Smiler before you have ago at me, you are correct there was a lot of positives the most important for me is we kept the ball better. To be honest we were very lucky to get a point away at Forest they missed so many chances, Grabben open goal from 4 yards and also the Yates header are good examples. The most important thing is we have a club to support, there will be no fans in the grounds until April if we are lucky and no financial support from the government, football is rich enough it chooses not to distribute the money evenly so the tax payer shouldn't be expected to pay.
No attacking threat for me today. We needed to build momentum at the start of the second half but there was none. We didn't deserve to lose 3-0 but I don't think we were that good today. I know he's a newbie but I fail too see what Hirst brings to the team but I'd love him to get a HT v The Pork & prove me wrong.
If that was the best football we have played for year's a trip to specsavers is long overdue. No cutting edge wingless wonders bottom of the league here we come.
What gripes me most with warne is he constantly says he wants 4 wingers well warne effing play them
Where was miller to day
Play faz on left sadlier on right barlaser and wiles in middle
Play two strikers from the off
Possession is nothing as proved today
He has two ladapo and hirst wednesda
Sorry smith isnt cutting it neither is crooks
Get balls in the box ffs and get bodies in
Playing one up front offers ua what?????IMO nothing smith is a league one striker been marshalled by two championship.defenders
Hillsborough problem is 3 wingers we've got fit don't look championship wingers. Sadlier as I've said would get us goals but Warney doesn't know how to play him.
I'm not surprised by the reaction from some which was very predictable. Derby, whatever you think, I dont have you in the same camp as gwru and THMiller. I know you arent a Mattock fan. I agree with you positionally he was caught out for the first goal, but the guy was offside and that's a fact. Not sure who was supposed to be marking him for the second,but he did have too much time and space. I'm not going to try and push water up a hill because some people just enjoy the opportunity to complain and arent going to pass it up when we lose, but I just want to say this. In previous seasons in this division we have gone away to leading teams and tried to snatch a lucky point by getting eleven behind the ball which rarely worked. We havent had the quality to go toe to toe. Today we pressed high and had all the ball. We dominated. They hardly had a kick in our half in the first half. We had them chasing shadows at times. The first goal, which was offside, was a huge kick in the teeth and a massive turning point. No doubt the staff will look at the footage and look at where we need to improve, but in general play these last few games are up with the best we have played in this league since we moved into the NYS. That's my opinion. I dont feel down after today because I see lots of cause for optimism. And in these dark times I'm glad to have it to watch.
Its all about opinions isn't it and we have the extremes on here. Smiler says it was the best football we have played for years and TH thinks we are bottom of the league material. We certainly had the best possession we have had for years but for me the cutting edge and quality just isn't there.
We didn't deserve to go in at half time behind and they looked very ordinary. However, in the second half you just had that feeling we were not going to score. When we took off Jozefzoon and lindsay ( who were ordinary) and put on Ladapo and Hirst that for me gave the midfield up like 'Villa' said. 3-0 flattered them but we need to get our wide men in the game more and get the advanced midfielder supporting the striker more. Perhaps it is time to give Sadlier that role as Gwru is indicating.Can he score in the championship like he did in the 3rd tier ? This is a massive step up but i think he deserves to play just behind the striker and see if he is up to this class.
We signed Hirst and for me this will be a difficult season for the lad. I said previously that i didn't think he was what we needed. Our next game is a chance to ram my words down my throat. They are defensively sound but appear like us to lack the quality and cutting edge. I fear a 0-0 or a one goal defeat . Come on Millers this is a big game for us millers. Make us proud.
I do take your point Whiston. I'll put mine differently. After half a hour we had had 70% of the ball and had been permanently camped in their half. They are top of the Championship and were at home, so I thought that was notable. We did lack a cutting edge. Of that there is no doubt. I thought we chased the game too early and lost our shape towards the end. Surrender midfield in this league and you surrender the game.
If we are going to play five in midfield (which I feel we will get hammered if we dont) we cannot continue with a static front man. The one up front needs to move the defence around to allow midfield runners to come through and give Ballaser someone to find. Smith can doit but seems to lack confidence or is being told not to. Not seen enough of Horst and I would move Ladapo on in January. May be controversial with some but I think Vassell is the best option. I personally would play Ogbene there but he is not available. Perhaps Miller can do the job.
Playing really good football in areas of the pitch where there is no danger to the defence is pretty but there’s not many points in it.Move the defence around make them break sweat and have to think about where our players are are rather than in front of them.
If we we are not going to do this play two up front and lump it in and look for the second ball. We would need to be very defensive in midfield because the ball is going to keep coming back.
