Exactly how I saw it, apart from Austin who deserves about 2 today. Our entire midfield only operates if they are confident and our manager is incapable of instilling any.
4-3-3 never looked like it would work. I'd have taken Smith off at half time and put 5 in midfield with Wickham up front on his own. Fuck knows why McCormack didn't play wide today. Guess he won Paper Scissors Stone in the warm up. Must add that there was a girl at the back of the NE upper that was screaming like she was giving birth at the end of the second half. Provided a bit of a laugh. South African Pinot noir tonight. http://www.wine-searcher.com/wine-69632-0001-newton-johnson-felicite-pinot-noir-walker-bay-south-africa -- > On 22 Mar 2014, at 18:48, Richard Walker <[email protected]> wrote: > > Yes a win is a win but the fact is there was only one team playing football > today and that was Millwall. Whilst they played neat triangles and > intelligent pass and move football all over the pitch we struggled to string > 2 passes together with our only option being the long ball to Smith or > hopeless balls into the channels. > > We started with a 4-3-3 formation with Wickham on the left, Smith in the > middle and Macca roaming. Millwall were all over us from the start and I was > actually pretty impressed by the way they controlled the game. It was only > desperate defending, solid goalkeeping and poor finishing that saved us in > the early exchanges. We could have easily been 3 down. > > Our goal was completely against the run of play and was a bit of a freak > goal. Wickham found Smith with one of his long throws ( a hidden weapon that > we used a lot today). Smith flicked it on high into the air and it just > looped over the keeper into the far corner. Did he mean it ? No, but who > cares 1-0. > > Did we improve ? No. Millwall continued to dominate and look dangerous. > Austin, Murphy and Mowatt just didn't gel in midfield. Byram had too much on > his plate defensively to do too much going forward and we just looked like a > team low on confidence ( I get that) but also lacking in basic ability. > Austin and Murphy will try their hearts out and run themselves into the > ground and at this level that sometimes is enough but watching them both get > the ball and then just give it away, fall over or pass it in to touch is too > frustrating to watch. > > Wickham was also struggling on the left wing. Why ? He's not a fecking left > winger. Lee Peltier played the worse pass I've ever seen last home game, > today Wickham had the worse shot on goal I've ever seen. He cut inside and > whacked it with his right foot, got it all wrong and it ballooned across the > pitch for a throwing. A player trying too hard and getting frustrated by > playing out of position ? > > The second goal also came totally against the run of play. Millwall were > breaking again, Tom Lees put in a crunching tackle to stop the attack which > inadvertently put Macca clear. It seemed like an impossible angle but he > managed to squeeze it into the net maybe through his legs ? > > So 2-0 up at half-time but it was a total injustice on Ian Holloway's team. > > Second half was much the same in torrential rain. The one difference was > Wickham who was almost a one man team in the second half, he provided an > outlet for us and he looked strong and skilful almost going alone the full > length of the pitch at times. It's just a shame that there was nobody around > him to assist. He looks like a real talent to me and we should be playing him > in his best position but currently Macca scores the goals and Smith provides > us with the long ball option which we need because we haven't got the ability > to play it on the ground. A real dilemma for BMD. > > Millwall then went for broke and put all their subs on including a 7 ft > striker and DJ Campbell who must have had a wager on the draw because every > time he got the ball he looked like scoring. It wasn't long before he did > with a screamer from the edge of the box which Buckland had no chance with. A > real quality strike for a frustratingly good player. > > The rest of the game was just painful to watch. Wave after wave of Millwall > attacks with us hanging on in there with some really desperate and decent > defending. We did have a few counter attacks where we maybe should have > bagged another but we wasted the chances. > > BMD showed his nervousness by taking off Wickham and Byram and putting on > Tonge and Hunt. Strange substitutions in my book, especially Wickham who > looked like the only player we had capable of holding up the ball. > > Millwall came desperately close to equalising and really should have but we > held out and won the game. Relief in the stands but you could sense the > frustration in that we had won a game we had no right to have won. We were > second best throughout and for me this isn't nearly good enough. > > Buckland -8 I thought he looked really solid and was a major factor in us > winning this game. > > Byram -6. I thought he struggled defensively at times today and didn't show > much going forward. He's not a right back. Have I said that before ? > > Pugh - 6. I thought he did ok. Steady, solidish performance, and I'm not > joking. He's not the future though. Have I said that before ? > > Lees - 7. He has his critics but I thought he did well today. Lots of good > challenges. > > Pearce - 7 Again, he put himself on the line time and time again. I don't > think Lees and Pearce is a partnership that will take us anywhere but given > their limited talents you can't fault their effort and application today. > > Austin - 4. Apparently he wasn't fully fit. Loads of effort, no talent. > > Murphy - 5. Loads of effort, no talent. Final ball always a disappointment. > > Mowatt - 5. I think he's got ability and he showed glimpses but he's poor off > the ball due to lack of pace and acceleration. I think this may be factor in > his career. Think Mcphail. > > Wickham - 8. Poor isn't first half but was inspirational second half. Must be > frustrated playing as. Left winger. > > Macca - 6. Good goal, he was lively but like the rest his final ball wS > incredibly poor. Also plYing Ina floating midfield role he does see a lot of > the ball and he does lose possession a lot. > > Smith -7. Does exactly what it says on the tin. Big bloke, wins headers, > causes problems, provides a long ball option and scores goals. Can't fault > him really. He looked f'cked second half. > > Subs: > > Tonge - did a job. > > Hunt - got booked. > > BMD - not good enough, he'll be relieved but I think he should be a very > worried man. This team is lacking and he really doesn't know which formation > to go with. I can't see a future with BMD. I hope I'm wrong. > > This has been a very negative review for a game we won and I realise that. If > I'm optimistic for a second maybe we are rock bottom on confidence and this > is the major reason for our broken play. Maybe we will push on now. > > Or maybe we're just shit. > > A bit of Grenache tonight I think. > > >> On 22 Mar 2014, at 16:35, Dr Michael Benjamin <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> Squeeky bum time. >> We'll fuck up again? >> _______________________________________________ >> Leedslist mailing list >> Info and options: http://mailman.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist >> To unsubscribe, email [email protected] >> >> John 'Grampa' Sykes >> Rest In Peace old lad >> 28th Oct 1938 - 12 Nov 2013 >> MARCHING ON TOGETHER > _______________________________________________ > Leedslist mailing list > Info and options: http://mailman.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist > To unsubscribe, email [email protected] > > John 'Grampa' Sykes > Rest In Peace old lad > 28th Oct 1938 - 12 Nov 2013 > MARCHING ON TOGETHER _______________________________________________ Leedslist mailing list Info and options: http://mailman.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist To unsubscribe, email [email protected] John 'Grampa' Sykes Rest In Peace old lad 28th Oct 1938 - 12 Nov 2013 MARCHING ON TOGETHER
