My thoughts from Rotherham Away

[Fat Cigar]

Possession with purpose should be the lesson of yesterday. The game reminded me a hell of a lot of Bolton and Cardiff away last season. The Cardiff match in particular.

First half, lots of nice passing, but we never really looked like scoring. When we’re out of ideas we seem to rely on two ways of getting a goal: shots from outside the area, and a Flint goal from a corner. This summed up our first half. Reid and Freeman taking shots, all poor. We looked hesitant and pedestrian to be honest. Our build up play was very slow.

All the best teams in this division counter attack at pace. Half a dozen passes, goal. Clinical. We’re not (yet) a clinical side, although Villa was a good example of what we need to aspire to in every match.

Looking at the half-time stats was quite funny. We may have dominated but we really didn’t look threatening. And Rotherham are not a good side. In any way.

Second half, we started positively and certainly there was more intent in our attacks. When they scored the second, I think we all thought that was that. And their striker missed a one on one to make it 3-0 and put the game to bed, ballooning it over the bar. Kodjia would have been proud of that finish. Actually, he probably would have hit it straight at the keeper. Sorry, he’s not my favourite person in the world.

Then, 3 subs came on and made all the difference. Once again, Lee Johnson demonstrated what a bold and risk-taking manager he is. Paterson looks like another tricky winger. We’ve now got 4 or 5 players who play in very similar styles. Players who like to start out wide, cut in, take people on and then shoot.

We really really need to learn to shoot well. Honestly, some of the shooting is so bad. Only Tomlin gets his shots anywhere near the goal.

We certainly deserved the draw, at the very least, and I’m extremely relieved, but this was a game we should have won, easily.  Stats of 77% possession, 35 shots, 10 on target, are nothing to be proud of. We are very good at keeping hold of the ball, but we’re also very good at doing nothing with it. Possession without any sort of purpose, without a threat, is just wasted energy.

Look at the very best. Happy to sit back and soak up possession, then hit you on the break. They know how to use possession intelligently. They don’t spend time passing passing passing.

It’s one thing more than any other we need to work on. We need to stop shooting from distance, which only highlights a lack of ideas in the final third. We looked so much more dangerous when actually in the penalty area.

No need to ask. Assume O’Neil  was man of the match. Smart, composed, unhurried, a leader.  Reid played well, Bryan a little subdued, Freeman played a good Freeman match.

The more I watch Tomlin the more I realise why we have him in the side. He may give the impression of sitting still or looking uninterested some of the time, but he really does have that killer pass, that bit of magic, that no one else has. He just needs to shut his gob. What is this nonsense of mouthing off at the ref? Think he’s now one game away from suspension.

So, yes, very happy we got the draw in the end, but certainly quite frustrated overall. Always felt we needed the early goal. To be honest, feel that in every game we play. Still, 10 points from 6 games is a healthy return.

[Abraham Romanovich]

Thanks for the report - always interesting to hear from someone who actually went.

Read somewhere that our total shot count was greater than any match in the championship for both sides so obviously disappointing just to score the 2.

If it's a sign of a good side to play badly and win what does that performance say ?

[Major Isewater]

38 minutes ago, Fat Cigar said:

Possession with purpose should be the lesson of yesterday. The game reminded me a hell of a lot of Bolton and Cardiff away last season. The Cardiff match in particular.

First half, lots of nice passing, but we never really looked like scoring. When we’re out of ideas we seem to rely on two ways of getting a goal: shots from outside the area, and a Flint goal from a corner. This summed up our first half. Reid and Freeman taking shots, all poor. We looked hesitant and pedestrian to be honest. Our build up play was very slow.

All the best teams in this division counter attack at pace. Half a dozen passes, goal. Clinical. We’re not (yet) a clinical side, although Villa was a good example of what we need to aspire to in every match.

Looking at the half-time stats was quite funny. We may have dominated but we really didn’t look threatening. And Rotherham are not a good side. In any way.

Second half, we started positively and certainly there was more intent in our attacks. When they scored the second, I think we all thought that was that. And their striker missed a one on one to make it 3-0 and put the game to bed, ballooning it over the bar. Kodjia would have been proud of that finish. Actually, he probably would have hit it straight at the keeper. Sorry, he’s not my favourite person in the world.

Then, 3 subs came on and made all the difference. Once again, Lee Johnson demonstrated what a bold and risk-taking manager he is. Paterson looks like another tricky winger. We’ve now got 4 or 5 players who play in very similar styles. Players who like to start out wide, cut in, take people on and then shoot.

