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Post by davidm on Nov 25, 2016 15:15:40 GMT
Quite a difficult game this one – a bit like the Peterborough match.
Let’s hope we start this one well, because if we don’t we lose all fluency in the side and struggle to get it back.
Northampton have just lost their last 2 games – both to Phil Parkinson’s favourite score of 1-0. Let’s hope for another 1-0 for us.
I wonder if Trotter will return. I think that’s the only position up for debate. Thorpe had a decent first half against Coventry but I thought he faded badly in the second but I still think that I would prefer his defensive capabilities to Trotter’s tomorrow.
I am going to this one – might see some of you there.
Travelling positively - hoping for a narrow win.
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Post by whitesince63 on Nov 25, 2016 17:48:08 GMT
Unfortunately you just don't know which Wanderers will turn up these days. If we play positively then I don't fear anyone in this league, but we've slipped up so many times already in games I couldn't see us losing that it's impossible to be confident anywhere. However, we really should be too good for Northampton and if midfield performs should get a positive result. Since Madine will be up front we obviously can't expect many goals so the best I can see is a 0-1 to the Whites so get ready for chewed nails Davidm. 😊
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Post by riochforthereebok on Nov 25, 2016 18:36:03 GMT
Is Wheater in or out??
Anyone think Lescott could do a job here?
Away win for the Trotters and I'll go for 0-2
COYWM
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Post by greydad on Nov 25, 2016 22:04:57 GMT
Am giving tomorrow a miss, hoping to listen whilst walking over the hills, at least for as long as the light lasts...if they can avoid reverting to Peterborough mode they have every chance of coming away with the three points.
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Post by riochforthereebok on Nov 25, 2016 22:24:21 GMT
Am giving tomorrow a miss, hoping to listen whilst walking over the hills, at least for as long as the light lasts...if they can avoid reverting to Peterborough mode they have every chance of coming away with the three points. I was gonna go to this game meself but I thought naaaaa, so I cancelled it at the 11th hour !! Well if Ken can cancel, so can I...
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Post by one2many on Nov 26, 2016 9:10:43 GMT
Try saying Ken can cancel really quickly, sounds like Chinese! The Result? 0-1.
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Post by riochforthereebok on Nov 26, 2016 17:00:05 GMT
I'll take another 0-1 anyway tough as it might be to watch but it's turned out to be a great weekend for the Trotters S****horpe draw Sheff U draw Bradford beaten
Get in COYWM
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Post by greydad on Nov 26, 2016 17:04:53 GMT
Another 1-0, under the cosh by the sound of it towards the end, but up to second...well done Wanderers.
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Post by whitesince63 on Nov 26, 2016 17:11:15 GMT
Well I don't know if Davidm has any finger nails left having gone to the match but at least we didn't have to endure watching the total submission of the second half again. What is it with this bunch that they just seem to completely lose any positivity at the flick of a switch. In nearly every match, teams gave an up or down period but we seem to get so far then completely switch off. Once again we took 3 points we didn't deserve against a team we should be murdering and once again we played with 10 men with Madine contributing nothing. How long can Parky keep making excuses for this cretin?. I shouldn't be angry and disappointed with a win and 3 points but performances like this are happening too often and we can't continue to be getting the rub of the green. It's turning into a mirror of the run we went on in Freedman's first season when we won games we didn't deserve until being finally found out in the end. Sort it Parky because there's definitely a problem somewhere.
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Post by OohMac on Nov 26, 2016 17:27:29 GMT
Last season I never really looked at other teams results, thought it was more about what we did and as it happens we didn't need to worry about other teams results as we buried ourselves. Similarly I've not looked at other teams. I had a vague notion that Skunthrope were leading the way and that Bradford were knocking around. Only last week did i notice Sheff Utd were on this great run.
So today seeing all those teams drops points makes our win extra special and we are finally on course for that 2 points per game targeted about 6 years ago by Gartside and Coyle. Sounds like thats the only reason our win was "extra special" because the match itself didn't seem too good.
