I prefer the glum one. Things can only get better. Now, I'm beginning to think we're getting complacent
Well it's only Reading and us who have to play Friday. The rest get an extra day. The ridiculous scheduling of matches cramming 3 games into a week regularly devalues the quality of the football, causes more injuries and favours the richer Clubs/FFP cheaters, who can pack higher quality players into their squads as back-up.
I realise from watching the highlights again that it was Amos who won that ball high up the pitch to present Dykes with that chance, so my apologies to his fan Club members for saying I hadn't noticed he was playing! I did think he was a bit anonymous otherwise and should have been pressing more and linking the midfield 3 with the front 3 more than he did. But his recent return from injury may well have restricted that and Beale may have been telling him to prioritise staying back .
Just watched brief highlights. What a save by Dieng, take a bow son. And how did Dykes and Roberts not score!
True but everyone takes their turn with the Friday night fixture and, for once, we seem to have planned for this with a manager who is not afraid to rotate his squad and seems so far to be able to squeeze a tune out of all of them. While the team is winning, few players seem to care or complain about fatigue. Not sure that Reading are favoured even if they are, probably, in the ranks of the FFP cheaters. If Willock is out again, it will be interesting to see if we are now better equipped to deal with that setback than we were at the end of last/beginning of this, season. If Dykes isn't up for it then perhaps Dickie can slot into his natural goal poacher role!!
The schedule is crazy, but that is what a November World Cup will do to the league fixtures. All the teams are going to play 46 matches, by the times the season ends, and sometimes you'll get a few days more to rest than at other times. Surely another way to look at this week, is that whilst other teams will be busy on Saturday with their matches, our players will have a very calm weekend and a full week off before our next match, against Luton on Saturday the 15th.
One of the things that pleased me about last night is not being able to work out who was man of the match! Dunne, Balogun, Field, Amos? The only disappointment was Roberts, I thought.
Field for me, just ahead of Dunne and Balogun who were superb. Amos worked hard, but nowhere near those three imo.
I think there were better alternatives myself. Lengthening the season more and dropping the League Cup, though that wouldnt have had much impact on us.
See what you mean. Balogun for me. Our defensive improvement has come with his arrival at the Club. He seems to be organising and guiding it as well as playing a great game himself, last night and previously. Dieng, Dunne, Field and Laird were all excellent too.
Hard to argue with that. Mid second half Balogun was holding his thigh a few times and still kept going. Sterling effort and definitely setting the example. Couldn’t see the leadership element others were talking about - but that’s great to hear too, just what we need in that back line. Dunne and Field were tremendous. Paal and Laird once again contributing. They will frustrate many a team if they keep up this way.
He's been a great signing already - in the same mould as Clint Hill, Ryan Nelsen or Richard Dunne....Rangers fans all telling me they wish they'd kept hold of him
