So, aside from tomorrow's final, the World Cup is at an end. All of our players, apart from Maddison have returned to the club, assume he'll be next week and are thankfully unscathed. We have now played two behind closed doors friendlies, a draw with Troyes, managed by ex-Fox Kisnorbo and a 3-0 victory over Sheff Utd. We return to action on Tuesday in the Carabao Cup v MK Dons. Difficult to guess what sort of team we'll be naming, normally a mix of first X| and others and a good subs bench in case things aren't going well. Which, we know can happen against random lower league teams, yes, Newport I mean you! With the WC break and needing to be sure we're match sharp for Boxing Day, I wouldn't be surprised to see a pretty strong line up. I hope that the momentum we'd had developed prior to the break is continued, after such a terrible start we were doing well. Desperately need that to continue and pick up where we left off. A difficult initial set of fixtures with a resurgent Newcastle and Liverpool away. The big match for me though is Fulham on the 3rd. Please, please can we win that one - the other half supports Fulham, and it's been bad enough with their start without them winning that
Newcastle away in the next round. You can only have one, three points on Boxing Day or quarter final win, which do you take? For me the quarter final win would be nice. Not many big clubs left and a route back to Europe.
Looking like Cags has gone ... All the best fella ... forever a legend for that FA Cup final alone ...but was actually excellent for a couple of seasons ...
Horrible wasn't it ... Amartey proving he always has a calamity in him ... other 2 goals were also poor defensively... young Luke didn't track Almiron and Soumare was powder puff against Joelinton ... we were pretty awful all over the park ... and Daka and Barnes taking each other out just about summed us up...
When you're down there things can really start to go against you. Disastrous display from Faes. Amartey had already ignored the keeper and put a harmless cross out for a needless corner. Injuries are also starting to mount up. But there were definitely positives to come out of that game. I thought we might be in for a hiding, but we played some good fast interchanging football and should have created more clear cut openings but our final ball was just not good enough. I thought Barnes looked more up for it than usual. He lost the ball a few times to Alexander-Arnold but never gave up trying to go past him and create. Dewsbury-Hall was tireless and inventive. Soumare has improved no end even though he lacks pace. The main disappointment was in the striker department. I'd like to have one that actually gets involved in the game rather than one that rarely gets a touch. We need to get a right winger so that we can pose a threat on both flanks, get Maddison back and get some points on the board - but not necessarily in that order. It's all very tight down at the bottom half of the table. We need to break out of it soon.
I wonder what Kolo Toure is making of management so far? Bottom of the league, 1 point from four games, and three 4-1 defeats in a row. Hopefully it picks up for him soon, finding out it’s a harsh business with no one to hide behind.
FA Cup Gillingham 0 - LCFC 1 Full time was the best bit. We're in the hat and no one injured. There's little else to say.
Walsall in the next round of the cup is a potential banana skin. They’re on a good run at the moment and play good fluid football. Brendan better not underestimate them as it could come back to haunt him, he needs to pick a stronger team than what he did for Gillingham. I know plenty of Walsall fans and they fancy their chances of pulling off a shock.
Haven't got Sky so didn't get to see it but feels like a damp squib ...wish we had been more ambitious... not sure what Brenda's fame plan was ... but was sadly lacking ... need some impetus to this squad and quickly ...
I only saw the first half. Truly awful start and we should have been 3 or 4 down in the first 15 minutes. Huge gaps in midfield and desperate attempts at defending. Strikers with absolutely no confidence, service or support. Body language is worrying. We look beaten before we even start. There is no structure to the side in midfield, no spark and no real intent to put the opposition under pressure. We are like a group of strolling minstrels when we lose/give away the ball; there is no busting a gut to get back and defend. Even Albrighton seemed to be affected and that's unlike him. The manager might have rousing words to the press before the game, but clearly the players are not on the same page. I know there are injuries to key players (KDH and Maddison particularly) but it really is the duty of those on the pitch to do the best they can, and they aren't doing it. Petulant fouls are not the same as commitment. Forest on Saturday and the players have to acknowledge they are in a dog fight at the wrong end of the table. The only way to get out of that is to not only match but out-compete the opposition and make things happen. There needs to be a huge change in attitude before then otherwise the result will only go one way.
Couldn’t have put it any better. Seems like they’re waiting for Maddison to come back and inspire them. Men against boys last night.
There was a point last night when we were 2-0 down and we had a break. Only Vardy in the box against 5 defenders! We are far too slow from back to front and it does my head in when we pi55 about at the back stringing 15 passes together to be in exactly the same position as we were when we started the move. We would have been better sticking Vestergaard up front and pump high balls in to him. JUST TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT!