Exeter City vs Northampton Town - match day thread

[Colesman Ballz]

Jake Taylor had his worst game since his return and we really lacked any idea and cutting edge in the final third.

There are just too many footballing Taylors to keep up with !

 

[Rosencrantz]

Very much a game where no one really got going, particularly in the final third. I know a lot of people want to obsess about the centre forward position but we are missing a lot of pace and balance out of the team at the moment and that hurt us far more today.

We got into the final third and to the penalty area easily enough but then it was just an indecision brick wall. There were few bad decisions being made because there was no one really taking on the responsibility in the first place of making a decision. Harper looked the one with potential to make something happen and his pace was a problem for Brough, but ultimately he couldn't find that quality needed to make use of the ball and again was indecisive in the area.

The more we chased the game the more scrappy we became in all areas and increasingly left ourselves wide open. I thought Aimson was actually the one at the back who did do well today, he was having to constantly cover for Alex and Sweenz on both sides. Their first goal was a catalogue of errors, from losing the ball in midfield to allowing too much time and space for their player to pick a pass beyond the back three who should have dropped off rather than stay high. There could have been better communication about the run Hoskins made off of Sweenz as well.

This does seem a period we have to get through as best we can and get some players back to fitness without losing any more. Going Saturday - Tuesday - Saturday - Tuesday... having to constantly manage minutes with players coming back, playing in the red zone and those possibly playing through niggles is a bind for the coaching staff. But they would have still expected better from today.

 

[Egg]

Unusually, I go along with Moxey. It was a hard watch. Some terrible misplaced passes. and apparently no realisation that Northampton ignored our midfield and put a constant stream of balls over the top and (successfully) outmuscled our defence. I feel really sorry that Sonny Cox was left on for so long - he was getting heavy duty treatment the whole for the time he was on the pitch. Seems pointless clapping when he was subbed - he's being asked to do something he's not yet capable of. Agree with all the stuff about not having a striker, but realistically we'd be better off playing any stronger physical presence at the front. It was a bad day at work, but the games are coming thick and fast and there needs to be some rethinking. It's a typical Exeter City performance, win well in midweek, and look second rate on the following Saturday. Thought the Cobblers fans made a fair amount of noise, too. A redeeming feature was our goalie, and marks out of 10 for the ref hove around the 4/5 out of 10.

If only James Scott huffed and puffed like Sonny. There’s no denying Scott has some ability, but he seems completely disinterested in using his height and much more focussed on grabbing his opposition number’s shirt.

 

[STURTZ]

My own thoughts on buying another striker and he also got injured? Entirely possible with our luck this season
Get another one?

 

[Episkyros]

I assume so, I can’t find any info about it

Still in awe of how much of a **** up it was not to bring in another forward alongside the reasonable gamble loan of Muskwe

I think your criticism is a little harsh, Max. It’s not like Gary & Marcus are tactically inept and don’t realise we need a striker.

At the start of the window, we had Nombe on our books. We wouldn’t have been able to get the type of striker we need now at that time as either we wouldn’t have had the budget, or the striker wouldn’t want to play second fiddle to Nombe (Ivan Toney’s DOAC interview highlights how he chose a club because he knew he was going to be the only striker).

Then, Rotherham swoop very late in the window and take Nombe (with an offer we couldn’t refuse) after lots of reliable goal scorers had already moved (thinking Stocktons, or Mays etc). AND it meant that other clubs would have put premiums on their strikers at the end of the window and with several news stories about our transfer windfalls. City were shopping in a much poorer marketplace with fewer cards behind their back.

On top of that, we had the Harris loan pulled. Given how highly rated he was, we’d have expected goals from him. Alongside contributions from Scott, Aitchson, Trevitt, Rankine, Mitchell. Of which injuries or suspensions have robbed us of all of them right now.

If that wasn’t challenging enough, we also had to replace the rest of the squad… there was so much turnover, Marcus couldn’t just focus on finding a gem of a striker. They’d have been slammed trying to replace midfielders, 10s, wing backs, defenders etc. And our club resources are limited with club staff manpower too.

I don’t disagree that we need a striker, but your criticism is fuelled with the benefit of hindsight and (I think) too harsh given the huge challenge this window was and how so many aspects of this are outside the clubs control.

I’m in dreamland even contemplating playoffs and promotion, when with the squad turnover we’ve had we should have been expecting relegation dogfights.