We really really need to learn to shoot well. Honestly, some of the shooting is so bad. Only Tomlin gets his shots anywhere near the goal.

We certainly deserved the draw, at the very least, and I’m extremely relieved, but this was a game we should have won, easily.  Stats of 77% possession, 35 shots, 10 on target, are nothing to be proud of. We are very good at keeping hold of the ball, but we’re also very good at doing nothing with it. Possession without any sort of purpose, without a threat, is just wasted energy.

Look at the very best. Happy to sit back and soak up possession, then hit you on the break. They know how to use possession intelligently. They don’t spend time passing passing passing.

It’s one thing more than any other we need to work on. We need to stop shooting from distance, which only highlights a lack of ideas in the final third. We looked so much more dangerous when actually in the penalty area.

No need to ask. Assume O’Neil  was man of the match. Smart, composed, unhurried, a leader.  Reid played well, Bryan a little subdued, Freeman played a good Freeman match.

The more I watch Tomlin the more I realise why we have him in the side. He may give the impression of sitting still or looking uninterested some of the time, but he really does have that killer pass, that bit of magic, that no one else has. He just needs to shut his gob. What is this nonsense of mouthing off at the ref? Think he’s now one game away from suspension.

So, yes, very happy we got the draw in the end, but certainly quite frustrated overall. Always felt we needed the early goal. To be honest, feel that in every game we play. Still, 10 points from 6 games is a healthy return.

Who's ' Assume O'Neil ' ?

Surely we should mix up shooting from distance ( perhaps a tad closer ? ) and from in the box ? Often shots from distance cause panic in the defence and we have a real goal poacher on our hands with Tammy who can pounce .

[Fiale]

That possession though will come handy in games where we are in the lead. It will likely mean us winning and frustrating the opposition if they have to chase the game. As for the shooting, int he Villa game prematch warm up the players line up, pass the ball to a coach, and run towards goal (from 25 yrds out) the coach passes back and the player takes a shot from 15 yards. The starting 11 all lined up and did this, only 1 player (Reid) scored, 4 had the ball saved, the other 6 all went wide / over (some a long. long way wide - from 15 yrds). They went through this again 2 more times, of the 33 shots I think the ball went in around 10 times in total - 1 v 1 keeper on the line, 15 yrds out.

[Malago]

Personally I find it a concern that we've only scored first in one of the six games we've played.  Chasing the game is always going to leave you open to counter attack and from what I've read and heard Rotherham should have scored a third.  I would prefer we start solidly and allow ourselves time to grow into the game, especially away from home.  To the end I'd start with Pack or Smith along side O'neill and drop Reid or Tomlin to the bench.

Yes it's good we've got a manager who makes bold substitutions but it would be better if he got his team and tactics right from the off.

[JamesBCFC]

"Stats of 77% possession, 35 shots, 10 on target are not something to be proud of"

Got to disagree, 77% possession and 35 shots are something to be proud of. 

The shots on target is a concern and one I'm sure is being worked on

[REDOXO]

We have started well and I think we have it/will have it in our locker to make some kind of challenge in the top half. 

When you have large amounts of possession you do need a Tomlinesque player to find gaps and exploit them, however if you are being allowed large amounts of possession it's very difficult to play a counter attack game. 

We have to learn to play both ways, which we will and alter our formations which LJ has been successful at so far. 

Quite agree regarding Tomlin. He has to find another way to vent his frustration that doesn't get him cautioned and a club fine.  Patterson did well and we are shifting the ball quickly when LJ gets stuck into them and we ar going for it. We have found ourselves behind several times this season and this seems to galvanize us to play better and take risks. Can we score a couple early sometime soon just to assist my BP PLEASE!

[Bar BS3]

There is no problem whatsoever in shooting from distance, it just needs to be with more purpose and Freeman needs to realise that if its not from a set piece then he should be laying the ball off to O'neil, Tomlin, Reid (sometimes), Bryan or Patterson. Whoever else is available, basically. 

Urgency and purpose are key words, which IF we can master over 90 mins, could genuinely mean we have very few limits in this division. There is a long way to go to achieve this but I fully trust LJ to address any weakness that arises. 

