Jordan Tansley Posted January 19, 2010 Report Share Posted January 19, 2010 Well, a defeat. we're out of the cup and we probably deserved it. overall we played ok. the pitch seemed quite bobbly, but Hartley and Sno seemed to adapt well and our intricate passing was a particular highlight of the first half. Sno especially looked so composed on the ball and every pass he seemed to make was perfectly weighted and well thought, Hartley was good too, not as impressive as against Preston but it wasn't as easy for him in the middle, with Cardiff putting some decent pressure on him. I thought the tactic just about worked while we had Sno and Nicky up top, although I see Maynard as a player who needs someone next to him. Maynard was awfully static throughout the game and you couldn't help but wish he'd gamble once or twice when the wide players had the ball and were ready to cross, the ball squirmed across the goal a few times and as a lone striker maybe he should be looking more likely to get on the end of them? second half started well, we looked in complete control. Cardiff did little to merit their lofty position with only Whittingham and Chopra standing out and loking anything like upper chamionship standard. Then everything changed. I must say that My personal opinion was that this change was caused by the substitutions. I can agree with Akinde coming on for Maynard as the lad did nothing of real note throughout and does deserve a rest. Akinde himself is in need of football and certainly looked good when we didnt smack it into his head. I don't get the fascination with pumping the ball up to people just because they're big in stature. Akinde (much like Adebola) is so much better with the ball at his feet using his pace and power to run at and through defenders, we never seem to play to peoples strengths, which is a shame. So, I agree with that sub... which means i must completely disagree with the second. Honestly, to take Sno off at that exact point in the game was laughable. He was the dominant force in the side and had the game by the scruff of the neck. Everything we did came through him. Hartley had done little to effect the game at that point and could anyone really see Alvaro making a difference? he was again very poor (which considering how good he looked on his debut up at Cov makes very confused). overall i think this change in shape made the biggest difference and changed the flow of the second half. from this point we didnt really create anything, although Akinde looked very dangerous for 10 minutes when the balls were on the floor and not high in the cardiff skies. the midfield lost out too often and our defence had too many gaps in for Chopra to exploit. The lad should have had about 4 today, considering his goal tally you'd expect some decent finishes form the positions he got in, but he failed to deliver in a massive way. The goal. I must say that my first instinct when seeing it was that Orr went at the ball. Which I suppose means I feel he was at fault, then again the replays were very inconclusive and I wont be voiciferous in my blame for Orr over the goal, at least until it is proven that he was unlucky or he made the attempt to clear a ball which was going clear anyway! After the goal we went to the tried and stupidly trusted tactic of ****t it long! it didn't work and let's be honest the only team in the game once Bradley scored his blinding volley was cardiff... another inspired substitution brought on the consistently poor and awful on the ball Elliot, replacing Macca, who despite having an average game has the ability to deliver a decent ball from wide, I don't recall Elliot ever putting in a decent cross and can't remember the last time he did anything of note to help us score a goal. In a game when we were chasing the game bringing on Eliott made no sense. Overall, we can take some positives from the game. Sno looks class and we know how much he can control a game with Hartley and Skuse. We can see yet again that given the right service Akinde will be a force in this division. we can see plenty of progression in the style of our football, particularly in the first half. negatives were the subs, the keeper was poor and defensively we seemed a bit shakey. Now, Let's hope the injuries Cardiff sustained are still affecting them next tuesday, and lets hope the new signing and Haynes can add that extra impetus to help us finally defeat the orrible welsh f00kers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BS3_RED Posted January 19, 2010 Report Share Posted January 19, 2010 I have just got back and was about to post but wont bother now as you have pretty much summed up what i was about to post. I will add one thing though a say that we need to send Saborio back. He is turning onto this seasons Stern John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Red Posted January 19, 2010 Report Share Posted January 19, 2010 I will add one thing though a say that we need to send Saborio back. He is turning onto this seasons Stern John. I don't think we can, and in any case we're committed to paying his wages for the rest of the season. I remember GJ saying last year that he would like to have got rid of Stern John in Jan/Feb but couldn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red_Jim Posted January 19, 2010 Report Share Posted January 19, 2010 Well, a defeat. we're out of the cup and we probably deserved it. overall we played ok. the pitch seemed quite bobbly, but Hartley and Sno seemed to adapt well and our intricate passing was a particular highlight of the first half. Sno especially looked so composed on the ball and every pass he seemed to make was perfectly