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Post by riochforthereebok on Feb 18, 2017 21:53:06 GMT
Thought I'd get this one started early
Just shy of 28000 fans packed into Bramhall Lane today for Sheff Ut's game v S C Unthorpe and it has to be said, Wanderers away travel would far exceed what the Iron take away, so stadium permitting, this could be a 30000+ crowd. The Blades are nothing special and we have already beaten them twice this season. They have struggled at home and lost points to Walsall, Fleetwood, Southend, Gillingham and Rochdale, they've won quite a few games 1-0 stealing late goals, but also on they're day are capable of racking up 3 4 and 5 goals. We cannot start off like we did today. That should have been a defeat similar to THAT Reading game and if Bradford had pressed more, we could have suffered a right drubbing. What has happened to Le Fondre?? Is this why Wigan didn't push to keep him? He isn't the same player..
I'll be more than happy to take a point but our luck at being in the top 3 has to end soon. It's pointless looking at the table thinking if we win our games in hand and beat Sheff Utd we'll be top, we need to be wary of the chasing pack (Fleetwood Southend Bradford) I do think we will get beat at Sheff Utd as PP is still at 6's and 7's with his team selection and albeit Madine scored today, he misses more than he scores
Sheff Utd 3 Bolton 1
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Post by whitesince63 on Feb 18, 2017 23:09:53 GMT
Yes rftr, my thoughts exactly and apologies for my continued negativity but I also see a 3-1 defeat next week. Like you I ihought we were extremely lucky again today but you know it can't all be down to luck.so maybe this is what it is? If so let's hope we can keep it going to the end of the season.
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Post by joanna on Feb 19, 2017 11:49:42 GMT
Surely, surely we can't play Alnwick, Moxey or Trotter next week. We need to put The Blades on the back foot immediately, using our wide men, rather than sit back and invite pressure.....we are simply not good enough in defence or midfield to do that. We are outpaced so easily by nimble forwards and midfielders. We must pick our most athletic team, and stop hoofing it so that the opposition gain possession and the ball comes straight back.
I know Madine is no Messi, but he has a thankless role with his back to goal in the system we are playing. He has shown enough to suggest that if decent crosses are provided, he will get a goal or two. Some of the new recruits have shown promise and more pace:- let's hope Long is fit. We missed Spearing's energy and drive yesterday.
Howard must replace Alnwick whose form has dipped dramatically and is making his defence nervous, just as Trotter demoralises his team-mates. What a difference the moment he was subbed yesterday!
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Post by whitesince63 on Feb 19, 2017 14:39:26 GMT
Sadly Joanna, much as I agree with you, I can't envisage any way that Parky will change anything about the system we play. Whoever is in the team it will still be basically be the thump up to Madine. Again, like you, I think Madine could be a lot more effective than he shows currently, being forced to have his back to goal all the time and with our pacy and skilful wingers now, especially Morais who can cross superbly, he could be a lot more lethal. Alas, I can only see more of the same with a completely defence first attitude but at least we're getting results one way or another. Whether that will continue who knows but let's hope so, however Parky plays it.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2017 16:07:21 GMT
Another tough away game but yet again not beyond use getting a result of some kind. Like a lot of people on here I think we just have to except the way the team is set up and just hope we keep getting results and not to many defeats. I will go for a great 2-2 again 😀
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Post by OohMac on Feb 23, 2017 19:22:08 GMT
Personally think it's a bad time for this fixture. I mean apart from injuries. The context of the match.
Put this fixture in April and we have no choice but to go for maximum points. As it is we're in a bit of a stick/twist dilemma. Ok there's 15 games left and even defeat, even a drubbing wouldn't kill all hope with the games in hand, but I still think our attitude should be we want this league and we're going to come and take it.
However I know that's not Parkys thought process, a draw will be seen as a great result and possibly rightly so.
The games in hand puts a slightly different tinge on it but the way I see it its 1st vs 3rd and in order to catch top spot we need to go and win. A draw would probably suit all truth be told. Keep us in the pack. Keep Utd on top and will slug out the remaining games.
I say we roll the dice on this one. Start off bright and kill the game off. Should be a cracker.