I was about to make a suggestion that maybe we rest Zack Clough for away games because he's far less effective away from Macron(except from Gigg Lane) but hes proven that he is one of the only players who can put the ball in the net and at the moment that one spark from him, or Vela is really starting to be crucial.
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Post by riochforthereebok on Nov 26, 2016 17:53:00 GMT
I like how you got away with that spelling mistake for S c u n t h o r p e OooMm (Skunt 😂)
Can't fathom Madine out at all. He was kind of well rated a few year ago when at Sheff Wed and certainly weighed in with the goals, but in our team, in a shit league, he's struggling not only to bag the goals, but to impress and make his mark for the side. He must have summat on Parky to keep getting picked!!!
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Post by andyl on Nov 26, 2016 21:01:49 GMT
How pleasant for me to leave home at 1 and potter across the 25 minutes to Sixfields to see the Wanderers. It was further from Breightmet to the Reebok when I did that!!
The team is a bit frustrating but we had so little creativity it was just as well we had such a strong foothold in midfield and defence early on. Yet again Spearing was very good. His anticipation to reach second balls was outstanding throughout. They threatened little in the early exchanges and just as well because Wilson and Ameobi both made lazy square passes that another day could have caused problems and Derik too was backing off headers and looking very vulnerable. It's increasingly obvious to me that Thorpe should be covering centre half and Derik taking that midfield role. Thorpe did very well defensively and aerially in midfield especially late on but his passing is ponderous or backwards.
We began brightly and everything positive came via Clough on the flank and when he wove in and delightfully found the far corner on recent experience we knew it might be enough. In truth we were a bit shot shy in that first half. Clough passed on one or two chances and although we worked the flanks well we fashioned little. In fact the first half ended with two Northampton near misses
The second half was not pleasant viewing. In fact at times it wasn't any viewing because of the unruliness and inattentiveness of numbers of our 'fans' who made promenades behind the goal and obstructed all. We fell back and conceded lots of possession and corners but only once did they threaten and their goal was ruled out presumably for offside. Unlike v Coventry when I thought we might concede at any time here there was little real threat but it was ugly football and we seemed to be managing a victory game rather than securing victory by more attacks. We didn't try to go forward . The usual subs were made and after a very long five added minutes suddenly the game was over in our favour.
I think Alnwick had a very good confidence inspiring game, Beevers was quite splendid. Madine however is beginning to bug me mightily. Far too easily bested aerially when occasionally challenging he is so slow and cumbersome, offers no central thrust and mistimes every cross. Some players make a name by being unerringly in the right position for the ball. Madine is never in position. Again today we had a straightforward chance to run in a low cross. Again he was yards short. His deputy Proctor is almost worse. Unless we can address this deficiency sooner or later we will leak a goal and it will be very difficult to turn it round. Hanging on we do well. But it's not inspiring.
Alnwick 8 Wilson 7 Derik 6 Beevers 9 Taylor 7 Spearing 8 Vela 7 Ameobi 6 Clough 8 Madine 4 Thorpe 6. Subs had negligible impact
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Post by davidm on Nov 26, 2016 21:08:13 GMT
Well I don't know if Davidm has any finger nails left having gone to the match but at least we didn't have to endure watching the total submission of the second half again. What is it with this bunch that they just seem to completely lose any positivity at the flick of a switch. In nearly every match, teams gave an up or down period but we seem to get so far then completely switch off. Once again we took 3 points we didn't deserve against a team we should be murdering and once again we played with 10 men with Madine contributing nothing. How long can Parky keep making excuses for this cretin?. I shouldn't be angry and disappointed with a win and 3 points but performances like this are happening too often and we can't continue to be getting the rub of the green. It's turning into a mirror of the run we went on in Freedman's first season when we won games we didn't deserve until being finally found out in the end. Sort it Parky because there's definitely a problem somewhere. Fingernails still in one piece. It was Grimsby and Coventry all over again. We were excellent in the first half. Clough was unplayable. But, as always, we cannot turn supremacy into goals. Second half, I don't know whether it was a change of tactics by Northampton or our manager's obsession with keeping a 1-0 scoreline but they hammered us. We dropped further and further back. They had a goal disallowed and Matt Taylor kept hammering shots in. We somehow hung on, and deserved something for the first half. As people say, we can't keep getting away with it.
