Jack

Ridiculously, we have one sitting on the bench

I didn’t say the players picked the team, you plum, I’m questioning whether the stand in manager is heavily influenced by the clique of uncommitted, shit players who’ve been here too long and clearly have too much influence around the place. The manager certainly didn’t pick a team to play that way based on it being any good.

We were talking about this yesterday. If Jack Stephens was to pick his starting XI, I think it’d have looked very much like what we saw on Wednesday. Wouldn’t shock me if Eckert is just appeasing a popularity contest with his selections, because it’s clearly shit in a tactical sense. It’s why we need a no shit, respected manager to come in and break up what’s left of Martin’s sideways/backwards banter club, so we can progress as a football club.

Basically doubling down on Bazunu and a back 5. Fucking great

Macca Mads THB Wood Manning Jander Downes Fellows Azaz Scienza/Robinson Armstrong Not ideal but IMO the best we’ve got available. Can’t continue playing so defensively against poor sides

They’ll take their sweet time and still get it completely wrong IMO. I’m sure they’re having lots of clever high level meetings, spreadsheets, data, the reinvention of football.

He can be great at this level, he has been before. I don’t think the system helps any of them, they get in each others way and leave responsibility to each other. We should have really healthy competition for a partnership with Wood in a back 4

This for me when everyone available. My uninjured XI for Saturday would be: Macca Mads THB Wood Manning Downes Jander Fellows Azaz Scienza Armstrong

If by that you mean we’re more capable of fucking about at the back until we don’t beat the press, and concede shit goals, then yeah maybe. I thought the appetite for that left with Russell Martin, but we saw a fair bit of that creeping in last night and wayyyy too much slow knocking it about between the back 5 and Flynn Downes, going nowhere, last night. We know too well what happens when a half decent team identifies that and has a plan to take advantage.

Bazunu is horrendous. I don’t see what he’s done to deserve a start, or what McCarthy has done to get dropped. McCarthy is a far better goalkeeper, he commands his area and sometimes stops shots. We’ve been proving every week that 5 at the back is a load of shit, we have no control in midfield. Playing Manning at LWB is worse than as a traditional LB, as he’s got no pace in either direction. Playing Fellows as a RWB is no good because he isn’t one. Roerslev is nothing special but is fine as a RB. Playing Stephens is no good because he’s shit. We’ve persevered with a shit formation using players out of position and who are not suited to it. These are professional footballers who will be no strangers to playing as a back 4, Still even reverted to it a few times recently after we threw games playing with a 5 and being awful. I just wanted to see round pegs in round holes and not playing an extra rubbish defender, just to fit him into a system that doesn’t work, just because the last failed manager played it sometimes. Agreed, Armstrong can’t do it up there on his own. It’s why I’d much prefer to see a sensible formation where you can get 4 attacking players up the pitch in their normal positions - Armstrong, Scienza, Fellows, Azaz/Robinson.

It needs to be McCarthy

I’ll write off any manager that starts Bazunu, our new winger at right back, and a back 5 including Stephens and Manning, even if it produces a lucky win.

The mistake for the goal is one thing, but just how absent he is in his area is an even bigger concern. He doesn’t command it at all. So weak, barely jumps, can’t catch above his head. Our defence doesn’t need any more reason to feel shaky. Macca isn’t perfect but is and always will be a far better goalkeeper

We need to remove that clique asap to have any chance of making progress as a club

Whoever it is needs to keep Bazunu, Stephens, THB and Manning as far away from the starting XI as possible. And ditch the back 5. And make Scienza captain

Fucking dreadful really. Smash and grab, Bazunu doing his best to give away more points. Hope Spors doesn’t start getting any more stupid ideas off the back of this

Breaking news

He’s offside but that is more atrocious goalkeeping. Macca isn’t perfect but it’s fucking criminal to drop him for Bazunu

Him, Stephens and Manning need getting rid of ASAP. Their mate’s philosophy is too deeply ingrained in them. Dross

Every week

No changes by the looks of who’s walking back out. Great

When you’ve got Manning and Stephens as 2 of them as the well, fuck me you’re going backwards and sideways all day long and not doing much defending.

Just waiting for them to score here aren’t we. Useless

Usual pattern. Start ok, don’t look like taking a chance (sitter from Manning, should just diving header but waited too long to try to volley). Lots of side to side at the back, look shaky as hell at the back. Next up is them to score and us to get progressively worse

Well this Eckert chap isn’t the answer, at least we’ve worked that out in double quick time. SR better see that too