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Apologies for going off topic, but does anybody have any insight on his injury/return? We miss him, the build up from the back has been sluggish without him.
recycle recycle recycle + sees and deals with danger by whichever means
I've always felt uncomfortable with the negativity around him. Yeah, he picks up a lot of cards, but people have wrongly accused him of a lot worse than that. Central midfielders, especially deep lying ones, need to show for, be able to control and move on the ball. It's the basics - and he can do that well. As exciting as doubling up and throwing yourself in front of the ball in your own box is for some, I'd much rather we were up the other end of the pitch and not needing that as much. In recent weeks I feel we've been better at moving the ball through the middle and taking the game to teams.
People talk of much needed competition. I was happier with Field last week, than I have been in any game for ages. Forget the heroics, he's an awful all-round DM, simply because of his control of the football and his lack of confidence around that. The DM needs to show for the ball and try to progress us. In that position he just passes it backwards when he eventually gets it under control. Last week he was further up the pitch, showed for the ball more and made some really good runs down the left. It was almost like his first half season with us after joining in Jan. Warburton's failure in THAT following season was moving Steph out of DM and replacing him with Field for the 2nd half of the season (Fields first game was Stoke at home in Dec, due to injury). Not Field's fault at all, I love his desire, but don't put him in a position he can't play comfortably and sees us stuck in our own half waiting for the inevitable.
Had a decent feeling about tomorrow, but from what he's saying it seems they've evolved from a team who sat in and played on the counter to becoming a team who now sit in and play on the counter with a modicum of high press. Playing against teams who sit in is never great for us and as ever taking an early chance is a must. Then they can sit in all they want. Given they sit in, I wonder if he'll start Sinclair. Might be better to have the tricky players work us up the pitch with a target man in tandem. No not him, the one who currently has about 45 mins in his legs.
Footballing sides struggle against anti-football sides, unless they take the initiative early doors. That’s how Stoke set up last night. Finishing cost us again. Smyth scores in the first few minutes and they would have had to revert to plan b, which I’m not convinced they had, given the physical size of their players. They had one good move the whole game.
We attacked more in the first 10 mins than any other game in this recent run, when we’ve mostly been flat and needed to grow into the game? A better finish from Smyth in the first few minutes and it would have been a different game. CH had Sinclair in his pocket. He should have tried to come a few yards shorter at times to bring him out of his zone, or at least give him a decision to make. He’d easily make up those yards. He’s the first CH that Sinclair hasn’t been able to bounce, so getting dragged into a physical battle was a dead end. Only gripe I’d have is not getting Willock on earlier. Smyth got himself into two great positions, but don’t think he got a cross in the whole game. LB did very well when defending against speed on the flanks, it needed something different on that side as they were doubling up on Chair. Bristol City have just beaten the in form team for the past months and now play a bottom 3 team on Saturday. They’re already sharpening their knives and salivating at the football feast ahead, but this is the Championship…they’d have taken 4 points at the beginning of the week and that’s what they’ll get at best. Can’t remember 2 off performances in a row under Marti. Ipswich split the 2 Xmas games. We’ll be fine now that we have some depth
Keen, and outspoken brexitierer Reece Mogg moved his investment companies to Dublin within weeks, if not days of the Brexit vote. Had it all packed up ready to go in case they actually won.
He had a big voice in the media trying to persuade the public to vote for something he didn’t personally believe was a good idea for our country
Slightly off topic, but it still gets my goat. Apologies
Just want to add that Hodge is a defensive midfielder by trade, and was playing very deep for the last 20+ mins. In fact I can't remember him going forward post the goal. Marti might give him a different role, but it won't be his natural one. Blackburn left themselves so open for the goal that I think any player close enough would have run into that space.
blackburn just got 23m and they ain't far off. granted a lot younger, but look what happened when a teenage jack clarke left leeds for what was big money at the time..
