Under 23's XI

God that was a depressing watch.

 

Ummm very poor from Barnsley for me, thiam was struggling with his finishing probably lacking confidence, Mallan didn't have a impact, Potts was one of better performers for me and knausmuller struggled to get into game but odd glimpses of some decent creativity.

 

Just don't have the players to play 4-4-2, especially in centre midfield. BTW......

 

So are people saying that a barnsley side played well in one half, missed chances, then played terribly in the other half and lost?

I simply refuse to believe it.

 

I'm terrible with names, so... who's he then?

 

Danny. COME HOME

 

No thanks,

 

Awful performance. I got shouted down when I said the 23s play better without first team fringe players but this is absolutely the case here again. These players don't want to be here. If knasmuller is who's supposed to keep us up we're in serious trouble. Thiam the club's top earner is a joke. A team with plenty of 18s in it went to Everton on friday and fought like mad for a 0-0 draw .This lot today weren't interested. I'd excuse Jackson and Potts who I think at least gave their all .

 

Been today & there’s few positives to take from it. In 90 minutes we had one good move with a couple of decent flicks & the keeper saved Thiam’s effort.

All of Thiam, Knasmüllner & Hedges had chances where they were running in good positions towards goal & just took that long to make their minds up that they got caught in possession.

Jackson & Pearson were ok but I wouldn’t like to see them in the first team together as we’d never play out from the back.

McCarthy & Williams ok, didn’t really get to see McCarthy’s overlapping runs, there was no real connection with Hedges or Wardle.

Neither Potts or Mallan did anywhere near enough to suggest they deserve a start.

Hedges was Hedges, pretty inconsistent, another game where I think it shows he can’t do it from the start. Seems to be a better option off the bench.

Palmer looked ok early on but had to go off injured. Wasn’t impressed by Wardle.

Knasmüllner was very poor, looked way off the pace, I think a lot of people on here who’ve been putting him in their starting 11’s will be disappointed when they see him.

Thiam offered the same as he does in the first team which is a couple of decent flicks but overall you come away disappointed with him as he just doesn’t look like scoring.

To me that kind of performance just backs up that we were doing well to be outside the relegation zone at the end of January when you consider several of this team played the majority of the games.

Interestingly as I was coming down Grove Street after the game a range rover was coming the other way. The driver? Jacob Butterfield. Wonder what he’s doing back at Oakwell

 

Come to pick @YTBFC up

 

I'd have him back. I thought it was incredibly harsh when he was sacked, we had just had a very tough run of games and there were some definite winnable ones coming up. He had a horrid time with key player injuries and I truly believe he would have turned it around.

 

Me too, but then i would say that wouldn't I? ;-)

The players we sold and profited from financially were just about all purchased in his time at the club, or had been already identified. I've no idea how the formula used to work or how Danny worked with "recruitment" or if it was forced upon him, but that cluster of signings under Danny and right at the start of Johnsons season have been the best we've signed for a good time before or since.

 

Danny and Redders? *stirs pot*

 

Agree with most of that apart from I thought Pearson did ok alongside Jackson and Knasmuller coasted through the game and suits a more mobile communicative Centre forward.I don't think he speaks much English,could be wrong.
Now for my big moan. Mamadou Thiam, I 'm sorry but who thought he suited English football is wrong. His attitude,body language, lack of basic football skills was disappointing to see. Easy to mark for defenders,no outet for the rest of the team and no fight. Sad to say he is a waste of our funds along with many of the Summer purchases.I would say he is behind Brown and Adeyemo to. I don't like to single anyone out and it's nothing to do with him being French as part of my family are French.
Finally PH didn't do himself any favours with today's performance,unless it was a one off.

 

I think Jackson & Pearson were fine defensively but I don’t like them as a partnership as neither can play out from the back & it’ll be hoof ball every time. One of them alongside a Lindsay type’s fine.

There was zero chemistry between Mamadou & Knasmüllner

 

Have to say, the 2nd half was dire (did not see the 1st) . I don't like to criticise but Everton looked comfortable on and off the ball moving it around with neat passing . They seemed to easily dispossess us on many occasions whilst we seemd not to be able to string two passes together before they were on top of us (usually two on one) and winning the ball back They were pressing us in our own half and for long spells we seemed unable to break out of it.
Goalkeeper seemed content to hoof the ball upfield and the front lads got little or no service so cannot comment on them. The worry was the apparent gulf between the two sides.

 

You going to give him more than 10 games

 

Finally. Someone talking sense.

 

Lindsays pass % has been terrible of late. I think they is a decent defender there but his passing is poor at times.

 

Attended the u23s game today and realised David unsworth was manager in the Everton dug out, one of the men linked with the job here and I must admit he impressed me you can tell his young Everton side where really well drilled and they took on board everything he asked of them, and since he was at oakwell today it would be interesting to see if he held talks with anyone about the job, personally I don’t think it would be a bad appointment I would prefer someone with more experience mind but I think unsworth could be a dark horse