Barrow AFC.net

Jim wrote: ↑Fri Dec 30, 2022 9:17 am

Jonty wrote: ↑Fri Dec 30, 2022 8:58 am
Not just closing down but just having the fight to win the ball. The corner we conceded from yesterday- the ball managed to land in the middle of Barrow players all looking to each other. Show some aggression and get the head on it.

And on the same theme, someone seemed to put in a half-hearted tackle and failed to win the ball when their man crossed for the second goal.

It was white I think, shite attempt at a tackle, lad gets away, Neil? watches then runs away towards area leaving Brough with a 2 on 1. He couldn't close the crosser down as had a man on overlap as well.

StephenD wrote: ↑Fri Dec 30, 2022 9:40 am Suggesting we are trying to lose on purpose is ridiculous.

The football is better than the other two league seasons. I take the point about substitutions. We shouldn't have lost with a man advantage but Tranmere are not a 'bad side' as claimed.

We were never promotion candidates but it will be interesting to see where we do finish.

Tranmere were poor if the Barrow team we had at the start of the season turned up we win comfortably, infact I’m yet to see a side when I’ve walked away thinking “they look a decent outfit” this season. L2 is about aggression and getting your noses in front, generally speaking first goal is the winner at this level. But we rarely seem to take the lead recently to give us something to hold onto.

mulholland wrote: ↑Fri Dec 30, 2022 9:37 am
Definition of madness: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

If you always do what you've always done, you always get what you always got!

Just wish we were still doing what got us the wins.

Well, it's half-time now, with 35 points from 23 games which equates to 70 points over the season. But hang on, we won't get anywhere near 70 points if we carry on like last night.

The half-time score of 1-1 was justified as both teams looked bang-average. But Tranmere thoroughly deserved to go on and win as they were the ones who stepped it up after the interval, going up a gear or two while we were pinned back. Because of the pressure they exerted in the second half you could sense a goal was coming but then the sending-off suggested we might weather the storm and carry the rest of the game to them. But no, it was 10-man Tranmere who kept coming and they got the winner they deserved.

At the moment we look jaded and the energy and pressing that marked out many good performances earlier in the season is not there at present. I am afraid last night was all too reminiscent of last season when we hoofed hopeful high balls up towards little Josh Gordon. The little fella does admirably to win a good few of them but it's obviously not the the right style and a far cry from the high energy through the middle and down the flanks that marked our mode of play earlier in the season. Seasons usually ebb and flow for most teams; we are ebbing at the moment and we have to hope the flow will return with comebacks from Gotts, McClelland and – yes – the hugely frustrating Kay, along with an inspiring recruit or two in January. Well, we'll never be Brazil but we conjured up very little to do justice to, and honour, the great Pele and the supposedly "beautiful" game last night. It was pretty damned ugly, actually.

Still fuming about last night so thought I'd cheer myself up and watch the highlights on YouTube ,the first goal Canavan is stood marking NO ONE Brough points to him telling him why didn't he head it !, (this is ironic when it comes to the second goal) it's like we're Zonal marking!, the second is a comedy of errors, first Tom White gets out muscled then nutmegged , then Whitfield makes a half hearted challenge and Brough then backs off making no attempt to cut out the cross ,this is about commitment and basic defending this isn't good enough at any standard of football!

pjdaly wrote: ↑Fri Dec 30, 2022 10:36 am Well, it's half-time now, with 35 points from 23 games which equates to 70 points over the season. But hang on, we won't get anywhere near 70 points if we carry on like last night.

The half-time score of 1-1 was justified as both teams looked bang-average. But Tranmere thoroughly deserved to go on and win as they were the ones who stepped it up after the interval, going up a gear or two while we were pinned back. Because of the pressure they exerted in the second half you could sense a goal was coming but then the sending-off suggested we might weather the storm and carry the rest of the game to them. But no, it was 10-man Tranmere who kept coming and they got the winner they deserved.

I agree with all of this. I’m not sure what game Pete Wild was watching as according to him we dominated the football game

janwilder wrote: ↑Fri Dec 30, 2022 3:45 am At least Elliot Newby is coming in on the 1st of Jan. Poor lad will have the weight of Cumbria upon his shoulders.

Another one of Wild's merry men from his time at Halifax. Hopefully he's an improvement on Warren and Waters. Then again, he's 27/28 years old and spent all of his career at National League level. In fairness, he did appear for a massive 46 minutes of football at league 2 level for Stockport back in August. Before, of course, they deemed him surplus to requirements.

Wild seems even more stubborn that Evatt and stuck in his ways, be it the formations he plays or the personnel he insists on sticking with. As many have said, the ball has been going long up to Josh Gordon (in the air) for what seems like forever, yet Wild leaves him up there alone, losing aerial battles and just chasing a solo lost cause. Truly baffling. Wild defiantly claims he will not be coerced towards getting a 6 foot - plus striker and will do it his way, because he knows it works.

Did he really say what is alleged to our fans? I certainly feel they have a right, within reason, to vent their frustrations given the money we pay to support the club. He's under a glaring spotlight, so to call a section of people c*nts and to f*ck off when the club is trying to build relations and encourage more attendees is far from ideal.

Still hoping we can turn this around, given our early glimmer of hope to the season. Buckle in chaps, it's going to be a long 5 years +.

Need to go back to the Paul Cox era of a team of giants if you want to play long balls into the box and pick up second balls

holkerboy wrote: ↑Fri Dec 30, 2022 8:31 am

Methuselah wrote: ↑Fri Dec 30, 2022 12:28 am Is it that we as a club at the moment cannot afford to be promoted,so is our manager is under instruction to hold off going for another season

No manager worth his salt would take any such interference from the board.