weighted and well thought, Hartley was good too, not as impressive as against Preston but it wasn't as easy for him in the middle, with Cardiff putting some decent pressure on him. I thought the tactic just about worked while we had Sno and Nicky up top, although I see Maynard as a player who needs someone next to him. Maynard was awfully static throughout the game and you couldn't help but wish he'd gamble once or twice when the wide players had the ball and were ready to cross, the ball squirmed across the goal a few times and as a lone striker maybe he should be looking more likely to get on the end of them? second half started well, we looked in complete control. Cardiff did little to merit their lofty position with only Whittingham and Chopra standing out and loking anything like upper chamionship standard. Then everything changed. I must say that My personal opinion was that this change was caused by the substitutions. I can agree with Akinde coming on for Maynard as the lad did nothing of real note throughout and does deserve a rest. Akinde himself is in need of football and certainly looked good when we didnt smack it into his head. I don't get the fascination with pumping the ball up to people just because they're big in stature. Akinde (much like Adebola) is so much better with the ball at his feet using his pace and power to run at and through defenders, we never seem to play to peoples strengths, which is a shame. So, I agree with that sub... which means i must completely disagree with the second. Honestly, to take Sno off at that exact point in the game was laughable. He was the dominant force in the side and had the game by the scruff of the neck. Everything we did came through him. Hartley had done little to effect the game at that point and could anyone really see Alvaro making a difference? he was again very poor (which considering how good he looked on his debut up at Cov makes very confused). overall i think this change in shape made the biggest difference and changed the flow of the second half. from this point we didnt really create anything, although Akinde looked very dangerous for 10 minutes when the balls were on the floor and not high in the cardiff skies. the midfield lost out too often and our defence had too many gaps in for Chopra to exploit. The lad should have had about 4 today, considering his goal tally you'd expect some decent finishes form the positions he got in, but he failed to deliver in a massive way. The goal. I must say that my first instinct when seeing it was that Orr went at the ball. Which I suppose means I feel he was at fault, then again the replays were very inconclusive and I wont be voiciferous in my blame for Orr over the goal, at least until it is proven that he was unlucky or he made the attempt to clear a ball which was going clear anyway! After the goal we went to the tried and stupidly trusted tactic of ****t it long! it didn't work and let's be honest the only team in the game once Bradley scored his blinding volley was cardiff... another inspired substitution brought on the consistently poor and awful on the ball Elliot, replacing Macca, who despite having an average game has the ability to deliver a decent ball from wide, I don't recall Elliot ever putting in a decent cross and can't remember the last time he did anything of note to help us score a goal. In a game when we were chasing the game bringing on Eliott made no sense. Overall, we can take some positives from the game. Sno looks class and we know how much he can control a game with Hartley and Skuse. We can see yet again that given the right service Akinde will be a force in this division. we can see plenty of progression in the style of our football, particularly in the first half. negatives were the subs, the keeper was poor and defensively we seemed a bit shakey. Now, Let's hope the injuries Cardiff sustained are still affecting them next tuesday, and lets hope the new signing and Haynes can add that extra impetus to help us finally defeat the orrible welsh f00kers. Akinde was very lively, would be great to see him given a run of games. Thought we missed Haynes' threat badly. Otherwise, we knock it around nicely in the middle third, but we have NO cutting edge and the final ball is pathetic. Taking Sno off was a strange decision considering how well he was playing and retaining possession. The service to the forwards was, as usual, an absolute joke. It's no use having a team who can knock it sideways and look pretty but can't play a killer pass. Tactically, it's clueless stuff going forward - why revert to 4-5-1 and lump the ball to Maynard? Johnson quite simply can't get us performing with ANY consistency or fluency - 1 good performance in 10 is what we seem to manage these days. Cardiff were there for the taking, and not once did we try and take the game by the scruff of the neck. Not good enough, and I don't care if this upsets anyone. It's poor stuff, and once again, we bow out of the cup without a whimper. Too often we see City lose 1-0 away from home and draw 1-1 at home. We're scared to take the game to the opposition - the manager is too bloody negative, and I think we've lost our way as a team. We can buy all the midfielders and forwards we want, but tactically it's just not up to scratch - and I'm afraid the buck stops with one man. I'm not a fan of slating the manager, I've never been one of his harshest critics, but to consistently be turning out boring dross like this for the past 2 years is getting hard to stomach. And I don't see things changing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbored Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 