Exeter City v Crewe Matchday Thread

[STURTZ]

We all left feeling disappointed but we'd put up a good display against a good Crewe team and deserved to win. Think Martin and Parkes are our best centre back pairing, Martin in particular is excellent. Sweeny is still poor but Dickenson looked pretty good, faded though as the game wore on. Biggest disappointment for me was Archie Collins who I thought gave away too much possession. Atangana and Law were classy, nice to see Law back to his probing best., he seemed unlucky that the ball too often hit his shins and rollod to an oppo or out of play. Williams was stifled by his close markers and struggled to get a break through, I thought he was definitely brought down when outpacing his full back and had a clear run to goal, notice there was a bit of a scrap at the final whistle, wonder if it was about that incident. Bowman was much better and more energetic than on Saturday, won a lot of headers but yes is still a donkey in front of goal. Lee Martin works hard but is also no striker. Taylor played well but would have liked to see more fresh legs brought on, Matt Jay should have started.

If we're good enough we'll make it, if we don't then we don't deserve it.

 

[The Proper Chap]

Once again Bowman plays the full 90 when Fisher should have replaced him on 60 minutes. I would have also put Richardson on for Sweeney when they made it 1 - 1, we needed more pace and urgency.

Last two goals at home have been scored by defenders, not good enough.

Collins had a shocker tonight, his ball retention was bog standard.

Now Dickenson has got a few games under his belt and some match fitness he is looking like an excellent signing, Williams should have used him far more tonight.

How did Williams get MOM, shocking decision !!

I like a lot of things about Matt Taylor however at times he seems incapable of making substitutions.

 

[Andy_H]

Once again Bowman plays the full 90 when Fisher should have replaced him on 60 minutes. I would have also put Richardson on for Sweeney when they made it 1 - 1, we needed more pace and urgency.

Last two goals at home have been scored by defenders, not good enough.

Collins had a shocker tonight, his ball retention was bog standard.

Now Dickenson has got a few games under his belt and some match fitness he is looking like an excellent signing, Williams should have used him far more tonight.

How did Williams get MOM, shocking decision !!

I like a lot of things about Matt Taylor however at times he seems incapable of making substitutions.

MOM is chosen by persons in hospitality, not by anybody with any ideas about football, that's why I never give a flying fig about who it is, it's totally irrelevant, one day a ball boy/girl will be awarded MOM!

 

[PeteUSA]

Williams was stifled by his close markers and struggled to get a break through, I thought he was definitely brought down when outpacing his full back and had a clear run to goal.....

It would seem theres little doubt that Williams got a shove in the back as that player timed his tackle perfectly and came away with the ball. It almost looked like there was no need to foul Williams since the timing of the tackle was-spot, so spot-on that it was hard to see a foul in that interception. Re: the 'clear run on goal' bit, Williams was a long way out and wide for that to be considered cardworthy, had a free kick been given IMHO.

 

[Rosencrantz]

It would seem theres little doubt that Williams got a shove in the back as that player timed his tackle perfectly and came away with the ball. It almost looked like there was no need to foul Williams since the timing of the tackle was-spot, so spot-on that it was hard to see a foul in that interception. Re: the 'clear run on goal' bit, Williams was a long way out and wide for that to be considered cardworthy, had a free kick been given IMHO.

Pete, if there guy didn't foul Williams in the first place, he wouldn't have got the clean part of the tackle in at all as he was being left for dead. It should have been a free kick and a yellow card. The sliding part of the tackle was immaterial.

