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Post by andyl on Apr 3, 2015 12:17:30 GMT
Why am I as hopeful of a win at Cardiff as at home to Blackpool? History is full of hopelessly relegated teams playing uninhibited football and pulling off unexpected victories, a last moment of sanity and health before the descent to oblivion. It would surely help if Middlesbro see off Wigan?!
So what team will NL select? And what ought he to select? He declares that we will attack and be on the front foot. Our home form is good ( er...) Under DF we won a lot at home in his first season but this era is now held to be lucky and undeserving. With NL we have leaked goals and chances at home but have got our noses ahead. He will no doubt select Feeney, who if equine would by now be at the knacker's yard for sure- certainly not sent to stud! Maybe it will be his day to scuff a couple of goals as he has once or twice? Or to get in a perfect cross?
We sorely missed Eidur at Wigan- he had been integral to the link up play with Rochina at Ipswich. But he is on the cusp of parenthood. His fourth apparently? So routine an occasion that maybe he might play? If so I think this is the game for him to feature and maybe not Heskey other than as a sub ?
Can we pick a defence? Amos will presumably start perhaps for the last time? Presumably on the front foot means being three at the back McCarthy, a jet lagged Ream and no doubt Mills? Dervite if improved at wigan has beenrumbled big time ( so 2 loanees committed so far)
Will he revert to Mr Yellow or Red Danns who has so conclusively proved that he can't cope without Pratley to take the pressure off. Will Trotter reappear? Should he start with Rochina or bring him on/ Did Walker do enough to keep his place? is Janko fit to return? Le Fondre will surely feature starting or on the bench so that's three loanees sorted. We were at our best counter attacking at Ipswich with an extra man in midfield, Coke ( a game without Danns or Feeney and all the better for it I thought at the time) Four or five loanees will probably be committed to the starting line up?
I could pretty much have guessed a DF team. I'll have a go with NL and see if I can get within two of the starting eleven?
Amos, Mills, McCarthy, Ream, Feeney, Vela, Danns, Rochina, Walker, Eidur, Le Fondre ( but don't be surprised if it's Heskey not Rochina or Bannan not Rochina)
Now if I was having a free pick what would I like to see?
Amos, Vela, McCarthy Mills, Moxey, Ream, Trotter, Janko, Rochina, Eidur, Le Fondre--
I like the idea of Vela and Janko linking up and interchanging and ditto Ream a and Moxey. I think those pairings have yielded good football and measured attacking with some cover behind. At Wigan Walker backtracked reasonably and has a claim above Janko going forward- I wouldn't actually mind Janko right and Walker left for this game but am wary of starting with two wide men in a key game. By and large this strategy hasn't worked, has it? Feeney was as ever awful at wigan, worse than Eagles was defensively and not as sparky going forward. But I'd like us to build from solidity rather than a leaky foundation. Ream is an excellent passer. I want to see him moving forward. This is tough on Bannan who couldn't then be a sub under these daft rules ( an OTT response) to Watford two years ago) and also a good passer..but he was so lightweight at Wigan it was easy to see how he has been omitted by his previous clubs for tight games. In some ways Craig D or a doppelganger of him lest we are tired of the original would also have a claim. Such a good Craig D would then be better than Le Fondre who was awful at holding up the ball at Wigan , albeit obviously not recovered from illness, but the actual Craig D is so clumsy and prone to offside and so unlikely to score that ALF would win. Trotter, Rochina and Eidur linked so well at Ipswich they deserve another go ( harsh on Coke this..and maybe flattering to Trotter for most observers , albeit not me) . I'd have Dervite, Walker, Craig D, Heskey, Bogdan, Twardzik plus Danns on the bench) and omit Feeney, Coke, Lonergan and Bannan
Anyway we will all have our ideas. Howeve4r I perm my idea of Nl's team or what I would like to see I can't get Coke in...so I can be fairly certain that NL will start him?
