Exeter City v Charlton Athletic Matchday thread.

[Grecian Max]

I came down for the game yesterday and actually enjoyed it, we played some nice stuff and defended like Trojans. Cheick was unlucky with their goal, but a draw was a fair result.

I don’t see that our slow build up play after we scored is a tactic from SGC, it’s just what the players do and it frustrates SGC. We started brilliantly but whenever we score we then slow the pace down, Carroll played pretty well but he’s the main culprit. Woods doesn’t do that.

Yanic did well as did Niskanen actually, still needs a better final ball but it was better today and he defended really well.

Two situations annoyed me today and are good examples of my frustrations with this team at times. First was a time in the first half when Carroll got the ball just outside his area after we won a tackle. He had 20 yards of space ahead of him to run into at pace, but his instinct was to stop and look sideways to his right. He slowed it down, made the sideways pass and we slowly built again against an opposition who had regained their shape - he’s hard-wired to play slow, patient football and as much as he has shown quality at times this year, I think we need to replace him if we want to score more goals.

The other example was in the last few minutes, I think it was Allí (who looked very raw, being kind) who broke down the left and pulled a great ball across the 6-yard line. Where was Eisa? Stood stationary on the 18-yard line FFS - he should have been breaking his neck to get to the goal. I can see why MK let him go.

Finally, I said it after the Peterborough game, and I’m sorry to say it, but I’m not convinced by Sonny. He isn’t strong enough to play the ‘holding the ball up’ game and he doesn’t make the clever runs enough, or have enough pace, to play the ‘nippy, tricky forward’ game. Again, too often he also gave the ball away when not under any pressure. The next Ollie Watkins? No chance. He’s young though, I just need to see more evidence that he can improve so I’ll back him from the stands but the jury’s out for me at the moment, I hope to be proved wrong.

Plus it was windier and colder than I’d dressed for. Bloody weather.

Eisa is a forward with a very decent record - that he’s looking completely anonymous should speak to how GC sets his team up. Likewise with Sonny, he’s been asked to perform a role that isn’t properly playing to his strengths. He’s not going to be Watkins but there’s a very good player under there with a creative streak.

Obviously we’ve all be round in circles about this but I believed just bringing in a forward wasn’t enough to stop us looking blunt in a lot of games. And it’s playing out with a very low scoring frontline all season. Caldwell needs to make some tweaks to the formula this summer IMO… I live in hope as the stuff in the midfield can be decent.

I don’t buy into this idea that it’s absolutely nothing to do with Caldwell some of our annoying habits. He has to shoulder at least some of the responsibility. It’s interesting how there is a perspective taken on here that the players just continually go out and ignore GC’s instructions. If that’s really the case, then that is also surely a management issue isn’t it?

 

[fred binneys head]

Yes I agree there’s a problem there Max, I just don’t agree that going hell for leather for the first 10 minutes then slowing down when we’re 1-0 up is a deliberate tactic from the manager. And I also think Eisa’s problem is very much an Eisa problem. He just isn’t trying hard enough.

You could say that it’s SGC’s fault for bringing him in, or that he clearly isn’t motivating him in the right way, and both are fair points, but I’m disappointed in Eisa’s effort and nous so far. That move in the last minute made me pleased I was sponsoring Muskwe FFS.

 

[STURTZ]

If the ball was over the line there's a certain justice in the fact it was not given as I remember a similar incident against Charlton a few years back when our "goal" up the away end was not given.

 

[Grecian Max]

Yes I agree there’s a problem there Max, I just don’t agree that going hell for leather for the first 10 minutes then slowing down when we’re 1-0 up is a deliberate tactic from the manager. And I also think Eisa’s problem is very much an Eisa problem. He just isn’t trying hard enough.

You could say that it’s SGC’s fault for bringing him in, or that he clearly isn’t motivating him in the right way, and both are fair points, but I’m disappointed in Eisa’s effort and nous so far. That move in the last minute made me pleased I was sponsoring Muskwe FFS.

The Muskwe comment made me smile

The thing is with the starting fast and fading… I’ve seen that happen a lot this season. To the point where I think it’s unrealistic to think that isn’t at least partly down to instructions.

And like I say… if they are going rogue every time this happens (repeatedly), then that also comes back GC.

Perhaps he’s putting too much cognitive load onto players who aren’t quite of the level to understand it? Fitness?

The fact he even said that he wants us to start fast in his pre Charlton interview (!) makes me think there are indeed instructions happening.

0:38:

 

[manc grecian]

Cox wasn't his best yesterday. Gave the ball away too cheaply too often. He's going to have games like that.

In his defence though its a tough slog playing up front for us. He's shown he can finish if he gets chances but those chances are few and far between.

 

[elginCity]

The fact he even said that he wants us to start fast in his pre Charlton interview (!) makes me think there are indeed instructions happening.

Instructions were followed to start fast, on the front foot, but GC’s post Charlton interview made clear it was ‘disappointing’ to him that the team didn’t maintain that intensity, making it a 50-50 game.

 

[Grecian Max]

Instructions were followed to start fast, on the front foot, but GC’s post Charlton interview made clear it was ‘disappointing’ to him that the team didn’t maintain that intensity, making it a 50-50 game.

So, in taking his learnings from the 10+ other games where this has happened, he is surprised we didn’t manage to keep up the intensity

Righto

Would you ever like to cast a critical eye over his approach?

 

[JGrecian23]

Seems to be that if we play well it's down to Caldwell. If we play crap it's the players.

Do people actually think the players just dip in and out of listening to Caldwell's instructions and do their own thing and then revert back again. Makes me chuckle.

 

[manc grecian]

I think they have a little huddle after we score

"Yeah yeah let's bin his ideas off now and do what we want"

 

[spodman]

Bullet header by Cheick for their goal, can see why Caldwell tried him up front!!