He had his medical Saturday/Sunday. He was in the Blackpool squad but left out for their game Saturday so don't think he had a medical Friday!! We only agreed the fee Saturday.
Hate to say it, but Stoke (h) is looking to be a crucial game. We have Sheff Utd, Stoke, Burnley, Norwich, Sunderland as the next five.
I'm not getting into it for you to spend 4 pages proving me wrong Syd... it still wasn't done in time for today.
We looked like a poor, relegation fodder, team. Played **** football on a **** pitch. Players like Vaughan and Slater put in heaps of effort, but just aren't very good. It's so frustrating watching players consistently take a 2nd touch instead of shooting. We've seen it time and again the chaos that having a shot can cause.
Pedro was and still is a good footballer but at some point we do have to get out of the habit of playing him for the whole game. Even if it means bringing someone on for the last 20-30 minutes. Our only threats in behind are Slater and Puerta but they’re too deep, all of our front three want the ball to feet and we’re too easy to play against. We haven’t got many options now but even Burstow through the middle for 20 is surely worth a go.
But it has been done in time for Friday so I'm really not sure what your point is. You asked for players who could start Friday and I listed three who have been signed and announced. As others have also said, Henrique and Eliot were in the stand to watch and signed today, plenty of time before Friday to make bench cameos.
I more meant after getting into a decent shooting position, they would take another touch. Contrast that with their 2nd goal, the lad is through and leathers it. I think it's just a confidence thing tbh.
Too many times we have the ball around the box edge and nobody moves - I get sick if seeing us lose to a fast counter down the wing and the oppo guy plays a well thought out accurate ball across to men running in. We play balls to the keeper , or two foot off the ground or weak ones easy fir the defence , sooner or later we must have ‘ intelligence and or technique’ I told mates that Sato was v tidy and energetic and he was their perfect sub . Pedro needs to stop trying to beat a man all the time and play it simple I like him but we lose possession easily .
Also, I thought Rushworth was rubbish today and dropping Pandur has been completely unjustified. Rushworth might have better distribution but he flapped at most set pieces and didn’t command his box well at all. Pandur’s distribution might be average but his shot-stopping and ability to command his box is miles better. Thought we looked really poor for most of the game. Our press was half-arsed against a team that plays out from the back in a rather slow and uneventful way. We could’ve and should’ve put more pressure on them. Instead we let them dictate the tempo and their two midfielders Field and Varane were given free rein to dominate the midfield. We need to control the ball and games in general much better. There’s no point Jones lumping it to a front three of Vaughan, Pedro and Gelhardt.
The game by game results of the teams around us really don’t matter all that much as long as we get to 50 points, however, it still stings that the teams around us had poor results and we failed to capitalise on that. It would have done a world of good for building positivity.
