Exeter City v Bolton Wanderers Matchday Thread

[Grecian Max]

Evidence and examples please.

The entire 2023/24 season

 

[SEA Grecian]

Fully fit but has been dropped. First left out of the starting eleven, now for a few weeks consistently left out of the 18 man matchday squad.

He was going to be off at the end of the season for free anyway - he can earn twice as much elsewhere. The positive interpretation is that GC has got in his replacements (Jules,Purrington) in advance of Alex's departure. Sad to see it ending this way though.

Not sure who is going to be offering to double his wages given his lack of consistency over the last 2 seasons. However, I wouldn’t write him off just yet - it would only take an injury or two for him to be back in the team.

 

[arthur]

The entire 2023/24 season

Sorry, not good enough.

You said "the players aren’t allowed to express themselves enough and show how good they are".

1. Which players have what hidden talents that we are not seeing because Caldwell forbids them from showing how good they are?

2. How do you know that they are "not allowed"? Has any player or member of the coaching staff said anything that makes you suspect that some non allowing is taking place?

3. Presumably you are disappointed that Jay Stansfield, Pierce Sweeney and Sonny Cox (to name but three) have had their undoubted potential limited by the dour disciplinarian who rules with a rod of iron?

 

[Grecian Max]

Evidence and examples please.

Wing play

I get the best look of our wing play from the side up close. Rankine for example knows how to beat a man, and is tricky & unpredictable. When he’s played this year it’s clear the instructions are to look backwards for a pass instead of following his natural instincts and attacking the box at speed.

Harper is another player who has shown glimpses but looks like he’s in a straight jacket most of the time. Look up vids of him at Eastleigh - marauding runs down the left and into the box, not afraid to have a good shot on goal once there. Spent over half a season getting told similar to Rankine, beat a man, turn around and look for Sweeney or Jules to be the creative.

The 10s

Aitchison is a very direct attacking midfielder who wants to drive into the box. Would be particularly effective on the counter with his tireless running. Ponderous play at the back and in the middle means by the time it gets to him his path is blocked by the oppo having most of their players back. When he does pick up the ball he wants to move forward but again you can see he’s being told to move it sideways for the “perfect” chance that never comes. He cuts a very frustrated figure on match days at SJP and is often seen rolling his eyes and arguing when shouting for the ball in an advanced position, only for someone to ignore his incisive runs and pass sideways or back to our CBs. Watch out for this next time. We aren’t getting the best out of him.

Harris came with excellent pedigree from Fulham youth and you can see in the vids from his parent club he likes to arrives into the box late to score most of his goals. Lampard-esque. We don’t moved the ball quick enough to stretch the defence and allow this pocket to open up in the box. There’s already 6/7 players back at this point and his route is blocked. Again, not getting the best out of him.

Up top

Sonny did great from a couple of well placed (not aimless hoofs) direct balls yesterday. He’s not a speed merchant but a very clever player who can perform the 9 duty well but would be more suited IMO to a role than allows him more flexibility in movement. He’s great inside and outside the box and has a creative streak too that I’ve seen in the youth games but not in the Men’s. Took a lot of criticism and is building well but I don’t think we’re seeing the best of what he could offer and won’t with our setup.

 

[Grecian Max]

2. How do you know that they are "not allowed"? Has any player or member of the coaching staff said anything that makes you suspect that some non allowing is taking place?

This type of post dude You’re better than that

If we can only comment on City if we have our UEFA badges and are in direct contact with the coaching team, it’d be a pretty small pool of users (Harris and yourself)

We are on a forum, by the very nature of the beast every post is an opinion not peer reviewed fact. You know this, I know this - if you’re going to battle with me put together something better than that, thanks

 

[Grecian Max]

It’s also worth remembering @arthur that last season we were on the same side often fighting each others corner in favour of GC

I could see a work in progress with the hybrid side he had to work with and thought there were a number of areas he improved initially but the full package is something different from what appeared to be the vision

 

[arthur]

Wing play

I get the best look of our wing play from the side up close. Rankine for example knows how to beat a man, and is tricky & unpredictable. When he’s played this year it’s clear the instructions are to look backwards for a pass instead of following his natural instincts and attacking the box at speed.

Harper is another player who has shown glimpses but looks like he’s in a straight jacket most of the time. Look up vids of him at Eastleigh - marauding runs down the left and into the box, not afraid to have a good shot on goal once there. Spent over half a season getting told similar to Rankine, beat a man, turn around and look for Sweeney or Jules to be the creative.

I have to accept the verdict of the elite as the view from your seat is, and I mean this, better than that of us peasants on the big bank. But I'm not sure I agree with your reasoning. Rankine's reluctance to produce a telling cross is equally likely to be down to there being no-one in a position to receive one, rather than Caldwell telling him to play it back to Sweeney. In evidence I would cite Caldwell's repeated frustration that our players don't "attack the scoring zone" enough and his preference for Niskanen who does produce lots of crosses, 90% of which, up until yesterday, have been entirely useless.

And I'll think you'll find that it is a lot easier to make "marauding runs into the box" if you're up against Conference defenders rather than league 1 ones. Given the choice between a marauding run into a brick wall and keeping the ball while searching for another option, the latter seems a sensible one, if not all that exciting...

 

[arthur]

It’s also worth remembering @arthur that last season we were on the same side often fighting each others corner in favour of GC

I could see a work in progress with the hybrid side he had to work with and thought there were a number of areas he improved initially but the full package is something different from what appeared to be the vision

I don't think we're as far apart as you, and certainly others, might think.

 

[iscalad]

It’s also worth remembering @arthur that last season we were on the same side often fighting each others corner in favour of GC

I could see a work in progress with the hybrid side he had to work with and thought there were a number of areas he improved initially but the full package is something different from what appeared to be the vision

Kevin Nichols said at the Senior Reds meeting that we have the youngest squad in the league.
Work in progress. Hopefully we see the rewards next season

 

[Devon Red]

Kevin Nichols said at the Senior Reds meeting that we have the youngest squad in the league.
Work in progress. Hopefully we see the rewards next season

Our boring style of football has nothing to do with age.