The M5/M6 Derby - Carlisle United Vs Exeter City

[Grumpy Grecian]

(Subtitled "From one extreme to the other")
Thought I'd nip in to start this one while those crafty Cumbrians aren't looking.
Despite the great distance Brunton Park has, in recent years, been a not too "shoddy" hunting ground for we Grecians overall.
And we all remember, with great fondness, those titanic play-off battles of a couple years ago.
We seem to have got off to a surprisingly good start, despite not yet quite firing on all cylinders.
Admittedly goals have been relatively rare (considering our current league position). Matty T seems to have perfected the art both of late goals and, latterly, early ones. It just that bit in the middle that's missing.
This has mercifully been balanced so far by a defence that's as tight as an Amazon tax accountant.
So it's bound to be a thrilling 5-5 draw!!! All of our goals by a homecoming Ryan Bowman between the 40th & 60th minutes!

 

[shoddycollins]

Our defence is very poor. We kept no defenders from last season, only offered a contract to one and he turned it down to sign for Exeter so have started this season with a totally unfamiliar back four (and unfamiliar backups on the bench) and it shows. The players we have at the back look individually OK, but misunderstandings between them are letting opponents through time and time again.

The same is true up front though with attacking players less dependent on forming a mutual understanding, that department has come on more than defence, fitness however is a problem with all our forwards being signings made late in the window and lacking a full pre-season.

Hope is away on international duty. Probably something he's needed after missing most of preseason himself and then speculation over his future. He can go away, play a couple of matches (admittedly against tinpot opposition) and then come back ready to kick on.

Scougall is still out. Carroll didn't perform that great against Scunthorpe and it sounded like we improved after Sagaf came on, but I'd still back Carroll against Exeter and put Sagaf on the bench (judging from the fact Sagaf played in a bouce game the other day I think Pressley must feel the same).

Olomola is back, which is good news. I don't know what approach works best against Exeter's defence but he's been our best performing striker so I'd rather see him up front than Loft or Sorensen. I did have a look at all the goals Exeter have conceded so far, there's only seven goals across three matches so it didn't take long. They're not infallable, Morecambe put two past them but there's no real pattern to it. I saw a couple of long range shots (one of which took a lucky deflection), one set piece, one of Morecambe's goals came from just poor defending which I'm assuming they don't do often, one from Coventry where the cross wasn't properly dealt with and they scored the follow up, and then a couple that were just decent crosses they didn't deal with. Once thing I didn't see much of in the highlights was saves from their keeper so it may be that he is a weak link (or at least untested), a couple of the goals they conceded looked like he should have done better.

I'd go with:

__________________Collin_________________
Elliot_____Webster_____NKP______Iredale
________Carroll___Jones___Bridge________
Thomas________Olomola________McKirdy

Bench: Gray, Mellish, Branthwaite, Charters, Sagaf, Loft, Sorensen

 

[Trapdoor]

Our keeper is probably our best player in the squad at the moment. He's been huge for us this season.

We are set up relatively defensively. Going forward we don't have a particular method, it seems to be a mix of wingers, playing through the middle or long ball so it's quite hard to pin down a style.

I think we should win but I wouldn't be upset by a draw.

 

[Sydney Posse]

I would also take a draw. I'm taking comfort from Carlisle having a new defence who haven't gelled yet, but reckon their league position is false and this will be a lot tougher than league positions suggest. As an aside, I've had good days out there watching City in the past. Shame it's so bleddy far away as I'm sure a lot more City fans would like it up there. Carlisle and Exeter are pretty similar places in many ways

 

[Indian Dan]

Don’t be fooled by the Carlisle fans on here. They’re not that bad at all.

 

[denzel ecfc]

Tough place to go, be surprised if we concede more than one though. Moxey is looking imperious at the moment and Aaron Martin seems to be back to his best.
Scoring is still a problem, hopefully Nicky Law will be back to create some chances.
Bowman to wind everyone up...
Probably 0-0

 

[hellogregory]

Do Exeter still like to play “football”?

