Post by davidm on Aug 6, 2017 19:51:16 GMT
What a disappointment.
I expected us to compete and get a decent result but it really was men against boys. The 3-2 scoreline makes it appear close but Leeds were well ahead of us. Whether they’ll be a top 6 club, I don’t think so but they totally outclassed us.
The team selection was odd.
We chose to play 3-5-2 but had no wing backs. The manager presumably couldn’t pick Morais or Ameobi so played an out and out defender, Darby, at right wing back. So we had no attacking options other than to lump the ball to Madine. Madine actually played quite well but had no help.
The defence was sluggish and ripped open too many times.
The midfield just stood off and were overrun.
The attack just got no support. Other than dead balls, I don’t think that we had a proper shot on target. We created little.
We started OK but were soon behind when we were dreadful at a corner. The Leeds man who scored stood unmarked at the edge of the area to receive from the corner. He looped a shot in which somehow beat Howard all ends up and we had no one on the post to clear it. It wasn’t even a good hard shot. How Howard missed it, I don’t know. Why we never have anyone standing on the posts for corners, I don’t know. It was a goal that should easily have been cleared.
We huffed and puffed but Leeds were miles better than us. They passed the ball to their own men. They ran through our midfield and Chris Wood just toyed with our central defenders.
The second goal came when the Leeds right winger skinned Taylor for the umpteenth time and got a centre in. The ball went to the far post where Darby was inexplicably out jumped by a relatively small player who headed back across for Wood to score.
We then got a goal back when Madine deservedly headed in a Vela corner at the far post. He also almost scored with a cracking first timer from 30 yards.
We then immediately went to sleep in central defence for Wood to skip through and set Phillips for a tap in. There were loud appeals for offside but I saw nothing wrong. I haven’t seen any replays but I think it was just poor defending. I think that Darby probably played everyone onside.
So 3-1 at half time and I expect a change to our shape but absolutely nothing from the manager.
Leeds were content to pass it about and looked at ease.
We then lost Wheater to injury. Hopefully not too serious. He was replaced by Burke.
We did though get back in when the Leeds centre half took Madine’s shirt practically off at a free kick and Le Fondre scored from the deserved penalty.
We almost made the same mistake as after the first goal. Leeds started a move at right back, ran half the length of the pitch unchallenged and then exchanged a few passes as we backed off until a shot came in and rattled the bar. We were very lucky there.
And that was it. We hoofed the ball forward but created nothing and deservedly lost.
To add to our misery, Vela got what looked like a bad injury in the last minute. So he, Wheater and Ameobi could be missing for a while.
I thought that we were tactically naïve today. The manager needs to take some blame for that. We never looked like scoring from open play.
A note about the ref today. He was excellent. He realised that it possible to commit a foul and not get booked. He was very good.
Howard - 5 Very strange on the first goal and never really looked assured
Darby - 3 Nightmare. He was played as a wing back but really is just a plain old defender. Rarely got forward, dreadful distribution and badly at fault for goal no 2 and maybe no 3 also. Please get Morais back a.s.a.p.
Dervite - 5 A struggle
Wheater - 5 Part of a back 3 that was ripped apart by Wood and others.
Beevers - 5 Like Wheater, strong but torn apart
Taylor - 4 Awful first half when the Leeds’ winger murdered him. Second half improved
Cullen - 5 Too many sideways and backwards balls
Karacan - 3 Just not in the game at all
Vela - 4 Played too deep and therefore was part of an outclassed central midfield
Le Fondre - 5 Did not seem to be able to pick what Madine was doing and therefore struggled
Madine - 7 I am not a Madine lover but he was the best of our team today by a mile. The no of flicks he won was excellent but no one, Le Fondre or any midfielder, read his flicks.
Burke - 6 He looked quite assured when he came on
Buckley - 5 Strangely played in midfield and not as a winger
Armstrong - 5 No time to get in the game
I expected us to compete and get a decent result but it really was men against boys. The 3-2 scoreline makes it appear close but Leeds were well ahead of us. Whether they’ll be a top 6 club, I don’t think so but they totally outclassed us.
The team selection was odd.
We chose to play 3-5-2 but had no wing backs. The manager presumably couldn’t pick Morais or Ameobi so played an out and out defender, Darby, at right wing back. So we had no attacking options other than to lump the ball to Madine. Madine actually played quite well but had no help.
The defence was sluggish and ripped open too many times.
The midfield just stood off and were overrun.
The attack just got no support. Other than dead balls, I don’t think that we had a proper shot on target. We created little.
We started OK but were soon behind when we were dreadful at a corner. The Leeds man who scored stood unmarked at the edge of the area to receive from the corner. He looped a shot in which somehow beat Howard all ends up and we had no one on the post to clear it. It wasn’t even a good hard shot. How Howard missed it, I don’t know. Why we never have anyone standing on the posts for corners, I don’t know. It was a goal that should easily have been cleared.
We huffed and puffed but Leeds were miles better than us. They passed the ball to their own men. They ran through our midfield and Chris Wood just toyed with our central defenders.
The second goal came when the Leeds right winger skinned Taylor for the umpteenth time and got a centre in. The ball went to the far post where Darby was inexplicably out jumped by a relatively small player who headed back across for Wood to score.
We then got a goal back when Madine deservedly headed in a Vela corner at the far post. He also almost scored with a cracking first timer from 30 yards.
We then immediately went to sleep in central defence for Wood to skip through and set Phillips for a tap in. There were loud appeals for offside but I saw nothing wrong. I haven’t seen any replays but I think it was just poor defending. I think that Darby probably played everyone onside.
So 3-1 at half time and I expect a change to our shape but absolutely nothing from the manager.
Leeds were content to pass it about and looked at ease.
We then lost Wheater to injury. Hopefully not too serious. He was replaced by Burke.
We did though get back in when the Leeds centre half took Madine’s shirt practically off at a free kick and Le Fondre scored from the deserved penalty.
We almost made the same mistake as after the first goal. Leeds started a move at right back, ran half the length of the pitch unchallenged and then exchanged a few passes as we backed off until a shot came in and rattled the bar. We were very lucky there.
And that was it. We hoofed the ball forward but created nothing and deservedly lost.
To add to our misery, Vela got what looked like a bad injury in the last minute. So he, Wheater and Ameobi could be missing for a while.
I thought that we were tactically naïve today. The manager needs to take some blame for that. We never looked like scoring from open play.
A note about the ref today. He was excellent. He realised that it possible to commit a foul and not get booked. He was very good.
Howard - 5 Very strange on the first goal and never really looked assured
Darby - 3 Nightmare. He was played as a wing back but really is just a plain old defender. Rarely got forward, dreadful distribution and badly at fault for goal no 2 and maybe no 3 also. Please get Morais back a.s.a.p.
Dervite - 5 A struggle
Wheater - 5 Part of a back 3 that was ripped apart by Wood and others.
Beevers - 5 Like Wheater, strong but torn apart
Taylor - 4 Awful first half when the Leeds’ winger murdered him. Second half improved
Cullen - 5 Too many sideways and backwards balls
Karacan - 3 Just not in the game at all
Vela - 4 Played too deep and therefore was part of an outclassed central midfield
Le Fondre - 5 Did not seem to be able to pick what Madine was doing and therefore struggled
Madine - 7 I am not a Madine lover but he was the best of our team today by a mile. The no of flicks he won was excellent but no one, Le Fondre or any midfielder, read his flicks.
Burke - 6 He looked quite assured when he came on
Buckley - 5 Strangely played in midfield and not as a winger
Armstrong - 5 No time to get in the game