I wrote my usual Minority Report of the game yesterday, but I decided not to post it. I needed to think for longer about what I had seen, and about what I had heard after the game. You see, at half time we were well on top and looked well capable of winning easily. In fact there was very little to complain about. Millwall did not appear to pose any threat. Our full backs were on top of their wide players and their front two had been isolated. Up front, we looked like Winnall and Watkins could actually be building an understanding. As I said, I was looking forward to a second half that was free of stress with an easy win when the referee blew the final whistle. What we actually got was in total contrast to the first half. The Millwall manager removed the ineffective Onyedinma and Upson and went more direct. Our back four were subjected to a stream of long high balls and they mis-matched Aidan White with Morison. Obviously, every opposition manager tries to find the weaknesses in the team that they are playing, and with the lack of height in our team, he found it. Equally, it is only possible to expose this weakness if an opposition has the players to do so, and Millwall had enough tall players to expose us. Nevertheless, my half-time confidence that Johnson had begun to solve our long term problems evaporated in the heat of that second half battle. We played the game on the break and it was our forwards that were isolated and ineffective. Frankly, by the end, I thought that we were fortunate to win the game. After the game, I listened to a managerial summary of play that I did not agree with, followed by a depressing account of the players who were definitely leaving, those who might be leaving and about the need to move quickly in the transfer market in order to meet those challenges. I have said in the past that I had hoped that we would change just 3 players in this window. Any more and we will find it hard to integrate them into the team. After listening to Johnson, it seems that we will need far more than 3 players, and that will potentially leave us back at square one with our team building. Between 4 pm and 7 pm my mood had been totally changed by what I had seen and by what I had heard. Reviewing things again the morning after, I do not know what to make of it all.
maybe for for a pint and cheer yourself up. you dont have to find fault or disagree just to be contrary..... oh i forgot you do! we arent barcelona, we arent even burton! what ive read and seen on the highlights are a team that worked hard and tried there best yesterday with the talent and skills available, sometimes its good enough , sometimes its not. yesterday it was and another day it might not be. theres football for you.
Onyedinma tore us a new one at their place so maybe we were just marking him tightly? You must have been watching a different 2nd half to me. We were pummeling their goal and deserved to make it 2-0 before they went up and scored with their first real chance. Just like on Monday we reacted very well to conceding and hit back within 5 mins with a sensational goal. We then had several chances to extend our lead with Hammill's wonderful effort the pick of the bunch. In the last 10-15 mins we sat back to defend our deserved lead. The final minutes were probably the most pleasing of all. We stood firm as a unit and were throwing ourselves at the ball to prevent what would have been an injustice. Well done to the whole club on a fantastic day.
I didn't think Millwall changed their approach between the first half and the second half, they played it long in both halves. I think the only difference was they threw caution to the wind much more and sent more of their big lads forward at every possible opportunity. Whenever they got a free kick anywhere near our half they pumped it forwards. They also did their best to rough up our front two and were in danger of giving away a foul every time they challenged for the ball. Consequently we became less effective through the middle. However, we continued to win the battle down the wings and created many chances through both wing play and on the counter attack when there centre halves were left stranded up top. We could have scored plenty in the second half, we just didn't take our chances. Winnall, Watkins, Hammill, Isgrove and Hourihane could all have scored in the second half but were either foiled by their keeper, missed the target or had their shot blocked. There's only so much you can do against an opposition that lumps it up field at every available opportunity. Their strikers are going to get a flick on every now regardless of how well you defend. Similarly long balls into the channels invariably lead to a throw in deep in our half which they tossed into the box every time. How many shots on target did they have though? Not that many, I think we contained them reasonably well. Yes we lack height, but I don't think that's something you can bemoan, we won't come across a team like Millwall who will put us under that much aerial pressure very often.