Are we not stuck with him for 5 years?

A few things about last night........I don't agree with PW about dominating the game, we had quite a bit of the ball but certainly didn't dominate. If Wild has told fans to f-off I'd like to think it would be out of frustration from not winning, and we should have won with the chances we had. He still should be more professional though.
I'd start with Brown replacing Warren against Rochdale, he's clearly terrified of making a mistake and is devoid of any confidence, as is most of the team btw. Bennett should start with Waters up front and Gotts in behind, give Gordon a rest.
Thought Ray deserved Mom, hardly missed a heady all night.
Obviously poor defending for both goals but you can't miss chances like Waters did.
That's it

Once again an early goal puts us on the back foot, we simply don’t have the players to keep trying to come back from these mistakes.
Stevens looks like he’s getting his confidence back, a pity the confidence seems to be draining from many of his teammates.
They always looked like scoring a second during the last 45 min, I said last night we can’t keep giving them chances like this because they’re going to put one away and we won’t pull another goal back.
I think Bennet will start on Tuesday, and PW simply has to look at starting A N other for Warren, the lad is not up to this level.
Talk of replacing PW…..absolute madness, how many managers do they want us to go through?
On the plus side, we are in a much better place than most of us thought we’d be in, anyone seriously thinking we had a chance of keeping up our early season form and being genuine play-off contenders…well. I said mid table would be an amazing achievement after two years of complete madness and I’ll stick to that.

ossickbluebird wrote: ↑Fri Dec 30, 2022 11:02 am
I'd start with Brown replacing Warren against Rochdale, he's clearly terrified of making a mistake and is devoid of any confidence, as is most of the team btw. Bennett should start with Waters up front and Gotts in behind, give Gordon a rest.

My thoughts exactly.

Re the Waters miss, didn't the ball bounce up right in front of him and he swung his leg quite high to try to keep it down? So perhaps harder than it looked.

Jim wrote: ↑Fri Dec 30, 2022 11:11 am

ossickbluebird wrote: ↑Fri Dec 30, 2022 11:02 am
I'd start with Brown replacing Warren against Rochdale, he's clearly terrified of making a mistake and is devoid of any confidence, as is most of the team btw. Bennett should start with Waters up front and Gotts in behind, give Gordon a rest.

My thoughts exactly.

Re the Waters miss, didn't the ball bounce up right in front of him and he swung his leg quite high to try to keep it down? So perhaps harder than it looked.

I thought the Whitfield chance was easier he hit it straight at the keeper

blue nige wrote: ↑Fri Dec 30, 2022 10:36 am Still fuming about last night so thought I'd cheer myself up and watch the highlights on YouTube ,the first goal Canavan is stood marking NO ONE Brough points to him telling him why didn't he head it !, (this is ironic when it comes to the second goal) it's like we're Zonal marking!, the second is a comedy of errors, first Tom White gets out muscled then nutmegged , then Whitfield makes a half hearted challenge and Brough then backs off making no attempt to cut out the cross ,this is about commitment and basic defending this isn't good enough at any standard of football!

Good summary of both goals conceded.

Flat-footed defenders, not as alert as forwards, watching an attacker without seriously has been a too-common way of conceding goals this season.

Overall the team played reasonably well but without some of the spark seen at times earlier this season.

Credit to Lillis for stepping up so well against Salford and Tranmere.

Poor performance overall and result, like others I don't see that we dominated the game as Wild said.
First half hour we were awful, poor passing (Warren in particular) not sharp enough in in midfield and didn't really create a lot.
The first goal seemed awful on first viewing and having watched it back it's even worse - Ray and Canavan are 6'2+ and should be attacking anything like that, nowhere near aggressive enough.
Stevens with another great strike equalised and then Tranmere were on the ropes, Brough should have scored and suddenly Gordon began to unsettle them and halftime came when we didn't want it to as we had gained control.

Second half and Tranmere came out early and within 20 seconds were down our right again and causing problems. Two good saves from Lillis kept them out, one in particular where he seemed to wind himself when it looked a certain goal. Tranmere were putting balls into the box too easily and looked dangerous. Barrow had their moments and Gordon stretched but missed from a Whitfield cross and then Whitfield put one straight at the keeper.
Going down to ten you thought Tranmere would dig in but they won it, errors all round as White misheaded it then lost it, we allowed a cross to come in too easily and Hemmings (kind of strong forward we need) beat Ray to the ball and headed in. Waters skied one after that but another comeback didn't look likely.

I think the lack of options in the squad has led to some of the players burning out and they look very sluggish compared to earlier in the season. Certain players are not at the levels they were and with no one else good enough to come in for them it's the same team almost week in week out. Warren from day one against Bradford looked weak to me and he's getting worse, devoid of any confidence and Brown has to start for a couple now or Zubak, but that's a position we need to be better in. McLelland hopefully will be back soon and Gotts nice to see him back although don't think he got a kick. A striker was and is a priority, can only think Bennett isn't fit or just not fancied by Wild and whilst I don't think he's the answer - he needs more than 7 minutes to have any impact. Moyo was garbage, nowhere near good enough and thankfully he's been moved on and hopefully another one or two come in.

On the plus side we still created a few chances and enough to take something, but not taking them and conceding horrendous goals as we did isn't a good combination. Rochdale is a bit of a must win now or else confidence will take a further hit and then a bump in the road becomes more than just a blip or a bump, Mansfield after that too and we don't fare too well against them either.

Do we have any option on recalling Joe Grayson ? Be a better option than a Warren. I’d be giving Conner Brown a game against Rochdale