Some thoughts about the match.......
First of all, the team didn't play badly, though there were many individual mistakes. I enjoyed it, even when 1 & 2 down.
Secondly, despite what a lot have aid, we weren't tired, physically or mentally. There was much effort & invention right up until the final whistle.
In summary, it was simply a bad day at the office. Crap referee, 3 fine 'keeper saves & 3 clearances off the line. On another day ...
I was intrigued that Harrison started again, so I decided to focus on him during this match. I've never been a fan of his, mainly because the hype before his arrival promised so much, but as never been delivered. (Not his fault, I guess, but he gets blamed for it anyway). So from that standpoint, you might be a bit surprised by what I say here about him. Basically, I think we should keep him. There, I said it! Why, you ask. Well I started having suspicions that his performances were not entirely all his fault, and I now believe that might be the case.
What started me thinking about this was Alioski bursting into a run of form all of a sudden. I attribute this to him being moved to the right, and Ayling's return. Combined. Without boring you with the detail, they simply play really well together. So why did Alioski produce so many sub-par performances? Easy - he played on the left. With Douglas. And they didn't - and still don't - click.
So, to Harrison. He's not really had a decent run, and as a result of this, it's been assumed that that's the reason for his poor form - well, that or simple lack of skill/application. I took this at face value too. Against Dull, I watched him do everything right (apart from 2 habits which I'll cover later). His movement on & off the ball, passing, crossing, vision, tackling - you name it, he did it ok. In fact, quite well. So where's it all going wrong then? Simple. Douglas. Yes, Douglas gets forward. Sometimes. But that's where his support of his winger ends. And it's not personal. He does it with Alioski too! Douglas imo is the root cause of the problem. I don't know if he's working under instruction, or is simply poor at what he does, but he is simply not fitting in. And I'm only speaking about the attacking aspect - it's widely known that his defensive qualities are not up to scratch - and he proves it often. I'm not going to go on about it. There's a perfectly good chance that I'm talking bollox - but do me a favour & keep an eye out. You'll really need to be at a game to assess, as a lot of the communication breakdown comes from off the ball movement, which you don't get to see on the telly. Happy to be ripped to shreds, but confident that you'll struggle.
Oh, his 2 bad habits. First one is the obvious one - his defending. It's not that he doesn't show willing, he's just not too sharp at times at defensive duties, like tracking runners etc. Usually gives them a head start, but he's not got the pace to catch them once they've got away. Either that or the Dull midfield are Olympic-class sprinters. The second habit you prolly wouldn't notice unless you were focussing on him - and it's an important one. When he crosses, it's almost always the same type - he sends in a ball parallel to the 6 yd line, just out of the 'keeper's reach. No hitting the byeline & cutting back, & no early crosses either. Or very few, to be precise. Now this is a fine cross, don't get me wrong, but there's 2 things wrong with it. First is that it's predictable, and will have been noticed by opposition analysts, but the second is not only important, it's also farcical - the Leeds guys waiting for the cross are too far out for it. They're hovering just inside the 18yd box, presumably looking for a high ball to run on to, instead of a knee-level Exocet fizzing along 12yds in front of them. Someone needs to have a word & sort it out.
Oi ya bastard
I was watching the BFG the film reminded me of a few 606ers...