Akinde was very lively, would be great to see him given a run of games. Thought we missed Haynes' threat badly. Otherwise, we knock it around nicely in the middle third, but we have NO cutting edge and the final ball is pathetic. Taking Sno off was a strange decision considering how well he was playing and retaining possession. The service to the forwards was, as usual, an absolute joke. It's no use having a team who can knock it sideways and look pretty but can't play a killer pass. Tactically, it's clueless stuff going forward - why revert to 4-5-1 and lump the ball to Maynard? Johnson quite simply can't get us performing with ANY consistency or fluency - 1 good performance in 10 is what we seem to manage these days. Cardiff were there for the taking, and not once did we try and take the game by the scruff of the neck. Not good enough, and I don't care if this upsets anyone. It's poor stuff, and once again, we bow out of the cup without a whimper. Too often we see City lose 1-0 away from home and draw 1-1 at home. We're scared to take the game to the opposition - the manager is too bloody negative, and I think we've lost our way as a team. We can buy all the midfielders and forwards we want, but tactically it's just not up to scratch - and I'm afraid the buck stops with one man. I'm not a fan of slating the manager, I've never been one of his harshest critics, but to consistently be turning out boring dross like this for the past 2 years is getting hard to stomach. And I don't see things changing. I think the Preston game showed what City are capable of when given licence to play. I know PNE were poor but you can only beat whats in front of you and City did that without too many problems. I have to admit that I was surprised to see Sno start ahead of Clarkson/Saborio or Akinde. I guess the theory was to try and dominate the midfield but it meant that Maynard was isolated and got no service. I've complained plenty of times about Johnsons tendency to be over-cautious and we saw it again last night. A bit of a surprise as it was a one off cup game plus City had well beaten Preston by playing with more flair/freedom on saturday. That said its difficult for anyone to change mindset overnight and Johnson has had the cautious attitude for at least 18 months so it will take time for him to come around to a more positive way of playing. The good news is that on Saturday he allowed the players to return to a 4-4-2 formation that they are all familair with and gave them licence to play. He lapsed back to his old ways last night but hopefully will recover and send City out next Tuesday with positive and attacking tactics. Not only would that delight the faithful at AG it would also take Cardiff by surprise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murraysrightplum Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 I agree with pretty much everything JT says. I would just add that none of the midfield seemed to want to get into the opposition third. Several times our wingers or Sno got into good crossing positions and only Leona was in there waiting for the cross. To be fair he is decent in the air but not against 4 or 5 defenders. I feel Skuse and Hartley are (last night anyway) playing too deep and leaving the strikers exposed. I'd like to see 2 strikers with maybe Sno behind them in the 'Fellaini' role (i.e. big bloke with stupid hair who is a bit clumsy and slow but really effective role!). Or if Hartley is wanting to sit deep and pull the strings then Skuse has to be more of a box to box midfielder. I like Macca on the left if just for the fact that there is someone out there to give us balance. However Nyatanga had a stinker IMO and is clearly not a left back... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CotswoldRed Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 I don't think we can, and in any case we're committed to paying his wages for the rest of the season. I remember GJ saying last year that he would like to have got rid of Stern John in Jan/Feb but couldn't. True, but he doesn't have to play him if he doesn't want to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boadle Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 After the goal we went to the tried and stupidly trusted tactic of ****t it long! Anyone else trying to work out what that word could have been? 5 letters and ends with a 't'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CotswoldRed Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 Anyone else trying to work out what that word could have been? 5 letters and ends with a 't'. shoot? Not terribly offensive though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eskay Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 shoot? Not terribly offensive though. Hiiit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordan Tansley Posted January 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 Hiiit? it was T.WA.T, but i used the @ which means i guess tw.@ is taken as a swear word and the t on the end isn't? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the frampton balti Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 No mate .........'Pregnant goldfish' it long, Simply doesnt make sense???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordan Tansley Posted January 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 No mate .........'Pregnant goldfish' it long, Simply doesnt make sense???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the frampton balti Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 Do you have a small aquarium in yorkshire? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.