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Another poor result....

Personally I've never really rated Greg Hall in the games I've seen him play and would say Matt Conkie was much the better goalkeeper. He is certainly the best 'sweeper keeper' around the NWC in terms of snuffing out goalscoring opportunities higher up the pitch before they really become one. He has always been excellent under the high ball whenever I've seen him play as well whilst Hall has seemed to struggle.
I see some of you have mentioned the strength of the 1874 defence but don't forget the GNE defence wasn't too shoddy last year either. One full back ended the season on trial at Man Utd and Young/Lugsden was the best centre half partnership I've seen in this league in 20 or so years of watching it.
One for Toddy here; but you can use the excellent player stats feature on the NWC website and see that Conkie kept 8 clean sheets in 24 games for 1874 this season (33% of his games) and conceded 37 in 24 (1.5 goals a game). Hall has currently kept 2 clean sheets in 7 games (28% of his games) and conceded 12 in those 7 (1.7 goals a game). So statistically Conkie has a slightly better record so far.
I think people have already alluded to it on this thread but I think it's pretty well known around the grounds in the NWC that ability had nothing to do with the decision 1874 made to get rid of Conkie so Chubbs is right when he says everybody needs to move on and get behind your new goalkeeper.
In my opinion you have gone backwards on the pitch this season and personally I don't think that is down to who has kept goal for you.
 
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Callum1874 said:
Wasn't at the game today, but I will post my observations from the season as a whole so far.

1) Wardy has been missing this season

As everyone knows, the Barton Stadium is no carpet to play football on, so the tactic that has been played as been 'long ball'. Whilst doing this, the ball bypasses the midfield and Ward has therefore been ineffective for the majority of the season. Whilst I agree that long ball is probably the way we will have to go whilst playing home games at Winsford, it doesn't suit Ward, neither does it Beadle. The way to get the best out of Ward would be to play Brandon upfront and Ward playing off him, who could interchange with Jackson. On his day Ward is our best player, but he hasn't been used to our strengths this season.

2) Never a settled back 3/4

This might be due to work commitments/injuries and I understand this, however, imo the leaking defence is down to the lack of consistency in players. Streets at the meet the manager evening seemed to lack confidence in DT, is this the case with others? A settled defence (3-5-2 formation suits us best) will seems perform better next season.

3) Foy/Jones have never been replaced

Foy didn't play long due to injury, and Jones was headless in the Vase last year, but a different midfield option who will dictate matches is currently missing in our squad. Chappel and Woolley are both similar players (Woolley has played best as CB this season) and therefore playing both I don't think works. Also, Brandon in midfield is a complete waste. We need a midfield who will keep the game ticking over, alongside the Chappie's and Woolleys who will battle and win the ball for us in the middle.

4) Brandon in midfield

A complete waste. We seem to be trying to pack the 11 players with our best players, rather than the players that best suit the position. Brandon and Beadle are both different options, and therefore work well in different situations. Brandon is best when we need to battle against strong and mean defences, and can bring others into play, whilst Beadle is clinical against weaker defences and will score against these teams. We don't need them both on the pitch all the time if it doesn't fit the system.

5) Passion and Commitment

I went to watch Linnets vs Nelson around a month ago, and one thing that stood out for me more than anything was team spirit and a 'never say die' attitude. When things go against us, I feel that the players tend to argue amongst themselves, rather than grouping together and grinding out a result. It's no coincidence that Linnets score so many last minute goals, their players know how to win and never ever give up.

I know the post has been negative and I won't often come onto the forum to be critical of the management or players, and I appreciate the fact we have started from scratch and are only 3 years old. We have come a long way and I'm proud of everything the club has achieved. After the season we are having though, these are the problems we have imo and if we do want to move forward as a club and win trophies, this is what I believe we'd have to change.
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Not negative at all Callum, a well-balanced, fair and constructive summary that I think many will agree with (myself included).
 
One stat Greg has not been beaten from outside the penalty area in the games I have watched and that's all the games he has played in,so draw your own conclusion's.In my opinion Conk's and Greg are both great keeper's and we are lucky to have had them.
 
Blackie said:
How can you be better off than the fella voted best keeper in the league last season?
All answers to Im confused.com.....
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Think the NWC goalkeeper of the year award is more a reflection of the entire team than just the goalkeeper Blackie. I'm struggling to recall a year when it hasn't been awarded simply to the team/goalkeeper who has conceded the least goals. For me; winning that award doesn't necessarily mean they are the best goalkeeper in the league ability wise. The NWC manager of the year award is similar, almost always goes to the manager of the team that wins the league with a big playing budget and not the manager who gets his team to 5th with no money at all. If the season finished now then Joey Dunn would be manager of the year but is Steve Settle a more deserving winner at West Didsbury for example.
 
I think we should be listening to Runcorn Linnets fans like Ste Biggy. They are after all top of the league, so if it's players such as Mikey White and Greg Hall who we need to get out of this league, then we should get them. At the end of the day, White has managed to annoy some our fans due to one or two incidents at matches, but if he's the best in the league, then of course we'd love to have him!
 
Ben said:
I think we should be listening to Runcorn Linnets fans like Ste Biggy. They are after all top of the league, so if it's players such as Mikey White and Greg Hall who we need to get out of this league, then we should get them. At the end of the day, White has managed to annoy some our fans due to one or two incidents at matches, but if he's the best in the league, then of course we'd love to have him!
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It's easy for stig of the dump to say what's needed, after all they are top of the league but haven't won anything yet!
And it's taken them enough attempts even if they do it.
But I do agree, we need more edge from players if we are to get out of this league.
 
Two words ... Johnny King.
I have a sneaking suspicion that the majority might grow to love someone like Mr White.
 
Problem with Mike White is that he is every bit as good as he thinks he is which is infuriating lol
 
Alan M said:
Two words ... Johnny King.
I have a sneaking suspicion that the majority might grow to love someone like Mr White.
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Nail hit on the head Alan! He is the kind of player hated by other sides but loved by the one he plays for and some of you on here need to be more welcoming to players like that.

Love the post further up about there being more to a goalkeeper than clean sheets!
 
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