The winds of change are blowing through Oakwell at the moment. Where we were seeing a team folding in spineless fashion before, we now see one with a backbone and a burning will to win a football match. Watching them win yesterday was marvellous and the crowd seemed to be behind them a lot more than of late. But that only comes if the team performs. We're not alone in that. A funereal atmosphere with 8,000 in the ground is just the same as one with 50,000. Football fans are all the same really. They want to be entertained, and if they are not they sit on their hands and grumble about it. Just for once we have got through a holiday period winning matches instead of losing. Who knows, if the Bury match had been on we might have won that as well for a clean sweep. Why not? This team looks good enough to beat anyone at the moment, but that's where we come to the next problem. Or, should I say, the next potential problem. What happens in the next week will shape our season. We need to get a couple more in for one thing. If Pearson is gone, and Scowen is still injured, we have a big hole to fill. Getting it right with signings in the next week is vital, and then we have the Fleetwood match. On current form we will sail through the area final and then look forward to a rematch with Millwall maybe. Yesterday could have been our Wembley dress rehearsal. But what of yesterday? Wall to wall plus points really, with very little room for complaint. On the other hand though there were familiar failings sprinkled here and there. Let me start at the back with Adam Davies. Plenty more have criticised him but I am reluctant to lay into him too much. He's still learning the game and will get better. For now though you expect a goal every time a high ball goes into our box. It seems like for ever since we last had a keeper who can dominate his six yard box and beyond. You have to wonder whether Davies will ever be able to do that. The full backs both shone yesterday and it would be a real shame if both left next week, which they could well do. Redders keeps saying how short of bodies they are so it seems odd he is letting a top quality left sided player out on loan to us. Maybe they don't get on. Aiden White is doing very well for us but should have been off before he eventually got substituted. The manager was presumably reluctant to change a winning team, and you can't blame him for that. Wabara too had a cracking game. He is strong in the tackle and crosses almost like Nicky Eaden. Mawson and Long did ok together but you still worry, as I said above, when high balls come in. Neither seem capable of good clearing headers but I do like how Long adopts the Peter Ramage approach of launching the ball well up into the stands when he needs to. A longer loan period would be nice but maybe Burnley won't allow it. Midfield is a potential minefield for us now. Pearson has played well recently but he is now gone. Maybe he will be back but, to be honest, I would rather have a fit Josh Scowen there. You can't fault his commitment though, well illustrated by that lung busting run towards the end where he chased their man down at the East Stand side. Good to see. His partner in the middle had a quieter game though. Connor Hourihane has certainly added aggression to his game but seems to have lost his shooting skills. I wish those 25 yarders from last season would come back. Then again, maybe he is on his way out too and that may have been playing on his mind. Be a shame to see him go, but a big offer might be too good to turn down. Lloyd Isgrove had a good game along with his partner on the other side Adam Hammill. Can't see us keeping him but maybe a season long loan would be nice if we can pull it off. There's plenty more in his locker I'm sure. Hammill though.....well, what can you say! He ran them ragged all over the pitch. He tackles like a demon. He looks to score every time he has the ball. What a player we have! That goal was just sublime, started by a fantastic flick inside from SSW right down by the touchline. Adam picked it up and just kept running, and running, and running. Watkins was screaming for a pass but he was having none of it. He literally burst through a four man defence as if they weren't there and then slammed it into the net. He could have had a hat trick as well, but for a couple of great saves from their keeper. Up front it was good to see SSW get another goal, and brilliantly taken it was as well. He's an all action player and a handful for any defence. If he could bag a goal every week he would be a million pound striker. Maybe he is that already? Marley Watkins had a decent game and was unlucky to get injured right at the end. I was hoping he would be taken off to give Ryan Williams a twenty-minute run again, but it didn't happen. Wonder what the extent of his injury is? So, after two terrific home wins in a week we are now at the cross roads of the season. Do we take the wrong turn - make poor signings or, even worse, NO signings, and do we fold to the minnows from Fleetwood next week, thus denying us a trip to Wembley? Or do we take the right turn - two or three good signings to strengthen the squad plus a thumping first leg league to take to Highbury and then on to Wembley? I'm hoping for the last option. I've been patiently watching the struggles all season without resorting to the bile and negativity that some have thrown at the team week after week. They are my team, win or lose. Great to see this upturn now. Well done lads - keep it going!!
Haven't read all of that but regarding Adam Davies, he was absolutely woeful yesterday. The three opportunities they had the got cleared off the line and the other one that hit crossbar was because Davies was a mile off his line not knowing whether to come to collect or not.
Good post. Agree with what you say about the ball in our box. I think Long did well in the main yesterday though, he won plenty of headers and got decent distance on them. If Davies came off his line more often it would really help out the two centre halves who are under immense pressure at times. We're playing attacking football with only two central midfielders and a goalkeeper who's reluctant to claim high balls. Although we've conceded 3 goals in the last 2 games I think they've done very well considering.
I don't mind conceding three in two because we have got six! Keep going like this and the crowds will come back and the team will rise up the table. There's more work to be done, both on and off the field, but things are looking better.
As always PoR a good post. I think we need at least a striker and centre mid this week, Minimum. We also need to tie down positions that are tedious, as you say both left and right back. While Bree can cover at the right and Smith left, I think we would have to see less marauding wing play if we change the current two. I think this is a very very important period in our season, we get the recruitment right this week or two and we could move up the table and get to Wembley. Get it wrong and our season competitively could be over.
Good read, as usual. I'm personally still a bit concerned. We can't sell Hourihane or we might go down. Hammill can't get injured or... We might go down Winnall can't go or... You can probably guess We need a GK, CM and Striker if you ask me Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
