Carlisle (Hive) The Gashman Cometh Match Thread

[buzzzzinbee]

I don't think I've ever seen a manager single handedly destroy our chances of winning through poor substitutions like MA did today. What should have been a comfortable win was ruined by MA whose logic was bordering on deranged today.

To take off Hackett when he was just getting into the game, Gash when he provided our only chance of scoring, bringing on an RB and DM in their places and to then keep Batt on the pitch for 90 minutes when he had no chance of scoring even if he had Ozil in behind him, was just shameful and embarrassing.

Are people really prepared to forgive crap like this in exchange for 17th and beating Bristol Rovers? Seriously?

What I would say is that Hackett has played only 3 minutes of first team football since Saturday 17th October, so to expect him to last 90 minutes yesterday is a bit hopeful. Also Gash was playing with a hamstring niggle and in my opinion was blowing a bit before being subbed.

Gash was clearly unfit and so was Batt - Allen chose to put only one attacking player on the bench, which was a mistake, and then failed to use him, which was an even bigger mistake.

[hoofer2]

I cannot fault his effort and commitment on Saturday, and quite frankly he exceeded my expectations and got on the end of many balls that
I had written off as lost chances. I agree his awkward style and poor finishing looked comical but at least he got onto the ball which Gash certainly
would not have done judging by recent performances. Let's face it, Akinde has been just as guilty of missing some sitters this season which is why we
are 17th and not in the top half of teletext.

Batt and Akinde in recent games have had zero backup and are frequently isolated. When they do have the ball it takes an age before another player
is within passing distance, and both are expected to do the job of number 9 and number 10. Gash seriously needs to work on his fitness as he looked
like a conference player on Saturday and needs to be able to move from midfield to attack. When Gash is on form and he is passing well he is great,
but when he is not he is laboured and slow and is being carried by the team.

Jamie Stephens is a great shotstopper and has been our matchwinner many time this season, but he needs to seriously work on his distribution.
The number of times the fullbacks were in acres of space to spring an attack passing to feet was ridiculous vs Carlise, and goalkeeper should have been
capable of throwing ball out from back. It was farcical the attention placed in the Summer on the keeper, and yet we end up with one who cannot throw.

I thought Curtis Weston and Hoyte played very well on Saturday, with Weston winning many balls in midfield with decisive passes to the wing and to Batt.
I could not understand why Hoyte was pushed into midfield when he was putting in an assured performance. Sesay would have had the bit between the
teeth making a debut, and surely would have been attack minded trying to get a glory goal. Hackett and Randall seem very underwhelming signings to me,
and think MA needs to show some backbone and give youth a chance rather than continue with this mush. I am convinced an eager Nwogu would have
offered more than Randall, and bringing on a pacy runner with fresh legs such as Shomotum would have eased the pressure on the team much more than
yet another defender.

And what is it with the "ghost" substitutions that MA is doing at the moment? Vs Bristol Rovers and Carlisle he prepares a youth player to come on only
to bring another player on. Is he trying to play a decoy toward the away bench? I would suggest that this is likely to dent a young players confidence
alot more than not being played at all.

I guess our priority is to match or improve on the York, D&R and Yeovil results, however which constant chopping and changing of formation and lineup,
how can the team be expected to settle down and put away performances in to get the results that the home performances are.

[X-Bumble]

The big stand-out for me is the two clean sheets in a row. We were shipping nearly 2 goals a game earlier in the season. MA saw that, made moves to correct it and now we are seeing the end product.
There is way to much moaning and bitching on this forum. Many say they want mid-table obscurity, and that is what you have now. We bubble from 17 to 15th and could get to 12th with a bit more luck.
For those of you who manage staff, you know what a nightmare it is, and how each and every person reacts on different ways. You can't expect MA to just click his fingers and magically make everyone fit and a footballing star. We are league 2 - the arse-end of the football league, and so we have to lower our expectations to suit.
I think MA has done a good job since mid-December, and the last two games have seen us get 4 points from two of the top teams - that is progress in my book. I was wavering about MA early December, but I'm right behind him again.

