Post by andyl on Oct 19, 2019 20:38:10 GMT
Strange game today. Yet more injuries to experienced players have really dragged us dowm. Today Hobbes to add to Bridcutt , Wright, Buckley and Alnwick. So, for the most part we were reliant on younger players and Tuesday's team will be a challenge with so many asked to play twice?
But we also saw some odd managerial tactics. Senior was drafted in and for the most part asked to play on the right of a three with Emmanuel pushed up. This had the effect of neutering Politic who suddenly found Emmanuel in his way but it also exposed Senior and pulled him out of the middle. So we were very vulnerable to counter attack in a first half we dominated if with no end product.
It also meant that we could only attack down the left which we did pretty well via Chicksen and Verlinden but we only had a tame Murphy header to show for it. No-one supported from midfield.
Graham really struggled missing passes regularly although he did press well and was missed when the introduction of zluke Murphy collapsed any shape we had.
We got a splendid goal after a clever trick by Dodoo, a skimming cross and a brave header from Verlinden. But Lowe lost concentration, one of a number of his lapses and the three men were penetrated way too easily for a soft goal.. But Rochdale had spurned several earlier good shooting chances and it was ever likely thst one would go in.
Another Dodoo cross fell to Murphy who hit it hard if straight at a ruck of players and Chicksen fluffed an easier path to goal. Straightaway they broke exploited the three man defence and hit a good shot which Matthews could not deflect but the post did- into our net. It was pretty much all up then. Crawford our best passer was withdrawn- presumably for a more aerial approach but alas Lowe became the creator- and that never goes well. I think the wrong man was withdrawn.Zouma overdid a dribble lost the ball and a third ensued via another mix up.
In added time Luke Murphy missed his second right foot chance but the game had already caught the bus by then
Matthews 5 Senior 4 Zouma 5 Chicksen 7 Lowe 5 Emmanuel 2 Crawford 5 Graham 5 Politic 2 Murphy 5 Verlinden 8 Dodoo 6 Murphy L 3
But we also saw some odd managerial tactics. Senior was drafted in and for the most part asked to play on the right of a three with Emmanuel pushed up. This had the effect of neutering Politic who suddenly found Emmanuel in his way but it also exposed Senior and pulled him out of the middle. So we were very vulnerable to counter attack in a first half we dominated if with no end product.
It also meant that we could only attack down the left which we did pretty well via Chicksen and Verlinden but we only had a tame Murphy header to show for it. No-one supported from midfield.
Graham really struggled missing passes regularly although he did press well and was missed when the introduction of zluke Murphy collapsed any shape we had.
We got a splendid goal after a clever trick by Dodoo, a skimming cross and a brave header from Verlinden. But Lowe lost concentration, one of a number of his lapses and the three men were penetrated way too easily for a soft goal.. But Rochdale had spurned several earlier good shooting chances and it was ever likely thst one would go in.
Another Dodoo cross fell to Murphy who hit it hard if straight at a ruck of players and Chicksen fluffed an easier path to goal. Straightaway they broke exploited the three man defence and hit a good shot which Matthews could not deflect but the post did- into our net. It was pretty much all up then. Crawford our best passer was withdrawn- presumably for a more aerial approach but alas Lowe became the creator- and that never goes well. I think the wrong man was withdrawn.Zouma overdid a dribble lost the ball and a third ensued via another mix up.
In added time Luke Murphy missed his second right foot chance but the game had already caught the bus by then
Matthews 5 Senior 4 Zouma 5 Chicksen 7 Lowe 5 Emmanuel 2 Crawford 5 Graham 5 Politic 2 Murphy 5 Verlinden 8 Dodoo 6 Murphy L 3
