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Post by OohMac on Dec 28, 2018 19:37:51 GMT
For once we should be going into a match with a pinch of optimism. A great chance to get back to back wins and get out the danger zone.
I dont think we were great boxing day, oddly enough i dont think we need to improve too much here either. Know that sounds odd but I dont rate Stoke this season and think it could be settled by a lump getting a deflection off his backside. Lets hope its our backside and our lump.
If they are playing Ashley Williams then the worst thing we can do is play Magennis on his own. He will have him all day long. But he is a catastrophe and anyone with a bit of pace or skill and they will have the beating of him.
Probably not anything PP considered but would be looking at our fastest player or most skillful player uo against him.
That could be a wildcard start fot Wildschut. With a supporting Oz. Ironically the two whipping boys in Camp Parky.
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Post by greydad on Dec 28, 2018 21:03:11 GMT
Is it a coincidence that the victory on Boxing Day was achieved without the usual ineffective wingers? Stoke may not be any great shakes this season but will surely pose more of a threat than Rotherham.....should Ameobi not be fit to play then Wildschutt might be a Wildcard to play in his place, along with Doidge up front. I would still like to see Vela right midfield, with Williams, O' Neill and Oztumer making up the 4. Right back might be Lowe again, but if Taylor is unfit then he might have to move over as he did on Boxing Day, with Olkowski restored on the right, although Little could also come into play. Wheater and Beevers will have to be on their mettle, perhaps P.P. will go for a defensive 3 with Hobbs or Wilson, it's not likely he will name an unchanged 11 if all are fit....Alnwick, Lowe, Wheater, Beevers, Taylor, Vela, O'Neill, Williams, Oztumer, Ameobi, Doidge if all are available.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2018 8:49:40 GMT
Well I won't be at this game today as I'm going down to Heathrow airport to get a flight to Berlin for the new year celebrations 🎉. Hoping for a win fingers crossed for a draw. 2-1 or 2-2 have a great new year one and all COYWM
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Post by whitesince63 on Dec 29, 2018 8:54:48 GMT
It will I'm afraid be back to the same old, same old against Stoke with Magennis on his own up top and Buckley and Noone out wide on the wrong foot. I don't suspect either Wildschut or Oz to feature or even be on the bench if Sammi and Taylor do make it after injury. Either way I see a defeat. Stoke are improving all the time after their dreadful start and will see this as a great chance of three points to push on towards the top six. I'd like to be proved wrong but I can only see a 0-2 to the Potters.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2018 16:58:15 GMT
Just seen the final score 0-0 will take 4 points from two home games and maybe 1 away at Hull on New Year's Day I'm not sure if that takes us out of the bottom 3 COYWM
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Post by Alptrotter on Dec 29, 2018 17:10:15 GMT
Well that was the proverbial game of two halves. Once again we started sluggishly and invited Stoke to boss the game without challenge. They quickly ran out of ideas and, despite wanderers stirring a little towards half time, a basically dull half finished all square. Second half, I really feared the worst and that we’d had our flurry bedore half time and would subside to defeat. However, Wanderers were by far the better team for the 2nd half. God knows what Parky said at half time, but we really went for it for 45 minutes and were unlucky to be denied by two international quality saves from Butland. We pressed much higher up the pitch, won the ball back frequently and actually started to construct some passing moves - a much better performance than Boxing Day. The defence was solid, with Alnwick, Wheater and Beevers well supported by Lowe ( who really looks good at full back) and Grounds who played much better than earlier in the season. Vela and Williams were full of running and never gave the Stoke midfield a moment’s peace, while Wilson was the weakest link, he was still OK and Ameobi did enough to keep them worried. I wonder if he is fully fit... Doidge played really well, I think getting the better of both Williams and Shawcross. With a normal championship goalie, his first half poke on goal would probably have gone in. Donaldson worked hard without much success and Magennis ably replaced him.
All in all a high point to end the year. I do hope the high pressing continues and that Alnwick develops his new found willingness to roll the ball out to feet. I notice we are out of the bottom three. Play like this every week and I think we’ll stay there. Happy New Year to everyone!
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Post by OohMac on Dec 29, 2018 18:29:32 GMT
Good to read that report Alp. Glad to be out of the bottom 3 of course. 4 points is a good return and it was this spell last year which saved us.
I have my concerns. You said we started poorly and im worried that in other games that poor start has cost us as we are just unable to turn it around.
Again i see our teamsheets and it just appears a list of defensive midfielders but to be honest they obviouslt do a better job than those "wingers".
