Holmes_and_Watson

Good again from Edozie. Got past his man, and Brooks could have done better. We immediately give them a chance at the other end. A really good chance. Right into McCarthy.

It took a while, but Edozie's cut back was decent a few mins back. Aribo a bit more forward thinking. Just saw Smallbone not offer himself for a forward pass. So that ended up with Stoke.

Waaay wide from Mara. But we're at elast getting a bit more forward.

Fraser looks at least interested today.

Stephens was on a booking and had pulled a shirt. So that tough manager call of keeping him on and risking a card, or taking him off and losing all our pashun. 🙂

Aribo and Bedders on THB and Charles off

I thought that we'd play a fairly strong team today. Get the lead and bring in young 'uns regularly (not when Martin has set his alarm for every match) throughout the second half. That way, we retain some posisitivty, some sharpness and, in a dead rubber game for us, give the pathway guys some needed time. Nothing is saving that midfield we've picked. Little from up front is likely to work back to help them out. We're struggling to create (half as much as Stoke), while not really helping out our defence.

We've shown earlier in the season, that we can ping it around the back. The players know their positions and know where to immediately release the ball to. Today, Charles was out of position to receive the auto pass. So it went back. Charles got into a better position, but we're much too compact. We have McCarthy, instead of Baz and he ends up thumping it away. Just one example of how our normal tactics 1) aren;t working with this personnel 2) How the coaching team haven;t been able to drill the same sharpness into the rest of the squad, which is a big disapointment. We've not players able to come in and fit the system, which is what they should be coached to be doing. We just look flat and disjointed. They just look off the pace, unable to bring anything to the team.

Brooks picks up a yellow. Cap'n Shoehorn a bit lucky not to pick up a second yellow.

Cap'n Jack picks up a yellow. It was a brave yellow. One he bravely took for the team as we got caught on the back foot. But less about the lack of dealing with a counter, or ability, and more about the bravery.

Fraser gets a shot away, but straight at the 'keeper at a good height for him.

May not better, but more of it, which is what counts. 57% to 43%

Got 2 defenders in the wrong position, moved a step and put it past the 'keeper. A poor one to concede, and we've seen more than a few for comparison.

Oh for heaven's sake.

Breath

No, that can't be right. Because, if that were the case it would be utter madness to continue to do exactly the same thing every match, and that's something I know our manag...oh... 🙂

Excellent performance from QPR. They worked very hard right from the start, to close down Leeds' preferred passing options from the back. Where we are very comfortable creating passing angles, Leeds a bit less so. So, they were doing a lot of straight passes from deep, to break the QPR line. Practically none of them came off. With Chair running things, QPR had a match winner on the park. He was key to a lot of their efforts. It would be nice to have a player capable of that. Early impact Fraser was about as close as we got. That opening spell did for a lot of Leeds' efforts. They couldn't match the work rate. Gnonto was huffing about after that, and Summerville kept very quiet. Leeds also tried to get a lot of the ball to Firpo. I remember one right across to where Banford would be on the end of it. Except, he was injured and sitting in the stand. The rest of the time QPR were very switched on to this tactic, and watched and marshalled (not Scott, obviously) the runners really well. Leeds folded in set pieces in the second half too. They left plenty of space to straightforward crosses, that were both guided in well. Simple, after a lot of work in the training ground. If it wasn't for the fact we'll do what we always set up to do, there would be things we could learn ahead of our match against them. 🙂

Alive

Hang on...hard to type through the tears...bzzt...phone wet.... shorting...frzzt...out...Jurgen!...

I thought we were doing okay after those first four games. A bit disjointed, but nothing I wasn't expecting considering the massive squad being trimmed down while keeping everyone focused, and implementing a new system. As we got through those, and past the transfer window closing, I was expecting things to continue to improve. September was a bit of a shock. 🙂 It turned out that it was the ability of JWP that prevented the system falling apart (see also Downes), and the direct attacking of Tella that gave us some drive in the final third. So, some discussion to be had that it's the players getting us over the line, despite the system. Against the system giving us an overall advantage, if we can get players of a certain standard to work in it.

While absolutely correct, I think this sells Jugen short. As mankind expands into the stars, colonises new worlds and sets up new football leagues, it's safe to say that Jurgen will be the greatest person in the future of humanity (and our new alien chums) too. His documentary should be projected, on a loop, onto the moons of our, and all, of the world's we reach.

One of my favourite Marley songs. 🙂

Dry

Gun

Poster