 

[IndoMike]

We all left feeling disappointed but we'd put up a good display against a good Crewe team and deserved to win. Think Martin and Parkes are our best centre back pairing, Martin in particular is excellent. Sweeny is still poor but Dickenson looked pretty good, faded though as the game wore on. Biggest disappointment for me was Archie Collins who I thought gave away too much possession. Atangana and Law were classy, nice to see Law back to his probing best., he seemed unlucky that the ball too often hit his shins and rollod to an oppo or out of play. Williams was stifled by his close markers and struggled to get a break through, I thought he was definitely brought down when outpacing his full back and had a clear run to goal, notice there was a bit of a scrap at the final whistle, wonder if it was about that incident. Bowman was much better and more energetic than on Saturday, won a lot of headers but yes is still a donkey in front of goal. Lee Martin works hard but is also no striker. Taylor played well but would have liked to see more fresh legs brought on, Matt Jay should have started.

If we're good enough we'll make it, if we don't then we don't deserve it.

Good detailed evaluation of the players. Thanks
From a plastic who didn't attend cos he ended up living 10,000 miles away.

 

[WXF]

Randell Williams was immense

 

[IndoMike]

The thing is Mike, we did play quite well tonight, and on the whole were better and created more than Crewe. We weren't perfect by any stretch but we competed well, created more chances than them and if anyone was going to win it was us. There's still 10 to play. We're in touching distance of going up automatically and its still in our hands. We're going to do it. It may come down to the last game of the season but we're going to get there.

I really hope that we get into the autos : a third consecutive season in the playoffs will be a pain in the neck, but at least it guarantees another exciting game at home with a big crowd and a chance to go up
Problem with the playoffs is that it delays decision-making for 3 weeks and limits the players summer break. Not ideal.
It seems to me that we have to work really hard to score a goal and yet at the other end it's easy for us to give away stupid goals
When Sparkes was playing was a good period for us, but since Ajose came back in and Dickenson joined us we seem to be
less effective. This is not a criticism of those two players at all, but maybe Matt has tweaked some things and it has not been totally successful.
We've always had to scrap for points, as illustrated by our not so impressive goal difference, so it would seem at our best we were just a little bit better than the other teams. Because we are not at our best now it's becoming harder.
Somehow the team needs a boost : wish we could replicate our form in the Leasing with the youth players. I'd certainly like Randall and maybe Key to get a chance to freshen things up and give the team some energy
Look, we have exceeded expectations this season and always been near the top, but as expectations have increased it becomes a bit more disappointing when we don't win. You know football fans
Anyway, let's get in them bleddy autos and tell Div 2 to fark off

 

[Colesman Ballz]

I really hope that we get into the autos : a third consecutive season in the playoffs will be a pain in the neck, but at least it guarantees another exciting game at home with a big crowd and a chance to go up
Problem with the playoffs is that it delays decision-making for 3 weeks and limits the players summer break. Not ideal.
It seems to me that we have to work really hard to score a goal and yet at the other end it's easy for us to give away stupid goals
When Sparkes was playing was a good period for us, but since Ajose came back in and Dickenson joined us we seem to be
less effective. This is not a criticism of those two players at all, but maybe Matt has tweaked some things and it has not been totally successful.
We've always had to scrap for points, as illustrated by our not so impressive goal difference, so it would seem at our best we were just a little bit better than the other teams. Because we are not at our best now it's becoming harder.
Somehow the team needs a boost : wish we could replicate our form in the Leasing with the youth players. I'd certainly like Randall and maybe Key to get a chance to freshen things up and give the team some energy
Look, we have exceeded expectations this season and always been near the top, but as expectations have increased it becomes a bit more disappointing when we don't win. You know football fans
Anyway, let's get in them bleddy autos and tell Div 2 to fark off

Ahem, we didn't make the play-offs last season, it was the two seasons before. That said I wholeheartedly agree that we need to go up automatically this year and avoid the lottery of the play-offs.

 

[IndoMike]

Ahem, we didn't make the play-offs last season, it was the two seasons before. That said I wholeheartedly agree that we need to go up automatically this year and avoid the lottery of the play-offs.

Good point. Anyway, all this flirting with promotion and we're not getting any further than I did when I flirted with Susannah York in a Devon country pub eons ago