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Post by OohMac on Apr 3, 2015 16:18:45 GMT
Todays games takes some pressure off, Wigan and Rotherham not taking any points. Shame Millwall got the win against 10 man Charlton but can't have everything. Lennon said we'll attack Blackpool, hope he's right and we should really be able to put 3 or 4 past Blackpool. That being said I am a little surprised that Blackpool have so few points. I know they're a mess really but they seem to be combative in most games. Rarely get pummeled and seem to lose by the odd goal and we saw at Bloomfield that they gave us a game, though the pitch probably played a part. We were playing some very good stuff, on the deck at that point. If we get the tactics right and Lennon puts them in the right frame of mind then we should win this 3-0. I don't see a place in the squad for Heskey. Amos will probably play but it may be worth playing Bogdan or Lonergan(they shouldn't be overly busy, we're losing Amos soon anyway so we need to give one of them time and it frees up a loan player) Think we should go Bogdan, Vela, Mills, McCarthy, Moxey, Ream, Feeney, Walker, Rochina, Gudjohnson, Le Fondre. Bench: Bannan, Craig Davies, Coke, Dervite, Lonergan, Danns, Heskey,  . Then for Cardiff*: Amos, Vela, Mills, McCarthy, Ream, Danns, Feeney, Bannan, Coke, Walker, Rochina, Craig Davies. *Obviously unless three of the players don't get injured in the warm up, which will probably happen. |
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Post by OohMac on Apr 3, 2015 16:21:02 GMT
Just a thought, Georg Illiev?
Blackpool's probably the game where we can bring one or two younger players in and see what they can offer.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2015 8:44:21 GMT
Just hope we get the job done 3 points should do it as Wigan and Millwall both have to play 3 of the top 8 and when they need 9 or 10 points just to catch us then I cant see them doing that. Good luck today win but not lose  . |
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Post by andyl on Apr 4, 2015 10:55:46 GMT
Yes and they have to play each other. Win today and they are 13 and 12 pts behind with 6 games but because of this if one wins the other can only get pts from 5. Should be much clearer come Mon evening! But can we perform today?
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Post by andyl on Apr 4, 2015 16:49:37 GMT
I almost second guessed NL's team but never thought that he would have one up front. For this game a poor decision? And I predicted the unattractive struggle. Let's hope I'm right about us doing better at Cardiff.
This was a dreadful game of little merit. We missed a most ridiculous open goal (Bannan) failed to ram in a few scrambles, had to watch them miss an equally bad sitter for 0-2 and finally scrambled one in after a brilliant cross field ball from Vela, good work by Bannan and a disconcerting fluff from Danns. Happily Eidur was there to do unto others what they have been doing to us in the 94th minute
I'm not going to waste too many words on this shambles of a game. Selection and tactics were poor and too many players weren't competitive. Vela was our best player, Bannan kept the corpse of our midfield just about alive and Le Fondre ran the channels really well albeit holding nothing up and losing out to all the stupid punts from the back. Our midget team deserved better tactics and management. Whichever way I look at it we've been in relegation form since the New Year with very little relief. I really think the team I proposed would have been better equipped than this. Poor Rochina never stood a chance. I'd far rather have seen Trooter in midfield. And goodness knows why Feeney played left and Walker right. Feeney is next to useless anyway but Walker deserved to feature on his better side. At least he had our only shot of note.
We kept going and forced an equaliser but the attacking game promised never materialised. As a team I thought we were poor and it was a frustrating experience in front of a decent crowd who must to a man, woman and child have wished themselves elsewhere?
Amos 5 Vela 8 Mills 3 McCarthy 4 Ream 4 Feeney 2 Danns 2 Rochina 1 Walker 5 Bannan 6 Le Fondre 6 Heskey 4 Eidur 5 Craig D 4
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Post by davidm on Apr 4, 2015 17:54:48 GMT
Again, absolutely awful.
We play the worst team in the league (the worst by miles) and play like that.
There was absolutely no urgency in the first half as we just strolled around. We are definitely halfway to our holidays. So many players are just going through the motions.
We were wide open when Blackpool strolled through to score. This was after they had already had 3 attempts at goal. We didn’t really pick up after their goal just drifted to halftime.
Second half, we improved and probably deserved a draw. Bannan missed an absolute sitter to equalise and then in the last few minutes, Blackpool missed an equally easy chance to make it 2-0 before we scrambled (and almost missed) the last-second goal.
Overall, it was awful. No shape to the team, no attacking desire and dozy defending. Very very poor.
Why did we swop the wingers over after 10 minutes so they both played on their weaker foots?
