For 60, 65 minutes. Only just managed to get around to posting my thoughts, after what was an enjoyable Saturday afternoon. It was great to meet Fired, Cunning Stunt, Freezing Tyke and Young Nudger for the first time. Lovely people all of them. Hope to see you all again in the future. Not so great having to spend the day with bossman... Saw DEETEE and Eaststand Lower from across the road - nice hand gestures, you pair of quims. Despite rumours to the contrary, the WSB fanzine was more than readily available, and Dyson was indeed where he said he would be (Liam? I'm up for flogging the next one down some back alley if need be). Twas great to see it warmly received. Reight then, onto the game.... I think we started brightly, but we failed to get Mellis involved (or he himself failed to get involved). He was closely marked throughout - sometimes they doubled up on him. That is what happens when the opposition do their homework, and worry about what we offer. They'll pick out our key players, and attempt to stop them. Perhaps it worked at times with Mellis? And their Leeds United tactics certainly thwarted Perkins. How the lad at number 8 (Stephens?) remained on the pitch is the referees guess. And the number 6 (Dervite?) wasn't much better. Some shocking challenges on Perkins in particular. So yes, they targeted our 'ballers'. Bit surprised at this from them. Such a free-flowing attacking side, with pace. But today they were Wednesday-esque. *****, in other words. Not just that, but they concentrated on attacking us down our right, against O'Brien/Wiseman. They stood up to the job in the main, and I feel grateful that they didn't go at Kennedy/Golbourne so much, because they'd have fared better in my opinion. No Johnnie Jackson certainly affected them, though. They offered nowt centrally, which allowed Mellis to eventually float and find space, as did Dagnall and occasionally Dawson who was all over midfield, but in a good way. I was gutted to lose Perkins. Last player I want us to see going off. But Etuhu was imperious from the moment he took to the field, right up until half time. I think even, his coming on changed the game. That was when Dawson really released the shackles and got forward with the others more often. The first goal... Great ball by Kennedy, eventually played into Golbourne (who I thought was poor if I'm honest) whose low cross was nearly diverted in by Dagnall but for a good challenge, but luckily found it's way to O'Grady at the other stick and he slid home for 1-0. Shortly after, Daggers out-muscled Stephens just outside their box (despite him holding Daggers' arms, cheating get) and he was about to shoot until a defender nicked it off him, but it found it's way to O'Grady out wide who picked out Daggers and his shot was fired into the corner but Hamer made a fine save. I had to mention this, because I've seen criticism of Daggers on twitter tonight for that 'miss' and it's utter ********. The lad created that for himself after his own graft and endeavour. He was denied by a good save. He didn't blaze it over for fcuks sake. The anti-Daggers coalition on here/twitter can **** off. There. Said it. Anyway, it was the BFC of 2013 that we'd grown accustomed to in that first half. Hard yards, pressing the opposition, intensity, and good quality going forward at a tempo. As I made my way back to my seat for the second half, both myself and Dyson agreed - THIS was the Tarn we wanted, result irrelevant, the performance was bang on. Second half resumed similarly, although Charlton had started to get it down a bit more after probably realising that Kermorgant was getting no change out of Big John Holmes (Jean-Yves M'Voto). They were starting to stretch us, using the flanks, but O'Brien was coping well with Pritchard (??), and whilst they were more offensive it gave Daggers/Mellis more room to operate and we profited from that with the second goal... After an Etuhu slide tackle (I think) Daggers ran at the defence before slipping Mellis in out wide and his left foot delivery was inch perfect for COGBA to plant home a firm header and at that point I thought we'd go on to gain some revenge in terms of goals scored. We were so on top it was silly. I was staggered by how different this Charlton side were playing compared to just a few months ago. But, we are always prone to a **** up in defence, and so it again proved to be.. Mellis tried to be cute in central midfield and beat his man, instead of releasing Golbourne, and Charlton got it down their left and their cross was headed backwards by Etuhu, which Steele then punched but got little on it, and the Charlton players strike was as lucky as **** as he smacked it into the ground but watched as it looped somehow over the desperate Wiseman and into the net. Got to be honest. Cannot recall a goal more against the run of play for a long time. But certainly expected us to concede another. I literally saw our lads heads drop. The subbing off of Mellis and Dagnall made no sense to me. Both were key to what we'd achieved to that point. Digby came on and spent his time on the edge of our box, except for a late header which a lad of his size ought to have got over the top of and directed goalwards. This isn't criticism of him. He's a bairn. He's