I'm normally quite level headed & don't go off one about games of football but that wound me up tonight. Mistakes happen, Nyatanga had a shocker, Cranie's attempted clearance for the 2nd was poor but I can live with that. What pissed me off was players hiding & not wanting the ball, 3 of them at it regularly in Hemmings, Lalkovic & Hourihane. Show some bravery, run at players, I'm not sure Hemmings has it in his locker but the other two certainly do. There was a 5-10 minute spell in that first half where Scowen, Pearson, Cranie & Nyatanga all had loads of the ball but had no options but to lump it to Waring or go backwards. Lalkovic & Hemmings were hiding behind centre backs & giving the midfielders nothing whilst Hourihane is slowly turning from a left footed Redfearn into a Jacob Mellis wannabe week by week. Young George Smith came on at left back & for 10 minutes he was ****, I think every pass he played went to a man in yellow but he kept plugging away, he kept wanting the ball, kept running at Fleetwood players & getting balls crossed in & he grew into the game & he ended up putting several decent crosses in the box including one which any league one striker not called Kane Hemmings buries which denied him an assist. Attempting to kick that cross into the net when it was at perfect head height just about sums up Hemmings. It's annoying that we've got Scowen, Pearson, Smith & Waring battling for everything & never giving up yet we've got Hemmings, Lalkovic & Hourihane who just didn't want to know & played with no bravery at all. If an 18 year old like Smith can keep plugging away at it when things aren't going his way then I don't see why the others can't. Ratings: Turnbull 7 Cranie 5 Ramage 6 M'Voto 6 Nyatanga 4 Lalkovic 4 Scowen 8 MOM Pearson 7 Hourihane 4 (would be lower were it not for his free kick) Hemmings 3 Waring 6 Subs: Smith 7 Jennings 4 (did he even have a kick?) Kiwomya 5 (didn't do anything but I'd start him alongside Waring Saturday if Winnall's not fit simply because I think we've all seen enough of Hemmings & Lita) Wilson 2 - Bizzarre decision to start Hemmings, even more bizzarre decision to give him 90 mins. The decision to move Lalkovic inside when he's looked a threat out wide didn't make any sense to me. The lad claims he's comfortable playing there but he seems to just go hiding. Much better at running at full backs out wide for me.
Totally agree, exactly as I saw it. I have no idea what Danny was doing putting Smith on his own on the left. The poor kid had three Fleetwood players on him by the time anyone in a Red shirt had bothered to go within 20 yards of him for the ball. But he kept battling away and put in cross after cross which no-one tried getting onto, until Hemmings decided to half-heartedly swing a leg at a perfect head-height cross. Some of our players though want to take a look at themselves. And my patience for Wilson is all but gone.
I would agree too, but add into all that that their players wee closing us down, hunting for the ball inpacks of 3-4, PASSING to their own team mates, generally helping them out when in trouble and looking much more up for it than we were. I would have taken hlf of their team from last night for the effort they put in over ours. I feel for waring but he has to grow up quickly at this level as someone a few inches taller thsn himbeat him to almost every ball last night. All round our team does not "think quick enough" under pressure to work for each other
Agree with Jamo, Smiffys first ten minutes he was given the ball and was offered no support whatsoever from his team mates.
