Think the postponed games might have done us more damage than we first thought

Well I did expect us to lose all 3 of Harrogate, Salford and Tranmere. So we’re a point up from my expectation.

But I also said that we’d be back fully at it by the Oldham game and then go on another decent run. I hope I am right.

We've had it hard and it shows - Harrogate we where nowhere near it, decent point away at playoff placed Salford and still out of sorts and there was a lot to be positive in tonight's performance (as well as a lot to concern).

Ultimately, Tranmere beat us when we where playing well at their place but feel we're nearly back. The weather and a little bit of class tonight despite some very off performances at the back cost us. We also had at least one pen in there (admittedly that's about the only contribution Zanzala made).

Hopefully decent weather on Sat, our nice wide pitch and a mediocre at best Oldham will lead to a strong result and a bit of renewed confidence before another winnable game against Colchester.

Hey, i'm a glass half full kinda guy.

1 point from 3 games is shite whichever way we dress it up.
If that form was replicated all season we would be bottom of the league with 15 points.
We have to hope we can recover from this poor run and are capable of better.
Strangely enough, it seems to me that if that's our worst , I would be reasonably optimistic we can improve and get back on track, at least to some extent.
Play-offs seem more realistic than top 3 right now though.

We need to mix it up against the better teams in this Division.

7 of our 9 defeats have come against teams in the current Top 6 - Cambridge (A), Forest Green (A & H), Cheltenham (H), Tranmere (A & H) and Exeter (A).

Our 4-3-3 is too predictable against teams of this calibre for me. We need a ‘Plan B’. Furman would be ideal to bring in against the better sides, our under usage is beginning to border on criminal for me.

Wether it’s in a plain 4-4-2 or as part of a 4-2-3-1, even a 3-5-2 could be utilised when playing teams with two good front players.

Plenty of time yet, but Sat is a big game for us now...

The tactics again tonight were grim at times just hoofing it forward hopefully far too often for my liking.

They played far better when they kept it on the deck.

Seems ridiculous to say this when we’re just over half way through the season, but Saturday really feels like a pivotal game for our season. Win which I expect us to do and I think we could go on a good run with the fixtures we have after that. Fail to win and the winless run is extended, our good home record will really be in tatters, it’ll then be a month since our last win, you’d think confidence would take a battering and we’d have two away games ahead of us.

I said at the start of the season play off’s would be brilliant as long as we have something to play for until the end of the season

As usual and understandably football fans get carried away we are not the best team in the league I think we are a mid table squad that had a couple of good months before Christmas

Saying that I am far happier with Chris Beech than the last couple of managers

Up the blues

Feel abit deflated tonight, felt like a draw would’ve been a fair result so to get sucker punched at the end like that is hard to take, Saturday is a must win for me against an Oldham team in similar form to us.

Thought we played pretty well and were a bit unfortunate not to come away with a point against a side who have more quality than us.
Saw Feeney and Spearing play a couple of times last year at Blackpool and both looked really good even in L1.
Add to that players of the quality of Vaughan and Nugent and you can see why they look so good.
I thought we looked comparable, for the first time, to the side before the long lay off.
We started really well and didn't give them much of a kick early on. Much better energy and pressing.
I thought the first two goals conceded were poor and Beech was having a right go at Bennett first half - something I've not seen before - and it looked like both centre halves were really rattled by some quality against them. Both Vaughan and Woolery I thought were superb and you'd say a class above most forwards in the division.
Second half I thought we were mostly on top but undone by a bit of quality at the end.
Mellish is not at his best at the moment as others have said and I wonder if Dickensen might get a run of games. He seems to have the strength and power and that bit of creativity.
People have mentioned Furman and it was interesting what Lummy said about him on the radio at the weekend. I think he said it it was Paul Thirlwell, who felt he was perhaps not mobile enough and someone Harrogate felt they could maybe get at if he had played.
But, despite the defeat and the past few matches, I feel upbeat about the side again now.
We will get beat from time to time, particularly against the better sides and it's no surprise Tranmere and FGR have done the double over us.
Cooper took a year or two to get FGR balanced up better and Tranmere are arguably a L1 side.
I feel the longer Beech is at the helm the better the side will become. Remember our odds at the start of the season.
It's getting better game by game since the layoff and it felt a bit more like the old Carlisle side again tonight.

It’s simple really, if you score 2 goals at home and don’t come away with at least a point then it’s not good enough.

Defensive mistakes cost us tonight but I feel it’s the midfield dynamic that’s letting us down. We look great when Guy and Riley bring the ball down, switch play or drive forward but if doesn’t happen enough. Unfortunately Mellish is completely out of form and he really does look like a competition winner at the minute. Attacks that go via him tend to breakdown, he isn’t winning 2nd balls and some of the fouls he makes are stupid. I really want him to do well I just think he needs a break.

I’d like to see Furman in a holding role to release Guy and Riley forward more as when those two are on the front foot we look dangerous.

Tranmere have some quality players but I really do think we could’ve won the game if Patrick and Toure had stayed on the pitch, odd subs again.

Also, say what you like about Vaughan but if we had him we’d be top of the league. Superb at this level and bossed Hayden and Bennett tonight on his own. 18 goals just in the league this season.

Massive game Saturday, agree with others on here it’s a must win game.

Beech's substitutions sucked tonight.

Was Hayden injured?

Just how badly does Mellish have to play to be replaced? It's too late when you 3-2 down with three minutes left.

Farman had an absolute nightmare, it looked like he'd never played in goal before.

I thought we played really well for the first ten minutes but then descended into kick rush as the game wore on. We're outnumbered and outgunned in midfield in every game we're playing at the minute and it was too easy for Tranmere to score against us. We have to push on to try and win those second balls and we leave an ocean of space which it's easy to exploit, we desperately need to change our tactics and retain possession of the ball instead of hoofing it.

It’s probably the 1st season I haven’t been critical at all.

It’s just a very very odd season with Covid postponements, weather, not playing for ages and not being able to fully train properly.

However yesterday we weren’t too bad. Tranmere looked very sharpe but we’ve played worse and won.

Two winnable games now.