 

[denzel]

I think your criticism is a little harsh, Max. It’s not like Gary & Marcus are tactically inept and don’t realise we need a striker.

At the start of the window, we had Nombe on our books. We wouldn’t have been able to get the type of striker we need now at that time as either we wouldn’t have had the budget, or the striker wouldn’t want to play second fiddle to Nombe (Ivan Toney’s DOAC interview highlights how he chose a club because he knew he was going to be the only striker).

Then, Rotherham swoop very late in the window and take Nombe (with an offer we couldn’t refuse) after lots of reliable goal scorers had already moved (thinking Stocktons, or Mays etc). AND it meant that other clubs would have put premiums on their strikers at the end of the window and with several news stories about our transfer windfalls. City were shopping in a much poorer marketplace with fewer cards behind their back.

On top of that, we had the Harris loan pulled. Given how highly rated he was, we’d have expected goals from him. Alongside contributions from Scott, Aitchson, Trevitt, Rankine, Mitchell. Of which injuries or suspensions have robbed us of all of them right now.

If that wasn’t challenging enough, we also had to replace the rest of the squad… there was so much turnover, Marcus couldn’t just focus on finding a gem of a striker. They’d have been slammed trying to replace midfielders, 10s, wing backs, defenders etc. And our club resources are limited with club staff manpower too.

I don’t disagree that we need a striker, but your criticism is fuelled with the benefit of hindsight and (I think) too harsh given the huge challenge this window was and how so many aspects of this are outside the clubs control.

I’m in dreamland even contemplating playoffs and promotion, when with the squad turnover we’ve had we should have been expecting relegation dogfights.

GC did say we had had an excellent window though. He didn't mention his disappointment in the striking department

 

[StudentGrecian]

I think your criticism is a little harsh, Max. It’s not like Gary & Marcus are tactically inept and don’t realise we need a striker.

At the start of the window, we had Nombe on our books. We wouldn’t have been able to get the type of striker we need now at that time as either we wouldn’t have had the budget, or the striker wouldn’t want to play second fiddle to Nombe (Ivan Toney’s DOAC interview highlights how he chose a club because he knew he was going to be the only striker).

Then, Rotherham swoop very late in the window and take Nombe (with an offer we couldn’t refuse) after lots of reliable goal scorers had already moved (thinking Stocktons, or Mays etc). AND it meant that other clubs would have put premiums on their strikers at the end of the window and with several news stories about our transfer windfalls. City were shopping in a much poorer marketplace with fewer cards behind their back.

On top of that, we had the Harris loan pulled. Given how highly rated he was, we’d have expected goals from him. Alongside contributions from Scott, Aitchson, Trevitt, Rankine, Mitchell. Of which injuries or suspensions have robbed us of all of them right now.

If that wasn’t challenging enough, we also had to replace the rest of the squad… there was so much turnover, Marcus couldn’t just focus on finding a gem of a striker. They’d have been slammed trying to replace midfielders, 10s, wing backs, defenders etc. And our club resources are limited with club staff manpower too.

I don’t disagree that we need a striker, but your criticism is fuelled with the benefit of hindsight and (I think) too harsh given the huge challenge this window was and how so many aspects of this are outside the clubs control.

I’m in dreamland even contemplating playoffs and promotion, when with the squad turnover we’ve had we should have been expecting relegation dogfights.

Sounds like a lot of excuses, we needed a striker before Nombe left. They also would have surely been planning for an offer coming in for Nombe. Nobody is expecting us to have signed a gem or proven goalscorer, just someone who can hold the ball up and take some pressure off occasionally. Maybe get on the end of some Cole’s deliveries. We have no one and it’s not like it wasn’t foreseeable, lots of us were saying it all summer.

 

[Egg]

GC did say we had had an excellent window though. He didn't mention his disappointment in the striking department

Although at the point he said this I’m reasonably sure he was anticipating Muskwe’s absence would be measured in days, rather than weeks - or even months.

 

[Grecianpasty]

We managed the game poorly today. And whilst wildschut and Scott have all the physical attributes going, their footballing knowledge on the pitch is atrocious.

So far, Wildschut has proven he is very good at running in a straight line.

 

[Grecianman135]

I’ve been saying for months we should ask Jamie Cureton if he’ll come out of retirement.He couldn’t do any worse surely?

He'd probably find the net to be honest!!