Unfortunately I didn't manage to see the Brighton game but if the report in the Yorkshire Post is accurate we played well, particularly in the 2nd half, away at a team on the fringe of the play-offs. The old achilles heel of not being able to score reared it's ugly head again but Brucey is well aware of that problem which is evidenced by his efforts to get DJ Campbell. It is a concern that we have to go down to Huddersfield who are 18th in the division to find a team that has scored less than us, indeed the bottom two in the division have scored more goals than us. Let's see what Gedo and the emergency loan window bring to the party. I think there was a bit too much doom and gloom after the Brighton game. Not scoring enough is frustrating but I'm sure Brucey will sort it.
Agree I feel Brucey will sort it out - since last year when lack of goals cost us we have lost Fryatt for the season, Aluko for over two months and the German's continued to fire blanks.. So a completely different set of circumstances but a similar result. The season is one of attrition - there's talk of Chris Wood having a knee injury (which old square head is playing down) which if serious will also halt Lesta's charge.. Blackburn have acquired DJ but lost Josh King for some time - just two examples of the twists and turns in this very competitive division..
Having watched (painfully) the Brighton game again, I'm not so sure it was down to the strikers that we lost that game. Yes, there were missed chances and the keeper (seems like every keeper this year is having a worldy) played out of his skin, but I think we lost the midfield battle. They seemed to overrun us, always chasing down second balls, hassling us and forcing us to make mistakes. They were playing passes that they shouldn't have been allowed to make, the ball was perhaps a yard from Quinn and he didn't even try and intercept it. The whole attitude of the team just felt lazy, as if the result was going to come off the back of being in 3rd place. I don't think Gedo/Proschwitz touched the ball more than five times between them. It isn't the first time this season that all our rivals had lost and we have failed to capitalize. I'd put this on the "Should have won" pile, along with half a dozen other games this year. One win in 7 isn't good enough (not counting us struggling past Leyton Orient in the FA Cup replay) and certainly isn't promotion form.
agreed, this is why I was surprised to see Quinn and Meyler in anyone's MOM top 3! We got done the same way against Sheff Wed, cramped us and battled in midfield and we didn't know how to compete.
You make some valid points but at the end of the day, a decent striker wouldve had 3 from the truly top class crosses played in by Elmo alone. His delivery was exceptional. Makes me worry a little about the quality of the Prem if Sunlan fans were offering to drive him here he was that bad for them...
If we had a Keith Edwards up front our chances created against Brighton and most other games this season would have been put away. We have the quality to defend and up till recently boss the midfield.
Elmo is excellent quality at this level. When he's 1 v 1 he nearly always beats his man and delivers a quality ball. PL is much tougher - stronger and faster defenders.
I agree, the midfield was bossed by Brighton, and it was mainly bossed through the middle I would say, that leaves Quinn, Meyler and Evans culpable. The thing that I wonder is, in trying to push on in attack due to the absence of goals from strikers, are they now beginning to leaves gaps in midfield for the opposition to exploit? Brighton certainly did!
Brighton were first to the second ball in the first half but we upped it second half. We played like we play most games - one half we bossed and the other fairly equal. Tomorrow night is massive....
I agree Chilton's, by the way I see Chris Chilton fairly regularly in Hedon, he MUST be sick of me approaching him and shaking him by the hand but it never shows. A truly great player and a truly great man, how I wish he was 20 years younger, now he WOULD get our forwards scoring, Simmo included, of that I am certain!
I never had the pleasure of seeing him play. Saw Waggy mind right at the arse end of his career. Arse been the operative word as it was rather large by then....
I must have been watching a different game because I thought we were the best side in the second half and were unlucky to lose.
Jules,I agree we were much better second half and I thought we were on top. It was lack of finishing and a poor refereeing decision that did us.
Oh yeah, absolutely, he'd put today's strikers to shame, but I'd settle for 20 years and him rubbing some of his magic off on our current players in a coaching capacity, he could probably still do a decent job of that at his current age!
We will come through this bad spell, and looking at the table to say we have won one game in the league this year we are very lucky to be still up there. We have had our bad run hopefully, now surely we can get back on track with these 3 home games.
We need to get back on track with these 3 home games. I feel Blackburn will be the toughest game so tonight and Saturday are must wins
