A turgid affair punctuated by a great header and the typical added time capitulation.
I don't think Appleton is to blame for the defensive failures, it's something we've struggled with for years and years now and it's part of this "culture" people bang on about.
We need better players, yes. But we need more than that, we need a change in mentality top to bottom. This season is a write off, again. CBT will go, Dobbo too, and we need to use that to re-define how we play, the system we use and the players we bring in
Same post match comments coming I assume. . . New players needed. Lack mentality. Need leaders. Unlucky. . . Think potentially Appleton is in trouble. It’s not Andy Scott’s money so not too sure why he gets so much agg. Season is done already, almost makes the other games of the festive period pointless after today.
He's not. He's exactly what I called him the other day: the worst player on the pitch, until he goes and gets you a goal. Today he didn't. Is he a luxury player? Haven't decided. But he was properly abominable
What was he doing when the ball fell to hom with the keeper off his line. CBT would be a premiership player if he had a footballing IQ greater than 10
11 points from both the Play-Off and relegation places. Hard to believe that our season is dead with it not half way through yet but that's how it looks.
Season not over. We still have relegationtp worry about. To avoid that we need to win more games than we draw, we are nor doing that at the moment. Promotion thus season with this squad always was a long shot relegation is not.
Pathetic two Bob journey man manager leading a two bob team. Drawing at home to one of the worst teams to ever come to the valley is an absolute disgrace.
11 points from both the Play-Off and relegation places. Hard to believe that our season is dead with it not half way through yet but that's how it looks.
Season not over. We still have relegationtp worry about. To avoid that we need to win more games than we draw, we are nor doing that at the moment. Promotion thus season with this squad always was a long shot relegation is not.
We aren't getting relegated.
Burton were utterly dreadful and even they aren't in the bottom 4. We would actively have to try losing every week to go down.
Put a bet on the draw before kick off, another one when we took the lead and another with five minutes to go. As my brother said to me, ‘I’m surprised the bookies even allow it’.
Lack of urgency should’ve been dealt with weeks and weeks ago. That’s on Appleton. I’m not one to want to change the manager but get rid. He’s not going to be a success here imho
Absolutely useless Apples clueless on how to close a game out. Decided probably that’s it for me for a while, still don’t fully understand why we can’t at least try 2 up front.
Surely he must understand playing a shit team at home and only having a couple of shots on target is useless.
Only one club in the EFL you'd want to play if you are a team in terrible form/managerless/potless etc etc. To say these players lack heart is the understatement of the century. Soft, soft, soft.
Terrible result, Terrible game, Terrible attitude from the players! We can't hold onto a lead, but also when in the lead we don't push on! Does this give the owners a ready-made excuse NOT to strengthen the squad (if they were ever going to do so) I fully believe it does! So from being optimistic I'm now the complete opposite! You watch Orient stuff us on Tuesday!
Opposition know, even teams at the bottom, that we will concede during the game, so keep it tight at the back and play until game is over. They will get at least a draw
A real boon for those only interested in the team for when they get to call them "gutless" or whatever. A great day for them.
That being said, that performance was not good and the result was unacceptable. The game changed when TC came on for Fraser. Fraser wasn't brilliant, but having him and LWat in midfield gave us numbers and dominance and we were playing on the front foot. Dropping LW deeper made him less effective, especially when we're defending deep, and we kept dropping deeper and deeper.
And we still almost got away with it. But we look petrified when defending a lead in the last 10 minutes. And that's not good enough from a group of players far more talented than Burton, and a lot of that has to fall on the manager.
Against Cambridge we conceded in stoppage time from a penalty that wasn't a penalty. It's bad luck.
Today, there are no excuses. We conceded from a pinball in the 93rd minute where we didn't win the first, second, or third balls. Absolutely unacceptable.
We sacked Holden when we needed to, even if the options to replace him weren't great. Appleton made sense, and the results over the next two months bore that out. I think something he did well was getting good players (CBT, Hector, Jones, Dobbo, May, Aneke) playing well. And there was something to that. But we never had a clear system and our best tactic seemed to be just overloading teams with talent, especially late in the game. And that falls apart when you lose players to injury.
And we have, and now a lack of a solid system is showing. In short, I fear Appleton has been found out. I'm not Appleton out now like I was with Holden during his last game, but I think other options need to be considered.
I don't think they will sack Appleton, but if I were in charge I would be keeping an eye on the managers out of a job and starting to think about who would be an upgrade and who could take the club forward. Appleton has always felt like a bit of a right place, right time guy. And I've never been convinced he's the long term solution.
It's so frustrating. We're close to both the window and hopefully getting some players back from injury. But we can't afford to draw winnable games, especially after the start we had.