If so I think it will suit us, especially if they come here and have a go, it should suit the way we want to play at home, so I expect us to play quite well.

I still expect defeat though, because I think Exeter will simply be better at it than us and we are absolutely shite at the back, but it should make for a decent game.

I’m going for Carlisle 1-3 Exeter

 

[Moomin]

Do Exeter still like to play “football”?

If so I think it will suit us, especially if they come here and have a go, it should suit the way we want to play at home, so I expect us to play quite well.

I still expect defeat though, because I think Exeter will simply be better at it than us and we are absolutely shite at the back, but it should make for a decent game.

I’m going for Carlisle 1-3 Exeter

We do sometimes but nothing like the Tisdale days. Taylor has built his team around hard work and a lot of running and luckily we have a couple of players who can make the difference when it matters.

I don’t expect we will make more than one change from last week, which will hopefully be Law coming back in after a game our injured. Parkes will likely be on the bench.

Always rated Olomola when he first was at Yeovil plus Loft took his goal well last wk so there’s a threat we need to be wary of.

If I’m honest I expect to get something and my heart says 2-1 to us but it could go either way.

Safe trip to the Grecians making the mamouth trip.

 

[shoddycollins]

Absolutely desperate so far from us.

 

[shoddycollins]

Typical from us. A little bit of pressure in the second half. Nothing else

 

[Trapdoor]

We looked very good indeed. First half we should have been out of sight but the keeper and the woodwork were doing their best at frustrating us. I actually think we could go up this year.

 

[hellogregory]

3-1 flattered us. 7-1 would have been a fair reflection.

We seem to be getting worse under pressley which is a worry. Genuinely look like a team heading for relegation. Big game next week at Stevenage, get beat there and there’ll be panic stations.

 

[shoddycollins]

Just still playing like a team of strangers. Think we need another preseason.

 

[hellogregory]

I got the score right, but I expected us to give them more of a game. We were beyond shite, relegation shite.

At times it felt like we were chasing a really good championship side around. That’s more of a dig at us than a compliment to Exeter, although Exeter were good.

Pressley is proving what a clueless tactically inept clown he is. Starting Sagaf on the left, playing Carroll as an attacking midfielder (what the actual fuck!) then his answer to going 2-1 down (from yet another free header) was to just clutter the penalty area with strikers, no tactical plan, consistent terrible defending, just a complete mess. He was out of his depth last season and I’m seeing nothing that’s proving last seasons doubts wrong.

Really poor. Pissed off. Worried. Preying that it’s only 1 going down this season.

 

[codaplenty]

I was going to ask how Steven Pressley is doing but I guess you've answered. Not sure why John Sheridan left but he had to be a lot better than Elvis ? Notwithstanding all this I hope you soon pick up

 

[Carver]

I got the score right, but I expected us to give them more of a game. We were beyond shite, relegation shite.

At times it felt like we were chasing a really good championship side around. That’s more of a dig at us than a compliment to Exeter, although Exeter were good.

Pressley is proving what a clueless tactically inept clown he is. Starting Sagaf on the left, playing Carroll as an attacking midfielder (what the actual fuck!) then his answer to going 2-1 down (from yet another free header) was to just clutter the penalty area with strikers, no tactical plan, consistent terrible defending, just a complete mess. He was out of his depth last season and I’m seeing nothing that’s proving last seasons doubts wrong.

Really poor. Pissed off. Worried. Preying that it’s only 1 going down this season.

The word "Shite" is so over used by you now HG.

Try expanding your vocabulary mate.

 

[Carver]

Don't worry lads as Scunthorpe will go down this season and because of what happened to Bury no one else can go down.

So I would not worry about it until next season, all we can do is just enjoy being a football league team while we still are and hope some miracle worker takes over the club.

