A good honest interview from Smallwood, acknowledging we were simply bullied and not good enough, but the interviews with Shota are mind numbing, I know there is a language barrier and he is trying to respond but he just makes a lot of noise without actually saying anything. Or at least anything I can understand, I thought he got his tactics right against QPR and Sheff U ( coupled with a bit of fortune), but his tactics last night were mystifying, it seems looking from the outside in, that he wants us to play a fast progressive game, but as has been mentioned these lads are struggling when the opposing team gets in their face, it was panicked 'football' last night, and the control and passing for our part was a bloody disgrace. But watching on when they are hoofing it towards the like of Forss and Smith, 2 lightweights who just dont win headers and not trying to get them to change the tactics was criminal. Longman for me was probably the worst of the lot but was closely followed by McLaughlin, no composure, no control, at times lumping the ball aimlessly or not even able to find a pass from 5 yards. Having seen that why didn't he bring on the best passer of a ball we have had in recent history, Thudd must have been scratching his head at the ridiculous nature of the game. Its early, and I'm prepared to give him.time to adjust, but Shota needs to get his head in gear and read the game better, the subs were just bloody ridiculous, replacing like for like when it wasn't working in the first instance, Jones relegated to the bench after what I thought was a man of the match performance in the last game against the dramas. All very unsatisfactory and confusing.
Well it’s a good job it was slater and not smallwood who ****ed up like that Cos smallwood would have been called to **** for that Ditto McLoughlin Then greaves allows the cross and Fleming doesn’t go with his man second goal dogs dinner greaves and Fleming
The ‘Highlights’ Reel. I expect our Highlights bit runs for approximately 1 or 2 seconds. The real highlight will be our team allowing Barnsley to run rings around us like Barcelona.
Quite honestly I think whatever the tactics were supposed to be went out of the window in the first 5 mins. They got into us and we bottled it. Almost to a man.
Dunno how it looked on telly glp but that quina for them was outstanding never laid a glove on him all game superb skills and close control and he wasn’t the only one who looked a different class to ours
we need a 5 man midfield. we get over run far too easily & teams just cut straight through us. we need a 5 man wall stopping them
The 2 prior draws and vs Fulham we've effectively had a 6 man rearguard with a back 4 and 2 sitters which worked fine in 'backs to the wall' circupstances. Didn't do us any favours when were expected to get the ball down and play like last night, but to a to a man, everyone individually was off it - as evidenced by giving the ball back and passing it out of play at every opportunity. Perhaps they were under prepared psychologically but that's nothing to do with formation.
You mean where Smallwood jogs back with their player then for some bizarre reason just stops , leaving him on his own to score then blaming Fleming? Notice how he immediately turns away after the goal - he knew he'd ****ed up, otherwise, especially as Captain, he'd have had a right go at Fleming .... but he didn't.
Which begs the question why Thudds experience and quality on the ball wasn't deployed ! Calm those around him down and get the ball moving.
Barnsley hitting the barn door twice. Shoor looks mighty like we was the squealing hog last night, yez sir. I fear them duelling banjos is the only music we might be coming acclimatised to and a hollering with pain to from now right full up to sundown come May, ya hear? Somethin bad is a lurking in the wood shed and we are all right out of bullets. The Good Book itself, did prophesize these bad tidings many years ago, Genesis, 1,vii "For beware the shadow of darkness that is League One for it be none other than Lucifer Omnipotent come lurking for recruits to the eternal inferno."
He wasn’t the worst player on the pitch in a City shirt. That award goes to Longman last night, who seems to have gone off the boil ever since he signed permanently. That being said, Smallwood just doesn’t offer a lot and is really limited as a player. He only passes sideways or backwards and he doesn’t organise the team’s shape, especially in midfield. I still can’t believe our game plan from the first whistle was to hoof the ball to our weak forwards instead of playing ball to feet or giving them through balls to run on to. The only time a midfielder played a forward pass on the ground for a forward to run on to last night for City was Slater’s pass to Smith. Once in the entire game against bottom of the league. As the captain in the middle of the park, he should be organising the team’s shape. We need better midfielders on the ball who are capable of receiving and releasing it quickly. Honeyman and Doc are grafters who cover ever blade of grass but they just lack that quality. Their first touch is too heavy and they dilly-dally on the ball too much and whatever runs KLP, Longman or whoever else make are wasted.