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Post by whitesince63 on Feb 24, 2017 10:46:36 GMT
The problem is OM that neither the manager or the players think about getting in early and killing the game off, unlike United who will certainly see it that way. Apart from Port Vale we haven't done that all season, quite the reverse in fact, so I'd be surprised if that is Parky's thought process. I think we'll struggle to keep with Utd early on and can only hope we can get to half time even Steven. If we can frustrate them and bring them down to our level we could sneak one but with their propensity for late goals we have to be awake for the full 90 minutes plus.
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Post by davidm on Feb 25, 2017 9:50:21 GMT
Worried about this one.
If we perform as we did in the first 30 minutes at Bradford, we will be more than 2-0 down come half time.
Assuming that we play 3 at the back, we must solve the left wing back position. For me it must be Morais.
Henry probably warrants a start after his Bradford performance.
As I always say we must be strong at the back. We are a defensive minded team so, therefore, our defence & midfield need to perform and not just stand back and watch the opposition overrun us.
Maybe,we have the hex over Sheff Utd - hope so.
I'm off for the drive over the hills in a couple of hours - let's hope we are better than last week.
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Post by andyl on Feb 25, 2017 11:52:06 GMT
Very wet and windy in Sheffield. Henry is a good sub- so poor defensively it sets us on the back foot when he starts!
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Post by riochforthereebok on Feb 25, 2017 16:28:18 GMT
Everyone's scorings goals apart from the Trotters!!! And there goes goal number two 😡 Sort it out Parkinson
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Post by riochforthereebok on Feb 25, 2017 17:15:05 GMT
6 shots with just ONE on target!!!!
Stats like that in Non League would look embarrassing, which makes it even more embarrassing when your 3rd aiming for promotion. This LeFondre deal looks like it's not working out at all, so who on earth can we rely on to score us a goal
Play Offs if we're lucky in my opinion and I can't even be fair to PP and give him praise if he does keep us in the top 6, in this league, anyone can beat anyone
Well done Fleetwood, my tip to emulate Bournemouth
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Post by andyl on Feb 25, 2017 17:45:31 GMT
We were 2nd best in intensity throughout this match and our three at the back model gifted two goals as I predicted it would a couple of games ago.
Poor choices didn't help. Thorpe again struggled in midfield. Derik was far better 2nd half. Derik was shaky at right centre, right back but no more so than Beevers on the left.. Le Fondre contributed nothing. Way too slow. Wilkinson was short of fitness but did win his share of headers. Moxey was okish going forward but horrible at the back and Henry was terrible defensively and made nothing if good positions
Nevertheless at half time there wasn't much in it albeit we were second to most 50-50 balls and the lack of creativity in midfield glared
All is not lost. Sheff Utd will surely struggle here against teams lying deep in 4-5-1 as we should have. They created very little.
We had our best moments late in the first half and won some good set pieces but Henry squandered them. We never looked like winning aerial chances
In the second half they pressed on. A gaffe by Howard mis-kicking led to a breakaway penalty. Another soft goal. Howard won't feature much in despatches but he was awful- way too late on crosses and beaten to challenges which three weeks ago Alnwick was making look easy. It was 70 minutes before he rolled the obvious ball to Derik. Lots of aimless kicking again from him and the defenders. Dervite made this even worse.
Long had one good run and should have started. Clayton did quite well winning the ball in the air and having our one shot on target-it was going in too until blocked. He also nearly pulled off a neat one two with Vela but messed up the pass
Plus points were few. Wheater and Vela had good games and Derik looked the part in midfield. Morais was good but even he made mistakes.Wilkinson was okish and Long and Clayton ditto but the better team won easily. We were in the wrong formation
Howard 2 Derik 5 ( all midfield) Wheater 8 Beevers 4 Moxey 3 Henry 2 Vela 6 Morais 6 Wilkinson 5 Le Fondre 1 Thorpe 2 Long 5 Clayton 5
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Post by davidm on Feb 25, 2017 19:58:32 GMT
Well I had a need to worry.
That was PITIFUL.
I think our first shot was at 85 minutes and that didn’t even reach the keeper.
It was a dreadful performance and the manager must take a lot of responsibility for that. To keep hoofing the ball up to Wilkinson who could neither head nor hold the ball up was farcical. I don’t know the Madine story but Wilkinson cannot be the answer.
I am fast approaching whitesince63’s regular opinions as this sort of football is dreadful.
