Cambridge Utd FC v Exeter City FC Match Day Thread

[grecIAN Harris]

In my role as armchair critic, and assuming the grumpy old farts will not leap out of their armchairs in faux outrage, I would make the following comments :
1. I said before the Chelt'ham game We should rest many players. We didn't.
2. Matt decided to go for it against Cambridge, bringing on Matt Jay and Coley. That is fine, but the result was that Chelt took control of the midfield .
3. Posters have said that Sparkesy was (unsurprisingly) knackered near the end.
I do not understand why Matt is so hesitant about bringing on Caprice. A fresh Caprice is definitely a far better option than a farked Sparkes.

Conclusion
A game away against Cambridge is never easy for City, and there are many excuses we can make for losing : heat, travel, bad luck. But I do not believe that any player in this team is not pulling his weight
Beating Chelt (reserves) 7-0 was great, but 1-0 would have been enough. I think Matt, who I really like and respect, made some errors of judgment about team selection this week, and it hampered our performance v Cambridge. Like all footie managers, they have to make many decisions in a sport that is not always black and white. So my comments are not judgemental, but based on what has happened.
Never mind, anybody can best anybody in this League: we lost. Let's hammer Wycombe next week Onwards and upwards

1. We made five changes against Cambridge so half the side got a rest. We don't currently have a big enough squad to make wholesale changes and keep ourselves competitive. Taylor did as much as could be reasonably expected. If you think he could/should have made more tell us where.
2. Cheltenham took control of a game they weren't even playing in??????? As for Cambridge taking control, I think the idea, listening to Matt's post match interview,was to try and wrestle control away from Cambridge as they already had it. You spin the wheel and take your chances, we lost. It's not going to be quite so easy to spin the wheel with subs and win all the time this season playing at the next level up.
3. Sparkes wasn't the only one, antman mentioned Collins going from being the best player on the pitch for City to being dead on his feet after an hour. This probably the only point where you have a point that stands up. There were options, Caprice (as you said) and Chauke could have come on for Collins. Taylor did eventually make four subs but the last two weren't until the 89th minute in an attempt to change the shape and get an equaliser. Given the heat and the amount of subs, maybe he should have made changes but Taylor is managing to win points not just player welfare.

 

[IndoMike]

1. I believe Chelt made even more than 5 changes to their main first XI. Correct me if I'm wrong.
2. Clearly an accidental error : if you want me to pick up on all of yours, I'll be happy to do so.
3. Glad you agree.

 

[Alfie 1966]

Same temperature for both teams was it not?

That's like saying it was too rainy.

One team would have had about a 5/6 hour coach journey the day before

 

[grecIAN Harris]

1. So Cheltenham are lucky enough to have a squad big enough to deal with it. Their squad might be big enough but it isn't good enough as the 7-0 thrashing suggests. We had the three least experienced player on the pitch come the end in Pond, Chauke and Cox. What more did you expect Taylor to do?
2. I wasn't sure whether it was a clerical error or a lack of understanding in line with the rest of the post prior to it.

 

[MJP_Exeter]

I personally am really content with our start to the season. We look dangerous and good going forward, slightly shaky in defence but with Stubbs to come back and potentially some signings to follow this will hopefully begin to rectify. We have not been outplayed or out of any game at any point, but yesterday is a huge lesson to the team (Sparkes in particular) about the slight errors at league 2 and 1 level and the difference in being punished.

Wycombe is our first big test against a side that finished in the playoffs last season and will be interesting to see how the side perform. I expect Caprice to come in for Sparkes and Jay in for Kite squad wise.

 

[grecIAN Harris]

One team would have had about a 5/6 hour coach journey the day before

The coach journey is a poor excuse when they've had a good nights rest to recover and prepare. Had it been days of old when we used to travel on the day then fair enough.

 

[elginCity]

The coach journey is a poor excuse when they've had a good nights rest to recover and prepare. Had it been days of old when we used to travel on the day then fair enough.

It's not an excuse, but a factor. Even the highlights for their goals show a clearly sluggish Sparkes and Sweeney, U's had a fitness edge which proved decisive in the last 30 minutes.

 

[grecIAN Harris]

It's not an excuse, but a factor. Even the highlights for their goals show a sluggish Sparkes and Sweeney, U's had a fitness edge which proved decisive in the last 30 minutes.

No it's not a factor. The journey up was more than twelve hours before the game which is more than enough time, especially with a good nights kip in between, to have got that out of their collective system. Sparkes and Sweeney's sluggishness was most probably down to the very obvious heat.

 

[robchave]

I feel that there was a certain complacency in the teams approach. Not at the start, but after we scored it felt rather 'ah, here we go . . on our way to another comfortable win' and they eased off, ever so slightly, just expecting victory to come.
Once you lose the initiative at this level, it's going to be very difficult to get it back.

 

[Grecian Max]

We were much the better side first half and deserved the lead. Great game really, end to end, I enjoyed it and ultimately could have gone either way.

Fairly scathing comments from MT about our subs. Really need to hold onto Jevani as I feel we're going to see some big offers come our way - the overspend on the training ground (however it's framed) means I fear we will have to jump on a sale - Brown goes and we are stuffed in League 1 IMO. He's that good.

We have some good players, some of whom are really looking the part at League 1. I think Dieng looks laboured at this level, which I suspected would be the case so another midfielder is key. Big work needed on the transfer front, but has been the case for months now.