Exeter City v Derby County matchday thread

[arthur]

I think he was clearly torn between getting a yellow and hoping that they still wouldn't create a chance. If he had got a yellow that early it would have made it difficult for the rest of the game.

No, he'd have been subbed sooner

 

[Smithyno6]

I think Gary’s system is fine but the back 3 aren’t good enough (passing technique wise) to find a cutting pass to midfield and neither are the midfield busy enough to create space. We were doing this for the first fifteen last night and we looked really good but then we went back to really slow play (I don’t even blame GC for this).

Niskanen is being played as a RWB so can understand why he starts over Rankine, although going forward Rankine is better. Niskanen isn’t the answer for this starting 11 to progress though.

Carroll slows us down, can only pass sideways and back and when he does go forward, he kicks it off the pitch. I liked that Woods was playing forward, diagonal balls which were hitting the man last night. I’d start playing him if I was GC.

Eisa is what we’ve been missing but needs to take one less touch when getting the ball.

I really wanted Gary out but now I’ve changed my mind after the January transfer window, I’ll support him as long as he doesn’t make silly starting 11 decisions and can get them playing out from the back properly.

 

[Number13]

I thought the ref was good last night except that fiasco at the start of the second half when Collins hobbled back onto the pitch to lie down and he stopped play. Are there any rules about this where the player is off the pitch and injured then hobbles on to try and stop play.

I'm afraid that because of that (and other similar obvious time wasting occasions) you cant say he was good. To allow a player, already injured off the field, to stagger back on and then go down and get the game to stop is ridiculous. It clearly wasn't his head and if he was badly hurt he wouldnt have got back onto the pitch. The ref just got mugged off in front of nearly 8000 people and doesn't care. He should have kept play going and then reprimanded Collins when, realising the game wasn't going to stop, he started running around again pain free. But also, City should just have kept playing at a tempo when Collins was down bu the ref hadn't stoped the game. It made it easy for him as we were almost waiting for him to stop it. Our entire tactics are designed to move people around so that space is created for us to exploit. They literally had a man down so that was exactly when we should have gone at them!!!

 

[Egg]

I thought the ref was good last night except that fiasco at the start of the second half when Collins hobbled back onto the pitch to lie down and he stopped play. Are there any rules about this where the player is off the pitch and injured then hobbles on to try and stop play.

I'm almost certainly wrong, but thought the idea was you only stopped play if it was a potential head injury. Was this ever the case and, if so, when did it cease being the case?

 

[John William]

Carroll slows us down, can only pass sideways and back and when he does go forward, he kicks it off the pitch. I liked that Woods was playing forward, diagonal balls which were hitting the man last night. I’d start playing him if I was GC.

This.

As soon as he's match fit Woods has got to start over Carroll.

 

[Egg]

I thought Carroll was very good last night, and has been for the last few games.

Admittedly, Woods also looked useful when he came on. However, by that time, Derby were more than happy to sit back and let us have the ball so not sure you can read too much into it.

As an aside, absolutely not a criticism but whoever said Woods runs around like he's desperate for a shit was spot on. If he stays next season, I'd like to see him given the No. 2 shirt!

 

[Number13]

I think Gary’s system is fine but the back 3 aren’t good enough (passing technique wise) to find a cutting pass to midfield and neither are the midfield busy enough to create space. We were doing this for the first fifteen last night and we looked really good but then we went back to really slow play (I don’t even blame GC for this).

Niskanen is being played as a RWB so can understand why he starts over Rankine, although going forward Rankine is better. Niskanen isn’t the answer for this starting 11 to progress though.

Carroll slows us down, can only pass sideways and back and when he does go forward, he kicks it off the pitch. I liked that Woods was playing forward, diagonal balls which were hitting the man last night. I’d start playing him if I was GC.

Eisa is what we’ve been missing but needs to take one less touch when getting the ball.

I really wanted Gary out but now I’ve changed my mind after the January transfer window, I’ll support him as long as he doesn’t make silly starting 11 decisions and can get them playing out from the back properly.

I just think it shows where we are. We want Diabate in the team as he does the defensive stuff so well but that forces Aimson to play right of the three where he isnt as effective but the player who is more effective there, Sweens, apparently cant play every game

Then we play Niskanen RWB because he is better defensively but cant actually do most of the attributes you need at RWB. Rankine could if you allowed the role to be a more attacking wing back and he just does his best defensively

Carroll will always play becuase he is exactly what GC wants in there but its always back or at best sideways. If he is going to play we need more dynamism in front of him but Eisa looks rusty and Cox, however well he has done, still doesnt look a reliable L1 centre forward

I actually wonder if we would set up better 4-3-3 which would allow Aimson and Diabate to play more natural roles, Jules and Sweens to be defenders at full back but with licence to go forward if the scenario is perfect. Carroll could then sit between Cole and Aitchison which would give more forward movement from deeper and then you'd have Harris, Eisa and Rankine in the front three......

 

[arthur]

I actually wonder if we would set up better 4-3-3 which would allow Aimson and Diabate to play more natural roles, Jules and Sweens to be defenders at full back but with licence to go forward if the scenario is perfect. Carroll could then sit between Cole and Aitchison which would give more forward movement from deeper and then you'd have Harris, Eisa and Rankine in the front three......

I like the sound of this, but which of Aimson and Diabate would play as the lefter of the two? Neither would be as good as Jules in that position, and Diabate especially not so. I think it is increasingly evident that both of these two have their own strengths and their own weaknesses and, inevitably, only one of them can be selected at any one time. Someone said that maybe Aimson should replace Diabate for the Lincoln game and I'd probably agree. Subsequently GC could pick either one of them depending on what the opposition forward line looks like.

I like your 3 3 though

 

[tonykellowfan]

At the moment our best line up is probably:

Sinasalo
Sweeney - Diabate - Jules
Rankine - Cole - Carroll - Purrington
Harris - Eisa - Aitchison

 

[Leads]

I think he was clearly torn between getting a yellow and hoping that they still wouldn't create a chance. If he had got a yellow that early it would have made it difficult for the rest of the game.

Yeh, some slight sympathy with him on that specific occasion. There was a lot of cover and he was still far out from goal.