Post by stevek192 on Dec 17, 2017 11:05:53 GMT
The big question from yesterday must be... How can a team that looked so accomplished last week become eleven individuals all proned to mistakes and looking like they have only met in the training session on the Friday. This is the problem that faces DC today and in truth has faced him all season on the road and in some of the home games as well. A lot of supporters (myself included) have cried out for a settled team and in the last few weeks we have pretty well been given that and how many at 2pm yesterday would have selected anything other than the team which DC put out on the pitch? Not many I reckon.
In truth it may have been so different if Ellis Harrison had scored in the first minute when the huge home keeper saved but spilled a half volley from distance by Gaffney and Ellis with the goal at his mercy somehow put the rebound too close to the keeper who saved . In truth don't be confused by the scoreline and think that Gillingham were a good side because their League position suggest otherwise and so did the exchanges before they took the lead. Not for the first time this season must a home side have wished they could play us every week!
Was it the old adage that certain grounds are bogey grounds as this was not the first time that we have ruthlessly been taken apart here by a team who was not at all in form at the time they played us. Having watched all but one of this season's games I would say this was not on the day the case and more a case of Deja Vu with errors creeping into individuals games early on and huge gaps then appearing in the framework of the team with players lacking the quality and more importantly the discipline necessary to do a straightforward marking task. it was yet another example of saying What on earth do the players do in training?
There are not many excuses you can make for the performance yesterday other than it was a bloody cold day propped high up on a Meccano end with no roof to protect from the elememts but that was for the supporters - the cold and a bumpy pitch was the same for both teams. When it comes down to it for some reason one team were up for it and the other wasn't. Personally I would describe it as too many cooks spoiling the broth as the players to me seem to be programmed to do other peoples jobs instead of their own and by doing this indiscipline regularly occurred and in truth players were "all over the place"! Last week saw 5 or 6 players on top of their game and the rest having good games . Yesterday other than Smith, Sercombe and Ellis it was hard to find any player who had even an average game and the three who came on far too late as subs were no better than those they replaced.
If I had to pin point the faults I would go down to the fact that most of our width has to be created by our full backs and they are spending too much time making themselves available for the pass instead of concentrating on the main task of marking their opponent thereby leaving a huge expanse for the two central defenders to cover and also ensuring that other players have to leave their own positions to cover thereby causing the team to look disorganised. I will give one example of this when the full back charged forward after receiving the ball from the keeper without Ellis giving chase . Our defence was retreating but the fact was that Lee Brown was stood marking nobody with a large expanse in front of him and could have been marking the player without a winger to mark and I would say this is the root of the fault of our system. Our defenders are not closing down any opponents and we are using the midfielders and even our strikers to make up for this deficiency. When we do get the ball our build up is slow and predictable and I put this down to the Manager and how the team is set up. What I cannot really answer is why this set up should be successful one week and totally inadequate the next.
Anyway on to individual performances as the team performance was very much a 3 or 4 out of 10!
Smith 6 MOM Made some wonderful saves in the first half and although his "jump over the ball" looked terrible on the third goal he had been left totally exposed and rushed out as a token effort. He stood no chance really with any of the goals and was unlucky with the first penalty which he saved superbly only for three opponents to be closing in on the rebound off the post for the taker of the penalty to tuck in with no Rovers player anywhere near. This really summed up our players day.
Leadbitter 4.5
Badly at fault for the third goal and missing on the second ,defensively poor but as an attacking threat did ok however like Lee Brown has to ensure that the first task is to have his opponent in his pocket.
Lockyer 3 Just when you think he has re found his form it is back to stage one and he looks so far off being an International player- even a Welsh one! He does not lead the team at all and his body language when we concede is not going to inspire any fightback. Gave the giant Eaves far too much time on the ball and as usual his distribution was poor at times and with midfielders passing the ball sideways and back our defenders are seeing far too much of the ball and our attackers not enough.
