Nah - they were misplaced crosses!!! TBH there was one early on (very early on) that I forgot about. Not good enough. When the subs came Malky showed no expansive ideas. Oh well... we dfid well to get into the play-offs. Let's see what happens next season.
What I don't understand is our reluctance to play football on the ground. We have small strikers but yet, time & time again, the ball is fizzed up to them. The WHU centre halfs had no problems clearing.
LLF - Seriously man, I just think West Ham wouldn't let us play. They were all over us, they were pushing forward continuously. They move up and down the pitch twice as fast as we do. I think MM knew he had nothing to offer by the half, and was perhaps hoping not to get drilled 5-0.
not having a dig at the boys who have done us proud this season. We were out fought and out muscled. We were knocked off the ball too easily and WH didn't give us an inch of space. Over the two games we were outplayed by a better side. No disgrace in that!
They have done great all season... I agree. However, we had no width. They had big lads at the back (as they did in the first leg when we couldn't get shots on target either) and the only way that we were going to get at them was down the flanks with balls played around the back of their centre halfs. Doing that would cause them some more testing issues with Kenny & Joe running on to the through balls. Never mind, what's done is done. I just wonder why, after a fruitless 1st leg, Malky and his team did not address the situation and look at other ways to penetrate their defence. Yes they were on our backs all game but that is so easy to do when we were playing in a congested space through the middle. In the first leg (2nd half) Liam Lawrence often hugged the touchline and gave us an outlet. Why could they not see that playing with width was a viable option to get at West Ham? Here's looking forward to next season.
We couldn't really change it - we have a lot of very similar players and we have nobody who runs quick. Same all season, and a problem that should have been addressed in January. We don't have the ability to penetrate their defence because we haven't got the players who can do it. Our chosen style is not capable of penetrating defences! It is steady, and we weren't relegated - which is all you can hope for playing that style of football.
lol - not moaning Robbie. I've been watching the City since '73 and believe me this is heaven & I'm happy. I was just a little frustrated that's all. Iggy. My point is this. The balls travels faster than any player can. If we positioned ourslelves with more width then we would have stretched West Ham out wider and given our boys more time through the middle. It's basic stuff really. We don't need to be fast we just needed to create more space and by hugging the touchlines and make use of the room that this would have created down the flanks and through the middle. You saw what happened tonight when Taylor and McNaughton decided to stretch their legs and go down the flanks. There was plenty of space for them wasn't there? Let the ball do the work - it's all about knowing where the players are when you are looking for them. Play it through in your minds, whether or not we have speedy players (and we don't) has little significance if the game plan is to create more width. Lawrence and Whitts have exceptional distribution and given a little time they are more than capable of delivering a telling ball through/around the back of defences. I'm relaxed about this really. Did anyone see the Mayweather -v- Cotto fight this weekend? They went head to head for the first 7-8 rounds and then, with no sign of any opening, Mayweather changed his gameplan. He decided to stand-off a little and hit cotto with some faster right hands. The result - a unanimous points decision. He just decided to give himself a little more space. A different sport... a different scenario... a plan B and a great win. Now he get's 90 days of recollection to think about what he did!
We were terrible, it was men against boys and all that. MM needs probably 4 good signings and a big clear out, i just hope we can get another year form Stevie Mcphail.
ronny - as a makeweight yes, but if we have MccPhail in the starting line up next year, I'd be seriously worried we won't have moved forward. I like him, he's got real class but he poses very little threat in the oppositions half, and his defensive game is also flawed. He can only tackle with his left peg and all too often gives away free kicks with left leg challenges from the "wrong" side. He's also not getting any quicker with age - Vaz Te outpaced him numerous times and got his goal through a McPhail mistake. I also don't know whether his illness will ever allow him to regain a full 90 minutes Championship football. That would be a real shame for the guy but also a real risk for the club to have to rely on if we're going to make a serious challenge next year. A class player who has had to put up with very serious health issues. The club has stood by him and rightly so, but this close season is the time to move on. He would be more than welcome as an influential squad member, but he ain't the future.
Agree with this - he would make a fantastic coach, he just reads the game so well and he would have such a wealth of experience and knowledge to pass on.
