I thought we started slowly, Donny the more threatening early on, but it wasn't long until I was bored rigid. Two very poor sides, but playing different brands of football. Our possession football occasionally opened up space out wide which Harris especially, and Watkins and Wabara tried to make the most of. But an end product was lacking every time. Even one of Hourihane's free kicks found the one man wall. Our delivery throughout today was very poor, which limited our ambitions because we only looked likely to score via a set piece or through a winger's cross. No bugger looked interested in shooting. Countless chances to hit one, but no, 2 yard square pass instead. Boring to watch, and frustrating. The home side's football was less 'modern' than ours, much more direct, and they flashed three headers just wide from corners. Their opening goal came during a good spell for us, against the run of play. Still no idea how it went in, but Mawson and Townsend were livid with each other. We scored against the run of play to level it up, I've got it on camera (saving it for tomorrow) and then I expected us to go on and get the win. But other than Harris, we lacked an attacking spark. The substitutions baffled me. Not only the the fact he made three at once, but the players he took off. Our full backs were brilliant today. I was glad to see Crowley on, but he came on and was as naive as ever, losing balls, fannying about etc. It was that fannying, after Smith (sub) had softly lost out in a challenge, that led to us gifting them the ball and Donny went straight through a huge hole (it was their third foray down there, following the subs) and grabbed the winner. Hard to tell from our end, but Townsend beaten a little easily at his near post perhaps. But that goal definitely came about because of the three changes. Don't give a shiny **** who tells me otherwise. We looked settled, had a good shape about us, defensively. We had little joy further forward, but that back four were solid. Taking two full backs off at that stage was asking for it. And as ***** as Donny were, even they could spot the massive hole where Judd had been, and exploited it. Fantastic turnout by our supporters yet again, only to be let down, again. Will expand on things tomorrow. Not a podcast. Worth it just for the reaction from Roy and West Ham Dave when Winnall scores. Other than result and boring football, an enjoyable day spent with cracking lads. You Reds (****, but our ****)
I thought it was as cohesive as we've been for a while, away from home anyway. For the most part - last ten minutes was waiting for the inevitable after such a blatant invitation to the opposition to have a go. The full backs gave us good balance and I thought Watkins and Harris in front of them were getting plenty of joy. End product not always great - but we're in division three. Harris was running round their right back at will. The substitutions we made lost us the game. He didn't have to tear up the defence to get a second striker on - he completely ruined the team and we hardly had the ball in that last ten minutes as a result. Then on ninety minutes our new goalkeeper showed exactly why the lad on the bench should be playing, by allowing a shot in at the near post which was well hit but nowhere near the corner, a shot which any professional keeper has to keep out, but one which he got nowhere near. LJ needs to grow a pair and reinstate his first choice and not play the choice of the ex Birmingham city goalkeeping coach.
Yep. But I do feel that were we playing Rochdale again, or dare I say dem blades, Bury, Wigan et al, we'd have been well beaten today. We were the better (slightly) of two poor sides. We do sometimes keep the ball well, and our back four for the most part looked solid. But summat is missing. I said to Roy after ten minutes "It's depressing me". And that's where my lack of enthusiasm comes from. I feel so apathetic. Yet I still keep going, hoping etc. And we've some laikers I proper like. In fact, I like most of em. It's the football on show, it's just not the football I enjoy, sadly. But I'll be at Bradford on Tuesday.
I don't mind the way we set up today in all honesty - for an away game in a match that was always going to be a contest with it being derby. One up top but two wide men who tuck in to support win all when the other winger is out wide - Watkins had two headers he should have done better with from crosses from the left. It was ok, not great, but I'd have been satisfied with a point, and I also thing we'd have created more chances had we stayed in the same shape last ten minutes. Rovers never looked like scoring yet managed two
I agree, I'd have taken a point before the game, and when we equalized I said that to Roy. But I can't pretend the football on offer is anything but dull to watch, and has been in most games I've seen under LJ.
All about opinions...I thought it was our best football this season....No end product but the build up play was excellent at times. As for boring, I was more entertained than any of the wins I've seen. If the keeper hadn't made the two decent second half saves we would most probably all been pretty happy.
I think the word naivety sums us up today, both on the pitch and in our coaching. Donnie had some old heads who slowed the game right down when we were on top, even taking 20 mins for a corner 30 mins in! We played at a rushed pace, no one dictated our play nor did we hold any concerted pressure up front, just sporadic flurries often in the first half leading to nothing or shots well wide. We had no need to make the 3 changes we did. Throwing Smith up front was understandable but if the other subs pull your wide players back to support defensively it doesn't make sense. My biggest worry right now is that Crowley is starting to look a high risk option in midfield. If we need to lose Scowan to fit him in yesterday, then he has to be 100% in control of possession, but he wasn't and again lost it far too easy. Let's see who rests and who plays on Tuesday, but Saturday can't be anything but 3pts right now.
Not at the match yesterday, but two points to make. A few posters on here who were at the caravan park were screaming at half time for LJ to be more positive. As it turned out, it looks as though he sacrificed a point for that. But he was damned if he did........... etc. Second point for me is that although it might be slow progress at times, I prefer watching this team attempt to pass the ball rather than us having a single tactic of hoofing it up to a slow, out of position O'Grady. I think we'll only see this team's (and Lee's) true mettle next season.
It wasn't a positive move though. He added a second striker - but the wide boys who had been mullering their fullbacks all day found themselves a lot deeper in wingback roles, leaving two forwards isolated and the side lacking an outlet other than to lump it up, we had no possession but three big centre halves on, if anything with the wide boys stepping back it was more like a back five and could be perceived as negative rather than positive. It would have been more positive to bring off one of the central midfield players (probably hourihane, as good as he can be on the ball he's too much of a luxury for a two) and go 442 for ten minutes - without disrupting the back four who were solid and still allowing width. Donny in possession weren't hurting us so I reckon we'd have coped with two in the middle - not sure if scowen was injured but for me, either leave it as it was and push Conor up to a ten role, or pull Conor and put smith on. What he did was blatantly ridiculous, all three thousand ish of us there could see. Walking back to the car I heard plenty of Donny fans mention the substitutions we made and that after that was the only time they were in the game. Even they saw it. Don't know what they said on the radio or whatever but if he hadn't so drastically altered the shape there would have been only one team to have won it - we might not have scored again but we were on the front foot, it would have been a point at least in an improved away performance.
