TT BLOG
Mark Hirst
@MarkAHirst
Mark looks over the weekend’s game
TALKING TACTICS
Saturday felt like a real ‘I was there’ day. A game you’ll remember forever. The day we were thumped by Tonbridge Angels.
All the toxicity of the past few months has gone, the fans desperate to get behind the team in what’s turned into a relegation battle. We were hoping for a response from the players, to play fearless football. But it never happened, it was a really disappointing performance, we were embarrassed.
The excellent quality of Tonbridge’s highlights reinforced a few things I was thinking on the train afterwards, which I’ll try to breakdown here…
THE FORMATION
There’s been plenty of chat in the TT group about how we are lining up and it’s fair to say there’s not a lot of love for a back 3. It’s almost as if Downes has the same lack of trust as Johnson in any of our central defenders to play in a back 4. But we don’t have a natural serviceable left sided wing-back either, so the balance just isn’t right. Moxey had a go for a few games, not ideal for someone of advancing years. Now it’s Arkell Jude-Boyd switching from his usual right side
It’s plainly not working, it’s disjointed. Surely there’s an alternative, which I’ll come back to later
FEAR OF PLASTIC
There’s a sense of trepidation whenever we play on an artificial surface. I’m not a fan, although my dislike has cooled slightly. At this time of the season, they are marginally preferable to a mudbath. But they expose poor technique and lack of confidence. The ball was just bouncing off our players for the whole game. I couldn’t believe Jarvis failed to get his shot off when presented with a golden early chance – he can trust the pitch to hit Ash’s perfect pass first time. Surely in the picture below, there’s going to be only one outcome – and it wouldn’t be a poor touch and keeper gathers.
The players were also seemingly unwilling to run with the ball, again that’s hard to understand on a consistent surface.
THE CENTRE OF DEFENCE & MCGAVIN
There’s been a bit of a merry-go-round of players filling the central defensive spots recently. On Saturday, there was no Booth, so it was Marshall, Tomlinson and Moxey as the chosen 3. I viewed the game at pitch level and it was my perception that there seemed to be a lot of space between them, and at times Marshall and Moxey almost seemed to be in full back positions. The highlights seemed to confirm that.
The ease in which we turn the ball over means that Tomlinson can be cruelly exposed, as was shown when he gives the ball away leading to the third goal.
That leads me to Brett McGavin. I had a look back at what I wrote for Talking Points following the defeat at Hemel in September. On that day I thought he was OK, he wasn’t helped by others not showing for a pass. But he seems to have lost confidence and it just isn’t working in that role at the moment, especially in away games.
He’s not enough of an enforcer to offer the protection Tomlinson needs in this system and we’re being exposed. I’d rather have Dawson sat in front of a back 4, or a real wildcard would be Ross Marshall in that role. He showed more drive than most in the first half at Tonbridge. Put him in that position, where he can offer a bit of physical presence and occasionally given licence to make runs into the box, whilst he could even be a scoring threat.
This is probably a really stupid idea, but it’s not as if there are going to be any incomings. We need to do something different. That was the 12th time we’ve conceded 3 or more goals in the league this season – we’re powder puff.
CREATING CHANCES
Whilst we were flimsy in defence, Tonbridge were solid. After Jarvis’ early chance, we offered very little until Ash took advantage of a defender falling over – but by then we were already 4 goals down. It was really noticeable how clueless we were at working the ball into the final third and then into the box. This has been a real problem all season – even when we scored 4 at Eastbourne, all 4 goals were from outside the box. We had a run of McGavin rockets but otherwise defences haven’t been troubled stopping us creating chances close to goal.
This takes me back to the balance of the side. Can we not play Jude-Boyd in his natural position at right back with Stobbs ahead of him? That dual threat would surely get us in the sort of positions that Tonbridge scored their opener, where Stobbs failed to go with his man, the ball was slid across the 6 yard box – it was so simple.
COYY – MARK
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