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Post by davidm on Nov 26, 2016 21:57:57 GMT
Alnwick - 7 played well. No need for any great saves but caught everything and got in the right position to stop shots. Wilson - 6 got skinned early on which led to Matt Taylor hitting the post Taylor A - 7 good performance Beavers - 7 yet another solid performance Derek - 8 apart from a couple of iffy moments,he read the game well and some of his passes out of defence were excellent Spearing - 7 Dominant first half. Bit raggy in second, as everyone was Thorpe - 6 generally solid but scrappy passing in second half. Ameobi - 7 delightful one-two with Clough for the goal Clough - 9 first half brilliant. Second half quieter Vela - 7 normal good performance Madine - 4 just could not win the ball. Knocked about a bit and, yet again nowhere near getting a shot on goal
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Post by davidm on Nov 27, 2016 9:34:41 GMT
A few more reflections on yesterday.
Defensively, we are still strong even without Howard and Wheater.
Despite all Northampton’s pressure in the second half, Alnwick wasn’t called on to make any wonder saves. Perhaps that’s because he positions himself well to get in line with the shots. His catching was very good. Only complaint is that his distribution is slow. Unlike Howard, as at Bury with Clough, he ignored potential fast breaks on many occasions and finished up with too many long hoofs to Madine who made nothing of them.
I thought that Derik was calmness personified. He had a couple of miskicks but the majority of his defending was sensible and his passing out of defence was excellent.
Wilson still worries me a little defensively. He got beaten a couple of times which led to danger. He is fine going forward and linking up with Ameobi.
Andy Taylor is a good player. Again linked up well down the left.
Beevers is Beevers – magnificent. Definitely the signing of the season.
When Howard and Wheater are fit, I see Wheater slotting back in with Derik probably replacing Thorpe/Trotter. Goalkeeper wise, I think I would bring Howard back in but Alnwick has certainly done well.
Midfield, Spearing dominates but the other defensive midfield role is still up for grabs. Both Thorpe and Trotter are not aware enough for me and slow. My choice ultimately would be Derik for his pure passing ability.
Attacking midfield – Vela is outstanding in this free role behind the striker. Clough is quality – hope we don’t sell him in January. This role out left has worked well because he moves inside as and when needed. Which is where I have a problem with Ameobi. He has undoubted skills and excites. But he doesn’t join up with the attack enough for me. When the ball is on the left, we have just Madine in the box because Ameobi always hangs back. When we attack on the right, Clough gets in the box. Talking of Ameobi and Clough brings us to January. We must resist any offers for Clough and what do we do with Ameobi? His loan runs out in January. I would think that Newcastle are not interested in taking him back but will other clubs bid for him?
Attack – non-existent. This is where our major problem is because we cannot score more than one goal. When the day comes when our defence is not perfect and we concede a goal, we will lose matches. Madine cannot hold the ball up. He gets battered from opposing centre backs but is too weak and finishes on the ground too often. The long high punt from the back gets us nowhere as he rarely wins it. More importantly, he never looks like scoring. Yesterday, as Andy, pointed out, there was one rare attack in the second half when Wilson played a lovely ball across the front of goal and he was just too slow to respond. A quality striker would have been on it in a flash. I commented a few weeks back on his lack of shots. He had one against Coventry when the goalie made a great save but that’s about it. Unfortunately, Jamie Proctor is as bad. He works really hard, runs out onto the left often but his skill factor is low.
Overall, we are doing well – teams will hate playing us. Opposing fans will hate watching us but we are second so well done.
One point on Northampton. I though that Matt Taylor was excellent. Nice to see the warm applause he got from our fans and his response.
I enjoyed yesterday. Northampton’s ground is easy to get to and to get away from. I was back on the M1 by 10 past 5. The ground looks like they ran out of money in building the family stand and the legroom in the away end is awful – just no space. But a neat ground, welcoming ground.
A very enjoyable day.
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