The Press

[BillyStubbsTears]

Not the media.

Getting in the oppositions' faces.

Being aggressive in the challenge.

Forcing mistakes.

Last two seasons, it has been so obvious that pretty much every side in this division does it, and does it aggressively. They get in our faces and hit us with tackles as soon as we get possession.

We don't do it.

We stand off.

We give opponents two yards to make decisions, by marking space around them rather than getting in and making physical contact.


Look at the 2nd, 3rd and 4th goals yesterday.


https://youtu.be/or3Hzk5tBkw?si=d2LlMXs7-gflTAZp


Other than Sterry clipping the striker for the fourth, we never looked like making a physical challenge. We stand off. We don't get stuck in and f**king HIT them!

The second goal in particular is soul destroying. We had chances to press them hard as they tried to break from deep. But we didn't give them a physical challenge. We marked space instead of hitting them.

Every week, we see players flying into challenges against us. Not fouls, but presses that result in physical contact. It does my head in that we just do not do that and haven't done it all the time we have been in this division. It's like we think we are above rolling up our sleeves and getting stuck f**king in.

[Prez]

Yep and that contradicts what McCann said pre season about how we were going to play.

[GazLaz]

We’ve done it on at times this season, like the results, it’s clicked too frequently.


Probably linked to the fitness of the players. We’ve not been a fit side since day one. It was obvious. It’s catching up with us now with the injuries too.

[Prez]

The thing is you can stand off and still be hard to break down if you are well organised. 2 banks of 4 is the old cliche.

We stand off and then well erm we standstill allowing the opposition to run into the spaces. We are so easy to break down its killing us.

[Colin C No.3]

I know, let’s sack the manager then all our problems will be solved.

Either that or we ride out this season knowing where the faults lie without ‘Football Managers’ constantly ramming them down our throats.

We knew after the first 7 games of the season there were problems, this was then compounded by our injuries to key players for us at this level.

Get a bl**dy grip!

[BillyStubbsTears]

There is a big spectrum between discussing what failings we see in the performances and calling for the manager to be sacked. I'm not sure why you are conflating the two. I haven't seen anyone calling for the manager to be sacked, even after that disaster yesterday.

[Reg of the Rovers]

We just aren’t a very ‘league 2’ side generally. Side that tend to do well in this league are much more pragmatic. Big strong defensive unit, ball moving back to front quickly, good delivery, effective set plays - corners, free kicks, long throws etc, and target man striker. We’re set up as upper league 1 / lower champ - try to control possession, attacking wing backs, work the ball to find space etc. That’s why we looked much better against Everton and Peterborough, and then Salford etc easily turned us over. Grant is the man for us, but he might just need the Dummies Guide to managing in league 2 for Christmas.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

The press is one of our problems. We press quite hard but it leaves us exposed.  I think it was the Wimbledon manager who mentioned it and it's probably a bit too frequent at times.

[Filo]

The press is one of our problems. We press quite hard but it leaves us exposed.  I think it was the Wimbledon manager who mentioned it and it's probably a bit too frequent at times.

Not sure where you get that from, our press is non existent, the only game where we probably did press hard was the cup game against Hull, and they couldn’t handle us

[Colin C No.3]

There is a big spectrum between discussing what failings we see in the performances and calling for the manager to be sacked. I'm not sure why you are conflating the two. I haven't seen anyone calling for the manager to be sacked, even after that disaster yesterday.

Read colincrambs post on the ‘Reality Check’ thread & Spilsby Reds post on ‘Gutless from back to front’ which happens to be sat right under one of your posts on that thread.

Right under your nose as it were.

[sedwardsdrfc]

The lack of fitness is a big problem and McCann has to take some blame for that. Preseason wasn’t disrupted by injuries or late signings so there’s no excuse.

Remember Saunders having to put his boots on for one preseason game because we hardly had a squad yet that was the fittest team I’ve seen us have. They won the league no surprise.

Best signing the club can make ahead of next season is a proper fitness coach who has worked at the proper club and knows the standards needed. Surely McCann can’t be happy with the fitness and would welcome the right help.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Whatever the reasons, we simply don't set opponents a big enough physical challenge. That was screamingly obvious last year and I thought it would have been the first thing to sort out this year.

[selby]

  When Faulkner regularly wins distance races and Flint is his nearest competitor  although both gifted runners one would think the midfielders would be the ones up there with them not left trailing.
   Says it all really, v Morecambe on Saturday King No8 a Welsh u21s on loan from Cardiff just dominated then centre circle and didn't have to run far to control the game.

[ncRover]

Faal Ironside Rowe has been Grant’s first choice  as a pressing front 3 but it’s nowhere near fast enough to put the opposition under pressure.

Likewise you can’t squeeze the pitch with a higher line for pressing with Anderson at the back. He’s non-league pace.