Dragging myself reluctantly to the keyboard, here is my report on another shambles

I blame geography. I KNEW I should have stayed at home today. I think I wanted to, but couldn't. Glanford Park is too close to my home, so I HAD to go, like it or not. Big mistake, again. Luckily I missed my other local match (Donny away) because I was out of the country but there was no escape this time.

I went to both cup games earlier in the season and saw us over run a very poor S****horpe side. It happened again today......for five minutes. I predicted after the second game against them that they were definitely relegation fodder, so we obviously should be beating the likes of Scunny. I stand by that today - they were poor, but we were worse. Yet again we have lost to a shocking team. It's getting hard to see the reasons why this keeps happening. Defensive errors, poor tactics, poor selections by the manager? Yes all that, and a missed penalty today probably killed what spirit the players had.

But, to go back to that fifth minute. I thought we were going to win this at a canter and it was only a matter of time before we scored. But, unfortunately, we gifted them one instead. It was at the far end so I couldn't see what happened but reports suggest howlers from both Roberts and Townsend. Oh well, not to worry. We will get two! But no - wrong again. Mr Pantomime Villain Scott Wiseman played in a decent ball and McSheffrey swept in number two. No way back from that, but wait.....

Winnall was scythed down in the box and I am sure the ref waved his arms at first to turn it down until the linesman flagged and gave it. Good man! Sam had the ball in his hands as Scowen approached him asking for it. Winnall obviously said "it's mine" and that was a big mistake. Too eager to score against his old team, his penalty was poor. I hate low-struck penalties. Gives the keeper a chance every time. So, in the 44th minute it seemed to be game over.

It shouldn't have been that way though. We had chance after chance in that first half and were unlucky with most of them. That Nyatanga header, for example, shaved the outside of the post with the keeper well beaten. A 2-2 scoreline would not have been fair though. We should have been winning, but where have we heard that before? Once again we were losing to a team with vastly inferior resources to ours but bags of spirit and effort. Unfortunately that penalty miss killed ours off. Killed it stone dead.

Nothing much to say about the second half except that Henderson came on and did what Henderson does - bullied and kicked his way through the last half hour or so. Not sure if he had anything to do with that melee in our box but presumably, just for once, he wasn't involved. It was extraordinary though and for a couple of mad seconds Scowen was wrestling on the floor with a player and trying to punch him. How he stayed on the pitch after that I have no idea. Madden was ushered away from things before he threw punches of his own and the upshot was four bookings - two each.

In truth we never looked like scoring in the second half and the only interest was behind our goal with plenty of chanting against Mansford, the board etc but NO chants of "sack the manager" at all. There was even "Lee Johnson's Red and White Army" being belted out and, bizarrely, "It's just like watching Brazil" a couple of times. The most popular song was to inform all and sundry about how s..t we are.

All very sad in the end and we seem to be hurtling towards another relegation. I'm at a loss to explain how or why that might happen, but it could well come to that. On PAPER our players are much better than that. On the PITCH, they aren't, or rather they are not playing as if they are. Something has to change, and soon. Maybe we will get an unexpected and unheard of victory at Coventry on Tuesday. Or maybe not, and then we will tumble out of two cup competitions to follow that up.

I stayed to the end but left without a second glance at the players as soon as the whistle went. It is starting to get desperate and my lifelong support will continue, but only because it's a way of life, not a logical choice.

 

Re: Dragging myself reluctantly to the keyboard, here is my report on another shamble

This.

 

Re: Dragging myself reluctantly to the keyboard, here is my report on another shamble

Once again, a great read.Cheers!!

 

Re: Dragging myself reluctantly to the keyboard, here is my report on another shamble

Thanks. In a better mood I would have posted as soon as I got home at 5.40 but I thought it best to wait a while.

Had to see if I could think of anything good to say. I couldn't....

 

Re: Dragging myself reluctantly to the keyboard, here is my report on another shamble

Thanks for your report and I massively admire your loyalty .
I sometimes explain my support of The Reds of late as "a lifelong affliction" - it certainly feels a bit like that at the moment!

 

Re: Dragging myself reluctantly to the keyboard, here is my report on another shamble

Best post of the year!!

 

Re: Dragging myself reluctantly to the keyboard, here is my report on another shamble

Yes, so do I. It's an incurable disease. Lifelong suffering with occasional periods of well being. Then more suffering

But what can you do? You won't catch me ripping into the club like plenty on here do. It's my football club, for better or worse.

 

Re: Dragging myself reluctantly to the keyboard, here is my report on another shamble

Thanks Judith

 

Re: Dragging myself reluctantly to the keyboard, here is my report on another shamble

PoR - I'm sure there are a lot of us who are in quiet agony at the moment who are not beating the door down for revolution just suffering horribly

 

Re: Dragging myself reluctantly to the keyboard, here is my report on another shamble

Thanks, but I Disagree about your penalty comment, the best penalties are low and hard into the corner. Unstoppable, unless the keeper guesses it right and even then he has to go before its kicked, which is illegal if he moves off his line.

 

Re: Dragging myself reluctantly to the keyboard, here is my report on another shamble

Plenty chanting Johnson out in 2 nd half , followed five minutes later by lee Johnson s barmy army .

 

Re: Dragging myself reluctantly to the keyboard, here is my report on another shamble

If the kicker can get it just inside the post then yes, that's a good penalty and hard to stop. So many though are about two feet from the ground and within diving distance. If the keeper has guessed right he has a more than even chance of saving it.

On the other hand, if the ball is blasted high almost anywhere within the goal then it is virtually impossible to stop it. Left, right or centre - it is almost always a goal.

I thought SSW wasted that chance today to get us into the game, mainly because he was desperate to add to his own goal tally and even more desperate to score against his old club. Selfish decision I think. Scowen would have more likely scored.

 

Re: Dragging myself reluctantly to the keyboard, here is my report on another shamble

Oh, ok. Must admit I had to concentrate really hard on what they were singing most of the time, but I didn't hear any concerted "Johnson Out" chanting.

 

Re: Dragging myself reluctantly to the keyboard, here is my report on another shamble

Thankyou for the report Mr Prince!

 

Re: Dragging myself reluctantly to the keyboard, here is my report on another shamble

You're welcome, I think

I was at that farce last week against Fleetwood but couldn't get myself motivated to write anything. Was a close run thing today but I thought it might be useful for those who weren't there to hear a personal view of it. I think it's more important for away games anyway to hear an unbiased report.

 

Re: Dragging myself reluctantly to the keyboard, here is my report on another shamble

Your reports are much appreciated!

You tell it as it is

 

Re: Dragging myself reluctantly to the keyboard, here is my report on another shamble

Appreciate the report, cheers Prince.

 

Re: Dragging myself reluctantly to the keyboard, here is my report on another shamble

Penalties are easy and anyone can take corners and free kicks. Good job we aren't missing Conor.

 

Re: Dragging myself reluctantly to the keyboard, here is my report on another shamble

how to take a penalty

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtgwpmM5GCI

 

Re: Dragging myself reluctantly to the keyboard, here is my report on another shamble

My point exactly. I know there are clever footballers who can fool the keeper every time with a delicate chip but THAT is how penalties should be taken. Hard and above the keeper. Unstoppable.

Nice to see our friend Mr Willard again