> > > So let's get the important facts of the day out of the way first; we won; we > kept a clean sheet; and that should be enough to keep us up. It should also > give us some confidence for the Barnsley & Forest games. > > OK Blackpool were really poor, really really poor, but then so were Charlton > and Doncaster. Blackpool genuinely looked like a group of men who'd just had > the idea of "football" explained to them half an hour before kick-off - no > shape, little skill, not much in the way of tackling - I think they forced > one proper save out of Butland. > > For a home match against a team that has won 2 of their last 25 matches we > lined up with 5 defenders (Pearce, Lees, Zak, Warnock and the ever more > dreadful Wootton) plus the keeper, Brown (defensive midfield) and Murphy who > has been playing as the holding midfield player all season, leaving us Tonge, > Ross and Lurch as our main attacking options. That in itself is a pretty poor > indictment of where we are as a team and where our confidence is from the > manager on down. > > The match was thoroughly forgettable...our defensive plan was to defend like > bastards...and in the main we did this, throwing bodies in the way of > everything. So we defended just by mass of numbers and effort, not by > anything remotely approaching guile, or class. But that was all that was > needed against this opposition. Going forward seemed to involve hitting Smith > with the long hoof and then trying to play off that...or, as an alternative, > one of our most used attacking options in the first half was wide to Wootton > on the right...yes that's right, our 4th or 5th choice centre half, was our > main attacking option going down the right wing. > > The two key events were Murphy's goals both of which he took really well. All > of his goals this season have come from him running beyond the last > man...just saying. The first was running into the box onto a good threaded > ball by Ross, his first touch was heavy, but his second was a brilliant > recovery, which dragged the ball back - sitting the keeper and defender down > as they bought the feint - and then clipping home with left foot. The second > came when he chased a good flick on by Hunt, into the box to a tight angle > not far from the dead ball line and clipped it first time across the keeper > and in the far post. Both were quality finishes. > > So, has Luke Murphy just saved us from relegation? If so, that was a million > well spent. > > None of the players really got above a 5 (Ross...probably about a 3...not on > his game at all), and of course Murphy must be worth an 8 or so for the > effort and the goals. > > > on a final note, it is hard to believe that 25 years have gone by and the > truth about Hillsborough isn’t acknowledged in the public arena, let’s hope > this hearing finally puts an end to the injustice.
_______________________________________________ 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
