Shrewsbury: The Inquest

By: Bill Osborne
Date: 20/10/2004

THERE were few who expected Shrewsbury to stop the Mariners gaining three points in the match last night. But they did and the post match reaction was as one would expect.

A very relieved Jimmy Quinn said:

"We have to be satisfied with a point after conceding an early goal. At least it gives us something to build on ahead of Southend's visit on Saturday."

Quinn added: "I wasn't happy with our movement, but we missed a lot of chances plus a penalty and we really should have won it in the end."

Town manager Russell Slade told Mariners Net; "The first fifteen minutes I thought that we were flying into the game - very positive and on the front foot. It didn't last too long and we squandered one or two chances."

"There were some good things and some not so good things. I didn't think that we defended particularly well in the second half - we got too deep."

Anthony Williams is taking the blame for the Shrews' equaliser with Slade saying;

"I feel for Willow. He's had such a good game tonight. He's just taken his eye of it for a split second. It is obviously a goalkeeping error and he's put his hands up."

"Overall it wasn't pretty. We are improving, but we need to learn from things like that and get better."

Marinerspie was not pleased!

Only listened to the game on the radio, but that was very, very disappointing. We've missed an excellent chance to move into a decent position tonight IMO. The only good thing, if you can call it good, is that we didn't end up losing it.

What happened to the team that was flowing forward in waves and pressurising the opposition for most of the game? This sounded all too much (apart from the early goal) like listening to a match from last season or the season before.

I blame this sudden long ball s**t. It's just killed us as a footballing side, and we're bypassing a talented midfield.

Please, anyone who went to the game, tell me it wasn't really that bad.

OK then! Madeleymariner went and this is what he had to say;

Got home 30 minutes ago, after 1st game of season. We were crap, a decent team would have put 6 past us (remember last 2 years). The midfield was non existent and Shrews simple system of fighting for the ball, then keeping it and passing it on the floor down the wings was beyond our control.; Only players I noticed were Crowe, Macca, Stan the Man and our back 3.

Coldicott always 5 yards behind play. Reddy never in the box waiting when Parkinson and Macca kept breaking away. No skill in centre of park, it was screaming for someone to get hold of the ball, we desperately needed Pinault on the field after Sest went off. Macca and Crowe always overloaded and I wish we had Luke Roger in the team he's better than all our strikers put together, he ran us ragged (even if he is a cheat)

I'll be going to Chester on Saturday and hopefully my youngest will see his 1st win since Stoke 2 yrs ago.

StAlbansMariner thinks he knows the answer;

Appalling and not acceptable. Annother 2 points thrown away, against garbage opposition. Slade must start wielding the axe, and for Christ sake, get a bloody striker, a penalty box player, not makeshift strikers who become wingers, and wingers who become strikers.

BIGChris states what may well be the obvious;

I'm convinced this long ball tactic is NOT down to the players but Slade himself. He set his stall out to sign pacy players and now he has them, the instruction appears to be to play the long ball over the top behind defenders. Trouble is there is no plan B. You could have the most creative midfield in the world but if the instruction (in order to stay in the team) is to hoof it then that is what they do.

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