 

[shoddycollins]

I was going to ask how Steven Pressley is doing but I guess you've answered. Not sure why John Sheridan left but he had to be a lot better than Elvis ? Notwithstanding all this I hope you soon pick up

John Sheridan can fuck off to be honest. He did a great job as manager but then walked because Chesterfield offered him more money, probably not got the bottle to see out a promotion campaign and just prefers to 'prove himself' by getting teams into promising positions then not seeing the job through to completion. Now he's bottom of the Conference, happy days.

Pressley is entering that panicky stage that many managers go through when things aren't going well and they just start trying everything in the hope something will work. I guess it's easy to criticise in retrospect because if we played bad and he didn't change the team then people would be moaning about undroppable players and fringe players not being given a chance. Sagaf had a good game today, and much better in his natural position, but other than that I'd go back to what should be our best team on paper, Sagaf ahead of Carroll for a midfield spot perhaps.

 

[hellogregory]

The word "Shite" is so over used by you now HG.

Try expanding your vocabulary mate.

Well if we weren’t shite I wouldn’t have to use the word as much

 

[Moomin]

Lost count of the number of times our commentator said “surely another goal” only for us to either miss the target or for Collin to make a save. Encouraging that we made so many chances but we need to be more clinical.

That said, Carlisle had a good 15-20 mins and we could have come away with only a point, which would have been disappointing.

Once again Law was a class act and Lee Martin is really important to us. So far this season we’ve scored goals from midfield and have sown real quality in there which should see us well through the season.

I do feel for Carlisle. They’ve been hamstrung with their transfer policy meaning they made a lot of late signings which is probably why things are so disjointed. Hopefully they will improve soon.

UTC and onto the next!

 

[Carver]

John Sheridan can fuck off to be honest. He did a great job as manager but then walked because Chesterfield offered him more money, probably not got the bottle to see out a promotion campaign and just prefers to 'prove himself' by getting teams into promising positions then not seeing the job through to completion. Now he's bottom of the Conference, happy days.

Pressley is entering that panicky stage that many managers go through when things aren't going well and they just start trying everything in the hope something will work. I guess it's easy to criticise in retrospect because if we played bad and he didn't change the team then people would be moaning about undroppable players and fringe players not being given a chance. Sagaf had a good game today, and much better in his natural position, but other than that I'd go back to what should be our best team on paper, Sagaf ahead of Carroll for a midfield spot perhaps.

Sheridan left because we are a club on the down, the writing was already on the wall and that's fair play to him because he was right, but obviously he was not right in thinking Chesterfield would come back up and do better. lol

 

[Sydney Posse]

Undoubtably the best team performance from us so far. Chance after chance, but we really do need to start putting some of them away, as when it went to 1-1 we should have been well clear. Carlisle keeper did very well and must be wondering when the guys in front of him are going to start helping him out a bit. We clicked today, and deserve to be top of the league currently

 

[shoddycollins]

Sheridan left because we are a club on the down, the writing was already on the wall and that's fair play to him because he was right, but obviously he was not right in thinking Chesterfield would come back up and do better. lol

Nah, if he can't see it out then he's a bottler, and he if he quits a team in 4th place because he doesn't think they'll finish in the playoffs then he's got no conviction. Who the fuck wants to be managed by someone who doesn't have even the most basic level of belief in his side? I know he did a really good job on the pitch with us, but the way he left and the fact he has form for that kind of thing cancels out anything good he's able to do with a team.

As for this season. Worrying really that in 7 games, we've only been the better team on the day once, against Salford.

 

[hellogregory]

I still think there’s a very strong chance we’ll be relegated. However I’m not as certain of it as I was in preseason when our squad was thread bare, as I think now we have a few players that on their day can make the difference and win matches for us. Of course with this idiot in charge of managing our team and our habit of giving away clear goal chances to the opposition every game , we’re going to have to rely on a lot of luck and teams wasting the countless easy chances they’ll get against us.

It’s going to be a long hard season that’s for sure, and we’re going to be scrapping around the bottom till the end. I do think we may have to sack pressley at some point, i hope not but it’s what I think will need to happen if performances continue to get worse. We have to take our football league status seriously.