So Derby beat us for 3 points …. no big deal, we still beat them to go to the PL ( Promise Land ) ….. and they can’t take that away. Next…….
I’m a big Nardi fan but where was he for the goal? He had loads of space in front of him and the ball was lobbed in gently. Every goal we let in is the same.
It’s certainly a weak spot in his game. Something he needs to sort out. He’s a very good shot stopper but those crosses … geez!! Feels as though he’s a much better instinctive keeper than strategic keeper. Needs to do something to give his back line confidence when those crosses come in, our defence needs to be thinking about the opposition not what the keeper won’t be doing. Tough week starts Saturday. Another three game week. Then the last of the international breaks and back to another three game week - thankfully the last break until March now. Ridiculous.
It’s bad enough when a goalkeeper can’t command his 18 yard box but it’s insane he’s glued to his line for a hopeful, slow ball so close to him. Bad as we were it becomes a very different game especially in the second half if they don’t have a lead to sit on. Yeah he can do some parts of his job very well but the club were right to try and move him on in the summer.
Forgive me, but the 3-game week thing always bugs me. It's actually two games in a week. If we played Saturday-Wednesday-Saturday-Wednesday, we'd have played 4 games, but people would describe it as two consecutive 3-game weeks. Sorry, I'm an awful pedant.
No Clive W for this one ( lucky him ) but Jamie Perry ... Ramshackled R’s end three-game week on a bum note at Derby – Report - Queens Park Rangers News | Loft For Words
You are it is interesting thought that, apart from Oxford who played Shef. Weds., the other three teams had one days less rest than their opponents (and did not win) and fans of all three commented on them looking leggy and tired. With our younger squad and with players still not fully used to the rigours of the Championship it does seem it would be difficult to carry off 3 games in 8-days at their peak. Just saying.
Let's face it - the manager can never win on this. Play most of the first choice team if not all and they are knackered and lose and he gets criticised for not utilising the squad. Utilise the squad and lose and he gets crucified because 'you should always put out your 10 best players'. Isn't that why all clubs who can do so aspire to having at least two good players for every position? And in Chelsea's case 20. Then we can all have a go because he is 'Tinker Man'
He’s paid handsomely to make the right call. In his defence, statistically playing back-to-back away games close together, especially with only two days between makes winning the second considerably less likely. Doing so against a team coming off the back of a home game with an extra day between further hinders your chances going purely on the numbers. There may have just been no combination of players or tactics that would have produced a positive result on the day - probably not but maybe. I do feel like there are players being under-utilised. Kolli certainly as an option to give one of the strikers a rest or a better fit to either as the deeper striker. Morgan I think could be used more as the closest fit for Madsen. Playing two of Varane/Hayden/Field seems unlikely to work unless maybe with Chair in there too. Maybe even Dunne having a game off now and again given Adamson is meant to be pretty good. None of the above helped by sacking off the League Cup entirely rather than maybe having three or four games these guys could have all played in with some experience around them.
