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Post by os on Oct 3, 2023 21:48:21 GMT
Not much to add to what others are saying, that wasn't a Sutton performance I recognized. Constant aimless long balls to players who cannot hold the ball up. Defensively all over the show and an inept midfield, whatever that system change was tonight it didn't work.
I am not going to jump on the lets get shot of Matt bandwagon just yet, he deserves October to try and turn things around.
As stated above, that performance was simply unacceptable.
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Post by Amber Aleman on Oct 3, 2023 21:54:48 GMT
That's it, as far as I'm concerned. Both result and performance tell me that we'll be back in the National League next season. I really don't think a change of manager would avert that.
Of course I could be wrong. But the odds must now be so heavily stacked against us staying up, that we might as well assume the worst.
Matt started with a five-man midfield, presumably with the intention of stemming the flow of goals against. That worked for 55 minutes - but with the flipside that we just didn't look like scoring. Then we conceded from a corner. If there's one part of our defensive play that had been working well lately, that was dealing with corners. Tonight we failed to pick up the man at the far post heading back into the goalmouth.
At 0-1 down we were still in the game, but, as on Saturday, the second goal killed us. Craig Eastmond was forced off, and we went 4-4-2. Josh Coley had a chance for a consolation goal when he was one-on-one with Cairns in stoppage time, but the keeper took the ball off his toe. That pretty much summed up our evening. And probably our season.
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Post by paz on Oct 3, 2023 21:59:10 GMT
I said to my self if we can get 4 points from the next 2 games it will give me hope, well after today I cant see the team as it stands making progress, even if we were to nick a win on Sat (Which I cant see).
A couple games ago I noticed Coley having some back and forth with Matt, Today I saw Hart do the same, and also someone I know said they saw Omari do the same. I also noticed none of the subs from what I saw, acknowledged Matt. And the players look fed-up now, they cant go on like this. It really is heart breaking but I do think a decision need's to be made and its time for the board to think very hard now. They need to decide if they are prepared to just guide a safe landing back into the Nat League, or if they really want to fight to stay in this league. Gates are now getting low and at this rate the club will start to struggle with less revenue.
When team sheets showed 4 central midfielders, I thought this is either Matt playing a master stroke or It was a silly move, sadly it proved to be the latter. First half was terrible and we were lucky not to be down then. No changes made, not even in the second half, and low and behold we concede again and then another. Every time they attacked we looked desperate. Then at 75m we bring on a second winger and we started to have a bit of shape and created a couple chances. We played ok against Crawley away in the first half, just do the same thing against struggling Salford at home!
I don't expect us to win every week, I can even accept a relegation scrap, But these performances would struggle in the Nat league and we have some decent players out there. At this rate there wont be a relegation scrap, just relegation.
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Post by guildrover on Oct 3, 2023 22:12:27 GMT
That's it, as far as I'm concerned. Both result and performance tell me that we'll be back in the National League next season. I really don't think a change of manager would avert that. A change in manager might not avert relegation but the club have to give them as much chance as possible. For me that is bringing someone in now so they have a few months to see if they can get a tune out of this squad by playing a system that plays to the strengths it has and then having the January transfer window to make the tweaks they need.
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kpinwp
1st team Player
Posts: 1,245
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Post by kpinwp on Oct 3, 2023 22:16:02 GMT
I can't recall the last time I saw us play, or plan, so poorly. But I think it may have been when we were in Conference South.
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Post by damo7777 on Oct 3, 2023 23:35:15 GMT
Its just a proper shitshow at the moment.. The team is a shambles & Matt doesnt seem to know what to do.. Alot of talk on here abt replacing him but with who? Even if we did find someone,thats another what,5 maybe 10 games for them to bed in their system etc by which time we are properly buggered anyway.. Im not in the Matt out brigade - Yet!! But Its becoming increasingly difficult each week to not start leaning that way
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Post by guildrover on Oct 3, 2023 23:58:26 GMT
Its just a proper shitshow at the moment.. The team is a shambles & Matt doesnt seem to know what to do.. Alot of talk on here abt replacing him but with who? Even if we did find someone,thats another what,5 maybe 10 games for them to bed in their system etc by which time we are properly buggered anyway.. Im not in the Matt out brigade - Yet!! But Its becoming increasingly difficult each week to not start leaning that way There will be plenty of managers and coaches who would want the job. Barrow got their manager from Halifax for instance and Matt Gray was a nobody when he was given his chance. It doesn't need to be a "name" people know of. As fans we also don't need to know who we would replace Matt with, but it would be massively amiss if the club haven't got some idea of who they would/could bring in, even just in an interim capacity, if they had to sack Matt or if he decided to leave on his own accord. The same would have applied if Matt had chosen to leave for a bigger club when his stock was higher. We'd have expected the club to have had a plan in place for at least an interim manager whilst they assessed the potential replacements. We aren't a little non-league club any more, there are people who's jobs rely on us being in L2, the academy funding relies on us being in L2, the club hasn't invested over £1million in the infrastructure in the past couple of seasons just to let it all go down the drain without a fight. The players also need to have a long hard look at themselves. Players we know are good enough for this level have not been anywhere near the mark this season and have let themselves, Matt and the fans down. They won 5-1 on the first day to the team now top, so we know they have it in them. They need to start showing it under whatever manager it is they are playing for starting from Saturday.
