I didn't know that there was a league table of support for radio Humberside. I like many things in life including 606 but i certainly don't like everything said on it. I don't know which you find a disgrace me liking radio Humberside or the fact that they let that sort of call go on air? Either way I won't lose any sleep over it.
I’d have put Huddlestone on for Smallwood. Every forward pass Smallwood made went to a Preston player.
Agree, just hope he was focused on getting both our new strikers on and not reluctant to deploy Huddlestone for another reason?
Smallwood was Grant’s captain, setting his stall out as the player that would be first on the teamsheet if fit. I can’t see Arveladze demoting Richie, but it will be interesting to see if/how his role develops to the end of the season. I must admit to being underwhelmed by his captaincy, and if there was a popular vote I suspect it would have been given to Honeyman at the start of the season.
He breaks play up well. But he’s let down by decisive passing. He passes well sideways and backwards.
I’ll be surprised if we offer him a new contract in the summer. He’s great for any League 1 team pushing for promotion and I could definitely see him linking up wherever McCann ends up.
Speaking of McCanns, I thought Ali McCann was a real nuisance for Preston today. Whiteman was good for them as well.
Linked with them both under Mcann too. Pretty sure Whiteman was his 1st choice that summer and we ended up with Honeyman so not all bad.
Preston were the better team. Thought Fleming was outstanding Greaves not far behind. Docherty may be an engine but does seem to lack the quality for the Championship. Suspect next game Walsh will be in for Docherty and Slater or Jones in for Smallwood. Want Allahayar to start want to see what he has to offfer.
Docherty is very much playing like Honeyman in 19/20 season atm. It’ll come he could do with a booming holding midfielder next to him that’s screaming at him when he gives the ball away not someone who’s doing it just as much as him.
Yeah, if anything it was a very typical GM defeat. The team is still in his image. Good at the same things we were under him, and bad at the same things, most notably getting back into the game after going behind.
I said before the game, always felt who scored first was crucial, and so it turned out to be. They were the better side, well drilled, the backline, midfield and the forward line move up and down as a unit, thereby minimizing the space between the lines. We never got the grips in midfield, and should have changed that rather than bring on strikers IMO. Nevertheless, we never gave up, and this group at least they fight to the end, and credit to them for that. Docherty has great energy, but often gives the ball away too cheaply, as he did with their goal. Smallwood looked leggy, and Honeyman was well handled by them and kept quiet. I can see Slater and Walsh being brought in for Derby. Positives. Fleming was our best player, Greaves not far behind. There seem to be mixed opinions on Eaves performance, I thought he was okay, just the ref didn't do him any favours. He did his job, unlucky with the header, if that had gone in then I think we would have seen a different game from our perspective. Looks as if Bernard will be out injured, but Jones did okay when he came on, so I don't think that changes the quality of the back 3. I am in the camp of never feeling the playoffs were nothing but a pipe dream this season, so this gives Shota a chance to start to put his own identity on the team for the remainder of this season.
If you think Smallwood was our worst midfielder you are wrong. Doherty was woeful for most of the game and I aren’t talking about the mistake for the goal. He adds excellent energy but his passing in generally is poor. The amount of times he looks up then refuses to play the cross field pass and passes it short. Both Smallwoods and Doherty’s passing range in midfield is about 5 yards either sideways or backwards. Huddlestone wasn’t the answer either. Shota should have gone to a diamond or something similar at half time, Slater on for Doherty and KLP at the top of it.