Im not "we can forget about the playoffs now" because there's still a lot of football to be played. But if we play the way we have in recent weeks then it doesn't matter how much football there is left.
I was the only one in my row, the stewards thought it would be fun to use it as a thoroughfare, 3 times they want to get past me, on the third time I told them to go back and walk through the stand, they wouldn’t be doing it it I wasn’t the only one. Didn’t let them through. 🤬
Two shit teams, draw a fair result. We were awful. Created very little. May wasted out wide. Appleton clueless. Too many crap players. Even if we had enough money it can't be addressed in one window. We will still be in League One next season, maybe even the one after. Who are we going to attract this window? No one of any significance is the answer. So fed up it's unreal.
Time to start building for next season. If players don't want to sign new contracts then move them on in January. Likewise with the loanees. Another wasted year.
The whole stadium could see that coming a mile off,why couldnt the manager? Stood there with his hands in his pockets throughout. We're nowhere near good enough to defend a 1-0 lead even against a limited side like Burton who were hard working but awful. Square pegs in round holes yet again. Another season of bland midtable league 1. Happy fucking Christmas.
We’re more likely to be in a relegation battle than a playoffs battle, on current form.
We’re a different team without Chuks, sadly. Unless there are some quality signings in the pipeline the season’s over. In fact, cancel that, the season’s over either way. And who wants to sign for a club eleven or twelve points outside the playoffs? 🙁
Anyone seen a replay of their goal? How did it just fall to a completely unmarked man in the box?
Because 4 of our players go for the same ball and the closest, Hector, chose not to actually make a challenge, leaving their player unmarked and in on goal.
Comments
I don't think Appleton is to blame for the defensive failures, it's something we've struggled with for years and years now and it's part of this "culture" people bang on about.
We need better players, yes. But we need more than that, we need a change in mentality top to bottom. This season is a write off, again. CBT will go, Dobbo too, and we need to use that to re-define how we play, the system we use and the players we bring in
with the keeper off his line. CBT would be a premiership player if he had a footballing IQ greater than 10
Burton were utterly dreadful and even they aren't in the bottom 4. We would actively have to try losing every week to go down.
I reckon anyone on here could do better game by game.
Play your best players in their best positions. May out wide just doesn't work ffs !
Surely he must understand playing a shit team at home and only having a couple of shots on target is useless.
Think in Adkins we have an absolute dud.
To say these players lack heart is the understatement of the century.
Soft, soft, soft.
We can't hold onto a lead, but also when in the lead we don't push on! Does this give the owners a ready-made excuse NOT to strengthen the squad (if they were ever going to do so) I fully believe it does!
So from being optimistic I'm now the complete opposite! You watch Orient stuff us on Tuesday!
That being said, that performance was not good and the result was unacceptable. The game changed when TC came on for Fraser. Fraser wasn't brilliant, but having him and LWat in midfield gave us numbers and dominance and we were playing on the front foot. Dropping LW deeper made him less effective, especially when we're defending deep, and we kept dropping deeper and deeper.
And we still almost got away with it. But we look petrified when defending a lead in the last 10 minutes. And that's not good enough from a group of players far more talented than Burton, and a lot of that has to fall on the manager.
Against Cambridge we conceded in stoppage time from a penalty that wasn't a penalty. It's bad luck.
Today, there are no excuses. We conceded from a pinball in the 93rd minute where we didn't win the first, second, or third balls. Absolutely unacceptable.
We sacked Holden when we needed to, even if the options to replace him weren't great. Appleton made sense, and the results over the next two months bore that out. I think something he did well was getting good players (CBT, Hector, Jones, Dobbo, May, Aneke) playing well. And there was something to that. But we never had a clear system and our best tactic seemed to be just overloading teams with talent, especially late in the game. And that falls apart when you lose players to injury.
And we have, and now a lack of a solid system is showing. In short, I fear Appleton has been found out. I'm not Appleton out now like I was with Holden during his last game, but I think other options need to be considered.
I don't think they will sack Appleton, but if I were in charge I would be keeping an eye on the managers out of a job and starting to think about who would be an upgrade and who could take the club forward. Appleton has always felt like a bit of a right place, right time guy. And I've never been convinced he's the long term solution.
It's so frustrating. We're close to both the window and hopefully getting some players back from injury. But we can't afford to draw winnable games, especially after the start we had.
Im not "we can forget about the playoffs now" because there's still a lot of football to be played. But if we play the way we have in recent weeks then it doesn't matter how much football there is left.
Below average mid-table wank boredom.
Devoid of ambition from top to bottom.
Either way glad that American owners come with the dumbest and most basic of American corporate bullshit speak.