learning fast. But I don't think he should have been put on, in hindsight (wonderful, innit?). Rather have put Cywka on and stayed offensive. Or, if going into 'park the bus' mode, use Hassell (who???) or McNulty in that kind of blatant holding role.. Their equalizer - good little ball through by their lad to be fair - came about through poor communication in my opinion. M'Voto was too far forward, and Kennedy sleeping when Church burst through on goal. And for me, the latter should have hooked it off the line. Uses his right foot, and it's cleared. Simple. And I look forward to watching it back on Player tomorrow. From then on in, they shut up shop and we were as narrow as **** in midfield and had zero creativity. Looked like an Autumn 2012 Keith Hill vintage for that last period. In summary.. I was impressed by practically all the lads, other than Kennedy and Golbourne for the most part. The former, does my head in with his incessant - and needless - back passes to Steele. But, also annoys me with his long balls up to the front two. Yes, the odd one works out - more to do with O'Grady's technique at times today. But in the main, needlessly gives the opponent the ball. And for me, he offers nowt defensively. is he a better centre half than Hassell, for example? Not a 'prayer' he is. End of that debate. Thankfully, I expect him to sit out with Bobby once Cranie/Nyatanga are back. (who are both no better than Bobby at centre half either, in my opinion). Biased though, so feel free to ignore my ramblings on that subject. *We wouldn't have conceded THAT goal at Blackpool or the first one today had Bobby been in the defence. Quick points: * Flicker - Noble-Lazarus, ready for a start you said pre-Blackpool. Same time you said Digby wasn't going to play. You also say Butterfield isn't needed, we have "too many" creative midfielders... are you standing by these remarks, or do I just accept you talk as much **** as I do? I'm going with the latter in the interim. *M'Voto - Aye, I like him. Wins headers a lot. But **** me he's like Dave Regis on acid when 'on the ball' isn't he? Lost count of the times the ball went through his legs today. And he's rarely where we need him to be, is he, tha knows, when they score? Have a look at all our goals conceded so far. At least 3 I'm blaming him for. But not in a nasty way. Just putting it out there, because a lot of folk seem to be bigging him up and I see no criticism of him. McNulty would have been strung up by now... *New striker - I'd like one. But still think COG and Daggers will serve us well. Totally baffles me the stick that the latter gets. Top scorer last season. Probably THE key player last season, in terms of us staying up. *The Dawson stick - why? What did he do wrong today? Again, baffled. So in all, I've got my concerns. But I'm confident we're getting better with each performance, and it's a movement... Said it on twitter at 5pm - Marathon not a Snicker. Early days. Enjoyed today. You Reds etc. (yes, I appreciate it's a lengthy post, but I don't have time to blog anymore so you have to put up with it.. ****, it's tough, innit?)
Not meant as a criticism Whitey, we all went to the game and it's funny how we see things slightly differently. Maybe perhaps because of already ingrained prejudices about certain players.. but * Flicker, talks a bit o' *****, but he's football manager, they all do. Still learning really, only time will tell if he accepts where he makes mistakes. * M'Voto, I don't see the same disaster area you do. He gets in a McNultyesque mess with his feet on occasion but for the most part he gets rid. Gets to the ball, tackles well and wins most of his headers. A big strong centre half who can win headers is what we've been after, if he could laik on the deck more it'd be great, but face facts he wouldn't be doing it for us, would he? * New Striker, we need a new striker. Dagnall I like, but he's not prolific, I'm really beginning to think he's simply extremely unlucky. He gets in the right places , gets shots on target and keepers make great saves to keep him out. Maybe he pissed on a witch. I'd like to see Cofie given a run out against tired defenders. The years aren't getting any kinder to Scotland. * Dawson, I get that he busies himself and that allows our more creative players to play, but he needs to do more in his own right. When Mellis went off he went from being usefully helpful to clueless, as if it was up to Etuhu to find a pass. If he's going to be the first name on Flickers team sheet every week, then he has to offer more, especially if our creative midfielders are taken off …. and that shot. Can I call it a shot? He goes ball chasing too and left JOB on his own against two sometimes yesterday. Luckily JOB is oddly turning into a fearsome right wingback. Why is there silence with Steele, time and again he doesn't punch properly, doesn't come out fast enough and it costs us, yet because he made a fine save in the first half it's ok. I simply cannot understand why everyone thinks he's a decent keeper when he's just average. Won't post again about Steele, no one seems to agree and he's not leaving coz I don't like him, he's first choice so I'm gonna have to suck it up and shut up. Don't say you weren't warned though.