Hodge is a defensive midfielder and I don’t think he’s come here to sit on the bench. Know nothing about him, but if he’s got anything about him we could see lots of change there. Most in danger of losing his place is probably Field, if the philosophy of playing on the front foot remains. As great as he is at putting his body on the line, he simply isn’t made to play that way. Virtually every time it comes to him when playing out it stalls. Was the same under Warburton, who decided to shift Steph further up the pitch once Field was available. Look what happened to us from Dec 21 when he came back into the team. From there on it was the 9 million passes across the back, into midfield and back again, rather than the progressive football we all drooled over in the early months of that season. Steph’s legs eventually gave out as they weren’t up to the extra up and down. Beale spotted it and tried to play him further forward. Tbf to Marti, he’s been forcing Sam out of his comfort zone in recent weeks. Field is hiding much less when we’re deep in possession. I still wince every time it goes to him mind. Love Sam Field, but he’s always felt like a square peg to me, given we’ve wanted to play progressive football for the past years, bar Amit’s heart breaking decision to employ GA. That view won’t be popular with those who get more joy out of a Sam block, than Willocks great assist against Millwall, but with word of incoming players and the rumour of interest for Field from Luton, I thought it made total sense to get a few quid for him this window. Although, with Reggie’s injury and Colbacks nailed on ban, his place might be ok for now. Seems Hayden can also fill in at FB and CH.
They do it every season and for sensible reasons. You don’t want to take the year option until the last minute in case of serious injury. Imagine the uproar on here if they did it now and the player broke their leg on the last game of the season.
I agree, I think we’ll draw on Sunday-but I also think that come the end of the season folk will Wonder why they were constantly pissing their nick nacks, once we had a change of manager. If we keep players fit, we’ll be absolutely fine.
You seem to have diced the no's in as negative a way as you could.
Even with the recent awful run, if we pick up the same amount of points as we have up until now under Marti we'd get another 21 points.
If the goal had gone in at Ipswich and we'd played for 95 mins at Sheff Weds, we would only need 21 points.
Bar Millwall and Cardiff, it's been good under Marti. Yeah, we need to create more in front of goal, but have done in our most recent 3 games.
Give yourself a day off. Maybe thrive on hope, cos with hope comes no expectation.
Back on topic, we'll be fine, if we can steer clear of key injuries. For that reason Dunne can't go anywhere, and tbh I feel he's just another scape goat for folk to vent on. Bar the Bournemouth mistake he ain't been that bad. I've watched the one in midfield who's not allowed to spoken negatively about lose his man for goals on several occasions. But maybe that ball watching gets him in the right place at other times..
We must continue with this style of play for the long term. It's where the game has gone, is good to watch when it works (and it mostly does for us, cheer up folks). It just needs some variation and long term getting the right players in. We have that variation in our play currently. Millwall went very high press, but with Dykes supporting the frontline with height and the only thing he's good at - control of the football when positioning allows, we have alternate outlets when teams press high. You also have Chair spinning off, Sinclair hitting channels etc. Future opponents now have an added considerations at the minute, cos we won't be an easy touch if they press high. And to be fair to the lads, a couple of oh dear moments in the 15 odd games, but I can't remember a goal against because of it. Dunne against Bournemouth was just not being strong enough, or having the awareness he was about to be hit from the side. The first 8 games under Marti and we many optimists were thinking top half, a run of 5 games without a win and everybody started wetting the bed again. Millwall away was bad, really bad. Cardiff, too. Ipswich away was really good. The other 2 I believe were set piece issues. We won't finish in the bottom 6.
Re Chair, he and I both, but then I have to accept that getting across his man wasn’t on Lyndon’s agenda, let alone actually doing it. Most of the time it would sending it in for the sake of it
We must not allow it to get scrappy - that's what happened on Boxing Day and it's meat and 2 veg for them. Their new manager came in with new ideas and a new style, as per their previous. Months later and the manager again gives up and adopts the Milllwall way. Our team hasn't been built to play scrappy, there simply isn't one player who can do that. Even the body on the line battlers who struggle to control a ball get themselves booked early doors
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