Course its disappointing to have no Oz. But feel in Doidge theres a genuine feel that we as fans have someone we can route for.
Point ok. Getting out of bottom 3 great. Just wish we could install a bit of Rioch into this team.
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Post by whitesince63 on Dec 29, 2018 19:15:19 GMT
Yes, good to hear the performance was at last more positive Alp, I just hope the likes of Vela, Doidge and others aren't just putting it in for extensions or moves. Still, out of the bottom three is great so let's push on from here and as you say, continue the positive attitude and more passing system. Hull will be a stern test and anything from them will be a bonus I think but a point there and three unbeaten would be magic. I do think Doidge has all the makings of a good forward for us and I'm sure with support it's only a matter of time before he clicks and scores regularly. Pressure off Parky for the moment but as I've said many times, if he can just adapt to this level and show the positivity of today he can still get everyone behind him.
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Post by bonaparte on Dec 29, 2018 19:34:27 GMT
Enjoyed the match today, not been able to say that for while. Formation 4-4-2, suits the players. Midfield footballers, less hoofball. Cannot understand that it has taken PP so long to get to it. Hope he continues with the same formation,and unless injury the samr team. Not confident. Can't see him abandonning his preferred wingers on "wrong" side to cut in rather than make for the byline, and one up top, three at the back, but I am an old f****. Forme 7s all round, including PP, Doige showed he can live at this level, and Vela gave his usual energetic performance. Well done all round.
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Post by andyl on Dec 29, 2018 19:35:35 GMT
I rather enjoyed the game today. The second half was invigorating and but for Butland we might well have won.
Vela was the star of the show. Back to his energetic best he harried and rampaged across midfield and around their defence, ably supported by Doidge who ran tirelessly. Both could have scored. Vela at the end of the first half had a chance to pot the sodt of chance he and Zach would score but placement was not equalled by power. Doidge had one quick stabbed effort and all but got over a bouncing ball in the second half
I thought the defence was good. Lowe was much better at full back than midfield and Grounds was an improvement on both Taylor and his early season self.
We were of course set up for 0-0. I do wish Phil would find a place for Oztumer to whom even Murphy was preferred today. His absence is quite baffling.
Our nearest moment came when Butland dived to parry a goalbound Beevers header. We had some good crosses today commonly from Lowe and one of two from Magennis.
Alnwick was quite hesitant early on and as ever his distribution was terrible. Noone trusts him. Three times I counted 8 backs turned from him when in possession and once all ten. It is so disruptive. Even in injury time he slowed it down justwhen we had momentum. Wilson was a bit iffy at times and Donaldson offered little all but getti
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Post by andyl on Dec 29, 2018 19:41:35 GMT
Thought I'd lost my first effort but it's turned up so a few marks
Alnwick 3 Lowe 7 Wheater 7 Beevers 7 Grounds 7 Williams 7 Ameobi 6 Vela 8 Doidge 7 Donaldson 4 Wilson 5
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Post by greydad on Dec 29, 2018 20:12:31 GMT
Out of the bottom 3, a clean sheet and an all-round improvement in the second half certainly lifted the mood at the Unibol. The most pleasing aspect of the performance was Vela's best 90 (well almost) minutes for a long time, and if only Oztumer's creativity had been available, at least from the bench, the hard work and running put in by the team in general might possibly have been rewarded with a deserved goal. It is still difficult to work out where enough goals will come from to achieve the results necessary to move away from the bottom 3, and whilst the team looked far better balanced today in terms of pressing and restricting decent opposition it would surely make sense to have available the club's only genuinely creative midfielder, and one who scored consistently at his previous club, albeit at League 1 level. That aside, a much better 90 minutes today, and 4 points from 2 games with a selection noticeably lacking in ineffectual wingers...who would have thought it!!??
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Post by bonaparte on Dec 29, 2018 20:46:07 GMT
Andy, you are hard on Alnwick. To my mind he is following team orders, hoof up field. It was interesting to see that when Butland had the ball, three players moved into space to receive the ball, giving him four options. Not in PP's plans,therefore distribution would always be poor. Just my view.
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Post by whitesince63 on Dec 30, 2018 9:23:27 GMT
It may be to orders Boney but if so why was it that when Alnwick was injured Matthews consistently passed the ball out? Who knows but I'd certainly prefer to build from the back than hoof though I'm not sure PP would?
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Post by OohMac on Dec 30, 2018 11:23:09 GMT
Come on 3 is a low mark for a keeper with a clean sheet? Ben has kept us in certain games. Agree his distribution is poor, he may just have a mistrust of the players ahead of him.
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