I have been impressed by some of the play this season. Nobody can doubt our work rate and attitude but at some point we need to decide whether to stick or twist.
Purely a personal opinion I Not convinced the goalkeeper is good enough.
Keeper is dodgy & no wingers fit good enough. No way is Vassell good enough. Got to realise that & make best of it. Got to hope Hirst comes good. Play Sadlier as I've said behind him. Can't play Wood against Wednesday. Move Harding across & Olosunde at right back.
Positives- We look more comfortable in possession than probably any other time I can remember watching us in this league but there has to be some substance to it which I will come to soon when I bring up our forward line.
The massive negative is the forwards, no invention creativity or willingness to try something. It must be frustrating for our midfield looking up to see a set of strikers so static. They all want to hold play up no one wants to make a clever run in behind or try something different, the only one who’s willing to do this for me is Ladapo but he’s always in and out of the side.
Another negative is the subs we are making, not because they are bad players coming on but they’re always at the same time (sixty minutes) and they just knock all the balance out of the side.
We’ve got some good players and a better chance than ever to stay in the division, be frustrating if we make it harder than it needs to be.
On the subs, I think we got it wrong yesterday. You could see the reasoning behind each of them. Throw Ladapo on to go 442 because we needed a goal. Then Olosunde because he is more attack minded than Harding and Hirst as a gamble thinking we might as well lose 3-0 having a go as lose 1-0 not trying. Unfortunately I thought we pushed the panic button a bit early. We lost our shape and ended up pumping balls forward. In my opinion (that's all it is) we should have given it 15 or 20 more minutes playing as we were (maybe Ladapo for Smith as a straight swap but keeping the same shape) because at 1-0 down with half an hour to go we were still well in the game. No doubt though we have almost all being saying for years that we need to be able to keep the ball better for spells in matches in this league and give ourselves some respite at times, also making the opposition work harder chasing the ball for a change. There are signs that we are growing more confident in our ability to do so, particularly with Barlaser and MacDonald in central midfield. I thought they were both excellent.
We kept the ball well but we have got to do that 20yards further up the pitch. The football was so good in front of there defence i’m sure I saw one of them clap in appreciation.
I didn't watch the game, but from comments on here, listening to Warney's post match summary, he obviously sees what we see, i.e. we are playing well but final 3rd not creating enough or taking those few chances.
So at least he knows what we need to put right.
I love Smithy, but we need to score, so maybe we do need to try a different combo up front - like Freddy and Vassell.
Wednesday would be a great time to get that much needed win!!!
Some great debate on here now. If Wednesday are missing key players (Brown, Iorfa and Luongo) i think they will come and keep it tight and try and nick the game. If the players i have mentioned are playing and Bannan is given time to punish then i think we are in for a tough night. Wednesday beat Cardiff 2-0 away from home and were good value. They had a good side out then but the last two games have been poor if the Wednesday fans are to be believed.
I agree with smiler, 'Villa and Davidedin about keeping the ball better but not doing it where it hurts, in the oppositions box. Not sure Vassell is somebody who can keep the ball either. He might give us better movement but i would worry about his first touch. It is a problem finding what will work up top. It looks like we have found a central pairing in midfield but out wide is still not right and might not be till Ogbene is back. Miller has shown flashes and i think i would play him wide left against Wednesday. Warne knows what is required as 'Davidedin stated and i am sure the coaching staff will be pulling out all the stops to get the best out of what we have.
I think most people are satisfied that our defence and our midfield are 'sorted'. That's great step up from our previous appearances in the Championship. The key problem is in the final third and our goal threat. The fact is, we have to work with what we have.
Smith - excellent control and hold up play but ineffective in front of goal
Ladapo - box striker - first touch awful and distribution questionable but has an eye for goal
Vassell - first touch even worse than Ladapo. Physical but lacking pace and can't beat a player
Hirst - young, enthusiastic and relatively untried. His first goal could see him blossom.
We have potential on the wings. I really rate Miller and I would start him against Wednesday. Flo Jo, only been with us couple of minutes and has yet to display his full potential. The fact is, our main goal threat is not going to come from high balls up to any of our front four, it has to be through our excellent midfield being able to put our wingers in good positions to provide threatening balls into the box.
Against the Owls, I would play both Miller and Flo Jo and put Hirst up front for obvious reasons. If we want to keep the integrity of our midfield, Lindsey alongside Mac and Dan B but Wiles would need to be sacrificed.
Without a obvious out and out striker, Warney has to be inventive and experimental.
