Jack Stacey's take on the game: "It was frustrating. The timings of the goals is probably what killed us in the end," Stacey reflected post-match. We were getting certain momentum going into the game, especially in the first 25 minutes where we created a few chances, but it is probably the difference in levels with how ruthless they are - that's probably the difference. The manager said before the game that it was almost a test for us to see where we're at at the moment. Of course, that's the level we want to get to eventually, but some tests you don't pass. You can see the difference. We've got a real mix in there of younger players and some that have played in the Premier League; it's a reminder of the level and where we want to be." And how far away we are at the moment, but the mitigating factor was the players who we didn't have out there. Sargent and Duffy got 10 minute cameos but it was far too late. Sainz, Slimane and Marcondes were big misses but Brad Hills suffered in a brutal second half appearance including being dispossessed in his own area for a goal. The WhoScored ratings say it all:
I am sure Hanley will leave this month especially if a club from the North West want him. Duffy seems to have buckled down after his run in with the law and certainly he has done a good job motivating and organising the younger defenders especially as Gunn does not seem to know when to come off his line and when to stay put. The reality is that he is our highest earner and has a contract for the next 18 months. We are not going to pay him nearly £3m to sit on the bench whilst paying another player to take his place. Personally I would prefer to see Duffy and Cordoba as the CB pairing with Doyle moving into midfield alongside McLean
At 33 Duffy is at the end of his career & needs upgrading Pretty sure we have conceded more goals than most of our rivals .
We have conceded more but we have also scored more. It's not the defenders alone, but the way the team defends as a whole. That seems to be a consequence of Hoffball, much like Farkeball. Judging by yesterday, Cordoba is not ready for guiding a young CB beside him. I like 1950's idea of moving Doyle into midfield, but until Crisene improves, Doyle at LB is the better option, especially against Sheffield Utd and Leeds.
Every time we set up against a corner I'm half expecting a cock up & to concede. We do seem to play very high up the pitch & when they inevitably lose possession any striker with pace has a clear run on goal . We have thrown away lots of points after going a goal up , I'd we could defend we would be in the top 6 .
Of course he is at the end of his career which is why we are stuck with him until his contract ends but, as I said, economics at the Club do not allow us to spend £3m on Duffy to sit on the bench whilst spending £xm on an upgrade. We have 12 months to see whether Hills - who was put in an impossible situation yesterday - or another player from the Academy can step up to the job before we have to start looking outside the Club for an upgrade. The young lad on loan in Scotland seems to be developing well and could be the solution.
Personally I would have sold him after he smashed up his Range Rover pissed up days before the Leeds play off match completely unsettling the side. What the hell was he thinking, the guy is a millionaire surely he could have booked a cab & collected his car the next day .
Our problem with defending corners is Gunn who has no command of his box and nobody, including himself, knows whether he is coming off his line or not.
He was a free transfer & has a year left on his contract. A drop in the ocean compared with Tzolis & Naismith. If nobody wants him on a free he's still useful as cover
A bit of a petty argument but at that time he had 2 full seasons - £3.5m - left on his contract and he still has 1.5 seasons left. Far too much for a Club in our position to pay for a bit of cover especially as we were and are still paying Hanley a lot of money to provide a bit of cover and on top of that we would be spending a lot of money on an upgrade. Not financially viable.
Duffy is costing us £1.8m per year for 3 years. He's started and finished every league game this year. Any experienced CB who could do that would cost us more than that in initial fee plus wages. I agree that Hanley should move on now but Duffy's experience and guidance for young players adds further value as JHT has said many times. Córdoba is doing well, but he doesn't yet have that extra dimension, as yesterday showed. Doyle will leave at the end of his loan and we need some continuity going into next year. Bringing down the average age of the squad doesn't mean getting rid of older players who have regular playing time.