I have to say I tend to have a difficulty agreeing with this. While everyone is entitled to an opinion, mine is vastly different. Second half they did change their play. They did try to outmuscle us with long high balls to the edge of the box. We dealt with most. So much so that they scored after a rebound off the post and with a player in Davies eyeline, arguably offside. We showed great character, stuck to our plan and won the game through good link up play, skill and neat finish against a goalie in top form. Their keeper made great low save from Winnal, and a fingertip save from Hamills free kick.all our shots on target vs Millwalls long balls with most off. Even a penalty shout denied. In addition we showed resolute and committed defending, even after having to change our effective left back and change the defence set up. Our defending came out on top of their 15 mins of strong pressure. Our attack worked them over for the first 30 mins of the half. We drew the second half 1-1, winning the game after a first period convincing enough to win the game alone. For me our game management was good, although fresh legs may have helped a little earlier. So that's my take, 100% in contrast but we shall se what others think.
When you are safe in the knowledge that however much you kick the opposition's forwards, even wrestle them to the floor on your own area that the ref does nothing then you can pretty much abandon defensive duties and concentrate on getting the ball in your opponents area. Not excusing us dropping deeper and inviting some pressure (as every Barnsley team since I started going in 1976 has done) but the lack of control that the ref had on the game helped a very physical Millwall try to bully us out of the game. I think massive credit is due to our lads for standing up to that ,creating clear cut chances in the process and IMHO deserving of a little bit of luck - but as they say, the harder you work the luckier you get. We need to keep Long and White, get Watkins fit and we'll be fine. Confident that Scowen can more than cope in midfield as Pearson's replacement. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Personally, I enjoyed the second half more than the first. We dominated the first half, but it was a disciplined performance rather than an exciting one. After the goal we no longer took the risks and the chances dried up. Rightly so, there's no point in over-committing players forward when you're already leading and it's not like we withdrew in to our shell and simply defended, we were just patient and methodical. A highly satisfactory performance, but not an exciting one. The second half had everything: end to end football played at a breathtaking pace, some great individual skill, brilliant shots on goal, fantastic saves, goal line clearances and a desire and commitment to win the game from all 22 players on the field that has been sadly missing from many matches this season. It was a joy to watch and reminded me of the games I used to watch when I was a child. I have no doubt that Lee Johnson was far more pleased with the first half performance, but I'm not the Barnsley manager, I'm a fan who craves excitement and entertainment and I thought we got that in spades during the second half. I disagree we were fortunate to win the game. The much busier and much, much better 'keeper yesterday was in Millwall colours. Yes, we required three goal line clearances to keep their goal tally down to one, but I do question Davies' positioning in each of those goal mouth melees and even if he wasn't at fault, we pay our defenders to stop the ball going in to the back of our goal and it makes little or no difference if that is via a great tackle on the edge of the area or a kick from the goal line after being well positioned. Millwall did create chances they didn't convert, but we created far more. Their only goal was a bolt from the blue - a phenomenal shot (their first of the game I believe) which I doubt the player could repeat again if he had 100 more attempts at it. I believe Millwall could consider themselves very fortunate to find themselves at 1-1 having been dominated so comprehensively up until that point. After that, it could have gone either way, but I don't believe fortune favoured us; our best player produced a sublime bit of skill to get the goal and the entire team defended resolutely to protect the lead. That's a good performance, not a lucky result in my book. I haven't yet listened to Johnson's interview or begun to contemplate what the ins and outs of this January transfer window will mean for the team. That's for next week. Today I'm still basking in the glow you get from having witnessed an exciting game of football and a good win.
I'm with Jay on this. It was an interesting and absorbing game. Many defensive imperfections (although not as many as on Monday) but we do look an attacking threat with Sam, Watkins, Isgrove and above all, Adam Hamill now coming to the party. They had other chances, but so did we. But it was entertaining, and the right result. No need to overthink things, or ponder the meaning of life for hours on end after the game - we are showing signs of improvement. Okay - we'll lose some players but we'll still have the kernel of what is at last looking like an improving side. As an aside Red Rain, I was told at the game by a very knowledgeable person that Patrick Cryne's stake in the holding company (land and buildings) is actually 51% (Barnsley MBC 49%).
