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Post by andyl on Dec 13, 2016 15:07:42 GMT
Joanna, you might equally well have said no Pratley, no Davies, no Buxton, no Moxey, no Dervite no Henry, no Anderson . And the brief Trotter, Derik partnership v Port Vale saw us blow them away!
At any given time players may be in or out of form. All of the above could feature in wins. But it's the team play that matters and PP has made some excellent positional decisions.
I still think there is some hope that Taylor C and Henry could do good things. Taylor could,maybe should have scored twice last night and Henry has had a lot of near misses.
PP is also making good strategic and tactical choices. Last night their three at the back suited us well and the Ameobi and Wilson partnership found space at will
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Post by joanna on Dec 13, 2016 16:08:38 GMT
Indeed, Andy, but the one who consistently slows things down and even gets in the way is Liam.
The ones you name have a mixture of faults and virtues, as all players do, but Trotter's faults CONSTANTLY limit our pressing game (which is now excellent without him), and interferes with the flow of our forward play as he tends to take up the space currently being occupied to great effect by Vela and Clough and Ameobi etc. Worse still, he is a permanent demoralising influence on the others due to his lack of genuine effort, when they are busting a gut for 90+ minutes. He tends to pass sideways rather than incisively. I know you will defend him but unless a team has 100% effort and pace throughout the squad, it will achieve nothing in the modern game. You'd have to possess the skills and vision of a Carrick (yuk...bad example!) to compensate....and Liam does not!
Pratley, Davies and the rest have their limitations but put themselves about positively for most of each game and cause no resentment or frustration among their peers. Team spirit is now immeasurably better without the carthorse.
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Post by greydad on Dec 13, 2016 23:10:54 GMT
An OTT critique of a player who filled in capably for Spearing at the last minute v Port Vale, who scored the only goal of the game v Grimsby (probably infuriating team-mates by doing so if your judgement of his relationship to them is accurate) and who was subsequently selected to play at Millwall by a manager seemingly unconcerned by the player's "demoralising influence" and capacity for causing "resentment" among his peers. Of course Spearing would always reclaim his place when fit, but until his injury at Millwall Trotter was apparently doing enough to satisfy his manager.
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Post by andyl on Dec 14, 2016 10:18:52 GMT
One of the plus points this year has been the manner in which our pressing game has become much more measured and sustainable. It''s a slow process. I'm sure we all remember games last season when the first twenty minutes of frenetic activity have yielde to a last twenty of exhausted survival. Even this year we have struggled to maintain our pressing in second halves against nippy midfields. Tuesday was I think our first 90 minute game and it augurs well.
Our teamplay has improved markedly and at times with changing personnel. I just hope we can hold it together forr the second half of the season. We need a season that replicates the symmetry of the Gillingham game.
And on the topic of cart horses no greater cart horse have we than Madine. Yet biecause of the efforts of all around he is pulling the cart most handsomely making major contributions in the last two games. He reminds me of Tony Kelly who seldom left the centre circle but controlled games at his peak. Madine has got fitter and it would be unfair to characterise him as never leaving the centre mid point of the opponents half but he is very static and yet gradually his role has become an integral part of our forward progression despite his limited and slow paced movement.
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Post by joanna on Dec 14, 2016 11:00:34 GMT
Greydad: And Parky's alternatives to Liam in Spearing's absence were....... ! (No first choices such as Pratley or Davies to call on) Are you telling me that our style of play against Gills would have been the same with Trotter lumbering along, slowing things down? Or that players running their hearts out for 90+ minutes wouldn't feel secretly resentful to have a teammate idling?? Pace and 100% effort are essential in the modern game, unless you have the skills of a Le Tissier. What was remarkable on Monday was that our players were still pressing/closing down in added-on time and 4-0 up! Could you HONESTLY imagine Trotter doing that? And that's what I mean by negative influence. Team spirit emanates from a sense of all pulling together. Listen to Ameobi's interview after the game! Trotter does have some footballing skill, but it is precisely that reason which makes his unwillingness to drive himself so frustrating to watch and to play alongside. He has been stealing a living for years with us and the clubs that have let him go. If you visit any other BW website, you will see that the massive majority of fans see Trotter as a liability. Our own RTF and others here are equally irritated by him, I know.
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Post by greydad on Dec 14, 2016 14:40:15 GMT
My final comments on the matter Joanna..I thought the non-lumbering Trotter had a thoroughbred's game alongside Derik as the Hobson's Choice alternative v Port Vale, thought he played ok and took his goal well v Grimsby, and was hoping that along with a few others who had struggled for consistency before the Bury game he was beginning to benefit from the system utilised by the manager that has enabled both the team and individual players to achieve the much improved performance levels that they are currently enjoying. I now propose a Christmas Truce, 'hostilities' only to be resumed if and when warranted in future match appraisals.
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