Full marks for effort again. They all work hard, every week, and that's all you can ask really. Well organised too, Boro had all the ball for the first 60 minutes, but the majority of it played in front of our back 10. Which highlights the problem: we got everyone behind the ball and soaked up pressure then booted it up to Bradshaw who rarely had a team mate within 20 yards of him. He was fouled by their two centre halves and the ball came straight back. You can't do that for 90 minutes and survive. When they got their second I thought the flood gates would open, but we'd already made a sub by then and the rest of the second half was a different story. Much more open, but we were a competitive outfit at last and, for me, looked the more likely to score. I don't believe we would have hung on for even a point if we'd stuck with the original formation, and that's from someone who has been very critical of how we've played when adopting 4-4-2 this season. Today it worked, despite the fact that we conceded. I think we would have conceded more had we not made the change. Thiam looked dangerous when he came on, but has to pass more. Fair enough, have a shot, but not every time, particularly when there are much better placed team mates. But I did think he made the difference and gave us options going forward. Good ovation for Potts when subbed after what happened last time, which was nice to see. Still don't think he's good enough though. Same goes for Pearson. No complaints about how they put themselves about, but I don't see the quality. Sorry. I was led to believe McGeehan was an attacking midfield player but he spent much of the game sat in front of the back four. Took his goal well. Struggled to impose himself other than that. There seems to be a lot of size XL shorts on our players. Having seen some extremely fit and athletic players over the last couple of seasons we now appear to be lacking a lot of mobility. I still don't see the quality, I still don't see the stars of the future and I still think we're really going to struggle, but I also see genuine desire and dedication from all of them and that deserves plenty of praise. I've seen a lot of journey men footballers play for us over the years, just doing enough to get by, so I know 100% effort cannot be taken as read. This squad of players aren't like that. They go out onto the field with some professional pride and I can only applaud that.
good words, Jay. I see the effort , too. And because I haven't watched them regularly (and since the advent of streaming on ifollow for o/s)... I am well impressed with the speed and control in the games. All the champs teams have got it but I can't take it for granted just yet. If we get some extra funding so we can hold onto the 'special ones' (Connor, Redders, Ward, Higgy.......... Tripps, Stones... even for an extra year or two... We may even get another season in the First Tier.
I reckon you are very harsh Jay. First of all this was an excellent game of football with great effort and passion from both teams. Both teams were out on their feet for the last ten minutes. The difference is that Boro have 46 million quids worth of transfer talent and we have ......? I was hugely encouraged by our performance. A raw, very young team getting better every time I've seen them this year. We haven't got a Hourihane in this bunch but I reckon we've enough to hold our own. COYR
This is the team I see. Impossible to criticise for grit and application. Staying in games by sheer force of will but lacking in quality all over the pitch. We are the Schrödinger’s cat of football at the minute. The experiment will either proceed with investment and reinvention or we will join all the other dad cats in L1
I'm still trying to get my head around Shrodingers cat. Schrödinger's cat: a cat, a flask of poison, and a radioactive source are placed in a sealed box. If an internal monitor (e.g. geiger counter) detects radioactivity (i.e. a single atom decaying), the flask is shattered, releasing the poison, which kills the cat. The Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics implies that after a while, the cat is simultaneously alive and dead. Yet, when one looks in the box, one sees the cat either alive or dead not both alive and dead. This poses the question of when exactly quantum superposition ends and reality collapses into one possibility or the other. I'm alright with Pavlov's dog but this is whole new kettle of fish.
I was looking at our talisman...adam hamill yesterday. He has carried us with his passion...skill and professional attitude which has been top draw. Last couple of games i have thought has his playing standards lessoned a little.......my answer is a very easy NO. What seems to have happened is that overall the squad have improved (steadily) and are starting doing stuff themselves instead of relying on ah for well everything! We still have a long way yo go......but we are way above where i thought we would be in terms of playing standards and points. Im sure we will continue to improve.....COYR!
Forgot to add that yesterday playing a very good team showed we can apply ourselves and again an example of how well hecky and the coaching staff have come with this group. Im sure most people were shaking their heads when we qent 442 (how could we compete when they outplayed our midfield with 5 in it!!) but it worked......and just well done for sticking at it.
I agree with Jay in the OP. A quarter of the season gone (almost) and we are 19th, 2 points above the drop zone. With 3 points for a win, is not fantastic. We do have a game in hand, at Reading a ground we have done well at in the past, but no one would be surprised if we came away with sweet FA.... But I except all that, and expected no more. The lads we have are good lads, honest toilers one and all. But if we are to avoid, at best a EOS dog fight, then 2 or 3 better/championship ready players must be brought in. Hopefully the takeover will happen sooner rather than later and we will be in a position in January to go that extra mile in the transfer market, to get a couple of players we would have normally missed out on, into the club. To make us a better squad as a hole and take a bit of the pressure off the lads we have, who are without question are running there blood to water.
We are going to get stronger as the season gets along and our new blood is Isgrove and Yids and Thiam and Cavare .. and Stevie Mallan and the 'old boys' will be stronger... Harvey, Bradders, Joe, Liam and Jason... fook, we going up
On the strength of that post I'm going to book a hotel in London next May, order a couple of train tickets, get a new flat cap and do another photo edit job on the Dodeth motorway sign.
Agree with a lot of the post but think Lyndsay will be our future star - all the makings of a quality defender
Hope you're right and glad that people are seeing more potential in our players than I am. Every chance I'm just not seeing it.
I think there is definite potential in a few like Lindsey, Hedges, Thiam, Fryers and MaCarthy. Yet to see much in Potts if I'm brutally honest
Do you think we'd have seen much potential in Roberts, Mawson, Watkins, Hourihane and Winnall if they'd started their careers in the second tier with us instead of the 3rd? I'm not sure, but I suspect they would have looked so out of their depth that any potential would have been all but invisible. Just as an aside, in Hourihane's first season, the player in the team I thought had the most potential to play at a higher level was Devante Cole. Shows what I know.
