Blyth Spartans

[dillydilly]

Must be a chance for a win.  BS on an unimpressive run, so fingers crossed.  Many of the posts show the team aren’t impressing, but squeezing out results, thankfully.  I don’t like the idea that the style doesn’t matter if a team wins, because it’s obvious that if a team plays well it will be likely to win, while a team playing badly is likely to lose.  Let’s hope KLTFC start playing well!  The Dillathon World-beating computer has calculated a result of 1-1, or a slightly fortunate 2-1 home win, if we are lucky!……

[Mallard]

Saturday’s game looks very interesting.  How many will turn up? Certainly more than the 650 plus from Tuesday.   Another week under the new man in charge should see greatest fitness and AL getting his message across even more.

Anyone know what Squad the Manager is working with now, as in who’s gone from the 25/26 man squad he inherited?

[TonyM]

Saturday’s game looks very interesting.  How many will turn up? Certainly more than the 650 plus from Tuesday.   Another week under the new man in charge should see greatest fitness and AL getting his message across even more.

Anyone know what Squad the Manager is working with now, as in who’s gone from the 25/26 man squad he inherited?

I think the 25/26 probably included some u23s who were taking part in first team team training whilst some of the main squad were returning from injuries, 30 players have squad numbers per last weeks programme but some of those haven't featured in match day squads.  Since AL arrived Sion Spence has gone and Yearn, Bartley and Sutcliffe have gone back from loans with Jones and Morrison coming in on one month loans, only other confirmation I have seen is Charlie Royle going out on loan.

Really hope that AL changes things up for tomorrow, yes we have won two of his four games in charge but they came against the bottom two sides in the league and they are there for a reason.  For me I see no reason why either full back from Tuesday could have any complaint at losing their starting spot and also think the time has come to dispense with the 5-2-3 which doesn't seem to help us control games or make the most of what we have, personally I would like to see 5-3-2 with Stephens stepping down to the bench which would allow Hargreaves to play more of his natural game in terms of making breaks from midfield without having so much defensive responsibility.  Without any news on Ponticelli or Hughes returning from injury I would go with

                         Jones
Jones, Crowther, Coulson, McFadden, Isaacson
           Hargreaves, Smith, Walker
                        Barrett
                       Cybulski

[Mallard]

Just feel AL will do what’s needed to limp through to the end of the season, hopefully keeping the team at this level.   Then expect a full reconstruction job in the squad in the summer.

However if Adam fails to keep us up then all bets are off.

[TonyM]

Just feel AL will do what’s needed to limp through to the end of the season, hopefully keeping the team at this level.   Then expect a full reconstruction job in the squad in the summer.

However if Adam fails to keep us up then all bets are off.

I think that is what SC is hoping for, I have seen others commenting that this is a 'transition' season, unfortunately for me I don't think that is the case as I can't see full-time remaining financially viable and whilst SC will no doubt have plenty of reasons and culprits lined up to blame, the fundamental truth is that Lynn just don't get the crowds to sustain full-time without a huge slice of financial doping.  Therefore we, as fans, have to expect another transition season in the near future where the club reverts back to a more sensible part-time (whatever that looks like) model and for me that is what next summers 'reconstruction' if it comes should be focussed on.

[Mallard]

If that happens Tony and next season we revert to part time is a Manager based in the North West with that seemingly his catchment area going to be the best option for the Club ?

[admin]

https://twitter.com/GregTheLynnNews/status/1718244972439204056

[dillydilly]

Very bad news about JB.  He’s clearly the most talented player in our present squad, and we will be short on creation without him for a few weeks.  I agree with TonyM that 5 at the back is very restricting of our ability to pressurise the opponents, but all our recent managers keep using it.  If we escape the bottom four we will need to have a more attacking line-up to climb higher…. For today, 3-5-2, including Fatadjo….

[Blue_and_Gold]

1-1 draw.

Att. 797

https://www.lynnnews.co.uk/sport/linnets-suffer-barrett-injury-blow-as-they-are-held-to-draw-9337211/

[DougJR]

1-1 against a team in the top half, regardless of their recent form, isn’t bad. We have to be realistic and accept that we’re in a relegation battle. The manager needs time to sort out what he’s inherited. We can’t just suddenly expect the same players to start winning games when they couldn’t earlier in the season. Everyone needs to have patience. We’re going to struggle this season and must simply focus on staying up. That means figthing for every point no matter who we play. Nothing is going to be easy.

[Mallard]

Good call Doug we are certainly in a drop battle.  Reflected by a crowd of under 800.   It is going to be a tough winter.  I hope SC has deep pockets to not only prop up the attendance but also to give the Manager the cash to keep us up. 

[TonyM]

The enforced change due to JB's injury resulted in a similar lineup to what I had hoped for but with Smith playing further forward not the change in formation I had advocated.  First half we were way, way, way too passive with Blyth in complete control and still finding players in space with Lynn seemingly content to only make a challenge if the ball came into the box, that said they never really opened us up.  Second half started much like the first but then our midfield woke up and a great bit of skill by Morrison created the opening for Stephens to slot home.  Blyth's equaliser came from their one good delivery into the box.  A draw was probably a fair result as neither side really created much else during the game.

Positives for Lynn - Cybulski had another good game, already a better hold up player than Gold but we just need to create more chances for him if he is to match his predecessor's record and Stephens looked better playing slightly more centrally

[dillydilly]

With 5 at the back plus a keeper, we had little chance of creating chances.  And I never understand taking off one striker and replacing with another because logically it doesn’t improve the chances of getting a needed goal.  Should have another on, and lose a defender. He’s worrying me - the manager - looks like the last one’s safety first that rarely proves to be safe!

[Dazzarugby65]

With 5 at the back plus a keeper, we had little chance of creating chances.  And I never understand taking off one striker and replacing with another because logically it doesn’t improve the chances of getting a needed goal.  Should have another on, and lose a defender. He’s worrying me - the manager - looks like the last one’s safety first that rarely proves to be safe!

Give the new man a chance, his record speaks for itself, he can only use the players he has at his disposal, and most are ones he inherited, which from early doors this season was obvious too see were not up to the standard required in this league. He obviously sets the team up as to what he sees in training, we have a lot more points on the board now than we did 5 games ago, it’s obvious we are battling relegation as opposed to going for promotion and every point down the bottom of the league is drastically important.

[Mallard]

Not sure Daz I buy into all the players not being good enough at the start of the season.   10 players in the squad were with us under TW.  The big problem is the players Hughes brought in to replace the quality we lost.   Put that down to poor recruitment and a reduced budget. 

Looking very much like false economy.