Sweeney 4
Like Lockyer it was back to stage one. There is a definite case of an over emphasis on defending and it is ending up with the defenders marking space rather than their opponent and the midfielders all trying to fill that space and leaving their own player acres of space. I really don't know what the answer is as the problem is that there is no organisation at the back so do you get a replacement for Tom Lockyer or for Sweeney or for both!
Brown 3
Whilst the penalty was down to Partington the problem is where was Lee Brown to as it was his player who had a clear run on goal and this happens far too often. Lee is positioning himself to start an attack and with midfielders being dragged backwards and sideways there is little cover and understanding- when its good its good but when it is bad like yesterday it is bloody bad.
Partington 4.5
Not as good as previous weeks and gave away a definite penalty but why was the defensive midfielder the last man? On days like yesterday it is really difficult to assess how much is an individuals fault and how much a team fault as after the first twenty minutes we were all over the place. Defenders are not doing their job and the midfield and even the strikers are trying to do their job for them rather than to just provide backing
Sinclair 4
Worked hard but the midfield was struggling to really get involved and far too often was found wanting. Lack of creativity is a problem but in his defence he,like Partington is in there to PROTECT the defence but NOT to have to do their job for them.
Sercombe 5.5
Kept trying to at least put his foot on the ball and get the team going and was the only of the midfield to offer anything as regards positive attacking. Scored a cracking goal even if the pass to him was from a Gillingham player. That was probably to be expected on a day where our passing was often well astray after we went one down.
Bodin 4
If anybody was watching him yesterday and basing his ability on that display then he would safely be with us this season and beyond. Unfortunately I fear that Billy will be gone long before the end of January as he is not the player for a relegation battle and the only real chance we had of keeping him was if we were realistically chasing a Play Off spot. Was as bad as most of his team mates yesterday.
Gaffney 3
Other than the opening 10 minutes when he looked lively this was a well below par performance from from Gaffs but to be fair to him the service he received was hardly credit worthy
Harrison 5.5 At fault for the second goal but this is going to occur from time to time when your main attacker has to do so much to even get the ball. He should have scored in the opening attack of the game but kept trying and you can heavily criticise a player who is trying to do the job of two or three players
Subs: O. Clarke 3
Off form and was no improvement on Sinclair
Nichols 4
Like the other subs he really was up against it by the time he came on although he looks like a player who is a square peg in a round hole. Would love to have seen him alongside Tom Eaves - well that would have a chance of working!!
Broom - 4
tried and didn't give the ball away but we were so disorganised by then that even Messi coming on would have struggled to make a difference!!
Crowd 5
- On a cold day plonked up in the sky in an open end was anything but enticing and the game was about as bad as it gets. It was like a graveyard and yesterday our players were the zombies lifeless and uninspiring.
Ref 6
allowed the physicality of the game far too much power and missed a lot but can't be blamed for the result and did ok
Gillingham. 5 Were awful but made to look very good.
Before the penalty they looked exactly what they were - a bottom four side but after the penalty our total lack of any sparkle or basic organisation resulted in them looking a top side. it was a team of Santa Clauses bringing gifts from afar.
DC Can't really fault his selection as it is what we all asked for ie some consistency but when a run away from home has gone on as long as it has then questions have to9 be asked but as for long term answers I do not believe that they can come until after some imaginative wheelings and dealings in January but it is time for the defenders to man up to their task and not rely totally on their team mates to help them out all of the time and it is time for DC to sort out this away form which has gone on so long that it is obviously far more than just individuals making errors. I do blame DC for having no real class centre halves to challenge for places and no wingers to bring any pace to the attacks. We are slow moving with far too much sideways and backward passing to players who's use of the ball is not their main asset and as regards Lockyer is probably his main downfall.
Looking to next week IMO the eleven put out yesterday were the best he could select and with none of the substitutes doing anything to suggest they are any better then the best policy is to keep the same side and give them another chance to prove that last weeks performance was not a fluke. Some will accuse me of being positive one week and then negative the next but that exactly sums up this Jeckle and Hyde team and yesterday was a definite horror show.
