I am still feeling angry and frustrated this morning about yesterday's result. I think Peeters has done a decent job making us hard to beat, but the negative way he has us playing is not helping us. Yes we need another Centre Forward, but the amount of players playing out of position yesterday was crazy. Gomez is a centre half- played at right back, Solly is a right back- played God only knows where. Harriott is a left winger played off of Vetokele, Cousins is a central midfielder- played wide left. Gudmundsson, started in an advanced central midfield position. We started the game all at sea, the players didn't look comfortable in the formation. Team that could have started, all players in their positions. Pope, Solly, Bikey, Ben Haim, Fox Wilson, Buyens, Cousins, Harriott, Vetokele, Tucudean. I know we have got a few injuries, but I said, a while ago, that the thinness of the squad would affect us when injuries start to kick in.
The team really needs a win. Their body language with 10 mins to go wasn't that of a team confident of winning. 3 wins since September - didn't realise it was that bad
Nail on head. As FHB jnr. said after 20 minutes the players don't seem to know where they're supposed to be playing. There were probably a lot of fans watching who didn't know that Gomez is a CB, and were therefore critical of his final ball, which is grossly unfair. When played in his true position he is IMO potentially the best player in the squad. Igor isn't being asked to play in defense and Gomez shouldn't be playing on the touchline any more than Bikey.
He played there for the U-21's not too long ago, but was not as impressive as he is at CB, where he's absolutely bloody brilliant. I just don't get it.
We should be making him master his craft at centre back. Dont worry about him at RB or CM, as in the long term we will need him in his natural position. Still baffled by yesterday's line up. BP has to put his hands up for it, DP's post proves it didn't have to be that complicated.
Do we drop TBH? Couple of costly errors in the last few games. Would like to see Gomez given the nod, but as billy says, the American (who's name I can't be bothered to find the spelling of) seems to be 3rd choice.
Awful first half performance, apart from Gomez, who was excellent. Better in the second half, but still we didn't create enough chances. What Blackpool were doing for Cousins' goal I have no idea, though credit to him for a very good finish. Other than that he was poor though. Pope to blame for both goals. If the second was offside then fair enough, but he still got it completely wrong. York City fans said his command of his area was excellent last season, so I don't know what's happened. I won't write him off, obviously, but he needs to improve rapidly. Solly did OK in midfield, but with him and Sideways Buyens in there we had no-one breaking forward so our forwards were isolated. As for Bikey's miss... if it had fallen to anyone else on the pitch it would have gone in.
Has TBH ever played in midfield? I think he and Solly are the only two we have who can go past players. Better to do that from midfield than from your own box.
Apart from yesterday Pope has been excellent we all have an off day that's life. I was more disappointed that after the excellent home performance v ipswich last time out we produced an insipid display against a team that was on yesterday's evidence useless in line with their place in the table
We've always managed to get pumped for the big games, but (especially in recent seasons) struggled against the "lesser" sides. I'm still backing pope. You just have to look at de gea today, and how far he's come since he signed. I'm not saying he will be as good, but he needed to fill out and get on the weights - which pope needs to do also.
Just watched the highlights. Pope was responsible for the first goal, but the defense for the second was a shambles, with Davies given a free header from a lob forward into the box. Pope gets the pelters because he went out and missed, but where was Davies' marker?
I thought the same, when it happened I was on Pope's case, and well, goal keeper's union and all it was quite rare for me to speak out about one. But after watching the replay I think he did the right thing, if he had stayed on his line Davies would have had time to control it and thump it in, so he had to do something, and whoever was marking him ballsed that right up, shocking defending.
Poor poor performance, and proves again that these formation of playing one up front does not work. I didn't think Tucedean was that bad. He put in the cross which Bikey missed. I think Vetokele scored his seven goals whe he was partnered with, and only two without...
The bottom line is that we were 2-1 up at home against the worst side in the division - and once again we didn't press home our advantage. Instead we resorted to time wasting (Pope goal kicks, Fox throw ins) and that horrible, Chris Powell-era sidewqays passing. Only in the 4 mins of injury time after they made it 2-2 did we go for it again. JBG and Buyens - talked up by many as 'class' at this level - should surely be imposing themselves on games like this ? They don't. We played a full back as a midfielder and a winger as a striker...oh...and a centre half as a full back. Laughable.
Very Poor overall. Bikey three mistakes first 10 minutes Pope agree with above should have dealt with first again second were was the marker defence was shocking. Gomez & Solly for me the only ones to have earn't there money for the day