This is Otep, your Prophet of Doom speaking. I said it before the Altrincham game and it materialised. The performance, the outcome and the excuse.
"We were a little bit quiet and I think it was mainly down to fatigue. When you've played Thursday night, Saturday and Tuesday, it's asking an awful lot.
"I tried to put a brave face on it in terms of that we've had three days to recover, but if you looked at the performances this season, I think this third game was a bit too much and we didn't have the same energy."
I will comment again when you have all chipped in with your analysis. Let's get the league table business sorted first.
Virtually nothing to report. Only Brewer Dave did well out of last night with his wise gamble to go with the opposite of what virtually everyone else predicted as an outcome. He got 3 points whilst we all settled for one.
1) Captain Utd - 49
2) JFWqwerty6 - 45
3) Otep - 44
4) Stuart44 - 42
5) Foxy Freddy - 41
6) Steve1210 - 38
7) Emnez - 37
8) Derby Yellow - 34
9) Don Touched My Boots - 32
10) Marco - 32
11) Brewer Dave - 29
12) Terraceman - 27
13) Burton Boy - 25
14) Old Brookender - 24
15) Ady1963 - 21
16) Frank Ashton - 14
Brewers Match Predictor League Table (19)
posted on 21/11/12
Think I also did OK out of last night, Otep. Family commitment meant that I had to miss only my second home game of the season. From the sound of the lads on Radio Derby a warmish car on an out of town retail park was a better place to be than my normal spot on the terraces!
Can't help thinking back to the 'not the same without Calvin' debate the last tine we had one or two results go against us, but let's hope it was just one of those off days - who would have picked Gillingham, Cheltenham and Fleetwood to all lose this time yesterday (i.e. 5 minutes before kick-off).
Down in 10th, I think, but still only 3 points off third (which is where a win would have taken us given the way the other results fell).
A win on Saturday and we will be back on track.
posted on 21/11/12
Awful game none of the lads played well and it was a good job there was only 1700 viewing such garbage.Ok they have had alot of football in the last few days and we will forgive them this one because we know they are better than that.Lets get Saturday here and get it out of there systems,3 points please and lets get rolling again.
posted on 21/11/12
1,712 saw it (everyone I was near to was saying it) - how is that our 11 players and our manager and assistant didn't?
Playing hoof ball wasn't working. It didn't work in the 1st minute, it didn't in the 90th. Why did they carry on doing it for the 89 minutes in between?
Surely when you are tired (allegedly) you try to keep the ball. You don't chase it all night. You make the opposition tired by keeping that wretched football.
I can only assume that hoof ball was the tactics last night. If I had been on the touchline last night I would have told them to pack it in after 5 minutes.
I got so exasperated last night that I started shouting 'Hoof!' every time they did it.
For me the players are better than that. The new guys Weir, Bell, McCrory, Diamond, O'Connor and Paterson are clearly better footballers than that style of play. The players from last season Zola, Key, Stanton and Maghoma can play on the deck. So why are they lowering themselves to this?
I'm sorry folks, it isn't just about last night. Think about it, how many times have we played really well and within the capabilities that we have this season? Have you thought of any games beyond Wimbledon, Oxford and York at home?
I have said the players are better than last season. Beyond dispute. The league table says we have been effective. Beyond dispute. However, the football is not very attractive and it hasn't been all season other than in the 3 games listed.
You are 5th in the table, it's a mild night and only 1,712 turn up to watch it. A correlation between the ugly hoof ball and the attendance? I think so.
posted on 21/11/12
Disapointing night ,but not totally unexpected . I predicted a 1-1 scoreline and very nearly got it spot on had a Blythe backheader not got headed off the line towards the end . The opposition got a bit fortunate to catch us having to play three matches in under a week ,there were tired legs ,an inability to control the ball ,and those hoof ball tactics .We were playing a team already in a dog fight at the wrong end of the table scrapping and fighting for every loose ball , it doesnt get any better on saturday either Wycombe will be up for it after their win mid week against Rotherham away. I would make changes with Holness ,Dyer ,Blythe , and hopefully Zola replacing Stanton , Palmer , Kee and Patterson .
posted on 22/11/12
I have a lot of respect for GR and the way he has tackled some of the issues "head on" like the goalkeeping issue for example. I sense like others earlier some banale comments, excuses which do not auger well for the future.
GR said that he noticed that the lads were quiet before the game, essentially they were "cream crackered". No
acknowledgement that he should have played at least 2 or 3 fresh players.
In predicting an Aldershot win, I did mention that in the context of the Predictor competition that it can be tactically good to oppose the general view, but I did say that I felt we would be disappointed Tuesday.
I believe the writing was "on the wall"
1) Aldershot were a better side than their record suggested. They had played well and battled hard against Wimbledon the previous Saturday, and were only 13 minutes away from an away win.
2) Combined with the above, we overplayed the Daggers result , which we essentially won through a piece of Billy Kee magic, which wont happen every week.
3) Agree that the "hoof" ball tactic was boring and ineffective, especially when there's no Zola, and our passing game, seems to have deserted us, and I agree with the comments made earlier, that in recent matches the quality of play has not been as good as the results.
4) There were some token efforts eg going for the ball but not having much desire to get it.. I saw Mags as being ineffective and somewhat disinterested, and I dont think Patterson ever got his head to the ball all night. There were others who hid during the game.
One person who did not hide, and had a tough game with a very tall opponent was O'Connor,who would have been my MOM.
5) Given that the"hoof" ball wasnt working, there was apparently no plan B, or alternative strategy.
6) A lack of movement at throw-ins
7) Committing a lot of "silly" unnessary fouls!
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I bet against the Brewers , because it was no surprise to me that Aldershot won. As I walked away from the ground, like many others I felt this was a hard defeat to swallow, because we never really looked much like equalising, let alone winning, and as disappointed I was, similar to all Brewers Fans, I at least had the consolation of having made over £50 in profit on my bet. I would have willingly forsaken this reward, for the brewers getting
three points.
I always say this, but the next game (against Wycombe) is pivotal. Bouyed up by a win at Rotherham, surely we can't under-estimate them. GR needs to be spot on for team selection and learn the lesson of Tuesday night, otherwise our challenge for a play-off place may become very unlikely. And...the GR comments will maybe seem more like excuses. A lot of progress has been made, lets hope we don't loose it!
A win on Saturday is crucial
C'mon you Brewers!
Brewer Dave
posted on 22/11/12
I was pretty scathing at GR and his tactical mistakes and of the team for playing hoofball rather than football - then I woke up this morning and realised, that was our first home defeat since August - and it's nearly Xmas!!
Maybe I've been a little harsh, so heads up lads and lets get stuck in at Wycombe
Up the Brewers