video highlights: Preston game

[Martin Shaw]

brief highlights

[Gruff]

Only seen these highlights, but couldn't help noticing how out of touch\position Mal Benning seemed to be for most of the goals. Would be interested in other people's views.
Could be GC is asking him to push up, or play a slightly different role this season.

[Tippy Tappy Football]

The defending for all four goals is shocking but Mal Benning's defending from 1m 20s onwards is terrible. It should be used for a coaching video on how not to defend as a wing back. He makes a half hearted challenge, fails to get back and pick up any of the two Preston players stood near him and then lets Sean Maguire just amble past him into the area and nearly score whilst he just stands on the edge of the area watching. He is then ball watching again for the 4th goal when he should have been breaking his neck to get back and pick up Tom Barkhuizen. Corey O'Keeffe should also have spotted that the defence was having to move across and raced back to to pick up Josh Harrop.

If I were GC I would be thinking about dropping Mal for the Tranmere game and perhaps moving Corey O'Keeffe across and bring in James Clarke at right wing back. You cannot defend like that and hope to win games.

Farrend Rawson also had a shocker. He should be heading away that punt down field from the Preston keeper and then he completely loses Patrick Bauer at the corner after James Perch and Andy Cook both fail to clear it at the near post. Danny Rose normally does a good job at defending corners at the near post.

[MTFCMusings]

I personally don’t think Mal looks happy here, and hasn’t for a while. I think he’s in the CJ boat where the club took the extension on his deal but he doesn’t want to sign a new contract, and would leave given the chance. Just my opinion.

[Sedgwick]

Its almost like it was championship players who were pushing for the premier league against league two lads...

Waiting to judge until we've played a few at our level.

[BoughtonStag71]

SENSIBLE POST ALERT!!!

[Sandy Pate Best Stag]

Benning looks like he may be carrying an injury or is totally unfit/uninterested to me. For the final goal he appears to just give up and watch which isn’t like him normally.

I think we need to cover that position rather sharpish either way. GC said he wouldn’t risk an injury before the season starts so I would have thought he would have substituted Mal if he had a knock. If he wasn’t injured then I am concerned.

[nick_stags]

Benning looks like he may be carrying an injury or is totally unfit/uninterested to me. For the final goal he appears to just give up and watch which isn’t like him normally.

I think we need to cover that position rather sharpish either way. GC said he wouldn’t risk an injury before the season starts so I would have thought he would have substituted Mal if he had a knock. If he wasn’t injured then I am concerned.

I agree.

Would have liked to see us go after Callum McFadzean as competiton for Mal.

His place is pretty much guarenteed at the minute, which is never a good thing.

[Sneag]

If you play with wing backs, they have to be the two fittest players in the squad and unless they are super human they need cover when the get forward.

If you are expecting them to be supplying crosses in the attacking third, you can't complain when an attack breaks down & they are taken out of the game by a 70 yard clearance.

Of the 4 goals yesterday 1st goal, Benning would have needed to be on a Harley to have got back to cover, two centre backs were withing 10feet of each other, not really how a back 3 should be working.

2 & 3 the attacker just left Rawson for dead.

4 very poor from Mal & several others. Twice a PNE player waltzed through several 'challenges' like Maradona in '86.

Every goal was preventable, but if football worked like that every game would be 0-0.

Too early even by Stagsnet standards to be looking for a scapegoat.

[Sandy Pate Best Stag]

Not looking for a scapegoat Sneag as one isn’t needed. We were simply beaten by a better, fitter team. The question was asked about Mal and honest answers were given.

[Tippy Tappy Football]

Benning looks like he may be carrying an injury or is totally unfit/uninterested to me. For the final goal he appears to just give up and watch which isn’t like him normally.

I think we need to cover that position rather sharpish either way. GC said he wouldn’t risk an injury before the season starts so I would have thought he would have substituted Mal if he had a knock. If he wasn’t injured then I am concerned.

I agree. Would have liked to see us go after Callum McFadzean as competiton for Mal. His place is pretty much guarenteed at the minute, which is never a good thing.

I agree Nick. Is the competition for Mal Benning at left wing back meant to be Corey O'Keeffe or Jason Law?

GC is known for sticking to three at the back so he needs to work hard on that defence and as a defender himself and a defensive coach you would have thought he would make this his No 1 priority. Mind you, I thought the same with JD last season

[Sneag]

Not looking for a scapegoat Sneag as one isn’t needed. We were simply beaten by a better, fitter team. The question was asked about Mal and honest answers were given.

C'mon Sandy, this is Stagsnet, we always need a scapegoat.

[geoffhill]

Benning was poor last season.He is ok going forward but not very good at defending.I think he scored two own goals last season.We look very weak on the left now CJ has gone.Pretty sure Coughlan will sort it out though.

[Vice President]

We all agree that the defending was appalling in every respect.
Personally, I have never liked 3 at the back - I have always preferred 4-4-2. A conventional back four makes for a much more solid defence in my opinion. Playing with 3 at the back leaves too much space down the flanks, and when the centre backs then go to cover that space - there is then a gaping hole in the middle .. and man marking then gets replaced with ball watching.
I just really dislike the 3 at the back system (at any level).

[NorthLondonStag]

Against an inferior side and when confidence is high a 3 5 2 works well.

Against a decent team with good passing and decent wide players able to run onto decent balls into space you can get found out because they get behind you. And/or they get in front of the wingback before he can get back.

With a flat back four it’s much easier to defend against a good team coming forward.

[Amber Andy]

The first goal was the result of a long punt up field from the goalkeeper and us not winning the header. Very much a typical League 2 goal. The third very poor defending of a corner. I don't think you could blame either on the fact we had three at the back.

[Spiritater]

T'first goal would've had Conrad marched out n shot if he'd let it in. Seemed to go under him. Mayonaise looked so far off the pace of t'game it was as though he was still in the dressing room. Whereas Faz , was he still in bed?

[NorthLondonStag]

The first goal was the result of a long punt up field from the goalkeeper and us not winning the header. Very much a typical League 2 goal. The third very poor defending of a corner. I don't think you could blame either on the fact we had three at the back.

Is that right...? Where‘S the left wing back (or left back if we were playing 4 4 2...) for the first goal?

I just think that against a superior team you will struggle
With 3 5 2. Maybe we’d have struggled anyway and he’s done this because that’s the system he’s working on.

[Rob]

If you play with wing backs, they have to be the two fittest players in the squad and unless they are super human they need cover when the get forward.

If you are expecting them to be supplying crosses in the attacking third, you can't complain when an attack breaks down & they are taken out of the game by a 70 yard clearance.

Of the 4 goals yesterday 1st goal, Benning would have needed to be on a Harley to have got back to cover, two centre backs were withing 10feet of each other, not really how a back 3 should be working.

2 & 3 the attacker just left Rawson for dead.

4 very poor from Mal & several others. Twice a PNE player waltzed through several 'challenges' like Maradona in '86.

Every goal was preventable, but if football worked like that every game would be 0-0.

Too early even by Stagsnet standards to be looking for a scapegoat.

That's how I saw it too. When you play with one wide player sides will always try to take advantage by doubling up, so it's a balance of having the two extra central players or two extra wide players. It is hard to make realistic comparisons though, we were playing a side 2 divisions above us, it showed. We will miss CJ this season.