Match Day Thread Today's Games

[Rowdy]

We played OK yesterday


The game changed after the ridiculous off side goal .

Pukki is a shadow of his former self reluctant to shoot and often runs into a dead end .
Sargent isn't a winger .
For me Hugill should have started he's been our greatest attacking threat .
Idah is running out of time to prove he's potentially a 10'-20 goals a season striker.


We have a week to go and already have a centre back crisis and no new recruits even though we conceded the most last season and the same striker options that scored the least in all 4 English divisions.


It was pretty clear we needed a new centre back , new defensive midfielder and new striker option.

Whilst attempting to fill the giant hole left by Buendia with Sinani.

We will probably have enough quality to compete at Championship level but yet another season heavily reliant on Pukki to stay fit and get the goals is a bit foolhardy .

I'm still hopeful for Idah. At least he is able to keep possession of the ball, hold it up and bring others into play. As I said earlier, I'd actually quite like to see him and Hugill or him and Pukki together upfront.

Everyone fit, an interesting lineup would be:

Krul
Aarons Omobamidele Hanley Giannoulis
Sara Hayden Mclean
Cantwell
Idah Pukki (Hugill)

 

[Bure budgie]

Strange reaction from the Jock press etc this morning.
Having read a few articles and watched a couple of videos,they seem extremely excited about their team, the result, and the performance.
You would think they had just beaten Barcelona!!

Were we really that good?
Or is Jock football still crap?

 

[DUNCAN DONUTS]

I'm still hopeful for Idah. At least he is able to keep possession of the ball, hold it up and bring others into play. As I said earlier, I'd actually quite like to see him and Hugill or him and Pukki together upfront.

Everyone fit, an interesting lineup would be:

Krul
Aarons Omobamidele Hanley Giannoulis
Sara Hayden Mclean
Cantwell
Idah Pukki (Hugill)

I think most of us are hopeful , Ireland have been incredibly patient with him too .
That cup game where he scored a hat trick seems a long long time ago .

This season he needs a run of games and some goals

 

[carrowcanario]

Strange reaction from the Jock press etc this morning.
Having read a few articles and watched a couple of videos,they seem extremely excited about their team, the result, and the performance.
You would think they had just beaten Barcelona!!

Were we really that good?
Or is Jock football still crap?

Problem is you win and people over-emphasise the positives, lose and the opposite happens. Truth is in all games there is good and bad, even in the best and the worse teams. The best coaches are never a 100% happy no matter how well their teams do.

 

[Golden Eadie 2]

Strange reaction from the Jock press etc this morning.
Having read a few articles and watched a couple of videos,they seem extremely excited about their team, the result, and the performance.
You would think they had just beaten Barcelona!!

Were we really that good?
Or is Jock football still crap?

A few good players but they really did not pose us any problems apart from an offside goal and a rash pass by McCullem. Cannot remember our keepers being unduly troubled.

 

[Walsh.i.am]

We have a week to go and already have a centre back crisis and no new recruits even though we conceded the most last season and the same striker options that scored the least in all 4 English divisions.

Put that way, it's difficult to muster much enthusiasm for the long grind ahead.

 

[carrowcanario]

On the whole I though we did ok considering it was a pre-season game and I don't doubt Smith got a lot of what he wanted out of the game. Clearly their first goal should have been disallowed that coupled with Hanley going off effected us. The fans top priority might have been the result, but I very much doubt that was top of Smith's list of things to get from the game. I suspect the team that started against Celtic won't be the team that starts at Cardiff. We have another game today and I very much doubt that it was a case of playing all our starters yesterday and all our non-starters today. Smith would of split the squad strength across both games. I expect a lot more experimentation today and more positives and negatives to come from the game, the result unless it is by more than 2 or 3 goals either way is irrelevant.

Whilst I agree with some of the negative comments in relation to some of McCallum's contribution I also think he made some positive contributions as we, Smith will have learnt a lot about him from this game. A lot of fans over-focusing on his mistake that led to the second goal (despite others being at fault as well). The same will be true of every player, although he won't have learnt as much about the players that featured regularly featured last season.

 

[DUNCAN DONUTS]

Put that way, it's difficult to muster much enthusiasm for the long grind ahead.

The Gulf in class between the Championship and Premier league is enormous.

If we were going into the Premier league with this squad then it would be certain relegation.

In the Championship we have a good chance at winning the thing again .

I'm amazed we didn't sign a permanent striker or centre back last season or in this window.

 

[zogean_king]

The Gulf in class between the Championship and Premier league is enormous.

If we were going into the Premier league with this squad then it would be certain relegation.

In the Championship we have a good chance at winning the thing again .

I'm amazed we didn't sign a permanent striker or centre back last season or in this window.

It seems that I have said we needed to get new CB for the past 10 years or so

 

[RiverEndRick]

A few good players but they really did not pose us any problems apart from an offside goal and a rash pass by McCullem. Cannot remember our keepers being unduly troubled.

