Great result and following the live stream, we could have nicked it last 15 secs! All round good performance and all new players settled in well. No difference from top and near bottom in my view, and we restricted them to just one goodish chance. So glad that Loach is now back between the posts...commanding performance today. 6 points from Barnsley and Bristol and up we go...
I also watched online and have come to thinking that unless we get two dangerous wingers there is no room in the middle of the park for both Hyam and N'Daw. We had a good portion of the possession but I hardly saw a worthwhile forward pass. A lot of sideways movement but no real penetration. I appreciate that we controlled the middle with those two playing but we need more creativity. If we can get the wingers to do more then it is a good partnership but otherwise I would like to see someone more forward thinking in the middle. Well done lads, another point gained but jeez, it was a boring match.
Sorry SD but I think you are being far too harsh! We controlled large portions of the game and limited Cardiff to only a few chances which weren't guilt edged by any means. I'm delighted by our strong workmanlike performance today and we were unlucky not to have won it ourselves through N'Daw and Nouble. A great point away to the league leaders sets us up nicely for the next 2 winnable games. If this game had been played under Jewell we would have been walloped as well you know.
Completely agree with your evaluation SD. Great result and a very solid and organised performance and we stopped Cardiff playing but on the flip side we really lacked quality on the ball, and there were far too many hopeful long balls or giving the ball away too easily. If we're going to play this formation for me we either need 2 new wingers or move Martin the right and a new left winger. Also need a slightly more offensive CM or just a playmaker as at times the distance between our CM and our strikers was huge!! All the subs did very well for me. I think Murphy should start the next match as the ball stayed uptop far more when he was on, he held the play up and kept the pressure off. I thought Chops again looked lively and was really quite unlucky not to start the match and I was actually very impressed with Nouble when he came on. For me those 3 will be very unlucky if they don't start the next match in the positions that they finished. I thought McGoldrick impressed when he had the ball but him and McLean got very little service. All the players put in a good shift but I still think we don't get enough offensively from Edwards and Orr down the right hand side!! I have to say was very impressed with Creswell but I always am, I just think the times he's been criticised have alot of the time been due to a lack of support down the left hand side. Very solid from Chambers and Smith though, incredible the difference between now and the start of the season for them.
" I also watched online and have come to thinking that unless we get two dangerous wingers there is no room in the middle of the park for both Hyam and N'Daw. " Again perfectly summed up - main issue Hyam has, is N'daw is fantastic and again was today! Had Nouble got his head up either Chopra or Edwards had a tap in, never mind! I thought Nouble looked a rather astute bit of business and I'm happy he's arrived!
We were playing Cardiff! Give 'em credit San Diego! I'm thrilled for Loach, it was tough for him earlier in the season with the defence in such a mess. Hopefully he can build on this.
One thing that does concern me is the way McCarthy keeps subbing strikers with half an hour to go. Sometimes your goal will come in injury time.. Obviously you want to freshen things up if it's not working or players are tired but I think Chopra is dead wood and I'd rather see McGoldrick backed whether he scores or not over the first hour and I'm sure they'll flow out of him.
Have to say Lancs, I think he got the decision on the strikers wrong today hence why he changed it fairly early on in the second half. We looked much better with Murphy and Chopra and in the end Nouble on the pitch. Though saying that I thought McGoldrick didn't do alot wrong but him and McLean didn't have alot of service!! I know not exactly a play maker/creative midfielder but I see Jay Tabb has been put on the transfer list from Reading, IMO we could do alot worse than him!!
Mick Mills on Suffolk thought that MM had got his substitutions spot on and I know who I'd rather believe! McGoldrick and McLean were always going to start today!
So we get a point at top of the table, who are 8 points clear & some on here are still picking holes......**** me..! Yes it was not perfect & we did not get the ball in the right places often enough but we would have all taken a point at 3pm today. With a bit more luck we could have nicked it in injury time. JWM is correct MM was full of praise for not only Micks tactics but the whole teams display inclding subs. Under Mick we now have "team spirit" something we have not had for years before his arrival...!
It is also worth noting the clean sheet. We really did defend as a team and Loach ended up not having to do very much, and when he did I thought he was very sharp. We are the first team to stop Cardiff scoring in 26 games. A fantastic achievement!
I agree with you Hoppers. There is nothing to moan about after the performance today and although we had 2 really good chances to win it, a point and a clean sheet away to the league leaders is a terrfic result. The other pleasing stat is that Cardiff had scored in the last 26 games before today and we held them to a clean sheet. Make no bones about it we are a rapidly improving team under Mick and even Mackay said some very complimentary things about us in the post match interviews. McCarthy is restoring some long lost pride back into our football club and I am loving every minute of it!
There is ALWAYS room for improvement. You will not find Sir Alex resting on his laurels. We need to pick our two strikers (surely McGoldrick and Murphy) and give them a run. I'd like to see Nouble picked ahead of Martin and given a run in the side.
He did get his subs spot on today, I just think he should have started with Murphy and Chopra or at least one of those instead of having to bring them on!!
Mick is definately not the type of manager who will allow those players to rest on their laurels. I am just a bit amazed that after a decent and solid performance against the league leaders away from home, some on here chose to nit-pick!
I assume you're pointing at what I've said or SD?? If so you've just said we shouldn't picked holes and gone on to pick holes, you've just said it in a different way!! You've basically said exactly what everyone else has said "very happy with a point, solid performance but could be better on the ball!!" Lets not make this thread into a you're moaning about everything etc etc.. People are just analysing the game I'm sure everyone is delighted at how solid we looked and that we gained a point at a top of the league team!!
PTC At this stage of the season given where we are in the League I will value a positive result over "Quality" everytime! Quality is a very subjective thing anyway so lets just enjoy what is a good solid result and move on! We've got back to back 6 pointers coming up and I couldn't give a monkey's toss if we don't show much quality but win both games!