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Post by davethegrave on Oct 4, 2023 5:32:27 GMT
Seemed a bit strange playing Harry on the left wing. The team looked unbalanced and would have (probably) been better with 2 wingers from the start.
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Post by davethegrave on Oct 4, 2023 5:34:17 GMT
Hope Beckham isn't - it was his bo at the lane that started the downward spiral. Surely he has his own brand of deodorant.
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Post by fourfourtwo on Oct 4, 2023 8:07:15 GMT
One of the things the team has lacked this season is leadership. When I saw the team last night, the 4 centre midfielders was a bit mad, but getting experienced players like the two Craig’s and Harry in the side had logic to it. I also think that the 4-5-1 idea has legs. It looked alright in the latter stages against MK Dons and the first hour against Port Vale. I would argue that it functioned ok last in the first half, granted it looked like there was a few square pegs in round holes. The issue with the formation for me is that Matt has used it 3 times and it hasn’t lasted the 90. If the manager doesn’t have faith in sticking with change in system, how can the players get used to playing it and have faith in it. It was also noticeable early on last night, there was a lot more trying to play out from the back. However, Sutton must be one of the few teams that don’t know how to do this. The choice of pass to break any press was wrong quite often. Eventually the big long ball came back and it was back to the same way of playing as we’ve seen all season. It does look like the team are trying new things, but how much time they’re spending doing it in training is questionable.
The thing that baffled me the most tactically last night was set pieces. The lack of defending for 1-0 doesn’t require a comment. But for attacking corners, why have we got one of biggest lads floating in the same corner which is getting easier to defend with every corner taken, when Harry Beautyman is stood on the keeper. If so much of the tactics are around good set pieces, let’s have the biggest aerial threats attacking the ball and a variation in delivery. And for throw ins, why sign a lad with a great throw in, insist on doing long throw ins, yet keep him on the bench whilst out of form full backs who can’t do long throws play.
As was said after Saturday, this run of form started last season. For me, that was the time to experiment with different systems and tactics. Sadly, it feels like a missed opportunity and the damage of such a bad run has extended into this season.
I’m still going to back the lads every game, I’m not going to call for the manager to lose his job as I don’t have a solution to know whether any alternative is better. But it is getting tougher watching the same mistakes and hearing the same excuses every week.
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Post by is4 on Oct 4, 2023 8:34:15 GMT
As some of you may know ,I am laid up at present and cannot get to matches. But after reading the above mentioned posts about last night. I quite agree with your comments. I have been saying, since last seasons last 7 or 8 games bad run.That things have to change.But hasn't!!
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Post by boomboom on Oct 4, 2023 8:50:03 GMT
I can't recall the last time I saw us play, or plan, so poorly. But I think it may have been when we were in Conference South. That's an interesting point. Farnborough in the Cup sticks in the memory but I don't think we were quite as bad then.
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Post by boomboom on Oct 4, 2023 9:15:15 GMT
A couple games ago I noticed Coley having some back and forth with Matt, Today I saw Hart do the same, and also someone I know said they saw Omari do the same. I also noticed none of the subs from what I saw, acknowledged Matt. And the players look fed-up now, they cant go on like this. I'm afraid that suggests, if true - and I've no reason to doubt you, that Matt is starting to lose the dressing room.
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Post by paz on Oct 4, 2023 9:23:30 GMT
A couple games ago I noticed Coley having some back and forth with Matt, Today I saw Hart do the same, and also someone I know said they saw Omari do the same. I also noticed none of the subs from what I saw, acknowledged Matt. And the players look fed-up now, they cant go on like this. I'm afraid that suggests, if true - and I've no reason to doubt you, that Matt is starting to lose the dressing room. Its the first time I have felt this to be the case. At the end of the day if the players are doing their best there is only so much composure they can have. I think next home game is now a last gasp for me. But to be fair even if we manage to pull off a win, I am not convinced it will be a case of then climbing the table...
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Post by pinewalker on Oct 4, 2023 10:13:48 GMT
A couple games ago I noticed Coley having some back and forth with Matt, Today I saw Hart do the same, and also someone I know said they saw Omari do the same. I also noticed none of the subs from what I saw, acknowledged Matt. And the players look fed-up now, they cant go on like this. I'm afraid that suggests, if true - and I've no reason to doubt you, that Matt is starting to lose the dressing room. It is normal in any job to have faith in the management when results are good and question it when results are poor if the management does not appear to be changing policies or personnel. Or in football, in the case of the individual player, helping him to improve his performance. Matt has shouted at players throughout the game since he has been at Sutton - through good and bad. What I have noticed this season is the player shouted at is not turning to look at Matt when he hears his name.
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