What a crazy afternoon, this game had it all really. All the fans near me agreed beforehand that we would probably lose 3 or 4 and some discussion as to whether Marsch is under real pressure, especially given Angus Kinnears programme notes saying the second half v palace was unacceptable When they went off after 23 seconds we all agreed we had had a good start, and then the black humour started " let's call it a draw" , then 45 mins later " we are doing better than expected still 0 0 after 45 mins etc" . There was also general discontent with the reason for the delay. Why not just agree to play without VAR and goal line technology like the good old days? When we did start properly Sinisterra created for himself 2 great shots that went either side of the post, a corner brought a scramble and good stop fro from their keeper. At the other end they blasted their only effort over the bar. We were holding on without being under pressure but were being pulled all over the place chasing the ball. They looked a better team than us. Then the moment of madness that ultimately lost us the game. A stupid and ridiculous pass by Rodrigo ( he has used up all my patience- get rid , he will never come good) put the otherwise excellent Struik in a real mess and they got the ball and Saka finished really well from a difficult angle , good goal but created by us. We huffed and puffed a bit , but the general feeling was keep it to one goal and change things at half time Thankfully we managed that and what a transformation it was - we battered them second half and most of the credit for that must go to Bamford, but we failed to score and most of the criticism of that must also go to Bamford. I have just read a statistic that Bamford, despite only having 30% of the available minutes, has missed more clear golden opportunities than any other premiership striker, many of whom have played near enough 100% . The good Bamford, he really put then under pressure and linked up well with the midfield and other attackers so that Sinnisterra and aaranson could run Arsenal ragged as we created chances and half chances. He did put the ball in the net very quickly but it looked a clear push from my viewpoint, less obvious on TV. He did not quite connect with a couple of other shots but looked threatening throughout. The pen was clear handball but play carried on for ages ( they had an attack) before it was announced VAR was checking. As the ref went over Bamford picked up the ball and carried it the length of the pitch to the penalty spot , all the time being followed by an Arsenal playing chipping away at him, then when the pen was given Arsenal players surrounded the ref and further delayed things. We all felt at that point Bamford should have given the ball to someone else but he took it and made the unforgivable sin of missing the target To be fair he and the whole team kept going with their keeper having to save from aaronson and then a great move gave Summerville his chance of glory but he fired well over - a bad miss. With regards the other subs why take off a winger Harrison, for a centre midfielder, Klich , only minutes later with no change to the scoreline , then take off a centre mid Roca to bring on a winger, Summerville? Why not either a double sub or 2 like for like subs ( the answer according to my son is that " marsch is a clueless twat " a bit harsh in my opinion)Then came the final moment of madness Bamford is blocked by the centre half who goes to the deck very easily and kicks out at Paddy who also takes a dive but then jumps up ( remembering his dive in the villa fracas and subsequent ban? )Ref gives red card and a penalty, Bamford gets the ball to take it, we all shout " no paddy give it someone else) the Arsenal players surround and hector the ref to consult VAR . Result no pen, no red. At the time my view was Bamford pushed him and he kicked Paddy so a red but no penalty, having seen the kick on TV I can see why it is only a yellow. So an eventful game to say the least and whilst beforehand 1 0 may have seemed ok , the way the game went we deserved all 3 points in a 3 or even 4 1 win. So bitterly disappointed but to quote the old cliche " lots to be pleased about and lots up build on"Hopefully that is true , certainly if we play like that we should beat Leicester and Fulham but will we play like that ? 2 bad results this week could see the end of Jesse? 2 wins and suddenly we are comfy in mid table . Need Bamford to find his scoring touch and to get the ball to Sinisterra as often as possible ( he looks a real talent) So a great performance but in a results business, Dave _______________________________________________ Leedslist mailing list Info and options: https://mailman.gn.apc.org/mailman/listinfo/leedslist To unsubscribe, email [email protected]
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