Another frustrating result.
We were on top for the majority of this match and should have won easily with the chances we created. We had some good crosses across the six yard line but just couldn't stab the ball home. Blackpool were more effective than us when they did attack. Their overall build up play was just quicker and more incisive than ours, with the Blackpool players carrying the ball well and committing our defenders to last ditch tackles and blocks. We on the other hand have a bad habit of just trying to attack down one side at a time. I was screaming for a switch of play many times, the space was there but we just don't move the opposition team about enough to really open them up. The Blackpool goal came after a bunch of little defensive mistakes meant the ball wasn't cleared and they scored with a decent finish. It all started with Garbutt trying a little trick to pass a player and failing, the ball then started bouncing about with Downes and Huws getting in each others way and not clearing the ball when we could.
Second half was mostly about us attacking and putting Blackpool under pressure but poor finishing or positioning of the forwards wasn't resulting in goals. We still kept running into dead ends by continually playing in congested areas when there was space available. I thought we got it a bit wrong with the shape today, in fact I'm not quite sure where everyone was supposed to be playing. We had a back four of Garbutt, Earl, Chambers and Woolfenden and then four central midfielders in front of that. Bishop seemed to have been asked to stay on the right wing but we didn't really have anyone at left wing. Skuse sat deep and Huws and Downes roamed the middle but it wasn't balanced. I think Bishop should have played more centrally, in the position that Judge has been lucky enough to play in recently. Teddy is good with the ball at his feet and can glide past people with ease but you're asking him to beat too many players from a wide position. He would be far more effective sitting right behind the forwards where he can pick the ball up and only have a CB to beat to be in on goal. Sears and Keane both wandered too much looking to get involved which left us without a central presence when we did get the ball into the box. They did finally combine for the goal and I hope they can get to learn each others game so that they can be more effective as a pair.
Holy - some crazy moments from the big Czech today. He came rushing miles out of his box on a couple of occasions, completely missing the clearance and relying on defenders to bail him out. He did collect crosses well and was confident in goal but needs to learn when to come out for the ball and when to stay home.
Garbutt - 7/10. Looked lonely down the left side, he didn't really have anybody to vibe off on his side.
Earl - Solid enough without being spectacular
Chambers - same as Earl.
Woolfenden - got involved with plenty of overlapping runs down the right side. Was part of the trio with Bishop and Downes that did the most attacking in the first half. Still think he should be used as a ball playing centre half as he is the exact type of CB we need to be more progressive as a team.
Skuse - sat deep and cleaned up the middle. I did notice he was looking for forward passes most of the time he received the ball, still passed it sideways a lot though. He helped us keep possession and recycled the ball to keep the pressure on Blackpool.
Huws - you just want him to have more effect on the play. With just a bit more effort he might have gotten on the end of a Sears ball across the six yard box early in the game that would've set us up nicely if we had scored.
Downes - superb again. Great ball retention and passion to do his best at all times. Shame he'll be out for two matches now. I can understand why he pushed the Blackpool player. Flynn was having his shorts pulled as he tried to get around the defender. The referee didn't blow the whistle and it ended up with Downes showing his frustration at not getting the call by pushing the player over.
Bishop - looked good dribbling the ball and committing players to defend. Wasted out wide he needs to be in the middle to do his best work.
Keane - decent enough but drops too deep too often. Like Sears, they are just not the 'in the box' presence we need when the crosses are sent in. Actually, those crosses are coming from those two from the wide areas because we don't have any natural wingers hugging the paint on the flanks. The strikers end up in the channels picking up through balls but then there's nobody in the middle to score. Keane is more of a play maker than a finisher and would benefit from playing with a 'goal hanger'
Sears - happy he got his goal, Freddie played well. Needs a different strike partner to be effective as both he and Keane move around too much to compliment each other.
Judge - not as good as Bishop, he's just not.
Dobra - really bright performance from Armando. He is super positive with the ball, he tries to make something happen EVERY time he has the ball. It's rare that you see him him play safe or shirk responsibility, he just wants to run at you, make lay offs and drive further forward.
Simpson - a big lad who looks like he has everything needed to be a nightmare for CBs. Could he be the target man trouble maker we've been lacking?
All in all, more frustration at the final whistle.
Like some of our recent games, if we could just score the first goal when we are on top then matches would be completely different. We're not playing badly, the chances are there, the finishing is not. We were unbalanced in midfield today and neither of the strikers are selfish enough to stay in the box. Sure it's commendable to be everywhere trying to be involved but at some point there needs to be somebody in the middle for the final touch!
I'd like to see more of Dobra and Simpson from now until the end of the season. I know we've already given a lot of minutes to the other youngsters coming through this season (Downes and Woolf) but if we want these players to progress and be useful to us then they need to be getting many more minutes if we're not going to send them on loan. I don't want to hear Lambert saying these guys don't have enough experience when it's up to him to get them the minutes they need.