[Bar BS3]

9 minutes ago, Malago said:

Personally I find it a concern that we've only scored first in one of the six games we've played.  Chasing the game is always going to leave you open to counter attack and from what I've read and heard Rotherham should have scored a third.  I would prefer we start solidly and allow ourselves time to grow into the game, especially away from home.  To the end I'd start with Pack or Smith along side O'neill and drop Reid or Tomlin to the bench.

Yes it's good we've got a manager who makes bold substitutions but it would be better if he got his team and tactics right from the off.

Yet only 2 of those teams have beaten us. Both just relegated from the Prem. 

Of course it's better not to go a goal down but I'll happily take comebacks if they lead to us getting 10 points from every 6 games throughout the season. 

[samo II]

Disagree with the idea we shouldn't shoot from distance; if anything we should do it more - one thing our midfielders are guilty of is NOT shooting when cutting in, and wasting the opportunities created.  

And watch the highlights again; Bobby had an excellent hit from outside the box, and Paterson was a matter of millimetres from scoring one of the goals of the season so far with a wicked drive from outside the penalty area that everyone around me thought was in.  Freeman can't shoot, but we knew that.  

Also consdier the number of goals we score off rebounds or efforts driven into the penalty area; Tammy is as sharp and capable in those situations as anyone I've seen in this league so far this season - I bet if you ask him he'd love it if more of his teammates gave him opportunities to snaffle up deflected or saved efforts.

Fire away I say!

[kevthered]

Was at the game yesterday and agree with lot of the above...when we had that much possession early in the 2nd half we was crying out for a second striker..Obviously when their 2nd goal went in I could not believe our luck. The amount of time wasting they were allowed to get away with was a disgrace and the ref was very poor. When we left the ground 2 different people came up to me and apologised for their football tactics labelling them as disgusting, one said we should have left with 4 points, one things for sure we will play a lot worse and win.

[samo II]

5 minutes ago, kevthered said:

Was at the game yesterday and agree with lot of the above...when we had that much possession early in the 2nd half we was crying out for a second striker..Obviously when their 2nd goal went in I could not believe our luck. The amount of time wasting they were allowed to get away with was a disgrace and the ref was very poor. When we left the ground 2 different people came up to me and apologised for their football tactics labelling them as disgusting, one said we should have left with 4 points, one things for sure we will play a lot worse and win.

Agree 100% - Tammy works his arse off but can only imagine the chaos he'd cause with another lad in there with him.

Can't wait to see Engvall get an opportunity to partner him once he's fit.  Honestly think we'll get another 10% or so from Abraham, which is an almost scary thought.

[EnclosureSurge]

4 hours ago, samo II said:

Agree 100% - Tammy works his arse off but can only imagine the chaos he'd cause with another lad in there with him.

Can't wait to see Engvall get an opportunity to partner him once he's fit.  Honestly think we'll get another 10% or so from Abraham, which is an almost scary thought.

Maybe the time to play Engvall will come when Tomlin is suspended in the next few weeks (as he surely will - despite calls on here from some for him to curb it, he's from a council estate, he's as basic as you like, he's got a bit of a short fuse [witness his boll*cking team-mates when his passes aren't read or one doesn't arrive properly for him] and he won't suddenly be able to switch off that impulse to shout at the ref).

If you pick 2 up front with Tomlin available, we've paid £3m for him so we kind of have to play him, at least at the mo/unless he has a series of shockers. So that's 2 up front, Tomlin behind, leaving room for only 3 midfielders (assuming we stick with 3 at the back), which is a bit narrow, no matter who they are from our good selection.

I just don't see Johnson picking 2 up front, which is why there was no real rush or panic to replace Kodge. Johnson seems to prefer 1 up front and play lots around that, although he does change that if we need to during a game. But I don't see him starting with 2 up front any time soon.

Cue playing 2 up front on Wednesday at Tuesday.

 

*Before the inevitable begins, there is nothing wrong with being from a council estate, I'm all for 'basic' people (I'm one of them) and I love Tomlin to bits...but a leopard like him is unlikely to swap his tantrum spots at the age of 27.

[EstoniaTallinnRed]

6 hours ago, Major Isewater said:

Who's ' Assume O'Neil ' ?

Surely we should mix up shooting from distance ( perhaps a tad closer ? ) and from in the box ? Often shots from distance cause panic in the defence and we have a real goal poacher on our hands with Tammy who can pounce .

Yes. I agree, shots from distance can force the goalie to punch the ball out and with Tammy poaching there's always a chance of a goal.