Thought first half we got into good positions, showed we still intend to try & play in the same way as we have all season but we just lacked quality, particularly from the full backs. Both young lads with plenty to learn but no doubt they'll be targeted rest of this season & looking forward to seeing the difference Yiadom makes. Feels unlikely that it's a coincidence that we've gone from top scorers to getting 2 in 3 games post Hourihane and expect us to see many more games like that for the rest of the season. But we didn't lose, we looked solid, I thought Ryan Kent had his best game for us but again he's a young lad learning. Big worry is still that at the start of the season we had options on the bench - either out wide or up top. Saturday we didn't & we need to see more from Armstrong in particular but he needs service. We'll obviously be reight but really hopeful that we're using this time to get our stuff in order for next season - Josh Scowen should become the highest paid player in our history because he's that good & regardless we'll only have him for another 12 months max.
Not too worried about the loss of Bree and Winnowl - Wednesday will soon learn they haven't got what they thought there. But Hourihane did a job for us that he may not be able to for Villa. That said, if we can get Josh tied down as you say, and if we can keep James we will have a few options in midfield. Yids will be a welcome return, and if only we could keep Aidy White fit for longer. Baffled about Payne going out - I would have thought that the remainder of this season with the pressure off would be the perfect opportunity to give him game time and experience. Marley is another 100%+ trier but I'm never quite sure where he fits in our system, or whether he is meant to be a winger or an out and out striker. The possibilities of something exciting were beginning to open up before Conor's departure, but let's make no mistake, it's been a very successful season to stay up with comfort. Every reason to think next year can be as good, particularly if we can get one or two more options up front should Marley go as well.
A draw was a fair reflection of the game , it just hits home as a spectacle when we have most of the quality players ripped out of the side , we just looked short of ideas . Josh Scowen's performances stand out like a sore thumb and hopefully his new contract offer will reflect that . Where was Ryan Williams on Saturday?
Agree with this. There was plenty of effort and commitment, from both teams, but second half the quality was pretty poor. I thought the full backs looked good defensively (last 5 Elder lost the plot a bit but first half he put in a couple of crunching tackles on Pearson) but the crossing was wayward to say the least. But we were solid and grafting - two things you can't really say about our previous incarnations at this level. I felt quite sorry for the front two, very little service. But I think Winnall's ability to drop deep, pick up the ball and put the defence on the back foot was sorely missed too.
Like many others have said, I thought we played alright and did most things well against a side who've been tough to beat this season, worked very hard but just missing an end product/final ball. Not panicking just yet.
I am still really enjoying people believing that we won't miss a striker who was on course to score 20 goals at this level & had scored close to that ratio in all his time with us. Winnall got some stick but he was a lot more than people give him credit for & I think you see that now with Armstrong - his pace is what gets him in to positions but there were plenty of examples in that first half where if Winnall had been in the box I'd have felt we had a chance, particularly with us putting balls in from wide in front of the keeper. Hanging out for a poacher to get across his man. I thought like you said Elder looked solid against a tricky player in McGeady but his crossing let him down badly, as did Jones on the right.
Agree with that. Folk sometimes take a point in time as the end event - when we're good we're going up, now we've lost Hourihane we're doomed. The team/club is permanently in a state of development. Hourihane & Winnall have both been written off on here in their 1st seasons with us, now folk want to suck them off, likewise because in the 1st couple of games without both we've suffered creatively then that's it - we'll always be like this. The club and Hecky have shown that they can develop players and Hecky in partic can get the best out of them. He obviously went in for Mowatt thinking he could do a job, likewise Matty james who he was keen to get in. Of course we've stepped back and you can argue all day long about the whys and wherefores but it won't always be like Saturday, just as it can't always be like when we beat Leeds.
People keep saying this but there is absolutely no evidence to support it. Both had very successful first seasons. Hourihane played further forward in his first season and scored some wonder goals in open play. They dried up a bit in his 2nd season when he was converted into a more deep lying midfielder. It was then when people questioned whether that was the right position for him. Winnall has scored goals since he joined us and has been a fan's favourite from day 1. It was only this season when one or two fans questioned his commitment because he didn't celebrate a goal against Villa. They've both been key players in our promotion, JPT success and brilliant start to this season. We'll obviously get on with it now they're gone but I've watched all three games since they departed and there signs are that we're not quite as good without them. Remember we beat Rotherham 4-0, Wolves 4-0 and Preston 2-1 earlier this season.
It took Sam Winnall ten or so games to get a goal for us so not exactly day 1. He's also had threads on here discussing his overall contribution & that he wasn't good enough outside of the box with loads saying he shouldn't have been starting earlier in the year. And Hourihane also got slated plenty for not putting a foot in & was never converted to a deep lying midfielder until about November time last season - always was an attacking midfielder or wide left under Wilson.
Ah, I remember some of those comments about Hourihane & Winnall with great fondness! "Hourihane just floats his corners and free kicks in", "Winnall will never score goals in Division 1", "Other than his goals, what else does Hourihane do?" "The Scunny fans warned us how poor Winnall was", "Hourihane and Winnall can't play effectively together in the same team" and the best of all "Hourihane can't play in centre midfield in a 442 formation"! I happily admit to knowing nothing about football. But it's always funny when those who believe they do are shown to know even less!
Yeah but mentioning no names, it's the same minority every time that do the questioning - less than ten people at a guess. The vast majority of fans really appreciated both players in that first season was what I was trying to get at.
