My JPT match report and player assessments

Wow I've gone too far now it seems! If you think I come on here to "score points" off people then YOU knock yourself out.
You are quite right that you can respond to my post any way you like. So can I in response to yours.
Probably like most on here with at least a couple of brain cells I enjoy reading your posts and rarely pass comment on them. The fact that you have just taken exception to mine is mystifying but never mind.

Thanks for your...errrr, interest.

Night.

 

I don't think you come on here to score points. Not by any stretch of the imagination. But so many people are doing it that others who usually wouldn't are following suit, falling in to the trap and it's all getting tedious. Rather than confront someone who would carry on that way regardless, because they always do it, I thought I'd address someone who usually doesn't and might agree with me it's all a bit pointless.

You might be angry with me right now, but you don't want a forum where everyone is having a dig at everyone else any more than I do. And if I started my posts having a dig at those who have a different view of the current state of things at Oakwell, I very much doubt you would enjoy them or carry on reading them.

Some people have concerns about the strength of the squad, but that doesn't mean they think the manager, players and board are rubbish. When it's implied that they do, it just starts arguments and it keeps on growing until all the joy in this forum is sucked out of it. Some people are fine with that, but I don't think you would be. Unfortunately everyone appears to be getting embroiled in it.

Thought I'd have a go at bringing it to an end.

 

Not sure I've seen anything like that said on here.

It was, because it's allowed you to post the above. Had you gone to Rochdale, you'd understand it was quite possibly one of the poorest displays imaginable, and considering that, some folk on here were bound to get opinionated.






Thanks for the rest of the report. I have no interest in this 'competition' as it goes, the JPT, but I do prefer us to win any game we play and thus I appreciate a report/review of it. Much appreciated. Cheers.

 

Oh, christ...

 

Cheers for report mate, good to hear we played well, I didn't take your comments personnel btw

 

I agreed with most of the match analysis a poor league 1 team playing an average one and we always looked in control.

Not sure there was any need to bait fans you disagree with though and it does get tiresome all the tit for tatting.

 

Seems it's the norm across quite a few threads this. There are many examples of people opening a thread just to create a reaction, hanging a comment out there with no substance, just for effect and sitting back watching.

Thanks PoR for the general feedback, I can see what you were trying to say re players but you aren't on your own at 'trying to pick a fight' based on a generic, perhaps inaccurate comment.

 

Thankyou for the report.

 

Absolutely no "baiting" intended. As I said somewhere above I will restrict my comments in future to what I have seen.

I have absolutely no interest in riling anyone on here, or picking any kind of a fight.

 

Once again I was NOT trying to pick a fight with anyone. It was an off the cuff comment about what seems to be going on around here lately with no malice intended whatsoever!

 

My final word on this - when I made the comment about some people thinking it's all rubbish I was perhaps exaggerating. It is true though that there are SOME individuals on here (either currently or recently) who never seem to have a good word to say about the club and that annoys the hell out of me. Terms like "Jokewell" make me quite angry and it is people who say things like that to whom I was referring.

I wasn't so much angry with your comments last night as mystified. What had I said to warrant the criticism? I understand your point of view now, and one or two others have shared it. Conversely a lot more people have said thanks for the report and not concerned themselves with any apparent "point scoring".

In general, I love coming on here. I look several times most days. There are plenty of genuinely laugh out loud postings which is brilliant. Some of those come from you, so thanks for that. It's a shame that so many worthy posters have been driven off here by the idiots but it has been going on for years hasn't it?

I've been reading and writing in my present incarnation and the previous one (GloucesterRed) for ten years and more and I intend to carry on passing comment on what I see ON THE PITCH. I see some good things happening at Oakwell at the moment, but we keep taking backward steps too often. Losing to Rochdale by three goals to nil is nothing new. I was there when the Yorkshire TV cameras came to Oakwell in Allan Clarke's first spell and we were steaming towards promotion from the Fourth Division. That was a terrible performance and could maybe be compared with this recent one. It happens, it always has and it always will. I get angry about THAT but it soon passes and I just go on to the next match with the same enthusiasm that I had for the last one.

Anyway, enough from me for now. I will try not to fall into the murky waters of upsetting people next time

 

[MENTION][/MENTION]

I perhaps worded things wrongly. I meant it as some people try to score points hence the quote marks and that you were being criticized for the same due to your player comments. I know you were trying to emphasize that some people see things 100% negatively.

I value and respect your match reports, in fact enjoy reading them so please carry on. I try to respect everyone's view points whether positive or not. There are unfortunately a lot of posts that simply make a statement for effect and offer no evidence or details of observations, knowledge etc that supports that statement. Be a sad day if we all thought the same, but keep the reports and opinions coming as I enjoy reading.

