Holmes_and_Watson

Aribo was in space in a central poistion. He gets the ball and we've a bit of momentum. His next pass has to be a forward one, or he has to take it forward. Instead, he passes it to KWP, who is just a little off the pass. Aribowas probably thinking he could then pick up a return. But by the time that's happening Stoke are back in plently of numbers and the move has gone. Just that lack of drive for us so often.

I was hoping Keegan was coming in as a free agent. 🙂

How to break a tactic... Stand three of your players centrally in front of our defence. Watch Saints fail to pick a forward pass through such a barrier, go wide where they have no one and give it away.

Adams effort blocked. AA coming on for Edozie.

Yeah, if we up our game. 🙂

Another non penalty. Edozie went down and stayed there. Menawhile, McCarthy makes a save from their counter.

Run from KWP but blazed over

Jarred something when he slipped?

nearly 70 mins gone. We're not exactly pushing for an equalizer here. Martin levels of possession. But still half the efforts on goal.

Ref didn't give a pen. Got a good look at it.

Mara limping off a bit. Clearly the root of all his problems today. 🙂

Mara and Brooks off Che and Downes on

Mara's pass had far too muich on it. But He did try to pick out Fraser, who was makign a good run. GOod measured pass from Aribo. From small acorns do successful play offs grow, or something. 🙂 Edozie having a lot of joy against his marker. Shame AA isn;t on to take advantage of any of them.

Lots of space for the shot. Stephens blocked it.

We tried one of those direct passes from deep, and I was just thinking that they didn;t work at all for Leeds...when we gave it away too. Aribo a bit lax in picking out his pass.

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.