I was there and was on the pitch for the equaliser - in fact I think there were hundreds on the pitch - I seem to remember someone hanging from the cross bar at the north stand, unless time has taken its toll on my memory
Not three goals but werent we losing 1-0 to Derby and scored two goals around 90 minutes? Billy Whitehurst?
Agreed he does look quality, apart from one whoops moment in the second half. He tried to volley a bouncing ball in the Burnley box, swung his foot and....... missed the ball completely. I think he will only get better
That's the point I was making. It makes you wonder what the owner must be thinking when he sees these sort of tactics at times. I know the fan club won't like it but I wouldn't be surprised if a sidekick is brought in during the summer to sort it out.
That was a massive moment. Should've been the equaliser and would've changed the game at that point. And this is the thing about the finishing/final ball problem. So often it's a talented player messing it up. I can't believe that the answer is just to go and sign higher calibre players because the likes of Traore, Tufan and so on should be more than good enough. Burnley have a load of players no one had heard of before this season finishing everything and putting perfect crosses in like the one for that second goal. A huge part of it must be confidence, sharpness and being in a well-coached team. I hope that with a proper pre-season we can start to be something like that next season.
PLT, agree absolutely. There is always going to be a bit of a whoops moment who ever the player, stuff happens. But there are some things that really should be ingrained at this level, my personal favourite; pass the ball infront of the player to run onto; pass quickly you don't just pass the ball you pass the time on the ball; keep looking and decide what to do before you get the ball. Seri does these things, Traore does on last nights evidence, Tufan at times. On the other hand if our players could do these things regularly they probably wouldn't be playing for us I'm sure LR will get it sorted
What gets me is when we get a throw in well into the opponents half. One throw and 2 touches later it's back with our keeper ... time & again. We then try to rebuild to eventually, if we're lucky, move the ball back to .... err .... into the opponents half, somewhere level with where the throw was taken from. I just don't get it. Surely the original throw in represents an attacking position / opportunity from which we should be looking forward? As said, it happens time & again. I don't get that either. You can't be offside from a throw in so someone should go as far as possible into opposition territory - at the very least that stretches the play and makes space for others.
I agree, I think confidence is a huge part of it. I bet Burnley players have freedom in knowing the next chance will come, where as our players snatch at chances thinking it could be the only sniff they get.
When we get a free kick in their half, bring up the centre backs and instead of putting a cross in, play it short, bugger about out and end up passing back to the keeper. Whats the point in that.
Theres so many thin gs mentioned sensibly here that need working on. I noticed last night that Burnley obviously had set plays at corners. When we have a free kick/ corner, I'd like to see some variety, something unexpected (not to us of course)
There was one particular moment last night, late in the second half where the ball was played into Seri as three Burnley players were converging on him and he just played the ball instantly, first time between two of them to the feet of one of our players.
Re: UP's tale about boozy Torquay players. Best story about boozing players before a game has to be West Ham Utd, back in the day. They travelled up to Blackpool for a 3rd round FA Cup game in 1970 or so. It was a bloody cold day and news reaching the West Ham players said the pitch was covered with snow, rock hard and the game was 99% sure to be postponed. So Bobby Moore and a few of the lads went on a piss-up on the Friday night. Ending up in a club and getting back to the hotel at around 2am. That morning the sun broke through and incredibly melted the frost and the ground staff cleared the snow. The ref checked the pitch at 1pm or so and passed the pitch playable. West Ham lost 4-0 and I think Moore and a few others were disciplined and suspended or fined, or whatever. Blackpool played City in the 4th round at BP. City won 2-0
