Holmes_and_Watson

Crop

Uh oh... I can't be the only one forced to eat soup by 1930's styled nationalists. I still shudder at their stony, uncaring expressions as I cried "But, it's not even hot!"

Just what went through my mind, when I read it. A concerted effort to centralise power. In Sturgeon's case, that was a gradual process, with a lot of those involved stilly giddy at the thought of a shared cause. Many still don't see how badly that was hijacked by a core of a few controlling finances, trying to rig elections, and making catestrophic decisions. Eventually, as Labour will discover, you end up isolating your core support, stifle useful debate and concentrate power in the hands of an inner group, who simply aren't up to the job. They might be able to purge those with dissenting views. But, as Sturgeon found, there's plenty within her own party waiting for it to fall apart, as they've not been included in the decision making.

Cue an inspirational video from Nigel, where it's not about firsts and seconds, but seeing each new day as a chance to be a better you. Dusting yourself down when there are challenges, not being discouraged and working towards a better future. Happy Birthday Nigel!

We should thank the royals, for Photoshopping away their true, reptilian forms, and not putting us off our cornflakes. - Mr D. Icke, Bunkersville

I'd seen him a fair amount for Rangers. Whatever happened when he joined here, he regressed quite a bit. Martin and the staff have managed to help him turn that round, and he's actually looking better than I remember him. We've had a few players who have struggled a lot with form for whatever reason, such as Stu. Martin's environment seems to have a positive effect. I can't imagine everyone in any dressing room is happy all the time. But he's made sure that players have ben brought in gradually with minutes and developed. There have been odd exceptions. Rothwell, goals aside which is no minor thing, probably suffers from being thrown in a bit. But generally, he seems to have kept a fair number of players on board. Quite a far cry from seperate dressing rooms and the cliques of last season.

Breaking news... Jack Stephens in injury scare after freak car park incident. "I was just going to my car after training," said the undroppable defender, when a combination of me running out to the command of a whistle, and some random guy in a Landrover, left me like this." Concerns may prove unfounded, as the vocal skipper said "With me being shoe-horned into various shapes, another dent shouldn't make a difference. Wish I knew who was driving that Land Rover though." 🙂

Fair point. I was thinking of SR setting it up under Wilcox, without connecting it to someone who might already be using it. I've not seen much of Burnley this season. Are they really trying to play MartinBall?

"I can see why playing AA in goal this week might have looked odd. But the most deserving players in training apart from him were all defenders. So they all started, and someone had to replace Baz."

I guess the SR thinking is that to avoid that sort of outcome, that we have to do something a bit different. Despite some lovely stuff under Ralph, they will look at the last days of that. So the Man City controlled approach. Mileage on SR's left field thinking may differ per poster 🙂

In his head, Martin is probably thinking that 1) he's not far off having to bring on some extra energy so 2) Anticipate that Sunderland are going to have to push up to get back into it, so having our fastest player to get behind them, and worry them when they get forward is a plus as 3) After 55, Sunderland were pressing us back centrally, and our clearances were getting a bit rushed, making 4) Aribo coming on to win and hold the ball and be a target for Baz would be a plus. Didn't quite work like that, but self inflicted, against some of the composed passing we've seen earlier in the season. I can see why he made the changes. Don't know if the shift in defence yesterday added to those issues. When our passing out breaks down, and Has only has a second to act on his "wrong side" is when you have moments of worry. He's had to do it so often, and I imagine opponents know and try to force it onto that side, that I expect him to deal with them. The others weren't as sharp picking up passing angles I thought yesterday. That one I do think had to do with the shuffle.

Cry

Seller

Good to go into a 20 day break with the 3 points. We dominated the first half and were fine in the first 15 minutes of the second. All the usual hallmarks of the season. High possession, a decent number of chances and not as many goals as you’d think we’d get from them. Thy got 2 goals from their first 3 shots. We contributed quite a bit to both goals, in the way their player did for our first. Our decision making while playing MartinBall wobbled. We looked for passes under pressure when there were better options. We looked to hold when we should clear, and dispossessed (particularly for their second). Martin will be focused on tightening that up. Especially as it’s been happening for a little while. The first thing people will look at is pushing THB out to CB so that Stephens can play centrally. Martin’s looking for something a little more complicated there. THB having to move in when Stephens goes forward to support the midfield more directly. Manning, tucking in on the other side also gives us numbers in midfield to try and create from. No KWP so Stephens provides a body and support, while Smallbone is released more freely, knowing he also has Downes today. Both goals came after the Subs. Smallbone was a miss (everywhere again today), and Brooks is our Fraser, game changing, stand in. We did miss both of them going off. Martin was looking to use Sule’s pace, with deeper balls to him. He certainly got more of it today, but the outcomes aren’t there yet. On at least one occasion he waited for support. On another he though he had to wait for support but didn’t have to. On others he just made the wrong choice or it was sometimes blocked. We’re really looking to combine Sule’s pace with the finishing that Tella had at the start of the season. Pacey, but direct as well. He might have a lot to do to look convincing in other areas, but when the ball falls centrally just outside the box, Rothwell is the guy to dig us out a win. Lots of good play after we got over their second. Another hallmark of the team is that we will work to the end of the match, and once we pushed them back again, they didn’t have anything else in the tank. On our side AA was still putting in a real shift. Overall, high possession and dominance apart from a spell where we helped to give them 2 goals and a little wobble around then. But you can see where we went wrong. It’s not as though we couldn’t have done anything to stop them. Lots of energy in the opening 30 odd minutes, where once again we don’t put as many as we should away. But we are creating. Our passing was better today too, with lots of instinctive, well drilled movement. Downes is a massive plus to have back. A lot of the usual frustrations for Martin, but he’ll have plenty of pluses to more than balance that out today.

Mara has lost it twice centrally from Baz passes. The first was way up the park. But that was where Aribo should be picking up such passes. Mara has shown flashes of being physical but I'd not be relying on it that deep.

He's practising for a step up to the Prem, where he;ll have to wait for ages before any decision is made. 🙂

Aribo doing what we see from Stephens. They know form training where people should be. They pass without checking it out, and an opponent is in front of the target player. Aribo booked for holding his arm out and their player running into it.

If Sule was able to get into the box more centrally, he'd get better outcomes. Needs a high line from them for him to be able to do that today.

Row Z from Bednarek A "take that Martin Ball!" clearance.

Tsk. Needlessly passed back by Manning, all along the back to be given away by THB in the end. Beofre that though was a nice Baz kick to a player in space. mara on for Adams.

Smart play by Downes. Good awareness from Aribo to both help set up that attack. Adams there as well for a tap in before it came back to Rothwell.

4!!!!! Rothwelll

Manning holding off two of their players, with no a massive amount of support there.

Rothwell!!!!! Doing the thing he does best!!!!!

MartinBall out form the back failed a bit there. We''re making a heck of a lot of work getting it out of our own third.