Flynn...

[pubteam]

Is he too casual? Has his (over)confidence led to a drop in standards?

I don't want to get on his back as it's still early days, but all this talk of "we're the best team in the league" and "it's an easy job" is a complete change of tack from Saunders, who never used to take anything for granted, and always emphasised the need to keep improving.

In the past two games, we seem to have lost the defensive organisation that Saunders drilled into them. We might be trying to play better football at times, but the basics seem to have gone out of the window to me.

I hope I'm wrong and I hope it's just a blip, but I am concerned that we've become too complacent and started thinking that we can just go out and beat teams without earning it.

[murham]

Thank you
You've put it better than me
Agree totally

[BigH]

Good points PT. Honeymoon period well and truly over. Lack of Carey influence on defence all too apparent. Is it me, but have fitness/sharpness levels dipped a bit as well? Missing Hume as well.

[pubteam]

Having said that, hopefully the last two results have been a kick up the arse. Maybe he'll realise that there's still work to do.

[RedJ]

I think you're on the money. I know it wasn't pretty (although, as I said many times during his reign) it certainly was coming together. I think his subtle changes maybe haven't been quite so subtle. Let's just hope that this is our mid season blip, eh lads. Remember even champions have them. Look at City last time around.

[RedmanRufus]

Revel team had a bad patch, it's important for everyone not to overreact. Still joint top! Have to beat MK.

You reds

[MachoMadness]

Think there's a real problem with our defence that's become apparent in the last couple of games. The organisation just isn't there anymore. We look a little better going forward but still aren't taking our chances, while we keep letting people go at the back and get free runs on goal. It's worrying but hopefully just a blip. Tuesday is massive for us now, getting very tight at the top.

[RedJ]

McCombe looked f**king awful today. I wonder if we'll be seeing Tommy there again with Husband coming back into the side.

[colin cramb]

dont worry, he's spotted some "danger signals" he spotted them last week but thought it was a one off, they've re-surfaced today so he'll sort it tomorrow, its not a problem 

[Sammy Chung was King]

Lee Fowler himself in the Free Press,said Flynn isn't as rigid with organisation,unlike Saunders,he said he's more relaxed with that side of the game,i think it's a bit of a shock to the team,who have been functional but grinding out results,for most of the year.

In my opinion i would be either looking for a loan centre-half,or put Tommy in their,though then you lose some quality from full-back,personally i just think we are having our dodgy part of the season,most of the teams have already had there's,it's tightening up points wise around us,but win the game in hand,and all of a sudden,things look rosier,we are still joint top,with the game in hand,but Bournemouth are coming up the rails at us,providing we come through this latest challenge,i see it being between us and Bournemouth,hold on it's going to be a bumpy ride!!

[drfc1951]

Said on rs that training was a bit more relaxed this week,or words to that effect.We lost radio signal just after Flynn came on,so missed most of interview.

[AbsolutDRFC]

I think it's going to end badly.
We now also have a nonentity assistant manager with not much of a track record.

The Centre-backs have been terrible for the last 2 games.
Flynn needs to get on the players backs; they have been used to discipline from Dean, Brian and Mal all season.

We won't finish top 6 now; the momentum has gone. MK and Crawley will both beat us and I think Flynn will be gone after we get laced 6 at Dean Court.

[Bristol Red Rover]

Way too early to come to conclusions. Flynn does seem laid back, but Williams sounds like a fairly tough cookie, and I can't see Rob Jones being laxed when it comes to training - he is still coaching isn't he?

I suspect the significant change of late is the departure of Mal Purchase, probably more so than Saunders.

[pubteam]

Saunders seemed to drive them on though. He didn't expect us to be a top two team, so he knew that everything had to be 100% and that no stone could be left unturned for us to keep it going.

It seems to me (albeit only going by what I've heard him say in the press) that Flynn thinks that we almost have to just go through the motions and our quality will automatically win us games.

That's dangerous to me. If the players are going out now thinking they're the best team in the league and they'll just win, it must not drive them on as much as being told that they have to be 100% at it to make sure they win.

[Bristol Red Rover]

I think it's going to end badly.
We now also have a nonentity assistant manager with not much of a track record.

