Match Day Thread Preston v Leeds Utd Match Thread

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Would have been very brave of Farke to rotate today after beating Ipswich 4-0 last time out and at the end of the day it was Meslier that cost us the result, just the same as Dan James with a poor challenge in the box at Birmingham and Barndoor missing the penalty at Stoke.

It's not so much him not rotating the squad, it's his lack of reaction to what he sees in front of him. It was obvious to anyone watching that game that Millar was the only danger for them today and that he had the pace to just burn past Archie at will. To not change that part of the pitch at all for a whole game is negligent. It was clear and obvious to me that Spence and Gray should have been switched or Firpo to even come on in place of Gray and switch the pacier Spence on to Millar. Anything would have done to be honest, even Anthony on for Dan James to provide a little more defence to that side. Just change it.

He didn't and Millar ended up with an assist and a goal. It really wasn't a suprise.

On another note I'm hoping Darlow takes his chance in goal now and we can relegate Meslier to the bench although Darlow hardly inspired confidence in his couple of games for us previously.
 
As long as they win by 2 or more goals we increase our goal difference against Ipswich. It would also mean Ipswich no wins in three
<laugh><laugh><laugh> There u all were, giving it large about only being only 4 points behind us but it's actually 8......mind the gap!!
 
You beat one of the top teams 4-0 and the game before that you draw with an in form Coventry 1-1 then lose due to a red card for your keeper, free fall is quite a long way off.

BTW - Coventry beat Birmingham 2-0, Drew with Southampton, Drew with Leeds, beat Sunderland 3-0, beat Wednesday 2-0

I’m disappointed with todays result, we really need to string 3-4 wins together, something we just can’t seem to do, Southampton are looking the more likely to swap places with Ipswich at the moment.

At the start of the season, I said we should go up as champions with the strike force we have, I felt any of the linked candidates should be able to do well.

It’s at the stage now where I’m not as convinced in Farke, he was great at managing the awkward situation we found ourselves in at the beginning but should he be doing better with the players we have, a few slight question marks are appearing.

It is hard though, many were calling for fresh players and we rolled Ipswich over, then the same team struggles and your keeper sees red.

We are definitely not having fair refereeing away from home, so much is going unpunished, Meslier pushed him away in the face, a player that shouldn’t have been involved but ran over to antagonise Meslier and should have been booked for running over and pushing then booked again for unsporting behaviour doing theatrics to rival Adryan
It's not Farke fault.
 
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<laugh><laugh><laugh> There u all were, giving it large about only being only 4 points behind us but it's actually 8......mind the gap!!
The biggest laugh will come at the end of the season, when you’re still in this division and your coach leaves. You’ll start trying to convince everyone it’s work in progress and a few years down the line you resign yourself to mid table championship football whilst you watch Norwich plugging away for a top 6 finish reflecting how you threw it away in the 2023/24 season
 
It's not so much him not rotating the squad, it's his lack of reaction to what he sees in front of him. It was obvious to anyone watching that game that Millar was the only danger for them today and that he had the pace to just burn past Archie at will. To not change that part of the pitch at all for a whole game is negligent. It was clear and obvious to me that Spence and Gray should have been switched or Firpo to even come on in place of Gray and switch the pacier Spence on to Millar. Anything would have done to be honest, even Anthony on for Dan James to provide a little more defence to that side. Just change it.

He didn't and Millar ended up with an assist and a goal. It really wasn't a suprise.

On another note I'm hoping Darlow takes his chance in goal now and we can relegate Meslier to the bench although Darlow hardly inspired confidence in his couple of games for us previously.
Agreed, however Archie could have got much tighter and also forced Millar down the outside rather than repeatedly allowing him to come inside onto his stronger right foot. Let's face it if that was Ayling allowing that to happen he'd be getting slaughtered but now it's all Farke's fault and Gray gets the free pass. The fact that Gray didn't tactically foul Millar at any point whilst Summerville and Rutter were getting repeatedly kicked was also more poor defending from our talented youngster.
 
Agreed, however Archie could have got much tighter and also forced Millar down the outside rather than repeatedly allowing him to come inside onto his stronger right foot. Let's face it if that was Ayling allowing that to happen he'd be getting slaughtered but now it's all Farke's fault and Gray gets the free pass. The fact that Gray didn't tactically foul Millar at any point whilst Summerville and Rutter were getting repeatedly kicked was also more poor defending from our talented youngster.

