Moncur’s one of the few in the squad with actual Championship-standard technical ability. When he receives a pass, he gets his head up, turns quickly and looks for another pass or an opportunity to dribble with it. And that’s another thing about him, he’s one of the few players we have whose first touch is class and when he dribbles, the ball sticks like glue instead of bouncing two yards in front of him. If you pay close attention to when Moncur receives the ball compared to KLP, Wilks, Magennis etc. you’ll know what I’m on about. Sometimes the first touch by the latter three is so clumsy and poor. Maybe I’m giving Moncur too much credit but it’s just refreshing to see a player successfully trap the ball.
Tbf effort is one thing most the players seem to give, I also think we have the skill level to do ok in this division. What we lack and it's really showing is experience, nous and maturity. The biggest examples we have seen this season of what that brings you where Billy sharp for them yesterday, the CB pairing for derby earlier in the season, also the goal that Fulham scored by blocking our player from following his man from a corner I think it was their first goal?.
We can display as much experience,nous and maturity as we like but giving free headers to proven goalscorers would be any teams downfall.I still believe we have some really decent players in this squad,McCann needs to decide on his best 11 and stick to it,we can't afford to carry any player.
We should have signed an experienced centre half in the Elphick mode for this season. An experienced head would sort out the defence. I am amazed that Byrne can’t assign someone to attack the ball at corners and stop giving away free headers. The two centre forwards we have are not up to the job and need moving on ASAP. Better to give Smith some game time. One thing no defender likes is pace. They will mop up donkeys all day long if they are any good.
And the Fulham block for their first. You need experience and nous in this division and we have nowhere near enough.
Just watching the game again Well second half anyway Wilks was a liability at corners last season holding and grappling Embarassing watching that and the commentators are slaying city for the way they defend corners Honeyman should have been booked and a pen awarded for his antics with sharp Another ref will do that
I was driving (to Sheffield, ironically) when the game was on yesterday so had to content myself to listening to commentary on TalkSport 2. Excellent analysis from Neil Redfearn. After less than 20 minutes he said that one of our big problems was that Magennis was too isolated. It took him less than 20 minutes to work out what our manager seems to have been incapable of working out in in a season and a half since Bowen left. He also commented that on the set pieces we seemed intent on engaging in wrestling matches rather than being alert to the movement of opposition players.
The only thing to learn from the game is improve on set pieces and crosses. In open play it was a pretty even game .
I can see the argument here but equally it's hard to believe anything is winnable when we are so lacking quality in the final third at the moment and conceding so many goals from set pieces. It's a big gamble to wait another seven games, by which time we could be well adrift and a new manager coming in then would presumably be starting with a run of more difficult games. If it were me, I'd be giving GM 2 games. Expect nothing at Stoke but then next home game v Blackpool needs to be won, and if he has Honeyman available for next 2 games that's as good as it's going to get. So if he hasn't got a win by then, I'd want a new manager to face those other winnable games. But of course if the Allams stay I suspect it's all academic as think they would hang onto him.
Why would they? they don’t want relegation they didn’t want it the first time and wouldn’t want it again. they’ll sack him if it carries on
I think the earliest we’ll see McCann gone is after the takeover. No point the Allams firing and hiring when a new owner would want his own man, especially when our potential new owner does have an interest and understanding of football, unlike the Allams who are honest about not being football people. Howden said both parties want the takeover finalised by November so we’re probably looking at until then at the earliest for McCann to go.
if we really are being taken over they wont sack McCann and pay him compensation when the new owners will be doing that anyway - they will try string it out - however if we are not being sold in the near future then he'll be gone before too long unless results improve because they wont want to be selling a League One club