My twopenneth for what its worth, thought overall marginally better than the Stoke performance, not difficult I know, but first half after getting through the shell shock of the early kamikaze defending for first goal, we did have a 10/15 min spell when we showed some fight/effort, but we needed to score in that moment. Fine margins, a cracking shot for us rebounds off the bar and out, theirs ends up in back of net. Had we scored then, a different game, maybe. 2nd goal, disastrous timing, mins before half time, again kamikaze defending. Both goals, elements of self infliction. 2nd half we came out looking down and out, the most dangerous score line in footy, allegedly, unless you’re City. At 50 mins, if I’d have been Dawson, I would have said to the bench, who wants to go on & try to get a grip on this game, cos no one was showing it on the pitch, zero engine room. After the subs, again we did have a 15 min spell showing a bit of fight, Doc & Christie making the difference. Any new incoming Manager will have their work cut out, making a cohesive working unit from the current group saddled with. We need to go back to basics, a well drilled functioning defence, currently have zero confidence, and find an engine room from somewhere, then build on flair players. We desperately need an effective set piece coach, for both ends of pitch, every corner/set piece into our box just seems to reek panic. Acun is learning a harsh lesson, his dream of building a team unleashing a bunch of flair/highly paid players does not trump this league. Last but not least, whilst travelling in to City last night, an expensive looking sports car whizzed past us on m/way, reg PU11 AS, we both took a double take, but had gone! Probably nothing in it, somebody’s car on here!
Oscar might as well have put up a deck chair because there was nothing for him First half we were so static, it boggled the mind Sinik off the ball movement was fantastic,constantly switching, making runs, giving options Probably too early to start v wigan Id like to see tufan dropped to bench for wigan And seri and doc to start I think doc thrives with better players around And christie should start
Ingram Christie Fig McLauglin Elder Sinik, Docherty Seri Slater Tufan Oscar Thats how I'd start - put players who can head the ball / defend at the back - fill the middle and two up top - Woods on for Tufan second half - for me no place for Coyle, Greaves or Jones - no pace, can't head and **** about too much - appreciate Figs had a nightmare last time out but he was left doing all the defending himself - plus Baxter has started to make me worry too much
I'm not knocking anybody who went to the game but to call that excellent vocal support ? Just about the loudest I heard it was people actually booing our own players at the end of each half
Thought his confidence looked shot to pieces. Didn't come for a ball that was clearly his early in the 2nd half, never looked comfortable at corners and was nearly caught off his line by a shot from distance later in the same half. Didn't look like the same keeper we had last season - although he is now behind a particularly shaky defence
and we didn't have players on the posts - we seem to have resorted to grabbing and wrestling and not watching the ball
Think they blocked him off how many teams do that as a plan ? Also they put two on an aerial ball and barged us in the air but marginally fairly. Greaves and Jones need to beef up they’ve had all summer but fitness is about athletic build it seems. Lastly in the first half as soon as Coyle got the ball their left midfielder was out to him to stop him - when it was the reverse he was 10 yds short of stopping their out all so they can build. It’s happened all this season and it did last. Do we not study the game and see these things. On a positive when we moved it quicker we were really decent , Christie is the right size and build . Woods is not what we needed at all no pace and not much else. Slater tried and Tufan up front benefited from Prlas and Sinik and Doch playing quick to feet. Last complaint bluntly unlike his dad Greaves won’t expose his face and head in the box unless unchallenged he goes with his shoulder and it’s a foot too low so he won’t score goals . There’s a lot of pretty boy footballers these days who do the same .
Teams press us high so easily snuff us out as we've little creativity going forward down the centre, and not enough width. Solution (if only it was that simple) play to get around the back. Hopefully Sinik might be the key and some bloke called Tarore. On the odd occasion we get around the back and pull it back across the box we look half dangerous. Doc in midfield to provide a bit of steel. Tufan won't do it on a chilly day in Hull, and I think you can put Pelkas in the same category. Though, it's early days. I can see why Woods has had a few clubs in a short period of time. He's our Ray Wilkins. God rest his soul.