I say it in pretty much all my match ratings that Gray is no full back. The lad is a midfielder. I also regularly say that as a 17 year old midfielder trying to play out of position at right back that he is doing exceptionally well. If he has a bad game I generally put it down to Farke tbh. Same with Piroe. We buy a 9, play him in midfield and then wonder why he isn't performing that great. That's on Farke too.

To be honest, we aren't in that bad a position. It's just getting to the point where we are just repeating the same decisions away from home and dropping points because of it. It's frustrating.
 
The biggest laugh will come at the end of the season, when you’re still in this division and your coach leaves. You’ll start trying to convince everyone it’s work in progress and a few years down the line you resign yourself to mid table championship football whilst you watch Norwich plugging away for a top 6 finish reflecting how you threw it away in the 2023/24 season

to be fair Risty… that likely applies to us too <laugh>
 
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Agreed, however Archie could have got much tighter and also forced Millar down the outside rather than repeatedly allowing him to come inside onto his stronger right foot. Let's face it if that was Ayling allowing that to happen he'd be getting slaughtered but now it's all Farke's fault and Gray gets the free pass. The fact that Gray didn't tactically foul Millar at any point whilst Summerville and Rutter were getting repeatedly kicked was also more poor defending from our talented youngster.

I blame Jesse
 
I blame Jesse

He would have kept us up. When he left we weren't in the relegation zone. It's been downhill ever since we sacked the guy. At least he brought lads like Gnonto and Summerville through in to the first team before he left giving us a fighting chance in the future. We should be forever grateful for that.
 
He would have kept us up. When he left we weren't in the relegation zone. It's been downhill ever since we sacked the guy. At least he brought lads like Gnonto and Summerville through in to the first team before he left giving us a fighting chance in the future. We should be forever grateful for that.

Maybe an egg too many in that pudding bud <laugh>
 
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The biggest laugh will come at the end of the season, when you’re still in this division and your coach leaves. You’ll start trying to convince everyone it’s work in progress and a few years down the line you resign yourself to mid table championship football whilst you watch Norwich plugging away for a top 6 finish reflecting how you threw it away in the 2023/24 season
<laugh><laugh><laugh>righto!!
 
This is Emu’s recommendation at half time. It might surprise a few.

I'd take Gray off and put Firpo on. Move Spence to right back to deal with their danger Millar and play Firpo at left back.

That would hopefully put Millar back in his box and I feel that we can get at the left hand side of Preston so having Firpo and Summerville together might just create something.
From what I have seen of Spence he couldn’t put an unused Xmas present back in it’s box, he backs out of tackles, hasn’t got a real deal of pace either.
 
Meslier - 0. Been dodgy for 3 seasons and now added petulance to his game. Sell sell sell.

Gray - 2. He's no right back and got skinned all afternoon. Spence is our right back. Buy a ****ing left footed ****ing left back.

Rodon - 7. Solid through the middle.

Struijk - 9. Our man of the match and also had to step up for the penalty which none of our attacking talents wanted to take.

Spence - 6. Playing out of position and struggles to cross with his left foot. We need him at right back ASAP. Buy a ****ing left footed ****ing left back!

Ampadu - 6. Looked tired and him and Kamara were outbattled through the middle.

Kamara - 6. Fatigued but still poor effort.

Piroe - 5. Lacked any foundation to build off by his midfield partners but was largely ineffective.

Summerville - 6. Constantly hacked to the ground and never really found the answer.

James - 6. Didn't help Gray. Didn't create anything and was wasteful. Did manage to win the penalty.

Rutter - 7. A handful but went missing at times. Looked knackered.

Subs.

Darlow - 6. Goal wasn't his fault. Otherwise a quiet game for him.

Gruev - 6. Quietly got on with it in midfield and actually looked an improvement on Kamara. Impressed in his last two subs apps.

Gnonto the rat - 6. Those exciting moments he produced last season are a distant memory. Going through the motions.

Joseph - 6. All blood and thunder and no quality as far as I can see.

Bamford - n/a.

Farke - 0. These away days are becoming a normality now and he never reacted to their only danger who was Millar. Very poor tactically.
It says something when none of the strikers want to take a penalty
 
From what I have seen of Spence he couldn’t put an unused Xmas present back in it’s box, he backs out of tackles, hasn’t got a real deal of pace either.

That's not what I've seen from him tbf. I think he looks decent and I think he's pretty rapid.
 
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