We really need to sort out the defence and midfield. Every high ball into our box causes pandemonium and looks like we’re going to concede virtually every time. We also look completely overrun in midfield and seem to be second to every ball. Whoever is analysing this stuff needs to figure it out but I suspect it’s a combination of system and personnel rather than one or the other. I wonder how 3-4-3 might work for us, bearing in mind the players we currently have available. Whatever, if we find a way to stop the goals going in at our end without sacrificing too much at the other, we could end up having a very decent season.
Biggest difference was Palmer off for Gelhardt. Palmer did next to **** all in that first half. Gelhardt came on and immediately started showing for the ball in all sorts of positions. Slater made a big difference. Not sure what to think of Hadžiahmetović. I’m hoping he’s still getting used to the pace and intensity of English football but so far, I’m not impressed. You can tell he has quality but he just gave the ball away today and he always seems several yards away from where he should be out of possession for a holding midfielder.
He may have been good but almost impossible to tell on those ****ty stadium speakers. My ears were bleeding after the piano medley followed by that awful phantom menace ****e
For the first time I questioned the gaffers team selection....He got it very, very wrong...We've all got things wrong in our lifes, but surely he can see that Drameh is not good enough for a midfield role. It's fecking obvious.
I'm not usually one to pick at a manager's lineup, but I can't get my head around that one tonight. Palmer always seems to be highly rated, always on the periphery of the team but never seems to have a good game when he plays. I suppose the thinking was that they'd let us have a lot of the ball and Palmer would help us unlock the defence, but if that was the thinking then Drameh on the wing seems even more weird - he is one of the worst players we've got in possession and asking him to do it higher up, often with his back to goal, was a really tough watch. He was hopeless there. First goal was horrendous. It was so preventable. We won the header but then Drameh just didn't seem up for the challenge at all, waved a leg at it and then let their guy shoot in a crowded area. Absolutely no way he should've been able to get that shot off from there. Good finish though. Pandur obviously didn't see the second one, I'm not going to crucify him for that. But his kicking caused us a huge problem tonight, particularly in the first half. It was so easy for them to press us into awkward areas, particularly when Pandur had the ball, and the second goal came from that. He has to improve on this but I don't know if he can. Reminded me of the Portsmouth game last season where we just couldn't get out of our half after half time. The first half in general was one of the worst we've had in years. I often think people are over the top about how bad we play, but that really was absolutely ****e. When we finally got a corner in the first half someone behind me said "watch this hit the first man". I agreed it was almost guaranteed to happen and sure enough it did. We've all seen that script enough times before haven't we, seems to be pretty much law that when you're playing like **** and desperate for something, a rare corner will always hit the first man. The energy that the subs added, as well as Joseph with a few little runs early on, gave everyone a lift and then obviously the goal came at a brilliant time. I thought it was funny that their defender seemed so scared of McBurnie receiving the ball from Giles that he got himself into a wrestle that he ended up losing and falling over, leaving Oli free to take all the time he needed to control it and score. From behind the North stand goal it was nice to watch him do that with complete confidence, only waiting to see which part of the net he would hit. With a lot of City players over recent years I'd have been thinking "I wonder how he'll miss this". That linkup between him and Giles is so fun to watch. Giles gets the ball and straight away you look to see where McBurnie is. For the second one I noticed him point where he wanted it, which seemed ambitious from where he was, but Giles put it there and as promised he got there. It's brilliant to watch them make goalscoring look so simple. Sergei deserves credit for turning it around. I really didn't think we'd have that in us at half time. As the games go by I don't feel any more sure which way this season is going. I keep wondering if it's all going a bit Shota, but then he keeps pulling off a great result or a great half just when you think it's turning sour. You have to wonder whether it'll settle one way or the other at some point.
It wasn't good and should not be used building up to a game. The idea seemed to be sing songs that we typically sing during games (or have chants to) except most of those that chant were still on the concourse/getting in. So, it created a weird atmosphere followed by no music at all when he had finished and that let Preston start chanting.
Just our luck Giles gets an injury. Hope this confirms to the manager that we need to be at it, with selection and on the pitch to do any good.
The first goal was especially amateur because the organisation at set pieces is obviously ****. Palmer was asking everyone else in the box who was picking up Small. Nobody did, the ball fell to him and he scored. Drameh is so ****e in the air it’s actually unbelievable at times. 1v1 on the ground he’s actually a really good defender but anything in the air and he ****es himself. He either misjudges the flight of the ball and therefore mistimes the header or he just loses track of his man in the box.
The tracking of Small arriving late was a worry, but I don't think that in itself actually caused a problem in the end because we won the header and there were plenty of people around him when it fell to him. I need to see it again but Drameh just seemed to not battle for it at all, which is baffling with our defensive record. How could you not see the danger and be desperate to stop it?
I don't want to pile on him but I've never really got it with him. He seems to have a good reputation across the Championship, opposition managers mention him as a threat a lot, and every new City manager seems to initially rate him, but he just never does enough when he gets a chance to play. He obviously isn't there for his defending or his energy, but I don't think his attacking play is anywhere near good enough to make up for it. Last season when he had big chances fall to him he bottled it and side footed them at the keeper. I just don't see many upsides with him.
And although I've already mentioned Pandur's kicking, he also never seems to want to throw the ball when he has it either. He always does the same routine where he sprints to the edge of the box, looks at different options of players to quickly throw it out to and decides not to pass it to any of them, waits for everyone to get reset and then has a much harder time getting the ball out than he would've done if he'd just rolled it out to one of the unmarked players ready to break before everyone got back behind the ball. I don't know if it's an instruction or just a him thing, but he did it all last season too. Strange either way.
The defence needs sorting ASAP. 16 goals conceded in 8 league games is just absurd. We’re particularly crap defending set pieces and crosses into the box. Every time a ball comes into our box I expect us to concede. Don’t we have a dedicated defensive coach as well as part of Jakirović’s staff? Seems like too many cooks spoiling the broth for me. Whatever they’re doing in training isn’t working.
Akintola clearly out of favour at the moment. Positives from tonight other than the obvious McBurnie/Giles combos was Millers return. What’s happened to Brandon Williams? Not even made the bench again.
manager got the line up wrong good come back second half that 1st half was similar to the second half at Watford away on Saturday
