StrangelyBrown

Did we do something like win again and inadvertently bring out "sad fucks" Gio for another sermon?

You have to wonder why they keep putting him in the side? Edozie must have done something seriously wrong in training for Mara to get the nod ahead of him...

Poor turn of phrase... What's your perspective woodsaint?

If that's the case, which doesn't seem unrealistic, it's been going on a long time - so whose responsibility is it to fix the issue?

David I'm genuinely interested in a balanced debate and I'm trying to get my head around your post... If I read this correctly you are saying that RM has done ok because we were shit last year and we're in the top half which makes a nice change and that it's not RMs fault because we haven't got enough firepower up front? You mentioned the unbeaten run, but how many games did we needlessly draw that we should have won during that period if we'd taken a few more risks with the ball? The unbeaten run was a bit of a red herring... If rather than drawing 2 games we'd one one and lost one we would be better off. Do you think this risk adverse approach actually works? It is easy to focus on the lack of a Striker and blame the recruitment for all our woes, but that ignores the bizarre team selections, the lack of tactical adaptability, the inability to consistently get the side playing with the tempo needed for Russball to work, ... We have plenty of goals in the side, as we have demonstrated from time to time (as you rightly highlighted) but it seems to me that our tactics (that insist on ball retention over risk) lead to us creating fewer good chances than we should. Do you think our approach is ok? Our expectations as a club were to get promoted this year. If RM fails to do that now via the playoffs he has failed to meet expectations. Our current form doesn't suggest we're the team to beat going into the playoffs. Do you think RM should be given a pass for looking like he is heading for failure?

I'm with Chez here, for a RM team Perrauds technical limitations and style of play would be completely unsuited. Under a different system he might be useful, but I can see why RM didn't want him.

And somehow Edozie won't get a look in for the next game...

I tried it in my hair and now I look like a Lego man

I think you've hit the nail on the head with 2&3. Some of the key questions for me are why did RM: - break up the Bednarek THB partnership when it was working really well? - bring sule back into the team at the first opportunity when he'd literally offered no real threat at any point this season? - shoehorn Stephens into the team when we really hadn't missed him? - repeatedly select Manning when his form had been average at best? - replace Downes with Smallbone when there were others who could play better in a 6 role? - drop KWP when he's by far our best player? The decision making has been baffling at times which is consistent with everything I'd read about Martin before he was appointed. Sadly I think he's nearly good enough to get us out of this league but not quite good enough and blind to some obvious problems. I see that the RM apologists have been largely quiet for the last week or so - I'd love to know their views?

We still concede goals for fun and knowing that we're shit upfront he could change things a bit and make us a bit harder to score against ... Good managers can get results with what they have and frankly other than a decent striker RM has enough at his disposal.

We play everyone off the park and don't do as well as we should more often than not. How is this anyone's fault other than Martin's?

It will be interesting to see whether RM is able to reflect on what has worked and what hasn't worked this season and pick out best starting 11. My sad fucks 11 is: Bazunu KWP THB Bednarek Bree Smallbone Downes Stuey Armstrong Adams Fraser While Adams has been hit and miss putting Arma in the middle isn't the answer and there aren't really any alternatives. My suspicion is that we'll see Manning return, Stephens in and THB out, Arma play up front, Brooks in on the right and sulemana keep his place.... And a loss as a consequence.

What I can't work out is why we played at such a pedestrian pace. When we play high tempo fast Russ ball we tear teams apart for fun, but it just was too slow today. Poor finishing aside, Middlesbrough were there for the taking, but we seemed to be scared to really go after the second goal. This must be something the team are under instruction to do - be patient and trust the process (which has dropped us points again and again and again). Russ needs to be braver but sadly nothing he did really changed the tempo or added any extra cutting edge and so in my view the 2 points dropped are squarely on him. I'm dying to know what the Russ evangelists think because I can't see how he isn't at fault?

Well that was all a bit predictable - all fart and no shit again. Come on giosaints tell us why we should be happy about that collosal load of guff?

For a lot of that half we looked like we were going through the motions against an inferior team, but being one nil up isn't enough when we have so many mistakes in us. Sule has to do a lot better - there have been a lot of players described as having "no end product" on here, but he's got to be the very definition of that expression - I just don't see why he seems to automatically start if he's fit? Presumably Russ sees something I don't?