Had game finished after 60 minutes , it would have been a good all round team performance , but there's 90 minutes in game. I don't think kennedy and golbourne are good in team together , but apart from that we played with the same tempo from last season and deserved to get 3 points
Hi, YT. Interesting read as I watch MOTD with my 2 young lads and a pot of Yorkshire tea. (Btw, could be worse, we could support Arsenal). As much as I agree about the creation/conversion of chances to goals is a concern, I don't like our cont continued propensity to concede. I also would prefer to have a settled back 3,4 or 5. Ok, we have to deal with injuries but this unit will most likely change again next week. So, before I ramble too much, would you bring in Cr & Ny directly and switch Wisey to rwb? Sounded like JOB had a decent game via BP? Bon dimanche
For what its worth I thought we was excellent for the first hour or so but then collectively switched off, it was so easy against a very poor charlton that we stopped doing (as a team) what we'd been doing, get caught by a sucker punch then panic
The big problem for Flicker, when everyone is fit, will be getting the balance of the team right, and particularly the midfield area. We currently have 9 players who have a reasonable claim to a mid-field position, and I believe that Flicker is also in the market for a right winger. To me, the depth of choice means that ultimately, Flicker is looking to play 4 in midfield, and possibly 5 on occasion. That is, we will ultimately move away from a wing back system. When I watch Mellis, I do so for half the time in admiration, and the other half in frustration. His poor work rate when we do not have the ball and lack of endurance virtually rules him out of a central midfield role, which is frustrating because he is undoubtedly our most constructive passer and best long distance shooter. Should the team be organised around him , as Keith Hill did with Butterfield by playing him in the hole behind the front two? If your answer is yes, then your answer either means either wing backs and a 3 man midfield, or a 4 man diamond in midfield and width provided much deeper by the full backs or a 5 man midfield with Mellis behind 1 forward. Personally, I do not think that Mellis is as good as Butterfield, and therefore, does not carry the talent to have the team constructed around him. He is an enigma. For me, the first name on the team sheet in midfield is Etuhu. He enables us to win the ball back early, which means that we are able to attack a defense that is not prepared. Our second goal yesterday illustrated this. The fact that we have spent our only transfer fee this summer on Jennings, suggests that when fit, he will play. Jennings played left wing for Tranmere, which suggests that Flicker wants to return to a 4-4-2 system in the long term. This also suggests that O'Brien or a new right winger will play on the right side. This leaves only one place left in a four man midfield with Dawson, Perkins and Digby contesting that position. Currently, Perkins would be my choice when fit. Dawson does not deserve the criticism he gets from some quarters, but he is behind Perkins, and Digby showed yesterday how far he is from being ready. We are still conceding silly goals, and yesterdays pair were fine examples. For the first, no-one seemed to want to clear it badly enough, and for the second Kennedy was caught not concentrating. Although Mvoto is good in the air, he is fallible on the ground and his positioning is sometimes suspect. He was indebted to Wiseman's pace and reading of the game on more than one occasion yesterday. He is a work in progress and the staff will be working on his faults. We have not seen Nyatanga play in a competitive game since he returned to the club, so we do not know if he deserves a place in the team. In my opinion, Wiseman is the best defender at the club and deserves his place in the centre of a back three, where his pace allows us to maintain a high line, at wing back, where his pace can be used as a threat out wide or at full back in a back four. However, realistically, in a back four, the choice for the centre backs is between Mvoto, Cranie, Nyatanga and McNulty, and I do not yet know the pair that meshes best yet. Up front, we also have a problem. O'Grady is automatic choice, but I do not feel that him and Dagnall has ever been the partnership that Harewood and Dagnall was. Danall thrived in that partnership because of Marlon's lack of movement. Marlon would keep within the lines which define an area of the pitch marked by the sides of the two 18 yard boxes. From this position, he was able to direct flicks and nudges into the runs that Dagnall was making. Of course Dagnall is not clinical enough in front of goal, there is no argument that we do need another striker. However, I do have some concerns that O'Grady will be a difficult player to find a match for as he does tend to wander away from his partner and towards the wings, in order to find the space to receive the ball. To summarise this waffle, the team is struggling for balance from one end of it to the other. For us, the issues are not just about the quality of the players. They are about how we can make those players gel together as a team. It might be necessary to sacrifice some players of higher quality, in order to find a balance that will benefit the team overall.
Im beginning to get bored of the kennedy/goldbourne combo tbh, its the same everytime, kennedy gets the ball plays it to our "wingback" goldy, he looks forward, shits himself and passes it back to kennedy to hoof it down the line to CogBa in hope that he pulls something off to do with it, (which to be fair he does) But there was still many many positives to take from that, the amount of stick daggers gets shocks me, as in my opinion it was daggers comin off not mellis that changed the game more. but we'll be alright. dont worry. you reds
M'voto wasn't too far forward for their second goal. The defence was doing what they were told. About 10 seconds before the goal Mickey Melon was on the touch line telling the back three to spread out and push forward to halfway line. They were in the process of doing this when the through ball was played. All three were on the front foot and subsequently were half a yard behind the striker. This was just unlucky as I think the defence played well especially M'votes
While I don't think Kennedy is great at defending, I disagree with the criticism he gets regarding his distribution. His pass completion is remarkably high considering his role in the team. Time and time again O'Grady peels off to the left and Kennedy plays a perfect ball into his chest or feet. It works a treat every time. O'Grady then lays it off for Golbourne and they're two on one against an isolated full back. Alternatively he can play it inside to Mellis or Dagnall. We go from being under pressure with the ball at the back to being on the counter attack in one ball. That's exactly how the first goal came about.
Thought M'Voto had a good game yesterday won nearly everything, he's never going to be the world kick ups champion but that's not what he's there for, does have a bit of a ten bob head he's attacking one of our corners though.
I agree... we played some decent stuff. Shame we didn't see them off but it was alot more encouraging. Good to meet you and Bossman. Hope you were warm enough at the match in your arctic gear.
My recollection of the Dagnall chance was that Mellis hit the post and then O'Grady squared it to Daggers. Unless I'm imagining it. He was too safe with that finish. It was a good save but it should have been a top corner job that gave keeper no chance. I think he played well though, as I said on twitter.