I agree. Take out the offside Goal and that unfortunate pass by McCullum and it probably would have ended 0-0.

In terms of squad numbers, if we add Gibbs and Tomkinson to those returning from loan, we have about the same squad size as last season, but it's over balanced towards attacking players, especially considering Hayden's absence until September. We need the PLM replacement urgently as an injury to McLean would leave us very thin and Hanley's knock shows just how thin we are in defence.

 

[carrowcanario]

It seems that I have said we needed to get new CB for the past 10 years or so

& yet in those 10 years we've been promoted from the Championship 3 times (twice with record points), been a PL team for 5 years and spent the rest of the time in the Championship.

 

[carrowcanario]

I agree. Take out the offside Goal and that unfortunate pass by McCullum and it probably would have ended 0-0.

In terms of squad numbers, if we add Gibbs and Tomkinson to those returning from loan, we have about the same squad size as last season, but it's over balanced towards attacking players, especially considering Hayden's absence until September. We need the PLM replacement urgently as an injury to McLean would leave us very thin and Hanley's knock shows just how thin we are in defence.

Yes McCullum's pass contributed to the second goal, but there were other factors in the mistake, Celtic's pressing and lack of viable options. Once the pass was made others should have done much better to try and rectify the error.

 

[SuffolkCanary]

To look at the positive side of McCallums game yesterday, he made some very good interceptions and drove forward with the ball well, often leading counter attacks. His first touch was very good, plucking the ball or of the air several times or taking it in his stride when making interceptions nicely. Overall and I think understandably he just needs time, in his career so far I think he has primarily been a wing back in a back 5 and it shows. He’s still young and I think he could learn

 

[SuffolkCanary]

PP scored for Birmingham against Rayo Vallecano in their pre season game and was deployed as a left wing back with more license to go forward than defend

 

[SuffolkCanary]

DS also confirmed in the post match interview that they are looking to bring in another CM

 

[Walsh.i.am]

We need the PLM replacement urgently as an injury to McLean would leave us very thin and Hanley's knock shows just how thin we are in defence.

Anyone got Rob Newman's phone number?

 

[DUNCAN DONUTS]

Anyone got Rob Newman's phone number?

Dion could probably take a break from Homes Under the Hammer to cover as centre back and striker

 

[GozoCanary]

Yes McCullum's pass contributed to the second goal, but there were other factors in the mistake, Celtic's pressing and lack of viable options. Once the pass was made others should have done much better to try and rectify the error.

Yes, but it's hard when a player gifts the ball to the opposition anywhere near your own penalty area because the team is set up in a formation that is expecting to go forwards and suddenly they have to readjust their positions and their thinking. (I'm not saying this as a stick to beat McCallum with - I've seen most of our players hand the ball to an opposing forward at some point in the last few years! I remember two particularly egregious examples from last season - one by Byram and one by McLean. Neither ended up being punished, but that was more to do with the opposition failing to take advantage than our other defenders reacting swiftly and nullifying the threat.)

 

[DUNCAN DONUTS]

Yes, but it's hard when a player gifts the ball to the opposition anywhere near your own penalty area because the team is set up in a formation that is expecting to go forwards and suddenly they have to readjust their positions and their thinking. (I'm not saying this as a stick to beat McCallum with - I've seen most of our players hand the ball to an opposing forward at some point in the last few years! I remember two particularly egregious examples from last season - one by Byram and one by McLean. Neither ended up being punished, but that was more to do with the opposition failing to take advantage than our other defenders reacting swiftly and nullifying the threat.)

Krul did it several times , as did Gibson , Kabak , Williams, Rupp Handley and probably a few I missed

 

[Robbie BB]

A lot of that was Sargent "Winning the ball back" early in the move. No one could argue that you need players who do that to set up counter attacks, but Sargent is not in the side to do that.
Yes, he is a huff and puff player and we wanted someone who would track back, but he is creatively inept (at the moment). The fact that the first quote says " Sargent’s cross from the right wing made it all the way to Hernandez on the left" tells you everything. His cross was aimed at Hugill, but was crap. Hernandez picked up the pieces.
I hope he comes good, but for me, atm, Sargent should be nothing more than a desperate punt if everyone is injured

Gozo asked what Sargent brings to a game. If he contributes to us scoring three goals, irrespective of exactly how he contributes -- a wayward cross, capitalising on an error, winning the ball back deep and initiating a counter-attack -- that's not "nothing" by any stretch of the imagination.
As for his cross, tell me who in our team regularly puts in pin point crosses? Max Aarons, who is regularly lauded for his attacking play, is just as inaccurate with his crosses from wide.
We won against Marseilles by pressing them out of the game; Sargent played the first 45 minutes, contributing hugely to the success of that strategy.
You have a view about what Sargent "is in the side to do". I'm more interested in what DS wants from Sargent when he selects him, and whether he, Sargent, delivers on that.