I don’t understand this zonal marking for free kicks and corners. We have the goalie, 2 defenders on the posts and 3 defenders (usually Mills, McCarthy and Ream) in a line on the 6 yards box. No one is marking anybody – we are looking for these 3 to win defensive headers. Well it didn’t work. Blackpool’s corners/free-kicks created chaos.
Similarly, our corners consist of our 4 big men all together in one spot and they got in each other’s way on many occasions.
This season cannot end soon enough and then we must trust the manager to sort out this mess of average players.
Amos - 5 Nothing too bad but he flapped at a cross, dropped another and got a lucky free-kick and his kicking was pretty average.
Vela - 6 Caught out, along with Mills, for the goal. But he still has class. We need him in central midfield because he has talent.
Mills - 4 He is the captain and supposed to be the leader/organiser. We were shambolic in central defence in the first half. His distribution was again terrible.
McCarthy - 4 Like Mills, his clearances were just hopeless – straight to Blackpool players. He looked really shaky.
Ream - 6 Much steadier than Mills and McCarthy but still managed to get caught on the ball in the second half.
Feeney - 3 So poor. I can think of only one decent cross he put in. He chickened out of 50/50 tackles and looked lost on the left.
Danns - 4 Not a good day at all. Outnumbered by the Blackpool midfield. It was a real struggle for him today.
Rochina - 4 He has skill but needs to learn that English football also contains hard tackles, pushes & pulls etc. He spent too long on the deck.
Bannan - 7 Would have been 8 but for a shocking miss in the second half. He looked the only player with any urgency/desire today. I haven’t been his greatest fan so far but today he stood out from the rest of this team.
Walker - 5 Just looked lost on the right wing. Most times that he attacked, he had to switch the ball onto his left foot. An average day but still strong hope for the future.
Le Fondre - 6 Isolated. It was just him on his own in attack with our wingers not in the game at all. Set up a wonderful chance for Bannan who missed.
Heskey - 6 He won most things in the air and added to weight to our attack. How did he not score initially in the scramble for our goal?
Gudjohnsen - 6 Not on for long but in position to equalize.
Davies - 5 Should have started but spent too long trying to knock opposing defenders over. I presume that he will start on Monday in place of Le Fondre.
Manager - 5 I am confused by the shape of the team. In mid-week he said that it would be all out attack but we played just 1 goalscorer. The 2 wingers could not get in the game so we struggled. Playing Feeney and Walker on their unnatural wings was confusing as was the shape of the team at the end when we had 4 strikers on.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2015 18:34:17 GMT
Jesus what are we doing the worst team in this league by a mile and we put 1 up front what is that all about for truck sake it was Blackpool God help us I hope it gets better next season.
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Post by joanna on Apr 4, 2015 19:12:46 GMT
It feels as if Lennon has been talking to Dougie....and Sammy Lee! From a really promising, enterprising start to his management career with us, he is now replicating the tried and failed approaches of his predecessors, particularly Lee's zonal marking ideas and DF's strategies that reminded me so much of General Melchett from Blackadder: "let's do the exact opposite of what the enemy are expecting," even if it's barking mad!
Not using players in their best positions, employing just one up front at home against the bottom club, switching wingers illogically, and generally doing the opposite of his stated tactics. Is it something in the water at The Macron?
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Post by cadders on Apr 4, 2015 19:39:08 GMT
A dreadful match, the only good thing about the whole afternoon was sitting in some sunshine for once!
I thought McCarthy looked ok at Blackburn but the nervous disposition of his colleagues has now got to him as well.
One thing I did notice in the first half was the reluctance of Ream to pass to Feeney even when he was in space, he preferred to go back to the keeper than pass, sad state of affairs.
