Hughes next to go?

[Fosters Cigar]

Tommy played well at Hereford, “putting in a shift “ whilst also scoring a vital goal. His reward? A place on the bench whist the headless chickens chased around like characters from a Monty Python sketch.

If Hughes is not good enough to come off the bench in a 4 nil drubbing he is yet another skilful playmaker surplus to requirements.

Come on you headless chickens, Keep the faith!

[macfleetwood1]

Just catching up with the latest posts and after Tuesday  night sh-- show I have to agree about  Tommy Hughes, a very good footballer who tries to make  things happen.   Why didn't he start? AL new how Cuzon would play, after  all he has told us many times that  it's the team he made.

[Linnet]

Tommy played well at Hereford, “putting in a shift “ whilst also scoring a vital goal. His reward? A place on the bench whist the headless chickens chased around like characters from a Monty Python sketch.

If Hughes is not good enough to come off the bench in a 4 nil drubbing he is yet another skilful playmaker surplus to requirements.

Come on you headless chickens, Keep the faith!

Sorry I don't think it would have helped Hughes to come on at 3-0 down at half time
He wasn't going to save the game on  his own and would have depleted his confidence to be part of a drubbing He can come into Saturday's game afresh and hopefully help us to a better performance

[Pink]

Hughes may well have picked up a knock for all we know.

Managers really earn their corn recruiting and moulding a team and getting in the characters that fit their preferred set up and way of playing. When a manager takes over mid season it can be very hit and miss. TW failed to keep Lynn up, IC struggled at Kettering and then with Boston the year after. It's now getting desperate, so new players and formations are being played with to try and find a winning formula.

One things for sure, the NLN is a tough old league. The variety in the quality of surfaces to play on, the poor climate, the physicality and streetwise-ness of sides, long travel distances all make playing pretty football redundant. You have to play effective football. IC's side were struggling when Covid came and would not have remained in contention had the season played out through heavy Winter pitches. So I can see why AL keeps harping on about work rate......work rate combined with experience, doing the ugly side well and being clinical in both boxes is what gets results. Currently Lynn have the work rate, but seem to lack the rest. Margetts will help in one box, if he can get some supply, but losing Crowther has really exposed our own box. Last season we had 2 speedy, competent wing backs, Crowther, Coulson was a year younger and there was a defensive midfielder just in front of them. Finding a way, anyway, to be effective and get some wins, is currently all that matters.

[Fosters Cigar]

One thing I will agree with you on Pink is how much we miss Crowther. Average age of the three central defenders is 33 and it shows. This put together with the age of Margret, Hargreaves’s Jones aand Stephens makes for quite an experienced team so why was he bemoaning the fact that he needs experienced players?
Personally I think he has lost the plot and the pressure is showing in his interviews. He can though have no excuse for the way we are playing. He is with them full time on a daily basis, yet we show no routines at free kicks and struggle to put more than two passes together. Keep the faith, coyheadless chickens

[TonyM]

Hughes may well have picked up a knock for all we know.

Managers really earn their corn recruiting and moulding a team and getting in the characters that fit their preferred set up and way of playing. When a manager takes over mid season it can be very hit and miss. TW failed to keep Lynn up, IC struggled at Kettering and then with Boston the year after. It's now getting desperate, so new players and formations are being played with to try and find a winning formula.

One things for sure, the NLN is a tough old league. The variety in the quality of surfaces to play on, the poor climate, the physicality and streetwise-ness of sides, long travel distances all make playing pretty football redundant. You have to play effective football. IC's side were struggling when Covid came and would not have remained in contention had the season played out through heavy Winter pitches. So I can see why AL keeps harping on about work rate......work rate combined with experience, doing the ugly side well and being clinical in both boxes is what gets results. Currently Lynn have the work rate, but seem to lack the rest. Margetts will help in one box, if he can get some supply, but losing Crowther has really exposed our own box. Last season we had 2 speedy, competent wing backs, Crowther, Coulson was a year younger and there was a defensive midfielder just in front of them. Finding a way, anyway, to be effective and get some wins, is currently all that matters.

Whilst I agree with some of that Pink, not sure I agree with it all.  I think the NLN was slow to appreciate how good IC's team really were and took a while to adjust but I think it was that adjustment (being far more defensive) rather than the weather that slowed the progress of that side and still think we would have made the playoffs had the year played out.  Most of the teams we played that year and again since we returned to the NLN are more than capable of playing half decent football as Curzon showed on Tuesday evening although maybe they were playing on a different surface to Lynn??? 

What I would agree with is that if we are to stay up we need to find a way to be effective and get some wins, the worry is that both the management and players looked shot on Tuesday evening, hopefully a few of days together in Ely, particularly for the new lads, will have been a chance to reset and we will see a better balanced side at the weekend, I just hope we don't concede early for as much as the Walks can really get behind a side, when things turn it isn't great and with AL highlighting the pressure the players feel at home you would fear the worst against a Chester side who have always played good football when they have visited.

[Mallard]

Pink, imho is does seem very much like AL is trying anything in a hope that he is lucky to hit on something that works for him.  I don’t see any structure like we had with both IC and TW. 

His comment about next season said a lot for me,  reading between the lines.

[dillydilly]

“Workrate football” only wins odd games here and there, and virtually guarantees being in a relegation fight.  Good football wind consistently.  “Winning tactical fouls” has only been invented in the last year or so, but it has nothing to do with “effective” football.  We need some attack-minded players and forwards.  Of course I hope we survive in this league, but don’t see how that is likely by fielding hard-working fitness fanatics!  It’s a ball game…..

[Mallard]

What attack minded players have you in mind Dilly ?  Must have seen some you fancy on your travels

[dillydilly]

Every team that comes to The Walks at present!!!