We need to take points off the teams around us, not the ones at the top, although it we hadn't we would be rock bottom by now. It really is a massive concern, God knows what to expect on tuesday
To say that about Kamara tonight is pathetic, he probably caused them more problems when he came in than any Other player. Some on here get obsessed about certain players.
I disagree, I just don't think his decision making is there on a consistent basis. There was an overlap he could have made when Crooks was played in and he just stood still. Don't get me wrong, I don't want him gone because he's got potential and ability, but I haven't seen anything from him outside of a couple of games this season where he justifies £4.5m. I'm sure he'll come good down the line as he's only 21, but when you look at Millar and Belloumi and how they played with zero fear, for me at the moment he flatters to deceive. He certainly wasn't our worst player tonight and the timing of my comment probably amplifies it, but my point isn't just about tonight. Against Leeds he was fantastic, but the game before that he was ****ing awful and his mistake led to a goal. Which happens, but would be easier to palet had he not spent the previous half an hour with his hands in his pockets.
Maybe but the other way around, which meant we would be level with Cardiff and not 3 points behind them.
Aren't those at home though? Because let's be honest, given what we've just seen, we'd expect nine points if we supported any other team. But we know this season that teams around us seem to have more fight than us.
The chance to move 6 points clear and actually have some breathing room is why it’s the biggest. The pressure this has now put on the Plymouth game is massive. The attitude that it’s not the end of the world because we have Plymouth, Luton and Derby still to come is why we’re sleepwalking into relegation
Some need a scapegoat though. Singling out a sub when everyone playing the 90 did the square root of f*ck all is just a cnuts move.
It’s not even so much the result but yet another pathetic performance against a team we need to be beating or at least not losing to. Conceding soon after half-time again. They’ve just got a weak mentality in general. Is there nobody in that dressing room telling them all to wind their ****ing necks in after a win against a top 6 team and stay focused on the bigger picture? The whole fist-bumping and playing to the crowd after a win has always rubbed me the wrong way. Did it again after Sunderland. We’ve won a game, not a cup final, and we’re still in a relegation fight. Reminds me of Arsenal under Arteta. They all tossed themselves off and gloated after beating Man City 5-1 with the ‘stay humble’ **** (ironically proving Haaland’s point) then followed it up by getting dumped out of the only competition they had a sniff at winning this season by the Geordies. Another trophyless season for the Gooners but hey, at least they beat Man City 5-1 and they could all giggle at Haaland. It’s 100% a mentality thing. Like Arsenal, City are complacent, have undeserved arrogance (not to be confused with confidence), a lack of resilience to in-game adversity and a massive chip on their shoulder about their league position. Several players have said our league position isn’t an accurate reflection of the squad. They don’t believe they deserve to be in a relegation fight. They’re not taking responsibility for the situation and feeling sorry for themselves and probably think Walter is entirely to blame. No, we’re in a relegation fight because the players, by and large, have not been good enough.
Neither side deserved to win that, they scored from a deflected shot, I think it was Slater who turned his back, We had some urgency towards the end without really creating anything. They got behind the ball and defended well and this is how many teams who are struggling will play starting with Plymouth next week.
Cardiff had a few moments from the edge of the box tonight where they'd shoot. Pandur had them covered generally but you never know what you might get when you pull the trigger. Conversely, when we get into the same situations near the oppo's box we always look to pass or cross and essentially hand the responsibility to someone else. The only ones tonight who didn't do that were Joseph and Pedro, but in the same breath the quality of said final passes and crosses are frequently so poor the strikers just don't get the chances. As soon as we get into attacking positions you can see quite clearly that everyone is on a different wavelength and personally I think the biggest reason for this isn't necessarily a lack of quality (though that does come into play too frequently), and I don't think it's necessarily down to the manager either - I think we've changed so much of the team over the summer, and bearing in mind injuries and lay offs as well, these players simply do not know each other's moves, strengths and wavelengths to the level the rest of the league does due to a lack of time playing competitive matches together in comparison to everyone else. It's fine in these games where we have 35% possession where we've picked up results because we're counter attacking, using obvious space when we break, and can score the occasional goal that way. BUT when we need to break a team down its always a frustrated long ball from a CB straight to the keeper or off the pitch, or a cross to nobody, or a through ball when nobody has made a run, or passing sideways and missing the runs that break the defensive lines. We never seem to have anyone hovering on the edge of their box either once it's gone in. Someone needs to be hoovering up the second ball after the half clearance but it always falls to the opposition, every single time. Macca must have successfully completed 20+ passes to Gelhardt tonight to help get us going. On the right Coyle didn't manage a single pass forwards until the second half. It was safety first nearly every time and its as if he doesn't trust his teammates to receive the ball to feet, which is great for getting our possession to 60+% but it does absolutely nothing for us to win a game. To compound the issue we still make **** decisions in front of our own goal as well, so it's essentially a recipe for disaster. We make these sorts of errors multiple times a game, still. I'm not going to pelt Slater because it was his turn tonight. Too many make these mistakes and this time it was just his that happened to be punished - but they've all done it, all season. The mentality is ****ed, but it needs to change in the next game now. It might not be the last game of the season, but a precedent needs to be set at home now. No dodgy mistakes at the back, stay focused out of possession, be brave enough to do what needs to be done. In attack we need to be brave enough to gamble, in terms of making runs and in terms of taking a shot on when the opportunity arises.