[becbee]

The big stand-out for me is the two clean sheets in a row. We were shipping nearly 2 goals a game earlier in the season. MA saw that, made moves to correct it and now we are seeing the end product.

The 2 clean sheets owe a very great deal to the incompetence of the Bristol Rovers and Carlisle forwards. I am not knocking MA but if you'd seen those matches you'd know it's too soon to get too excited about our defence.

[BeesKnees]

Our home defence has never been the issue. In no month have we conceded more than 3 goals and we have had eight clean sheets. There are only three teams in the division who have conceded fewer at home and our home record was top three in the division even before we played Bristol.

Statistically we have the ninth best defence in the division overall despite conceding at more than 3 per game away from home.

http://experimental361.com/2016/01/18/e ... -jan-2016/

I would save your praise of Allens improvements to our defence until after Saturday

[BeeBoi1980]

How does that work? Only 4 clubs have let in more than us, I know not everyone has played as many games as us and we have played a fair few of the better teams, but 9th best defence seems strange.

[BeesKnees]

How does that work? Only 4 clubs have let in more than us, I know not everyone has played as many games as us and we have played a fair few of the better teams, but 9th best defence seems strange.

The stats work out the amount of goals you are likely to concede against an average midtable side with the stats adjusted game by game so it's closer to a ranking of how good we are now and not and average over the season. It also takes into account the quality of the chances created\conceded and the likelyhood of that chance scoring rather than just goals scored.

for example the Bristol Rovers game ended 1-0 but based on the number and quality of chances created then statistically they should have scored so the result might be seen by this method as 1-1, however before the game we would have been expected to concede at least one so it would still count as an improvement in our defence.

There is a link on the page explaining it further. I like the fact it factors in more than just goals scored.

[GRH]

Can't beat a good set of stats.

If I read it right, we are trending the wrong way both in the amount of goals we are expected to score and expected to keep out.

[BeesKnees]

Can't beat a good set of stats.

If I read it right, we are trending the wrong way both in the amount of goals we are expected to score and expected to keep out.

Yes,

This one shoes the expected goals at the bottom of the page and how that differs to goals conceded\scored
http://experimental361.com/2016/01/18/s ... -jan-2016/

[BeeBoi1980]

The same table last season http://experimental361.com/2015/07/14/e ... ce-201415/ has us as the 5 best attack (we scored by far the most goals) and Brizzle as the best attack (they were 6th best with 21 less than us despite scoring 7 on the last day). Go figure!

[BeeBoi1980]

We must have created a crazy number of chances, and Brizzle not many. I don't really like the stat.

[Tuesds]

The same table last season http://experimental361.com/2015/07/14/e ... ce-201415/ has us as the 5 best attack (we scored by far the most goals) and Brizzle as the best attack (they were 6th best with 21 less than us despite scoring 7 on the last day). Go figure!

The formula factors in the size and sheer quality of support base and, as we know from the internet, Rovers' support is awesome and meant that it was they who deserved to win the title last year.

[BeesKnees]

The same table last season http://experimental361.com/2015/07/14/e ... ce-201415/ has us as the 5 best attack (we scored by far the most goals) and Brizzle as the best attack (they were 6th best with 21 less than us despite scoring 7 on the last day). Go figure!

I think you've answered your own question. If you look at the lines you can see we faded as the season went on while they improved, the stats are a snapshot on the last day rather than representing the whole season.

This shows exactly why these stats are more beneficial in terms of working out how good a side is today rather than trying to use the record of the whole season.

[BeeBoi1980]

The same table last season http://experimental361.com/2015/07/14/e ... ce-201415/ has us as the 5 best attack (we scored by far the most goals) and Brizzle as the best attack (they were 6th best with 21 less than us despite scoring 7 on the last day). Go figure!

I think you've answered your own question. If you look at the lines you can see we faded as the season went on while they improved, the stats are a snapshot on the last day rather than representing the whole season.

Ah, didn't read that bit, so they are based on current form, no wonder we are 9th best in defence this season then (over the past few days).