We had our usual decent first few minutes when we passed it around OK but then faded away into nothing.
Sheffield had one reasonable chance from a poorly defended corner before they broke straight through our non-existent central midfield, played the ball out to the left for a low centre to be played in. Beevers made an absolute pig’s ear of trying to clear, fell over and left Sharpe clean through. 1-0 of course. Beevers was all over the show today. He never marked Sharpe just stood off and Sharpe created havoc.
Immediately after the goal we had our best attack down the left and Moxey put in a good centre which neither Wilkinson nor Le Fondre could get near.
It’s worth saying at this stage that I don’t think that Henry, Vela, Thorpe or Morais actually ever got into the opponents penalty area throughout the game. They were so deep. So when we attacked it was just our 2 strikers and nothing. The midfield was deep but poor. Our central midfield yet again was wide open.
I just prayed for half time and we somehow got through to it at only 1-0. Sheffield were not as good attacking wise as Bradford last week or we would have been further behind.
Second half nothing improved. Poor passing, lack of marking, no tackling and loads of high balls up front to be lost immediately.
Howard dropped a simple centre that we scrambled away but the second goal was coming.
We yet again messed up in midfield . A long ball found Howard charging from his area only to hit a weak left clearance straight to a Sheffield player and they were on the attack again. This time they overran us and Wheater obligingly stuck his leg out to concede a needless penalty which Sharpe walloped home.
We replaced Le Fondre and Wilkinson with Clayton and Long (Dervite having replaced the injured Thorpe) and had a little flurry but it was nothing.
I was embarrassed to be a fan today. It was horrible.
I said a few weeks ago that we wouldn’t get promoted playing this style. I now say that we won’t make the play-offs playing like this.
We must abandon the 3-5-2, particularly away from home, as we are wide open defensively.
We also must abandon the hoof ball football and play the ball on the floor because watching this is killing me.
Howard - 5 No chance with the goals but he dropped centres and kicked awfully.
Derik - 4 Some dreadful passing from him and defensively not aware enough.
Wheater - 5 Would have been a 6 but for sticking his leg out for a needless penalty.
Beevers - 2 What has happened to him? The 3 at the back shape is killing him. Endlessly left Sharpe in acres of space. Terrible mistake for goal one and the now usual dreadful hoofing.
Morais - 5 Tried and looked promising but gave the ball away too much.
Thorpe - 2 Absolutely terrible. No decent touch on the ball, no tackling or even marking and his passing was appalling. Sheffield just ran through our midfield.
Henry - 4 Wasted his chance. Just no attacking instinct at all and some chronically bad passing.
Vela - 5 Still lost in the central midfield role. His talent is being wasted.
Moxey - 3 Cannot play wing back. We were wide open in defence on the left. He was knackered at the end of the game and couldn’t move.
Le Fondre - 3 Our manager doesn’t know how to play him. Totally ineffective.
Wilkinson - 2 Just a really average/poor footballer. Contributed nothing other than another booking.
Dervite - 4 Too much hoofing.
Long - 4 One break on the right which he couldn’t find a colleague from is all I can remember.
Clayton - 4 I think he had our only shot but really nothing. Manager - 2 Terrible terrible tactics. I am now hating away trips as the football is embarrassing.
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Post by OohMac on Feb 25, 2017 20:04:07 GMT
Fleetwood are flying and we're still going for this direct, rigid approach. Now I can't be slagging Parky off every time we lose but I'm not happy with this Freedman approach and I don't think there's call for it when we have some flair players and a strong midfield for this league.
Disappointing that Sheff Utd will take a lot of confidence from this thinking they've seen off the main rivals with ease.
God knows the real Madine story but Wilkison is no where near good enough and he should be put into the development squad and let him go head to head with Samizadeh for a place because I'm convinced Sami would win hands down.
Missed Spearing but be happy when we get a 4 at the back again.
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Post by Pedro on Feb 25, 2017 22:21:04 GMT
All has been said above about the game and I agree. Not nearly enough 100% effort from all concerned and clueless tactics. Just watched the sky "highlights" and think Parky is right. Cannot see contact from Wheater, so definite dive fooling a PL ref. That collision on Thorpe was real old style defending and dangerous. Red card in the PL?
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