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Post by andyl on Apr 4, 2015 21:16:00 GMT
It feels as if Lennon has been talking to Dougie....and Sammy Lee! From a really promising, enterprising start to his management career with us, he is now replicating the tried and failed approaches of his predecessors, particularly Lee's zonal marking ideas and DF's strategies that reminded me so much of General Melchett from Blackadder: "let's do the exact opposite of what the enemy are expecting," even if it's barking mad! Not using players in their best positions, employing just one up front at home against the bottom club, switching wingers illogically, and generally doing the opposite of his stated tactics. Is it something in the water at The Macron? And the continuous rotation and the Coyle like gung ho attacking. I said you would be sharpening your knife before long! And rightly so. I wonder also if anyone else noted the ten men back on one of their second half corners with 15 to go! Also the continued selection of Feeney is a mystery much as that of Eagles used to be by OC and DF. I think NL is an impulsive manager with lots of passion but worryingly he loses plot and interest with ever increasing frequency hopefully we have just enough in hand-with goal difference in Millwall's case effectively 11 pts, four wins or three wins and two draws, for both Millwall and Wigan . I don't think either can do this as it is. I serious y doubt that Wigan will get anything from Derby on Monday. And we have an easier game than today.If NL gets the tactics right. We have to counter attack |
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Post by OohMac on Apr 4, 2015 22:33:36 GMT
I dont get it. Think Lennon got it all wrong today from the formation to the subs Eidur last to come on? Heskey first? The amount of times Marc Iles used the phrase "cross/corner comes to nothing" ususally Feeney but sounded like Walker was guilty too.
For me we need a clear out but worryingly the players who need to be moved on are Lennons favs. Mills is in a rut, Danns and Feeney wouldnt get in for me. Heskey is done. Craig Davies not good enough.
And Baptiste, Spearing, Beckford thriving is tough to take.
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Post by greydad on Apr 4, 2015 23:13:50 GMT
A mystifying selection after the pre-match promise of all out attack, a 5 man midfield but one which had little fluency or effective possession, an edgy central defence who were reluctant to attack the ball in the air and whose distribution was poor, allied to the deployment of a lone striker.... the runes were cast early on for the struggle which dutifully ensued. Vela did not allow the malaise around him to affect his overall positive contribution, and as has been already pointed out it was his vision and determination that created the move for the equaliser. Bannan's blatant miss took some edge off his performance , but he was by far the more productive of the midfield, particularly after the introduction of Heskey.I thought Ream was more the 6 out of 10 as rated by David M, despite one or 2 unfamiliar lapses. LeFondre made some enterprising runs, one of which led to Bannan's miss, but his role today was not best suited to his strengths. Walker's average performance was still some way better than that of Feeney today, and Rochina was a disappointment...should the manager secure him on a second loan spell come August I'm sure he and Walker will have better days to come. Danns was frustrating, perhaps he needed the weekend to recharge batteries, Trotter may have been a better option to start. Amos needed to be a quicker with throw-outs, rather than be forced to kick long, but this is a long-standing issue with successive keepers..opposition teams seem routinely to receive throws from keepers, it is the exception rather than the rule with the Whites, for whatever reason. Eidur, Heskey and Davies added little fluency to the proceedings, but did help ratchet up the pressure towards the end, and a valuable point was gained, albeit with a very disappointing team performance. I'm not sure about sharpening knives just yet, but N.L. and his 'team' will have to work hard towards inspiring significantly improved performances over the coming weeks in order for the season to end on an optimistic note.
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Post by joanna on Apr 5, 2015 8:53:53 GMT
Trotter!! Come on, guys! Don't make me laugh! How on earth could he have made us play better? Slower and with less effort, yes....better, no!
Don't know why everyone's getting so excited about Charlie Adam's 66-yard goal. We saw our very own Adam Bogdan get beaten from an even greater distance, and to make matters worse, the 80-yard strike that he allowed to drift in actually bounced first! Not the first or last calamitous error of judgement our number 3 goalkeeper has been guilty of! On average he misjudges at least two crosses per game.....and commits a similar number of howlers in handling/shot-stopping.
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Post by greydad on Apr 5, 2015 9:41:01 GMT
I understand Joanne's perceptible sneer regarding Trotter, yes,he has continually frustrated, but I can only re-iterate that in the 5 man midfield at Ipswich his physical presence and short passing, in tandem with Coke's tackling and pressing, allowed Rochina in particular to flourish for an hour...neither he, Danns, Coke or Bannan can be regarded as having the attributes of CYL, Mark Davies, perhaps even Spearing, but they are the central midfielders that N.L. has to work with at the moment, and at Ipswich they all but confounded expectations and produced a more effective midfield performance than has often been the case since the turn of the year...profligacy in front of goal was to blame for the defeat, not the efforts of Trotter or his fellow midfielders, who all worked very hard. And no, one swallow doth not a summer make, but he would surely have been as effective as Danns was yesterday and may well have improved things in terms of fluency and passing, if not unproductive running and harrying. Vive la difference, as they say, and if I can help raise a smile, in whatever context, then so be it!
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