 

Thanks for that Mr Icer. I don't always get it right and forget to mention some things that I saw during the match. I never take any notes so it is all from memory after the journey home. For example, I should have mentioned Winnall's lovely effort towards the end where he curled a beauty from the edge of the box which was going in until the keeper flew across and tipped the ball away. He was probably desperate to score last night against his old team but I think having Smith alongside him on Saturday will be a big help, assuming that happens of course!

I have a lot of time for this group of players - I don't see any arrogance or big time charlie-ness about any one of them. It's going to be a good season which might, or might not, end up with a promotion. I don't care if it does or it doesn't. As I have said many times before I have missed far too many matches in my lifetime due to living so far away so, for me, every game is a bonus now.

 

I do agree with that. But I've found those few people easy to ignore. It gets difficult to ignore when everyone starts antagonising one another.

Yesterday was a good day for our football club. We had a good win at Scunny and we signed a player who, on paper at least, looks like an excellent signing and exactly what we were looking for. And he's not from a league below or two leagues below or from the reserves of a club higher up the football pyramid, he plays regularly in a very good team in our league and scores goals for them. Not only that, he's not a kid still learning the game or someone old and past it; he's still young, but he's just about to hit the prime of his career and still has the best years ahead of him. I can't remember the last time we signed someone like that.

I was filled with a sense of bonhomie, but that soon evaporated because every thread I opened seemed to be trying to pick a fight. I lost patience. I probably picked the wrong person to have a go at because you've rarely if ever written owt like that before and there were far more antagonistic posts on the board, but I just thought, if someone like GloucesterRed is doing this then the forum really is in trouble.

It's a weird season this because there's such a vast array of opinions on how we're going to perform. Some believe the play-offs and promotion are well within our capabilities while others are more worried about the drop. And it's not necessarily those who usually have a negative outlook and only see what's wrong with the club who are expressing their concerns.

The majority on both sides have been having reasonable discussions about our prospects. Some, on both sides, as they always do, ridicule those with a different opinion. Last night it seemed like those pain in the arse few had won and usually reasonable people had decided to respond in kind, thus turning the forum in to something that's almost impossible to enjoy.

 

PS

I've now read your report. I always do. They are always appreciated, particularly when I don't go to the game myself.

 

Thanks for your comments Jay. I always read your pieces and, as I said, find some of them very funny (ie, the ones that are meant to be funny!)

I also have certain individuals on "ignore" but sometimes see what they have written anyway when it is quoted. Probably best just to double-ignore, if that's possible.

Some might consider this squad "weak" overall but I don't agree. We have some of the best footballers in the club now than we have had for a long time. How on earth Lee Johnson is going to manage all that talent is beyond me. Then again I only have to go and watch it, not manage it. If he can get the best eleven out there consistently we are going to win a lot more than we lose.

I've seen us move the ball about with consummate skill many times this season, and so have plenty of others. You can tell that by the spontaneous rounds of applause that go around the ground most games where people have seen something really good. I've only missed the Rochdale and Millwall matches so far and what a contrast those two seem to be.

There will be plenty of ups and downs between now and next May. Just a normal season really following a team in the lower leagues. Anyone who can't accept that really should find something else to do on a Saturday

 

Thanks for the report. Be interesting to see how LJ approaches Winnall/Smith now. I'm convinced he prefers 1 up top so....

 

If both are fit he surely HAS to play them together. Makes it harder for our big band of midfield stars but that's the manager's problem.

On last night's evidence he should start with Watkins and Harris on the wings for sure. That leaves Pearson and Scowen doing all the donkey work up the middle so, unfortunately, excludes the likes of CH, Crowley and Rothwell. There just isn't room for them all!

 

Thanks for the match report, mate.
With Smith signed, Williams close to being fit and Harris settling in, Lee Johnson will certainly have options available to him. For example, he has the option of playing with width, various midfield selections, going with two or three centre backs, having a target man available.
Not every position has the strength in depth as others (taking into account I'm not up with the quality of either the U21's or Academy lads). However, there's the potential of this issue being approached during the January transfer window with players Johnson actually wants rather bringing in someone for the sake of it, along with the possibility of making a number of our loans permanent ones.

 

Agree with most of your report, we were the better team (like in the league cup) and the scoreline suggests it was tighter than it was, which it most definitely wasn't.

However, I think you're being a little harsh in calling Crowley an enigma. He's lightning quick on the ball, creates his own space and is on another level to the rest of our players, to the point where Winnall etc. haven't had a chance to make any sort of movement in front of him, thus meaning he has to hold onto the ball. I do wish he'd have the confidence to have a shot now and then though.
I also think you're being a tad harsh on Scunny. We've been better than them both times but last night they rested Madden, and immediately looked more threatening when he came on. They won't be troubling the top half but there are teams worse than them in this division.

All in all though, a decent performance and a (hopefully) morale boosting win.