd have a good midfield.

Basically I don't think there's a formation that could make this rubbish look like a competent midfield.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Pretty much agree with that. We haven't got the players to play it at the moment which is odd as we have 2 windows to bring in the players for it and not done so, especially the midfield positions. It's such a strain on the full backs, although in Justin and Senior we might have 2 who can do it. If we had the players for it it would probably be decent but you could say that about any formation I guess!!

Having said that, IMO the formation was the problem yesterday, we looked vulnerable every time Colchester got it wide. Once we switched it we actually looked ok, even toward the end of the first half where we had a lot of the ball without doing a great deal with it, it has to be said.

I'd love to know what his plan was to begin the game, he says in his interview he highlighted the threat of crosses to them in the week but then went and played such a narrow formation with no protection for our full backs. Got to think something got lost in translation along the way.

 

[oakroader]

I think the common consensus here is that NJ hasn't got a scooby doo!!

 

[oakroader]

I reckon that NJ is deluded due to the fact that we haven't actually lost as many matches as it actually feels like....the fact that we have drawn so many games would reinforce his opinion that but for a bit of luck results could have been so different...jeez...I've nearly convinced myself he knows what he's doing.....