Youth coach with wales and Man U, player manager of Bristol Rovers for 2 seasons from the age of 28, assistant manager at Bournemouth and Everton amongst other things. Non-entity and not much of a track record is a strange take on that.

[mrfrostsdad]

If you look at the new assistant managers track record, it is excellent.
Reserve team manager at Leeds and Norwich. Welsh Youth Team manager, Welsh Assistant Manager. There's loads more on his cv if you care to look.
We're not going to get anyone else. I posted on here when Flynn got the job that the reason he got it is because he didn't expect any money to spend on players. And that's exactly what he got - nothing. Could you think of an established manager who would come to a club and want no money at all to spend? No, me neither

[albie]

Sounds like he is thinking of making changes on tuesday;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21311621

Spurr to CB and Husband to LB is a possible, and either Woods or Fowler to start?

Doesn't seem too disappointed with Brown and Paynter, so it sounds like further back he is looking.

[Mr1Croft]

To be fair to Flynn, the last time we played Walsall at home it lead to one of the worst home performances of the season, Lewis Guy getting sent off and Coppingers penalty that his the corner flag...

[pubteam]

To be fair to Flynn, the last time we played Walsall at home it lead to one of the worst home performances of the season, Lewis Guy getting sent off and Coppingers penalty that his the corner flag...

But that has little bearing on what happens 5 years later.

[dknward2]

If he can change it and we can win on tues then it shows he knows whats wrong

Just shows we are not the best in the league and saying things like that makes the other managers team talk so easy

[DearneValleyRover]

Great to blame the defence, when centre mid were too slow, couldn't tackle, pass or mark a man. It's been the weak spot all season and was exposed today. Their number 7 dominated and allowed others to run off him with Quinn and Spurr pushing forward we needed the 2 defensive midfielders to cover, they didn't which exposed both our centre halves lack of pace, we need a general in the middle or someone hungry and fit to put themselves about.

[AbsolutDRFC]

It's quite easy to blame the defence for 3 of the last 4 goals.
They came from balls into the box that we've defended brilliantly for the first 95% of the season.

Those goals have nothing to do with the midfield at that point in the game; Jones & McCombe should've stuck their heads on the ball but didn't.
Hopefully there's a line drawn under it and we move onto the immoral thieving Franchise mob on Tuesday night.

I do agree completely with your comments on the midfield though.
We don't look mobile enough and really lacked the energy that Hume & Syers have provided.....

[Filo]

I noticed that Spur was n`t taking the long throws from the right side yesterday, it seemed a strange one to me as the ball was no longer going into the box from that side, reducing our goal threat

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

I'm not quite sure what he's trying to achieve with his playing style etc as yet.  Seems a little too laid back as to our problems IMO at the moment, we're too open.  I thought we did well going forwards yesterday and lacked a bit of luck but the defence and open-ness from midfield was a bit like last season which was our downfall....

[Belle-Vue-Ghost]

It's a bit too early to judge BF yet. Lets just hope he sorts it out, and quickly.

Got to admit though I did cringe a bit with the "best team in the league" stuff

[southwestexile]

yesterday we dominated posession, hit the woodwork and came close several times.  we were just unlucky against one of the two real form teams in the league.

it's football, manure and barca lose sometimes

3 points on tuesday with a hatfull of goals to improve our GD - we don't want that to be a negative factor at the end of the year

[Lesonthewest]

I noticed that Spur was n`t taking the long throws from the right side yesterday, it seemed a strange one to me as the ball was no longer going into the box from that side, reducing our goal threat

Noticed that too Filo, he took one from his side on the left, so must have been told not to take from the right, very odd, especially as we were playing with two big strikers.

[jonnydog]

Talking of throw-ins, how on earth is it possible to perform a 'foul-throw' in this day and age? Both feet on the floor, throw over your head... simples!

And yet I seem to recollect Quinn doing, I think, 3 'foul-throws' since Xmas at home matches alone. 

[newcomer1]

You can't just blame Flynn for our poor defending. You don't lose the knowledge of how to do defend and I think the players should take a lot of flack for these poor results

[Bentley Bullet]

I think the problem is caused by our more adventurous attacking approach under Flynn, exposing us more at the back.