plan b if plan a fails lol [video=youtube;aIzLHliIHO8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIzLHliIHO8[/video]
Rangel has has loads of chances to cross but it feels like he just kicks it into the area rather than to any particular player....
Glad that's over, my heart just about survived the last 10mins phewwwww. How didn't DG finish that chance, he should have buried that.
we certainly didn;t look comfortable hanging on in the last 10 mins, but we got 3pts and that was the most important thing. i'll settle for a point out of the next two games. thought chico had a decent game today, he looked the most assured at the back
http://videos.sapo.pt/roDP1lkqUUybS1wfOEGg A few highlights, playing very loose with our final ball into the box in general was poor,but three points is all we wanted and a fair result imo
I did think Chico had a real good game, look very comfortable on the ball. We don't do anything easy mind do we!!
Michu continues to find his way into the right place at the right time. What a pickup he was. DG?????? Really ... WTF. So I guess we know our lineup for City. Would have preferred to see Moore on instead of DG.
Yankee, I think Laudrup had defence in mind when he brought on DG. Danny's not scoring but his stats for defensive work are impressive for a forward. We were under the cosh and I think ML probably thought that Danny's energy and covering about the field would be better than Moore's. Unfortunately, we needed a confident striker to take that breakaway chance and Danny just isn't that right now.
glad we held on to get the win today, very frustrating to let them back in when they looked beaten walking back to take the kickoff 2-0 down. Second half performance (until we conceded) was really good though, looked like an effective team talk from ML and felt the fullbacks got forward a lot more and a lot more effectively second half. My big concern with the system is that Routledge and Hernandez today, often Dyer, end up spending a lot of the game with their back to goal because of drifting inside so much and therefore the fullbacks must (for me at least) get forward and provide some width. First half we were pretty narrow in the final third with the fullbacks rarely pushing on far enough but it was much better after the break. Brilliant skill from Wayne to start the move for the first but need to do a little more to get him on the ball facing goal before the game gets stretched and both teams start to tire. I'll give him credit for a very well taken finish, but i'm afraid i'm not sold on this Hernandez lad yet. Call me old fashioned but i like my wingers with their head down running at people and he really doesnt take the fullback on enough, even when the defender is totally isolated. I appreciate he seems to have a nice range of passing and he's settling in to a team that like to pass it more than almost everyone but a little more cutting edge and committing defenders would make him much more dangerous and i can't have been the only one looking to the bench for Dyer before and after Hernandez scored. Anyone know what the away attendance was today btw? We took 4500 to them in March, they looked like they'd brought as many as 300. Made it harder than it needed to be but a good 3 points
Pinball, agree re wingers Pablo could be more effective in the hole behind Michu (C) in Terrorwit's options
I think Pablo will come good , he's not had much game time and yesterday there were glimpses of his ability .My concern is if he keeps Dyer out and doesn't improve what effect will that have on Dyer (he didn't appear to be interseted when he came on ,Chico looked comfortable and that may be why Ash had a decent game ,hopefully they will form a tidy partnership and our knack of conceding cheap goals will stop but the last 20 minutes yesterday couldn't go quick enough
Wigan played the last 20 minutes as we like to (and used to) but they did it better. We couldn't get the ball off them because of their pass and move football and I found it very frustrating. Worse, when we did get the ball, we didn't seem to have the confidence or the ability to keep it for very long. That's not us. But we are still getting it together as a team yet still playing decent stuff for the most part. Wigan are a settled outfit, happy with their system without too many changes. Compare that with us. We have new players trying to integrate and develop an understanding with each other all over the pitch:- Chico and Ash - not helped by language problems. Davies with the rest of the back four and his winger. Ki, JDG, Hernandez, Michu trying to gel with each other and Leon in midfield. Danny up front ploughing a tentative furrow with his confidence shot because he doesn't know what to expect from a bunch of strangers in midfield. Is it any wonder that we have lacked fluency? Of course the lads are working on it - every day in training but it is a process that will take a lot of time and to get the points we have so far is a pretty creditable effort. Particularly when you bear in mind that we should be at least four points better off, which would see us challenging near the top of the table. That we are not, is down to some crass individual errors, nothing to do with the general team performance in those particular games, which was very good and deserving of maximum points. Can you imagine the confidence that would be flowing through the team right now had we banked those points? It would be awesome. Developing the team understanding is a slow process and we are going to take many beatings whilst it happens. But so long as we tick along and pick up enough points to keep clear of the stress of the relegation spots, we will see a gradual improvement as the lads get to know each other. I suspect that we won't see the best of them until late in the season, or even next season (God willing we are still PL then). When we do, I can see us giving some teams an almighty hammering and that is when we will kick on and establish ourselves as a genuine team in this division.
Very uncomfortable last period, Wigan very unlucky not to get the draw, we invited them onto us in the last period and I for one don't want to see us sit back again as we do leak goals.
Not sure I take DG's mess of the break away yesterday as the fault of a lack of confidence. A defender breaking away in that situation I can understand getting flustered and not knowing what to do. But a forward, at this level, his eyes should gleam with delight as he heads towards goal knowing exactly what he needs to do because by this point in his career he's done it a buzillion times in matches and practice. What happened yesterday was a lack of technique and focus. I'm not saying he should always score because the keeper has a job to do too, but what DG "did" yesterday was rank - he didn't even come close. Couple this with the sky high blast from the edge of the six yard box the other week - a lack of technique and focus. Compare to Michu - movement, position, calm, technique focus - a Spaniard scoring a headed goal from a corner in the British game. Imagine DG scoring that goal - tough isn't it.
Danny Graham will be fine. Watched him training last week and he was banging them in from all angles. I think him up front Michu in the hole is way to go. Although Luke Moore was unlucky not to start after the last game. JDG tried to get in the box yesterday but just not got a forwards instincts and looked a tired boy in 2nd half. There was a case for taking Pablo off at half time he was that poor but then came good 2nd half. Chico dived across in 2nd half in a usaul rash manner missing everything. Hopefully he can bring that down to 1 a game as he played well otherwise. Think Nathan is just trying too hard.
