Tonights Game

[mightyreds89]

Must say very very pleased to pick up 3 points tonight been worried about this one all day due to us having played Sunday and I think don't quote me that Carlisle did not have a fixture and are doing decently having been promoted.

Thought we were off the pace tonight and that Sunday really showed, and we were lucky to scrape the points think a draw would have been a fair result Carlisle had more opeings in the first half and us in the second.

If we had not have played on Sunday I would have said that tonights display was poor but I wont!

Also don't think the players positions are really suited to well, we massively lackec width tonight (Again) Both full backs are acustomed to centre back and our wingers consisted of a young striker and a holding midfeild player, 4 wide players none of whom are wingers! It actually makes me think imagine we did have 2 tidy wingers what would we be oing with them!

I think the problom we have now is chosing 2 from Jevo, Brooks and Enoch I could not pick to be honest!

Was pleased that GJ took of LG as he waas having a bit of a mere and that showed that he is not frightened to take off the son! However when Murray was brough on where was he playing? What formation were we attempting it was almost 3 3 4 with Murray a little deeper! I was also dissopinted not to see Scott Brown come on for the last 15-20 to see if he could effect the team!

For me if Johnson can keep us in the top 3-4 and within 3-5 points of 1st/2nd come start of January I will say well done to him as I don't think we have bad players but jsut not the right positioned players!

1-2 wingers in Jan is a must for us to go up this year as well as a holding midfeilder which I thik we still need, defensively I think we have enough until the summer and strikers are ok as long as the 3 stay fit maybe with the addtion of a 2nd half of season loan.

[Luke_Ciderhead]

A poor game and a poor performance. But......

We've played 3 games in just 6 days in 3 different competitions...and we've won all three! Just goes to show the outstanding winning mentality that this team has. Congratulations to Gary and the boys!!! A job well done.

[cider head]

pleased with 3 points, attack ok, defence solid, midfield needs sorting along with width.

i'll take it as 3 points but not convinced with johnsons selection that were a promotion team just yet.

[Nibor]

Agree with pretty much everything you've said there although I think I'd bring in another goalscorer before yet another central midfielder.

Tonight's selection bemused me. 4 centre halfs in the back four, and no wingers - it seemed to play right into Carlisle's hands and they just defended deep as we pumped long balls up the middle without any creativity.

Carlisle were well organised, hard working but fairly ordinary. They defended deep rarely supporting their strikers from midfield and although they didn't come for a draw it was obvious in the second half that they were more than happy to take one. Hawley had a good game for them and looked a useful player. They actually had 2 or 3 very good goalscoring chances - more clear cut than ours - that they contrived to miss.

Showunmi and McCombe were the pick of the bunch for us, Basso had a good game too making one unbelievable save but not being tested more than two or three times. Williams was poor in the first half but improved a great deal in the second only to be substituted. Our central midfielders struggled to have any impact other than both giving the ball away too much as most of the time it went over them. Skuse isn't a winger... big surprise... but he played well considering he was out of position. Why on earth did Murray come on and play centrally? Why did Orr come on and not Brown? Strange I felt.

A draw would definitely have been a fair result so I'm delighted that we ground out the win. Overall it was a case of the end justifies the means, but I'm sure if we tried playing like that for 10 games we would win less than half of them.

[maidenheadred]

Tonight's selection bemused me. 4 centre halfs in the back four, and no wingers - it seemed to play right into Carlisle's hands and they just defended deep as we pumped long balls up the middle without any creativity.

Carlisle were

well hang on there... Keogh has by popular consensus made the right back slot his own, and he does get forward plenty, so we hardly lose anything in that respect. And he's got three goals already this season - when do right backs for city do that?!

Jamie Mac was injured, so we needed a replacement. Woody is a deeply average league one left back, Fontain is a good centre back, and a pretty good left back - and GJ's explanation that he felt LF had done well in recent games, plus he knows Kevin Gall well checks out too.

we went long because we were knackered, and the midfield four gave the back four no confidence that they would keep the ball at all, as they were all clearly off their game. I thought it was probably the best tactic on offer, to be honest. no point trying to play football when nobody is on form in the middle...

[Nibor]

well hang on there... Keogh has by popular consensus made the right back slot his own, and he does get forward plenty, so we hardly lose anything in that respect. And he's got three goals already this season - when do right backs for city do that?!

