<h1>Three Tykes & You’re Out - It’s Hell At Oakwell</h1> </p>By Bristol Boy Barnsley 3-0 City I didn’t turn cartwheels when we won some games, were unbeaten or, albeit briefly, topped the league, so I’m not going to ask for executions or mass recriminations now that we’ve had a stuffing. The first goal would have probably been enough to kill us off, but to concede a second so soon afterwards put the nail in the coffin long before the late third against an impressive attack-minded Barnsley at Oakwell last night. How GJ must wish that he had a midfielder of the calibre of Howard, who looked their biggest goal threat from midfield with a superb performance of passing and shooting. That we never picked those forays forward up, will, I’m sure, be one of the prime topics for GJ’s team review as will the performance of our wide players in comparison to McCann, who also caused problems whenever he was on the ball. That they kept attacking when they went in front, whilst defending sensibly, also impressed me. For a 3-0 defeat it seems odd to say that their strikers were little better than ours, but it was their movement from midfield in support of Odejayi’s knock downs that caused initial problems and an unmarked second half run from Howard, who had the freedom of the pitch to curl a delicious left footed opener past Basso, sent them on their way. Bravery comes in all shapes and sizes andwe need to show the same bravery and determination in attacking as we do defending. By bravery, I don’t just mean throwing your body on the line, I’m talking about our wide players beating their man, crossing & shooting with venom and quality. Then, our central strikers throwing themselves at the ball in the box - getting in where it hurts. The fact that our best shot (only shot?) last night came from Marvin Elliott, who was also almost knocked out when challenging for a high ball in the first half, tells you plenty as, for the second game, we failed to create chances. GJ was brave in making two un-enforced changes and last night proved that whatever team you pick and whatever formation, players have to perform. Last night too many were off their game and, at this level, you get punished…….eventually, at least. My concern about our strikers is that they aren’t missing chances, they aren’t getting them and that, to me, is a combination of their inability and our midfield’s lack of ball retention and cleverness in the final third. It was ridiculous even to assume that our defence would be able to go on keeping clean sheets ad infinitum. That was never going to be the case and we need to inject ideas and sparkle into our attacking play, which, quite frankly, was better when we had one player up front at the end of last season AND when we had Bas Savage in attack! Brooker & Showunmi are injured. We probably won’t see Brooker until mid-November, early December at the earliest and I hope Showunmi’s scan won’t detect a long term injury. Our only other fit striker is Phil Jevons who must be champing at the bit, but he’s another who won’t appreciate hopeful punts up the field with his back to goal and a lack of crosses and, unless we provide service, smaller strikers in particular will continue to fail, however brave and however hard they try. We play a route one team in Bryan Robson’s Sheff Utd and, as I said at the start of the season, our final position will be determined by how many times we can get our best players on the field. Based on what I’ve seen this season and last, Noble & McCombe fall into that category. That will mean changing our formation but, IMHO, that’s needed because, it seems, irrespective of personnel, our game plan isn’t producing anything that looks like providing consistent quality in and around the opposition penalty box. Now is the time for leaders and, along with those that have emerged this season, McCombe falls directly into that category. We also need quality & creativity and for me, Noble is our most creative player in the final third. We need to win & retain the ball - that’ll be Noble & Skuse -and stop players like Howard running a game from start to finish. CITY TEAM RATINGS Defending: 6 Attacking: 5 Passing: 5 Creativity: 3 Crossing & Set Pieces: 4 Commitment: 6 City lined up 4-4-2 <table cellspacing="1" cellpadding="2" width="100%" border="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="4"><p align="center"><font size="2">Basso</font></p></td></tr><tr><td><p align="center"><font size="2" /></p></td><td><p align="center"><font size="2" /></p></td><td><p align="center"><font size="2" /></p></td><td><p align="center"><font size="2" /></p></td></tr><tr><td style="width: 25%"><p align="center"><font size="2">Orr</font></p></td><td style="width: 25%"><p align="center"><font size="2">Carey</font></p></td><td style="width: 25%"><p align="center"><font size="2">Fontaine</font></p></td><td style="width: 25%"><p align="center"><font size="2">McCallister</font></p></td></tr><tr><td><p align="center"><font size="2" /></p></td><td><p align="center"><font size="2" /></p></td><td><p align="center"><font size="2" /></p></td><td><p align="center"><font size="2" /></p></td></tr><tr><td style="width: 25%"><p align="center"><font size="2">Murray</font></p></td><td style="width: 25%"><p align="center"><font size="2">Elliott</font></p></td><td style="width: 25%"><p align="center"><font size="2">Johnson</font></p></td><td style="width: 25%"><p align="center"><font size="2">McIndoe</font></p></td></tr><tr><td><p align="center"><font size="2" /></p></td><td><p align="center"><font size="2" /></p></td><td><p align="center"><font size="2" /></p></td><td><p align="center"><font size="2" /></p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><p align="center"><font size="2"> Trundle</font></p></td><td colspan="2"><p align="center"><font size="2">Byfield </font></p></td></tr><tr><td><p align="center"><font size="2" /></p></td></tr></tbody></table>Subs(used) Sproule Skuse Vasko Not used: Henderson Wilson RATINGS BASSO: 7/10 No major ricks and left badly exposed for goals one and three. May have done better with goal two, but I’d like to see that again on TV. As he parried the fierce, swerving shot, it would have been nice for one of our defender to get tothe ballfirst.</p> ORR: 7/10 Didn’t do anything wrong and tried to launch attacks without having much impact in the final third.</p> MCALLISTER: 7/10 Unflappable for the most and tried to prompt attacks with diagonal balls into the box towards Vasko at the end of the game.</p> FONTAINE: 8/10 Strong performance against a lively attack and needed to be brave in dealing with Odejayi, which he was.</p> CAREY: 8/10 Threw himself at everything, but left exposed at times by our lack of midfield cover on the edge of the box.</p> MURRAY: 5/10 The odd moment but largely ineffective and may be better used as an impact player.</p> ELLIOTT: 6/10 The usual brave hard working performance but needs help and a lot of added guile & creativity to compliment his box to box and ball winning attributes.</p> JOHNSON: 5/10 If Lee’s role is to provide creativity and quality in the final third, it isn’t happening. Got around the pitch enough, but didn’t affect the game in the final third and there are too many “nothing” balls and aimless little dinks down the middle.</p> McINDOE: 5/10 Got around the pitch and on the ball enough, but the quality wasn’t there.</p> TRUNDLE: 5/10 Now entering worrying territory as a lack of service, goals, confidence and physical strength, sees him struggle again. If we don’t add creativity and service soon we need to add a different striker.</p> BYFIELD: 5/10 No problems on the fitness front and lasted the game well. Tried hard but never looked like scoring.</p> SUBS</p> Sproule: 6/10 One pacey run promised to liven things up, but there was no more real threat or end product.</p> Skuse: 7/10 Added some defensive steel and ball winning to midfield and brought the wide players into the game a lot more with some sharp, sensible passes.</p> Vasko: 6/10 In what is an alien position, tried hard and got some knock-downs and flick-ons that created more problems for Barnsley. However, in truth they coped with it easily and he lacked support. </p>
