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Post by andyl on Feb 12, 2015 7:47:28 GMT
As I led with : Feeney's contribution could be viwed both positively and negatively. I have never yet seen Feeney aim at anyone. Not sure how he can as he doesn't appear to look. His preoccupation seems to be with beating his opponent and he's reasonably good at that and indeed excelled in it in the first half on Tuesday
Were you at the game,Joanna? It would be difficult to have watched or played in the first half in person and not been totally exasperated with him. Some others on here clearly were.
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Post by bonaparte on Feb 12, 2015 10:31:26 GMT
Morning Andy, I agree with Joanna on Feeney. Unlike the unlamented DF, Mr Lennon likes to use the full width of the pitch, therefore Feeney's (and Jenko's) job in attack is to get down to the byline and put crosses in. He did this all match, I agree not to very good effect. But we did not have Davies or Heskey to reap the benefit of the better ones, or even as Joanna says Pratley. He should not need to look up most of the time, for these sort of players head for the corner of the 6 yard (age showing here) box, just out of reach of keeper and then they are able to turn the defence or aim for the target. Our ALF and EG are not target men, but feed of target men in the box so naturally head for the penalty spot. Not surprising then that Feeney looked wasteful.
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Post by andyl on Feb 12, 2015 11:20:16 GMT
Yes a fair reply, Bonaparte, and I can see that side of the argument. And I note that the Lion of Vienna Suite marker has given him 8.5 and that NL picked him out for praise. And we do need Heskey and/or the others. In passing I really liked Twardzik's headed goal at Derby.
But on my side of the argument I loved the moment where Bannan waved Feeney away from the corner taking and pinged over a perfect one. Feeney often doesn't clear the first man. But he just irritates me to the point of distraction both at set pieces or in open play whether crossing badly, doing endless step overs, going backwards or just tripping over the ball and running out of play. As ever I hope to be open to seeing improvement, praising him in future games and I totally recognise that in each game he does good things and bad and has admirable persistence. he is like the first attacker to scale the fort wall in an old Western his heroism and bravura is admirable and he encourages valour in others..but he always ends up dead and the defenders drive away the attackers most of the time.( Alamo notwithstanding)
Where I think my criticsm is not wrong and this may be for NL who alluded to it in his interview rather than Feeney is that if policy is to go haring up the wing, dragging the defence to a high line and encouraging wing backs and two midfielders to drive on in support of the lone or two forward(s) be they Davies, Heskey or Le Fondre, Clough, Eidur we become very exposed to counter attacks if the pass goes awry or worse takes out three or four of our men by going behind them - and this happened a lot in the first half. It may be exciting to watch but it's also heart stopping especially late on when we are leading
I much preferred the more measured way Vela and Janko moved forward together in the second half preserving Janko's dash forward for altogether more threatening forays down the flank
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Post by bonaparte on Feb 12, 2015 16:09:47 GMT
I also liked the look of both Bannan and Twarzdik, but I also liked the look of Spearing when he came on loan, so judgement reserved at the moment. I agree Feeney should not take corners, even DF got that right, but wrong also as he had Spearing taking corners from both sides. Re dragging men forward, this must be a training issue. Out and out wing play is new to the team, so with Hall, Feeney and now Janko speed merchants he must decide on a strategy to counter the breakaway and drill the team accordingly. On initial showing Janko seems to have a greater tendency to move inside with the confidence of youth, maybe because he was not beating his defender on the outside, but often finishing in a blind alley, with two notable exceptions, EG goal and his own. Notwithstanding all, our scratch team did well, even after going a goal down, Watford will be a much tougher proposition.
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