I've been a massive fan since his appointment, every decision he's made I've thought was the right one until yesterday. Koren should have been on the bench, either AB or Fathi should have started. Forest battled like their life depended on it. Very physical, liked the look of Lansbury, Guedioura and madjewski. We were dominated in there and needed to out battle them. It's been a weakness all season. We still created enough to win the game but we didn't dominate them as we should have done, sometimes you have to out scrap a team before beating them at football. Two poor goals to concede as well. Chezzy backed off Henderson, it's a real failing in his game against a big CF, and allowed him to bring it down on his chest and lay it off for the first goal. Too many footballers Steve not enough scrapers, lets not fall out again. PS any news on macca. Hamstring again?
Looking at the game again from the posted highlights they were certainly at us all game with Lansbury continually baulking Meyler and Brady whilst their defensive midfielder Guedioura was big and strong.. Perhaps the fact that the Glaswegian dwarf was able to have a good look at us with the game being on Sky worked against us. Stockdale not brave enough for either goal and defense ball watching for the first goal off the bar... How we didn't grab an equlaiser with three great chances at the end is beyond me. They by comparsion did little up front - the second goal coming from a long punt with Bruce being beaten for the first header by Blackstock and Sharp scuffing his attempted shot that then fell invitingly for McGugan..
The last 5 mins showed how we can play when we're battling, unfortunately we only seem to do it when we need to. Forest did it for 90 mins. Both goals against us, there weren't enough players busting a gut to get to the ball. Meyler was meant to be the defensive midfielder, but he's ball-watching during both goals instead of picking up the player running in.
quinn is a little scrapper and meyler usually likes to get his foot in.., i think there should be enough in there for a home game... but i agree definitely did get outmuscled, its a problem thats come up a couple of times this season, we are as a whole a bit soft centered sometimes.... safe to say you wouldnt want boyd, elmo or koren in your corner if you where out and something kicked off
Our attendances are a awful at the minute. If it wasn't for the 3K from Forest we'd have something like 16K again. Most teams in the top 2 coming into the back end of the season would see an increase in attendances, but we're still going backwards. We were getting more back when we were in leagues 1 & 2.
I keep thinking the same but it's probably forlorn hope that we DO actually have at least one effective defensive midfielder in the squad, the problem is that every time SB fails to select him, even for a place on the bench, my hopes disappear a little bit more. FFS Ash, why did you have to age?! YOU would be the final piece of the jigsaw in this squad!
Why wasn't Evans even on the bench. Brady was getting really frustrated towards the end and did give one of theirs a kick after he was brought down yet again.
Fathi is seems to be getting better and better the more the longer time passes before he gets on the pitch. If we don't play him until the end of the season, the way he's developing despite getting no game time, messi wont be fit to lace his boots(!) How can fathi be what we're missing? He hasn't played! Ffs it's like ghilas all over again Forest may have battled and get stuck in but they did piss all in the final 3rd. Stocks had bugger all to do. Our problem was the age old problem of an inability to score sitters, preferring instead to miss open goals and smash the ball into the ground. If we had our shooting boots on yesterday, we'd have won 5/6 - 2. Annoying yes, devastating no.
Yeah he only came through the Manchester United academy because he was below average. Don't say it like it's a fact, it isn't. He perhaps hasn't had the impact he could this season but it's down to the form of our current midfield. Last season he was a rock and in his few appearances this season he has been quality; he breaks up play, gets tackles in and has a good range of passing. He had an iffy game a few months back, but it's rare to see him make a mistake that costs us a game. All the above is my opinion of him, but when he was at OT he was rated as one of the best prospects; Man U were apparently really reluctant to sell him but he wanted first team football so they let him move.
If they where that reluctant you wouldn't sell him for 200k would you. At Bolton away it was the last straw with regards to Evans he just let his man run past him, he was shocking all game. I used to stick up for him all the time, but now i just can't anymore he's let us down on numerous occassions this year.
I thought it was half a million to a million based on promotion? Yeah ok, Bolton away I'll give you but that aside he's a sturdy player who is like a young Ian Ashbee in the making,
Evans has good battling qualities but to say he has a good range of passing is laughable. He is in the same mould as Meyler but Meyler gives us an aerial presence.
Personally thought he got the team right. The reason we lost was because we couldn't finish our chances, not because we got out battled.