My impression is that the popular consensus is that he's playing well out of position. He does go on the odd run but he doesn't overlap and his crossing isn't great. He defends very well and plays with heart but I still don't think he's a right back and I'm sure I'm not alone in that.

Jamie Mac was injured, so we needed a replacement. Woody is a deeply average league one left back, Fontain is a good centre back, and a pretty good left back - and GJ's explanation that he felt LF had done well in recent games, plus he knows Kevin Gall well checks out too.

Which in itself would be fine except that we had no width on the right and a forward playing left wing who kept playing off the shoulder of his marker. Woodman would have IMO been a better choice for his crossing ability.

we went long because we were knackered, and the midfield four gave the back four no confidence that they would keep the ball at all, as they were all clearly off their game. I thought it was probably the best tactic on offer, to be honest. no point trying to play football when nobody is on form in the middle...

We went long because we had just about the narrowest selected team we could have, that meant noone making an outlet of themselves on either side and the midfield being packed. Hard for the central midfielders to be on their game when the ball is mainly flying over their heads...

Sorry but I can't see how you can put our direct tactics down to anything other than the selection when we start without a single wide player.

[Red_Jim]

We've played 3 games in just 6 days in 3 different competitions...and we've won all three! Just goes to show the outstanding winning mentality that this team has.

A good point. What is noticable about City this year under Johnson is that we are becoming excellent at grinding out results when we're up against it. The team spirit and players' attitude is the best i can remember since under John Ward in 97/98. We have the mentality of a promotion winning team, we're not always playing well, but we're consistently picking up points - keep supporting Gary and the lads and who knows

[RedTop]

We went long because we had just about the narrowest selected team we could have, that meant noone making an outlet of themselves on either side and the midfield being packed. Hard for the central midfielders to be on their game when the ball is mainly flying over their heads...

Sorry but I can't see how you can put our direct tactics down to anything other than the selection when we start without a single wide player.

Surely we went long because the conditions dictated it? That strong, blustery, swirling and unpredictable wind made playing creative football and pinging accurate passes around the pitch near impossible, and with so many players having played so much football it also made sense to play a long game for that reason. It was pretty clear that it was deliberate tactics from GJ, hence the way the team lined up and why GJ was the one to come off. It wasn't pretty, but in the end it was effective and so it's hard to criticize GJ's methods. He sent out a team armed with tactics which he thought could win that particular game in those particular conditions. Having a side that can win that way if necessary, as well as attempt passing football in more suitable circumstances is a massive benefit. We got the points. Job done.

[Chivs]

Surely we went long because the conditions dictated it? That strong, blustery, swirling and unpredictable wind made playing creative football and pinging accurate passes around the pitch near impossible, and with so many players having played so much football it also made sense to play a long game for that reason. It was pretty clear that it was deliberate tactics from GJ, hence the way the team lined up and why GJ was the one to come off. It wasn't pretty, but in the end it was effective and so it's hard to criticize GJ's methods. He sent out a team armed with tactics which he thought could win that particular game in those particular conditions. Having a side that can win that way if necessary, as well as attempt passing football in more suitable circumstances is a massive benefit. We got the points. Job done.

Isn't this the beauty of football?

I thought that the conditions last night encouraged passing football. That is, a long ball over the top is either going to catch the wind and go out of play. Carlisle did this a lot in the second half. Otherwise the wind will hold the ball up and allow the defenders a clear header.

The best approach should be 20yard feet-to-feet passes. But then I think that's the best approach whatever the conditions!

[RedTop]

Isn't this the beauty of football?

I thought that the conditions last night encouraged passing football. That is, a long ball over the top is either going to catch the wind and go out of play. Carlisle did this a lot in the second half. Otherwise the wind will hold the ball up and allow the defenders a clear header.

The best approach should be 20yard feet-to-feet passes. But then I think that's the best approach whatever the conditions!

Interesting how we differ on this, Chivs. I'd have liked to see Gerrard consistently ping accurate 20 yard passes to feet in the wind last night! The theory of route one football in weather like that being that you put the ball in the general area and get the front men to compete for it in the air, with the uncertainty caused by the swirling winds causing problems for the defenders. In the end, we won with a goal from a string of headers in the box. I grant you, we came close to not getting the goal, but I don't really blame GJ for opting for those tactics last night.

As I said, though, it would do my head in if we decided to do that every week. You can get through it on the odd occasion if you know that you will go back to attempting more attractive football when the conditions are right. If I wanted to watch rubbish backs-to-the-wall football week in, week out, I'd be a Gashead.

[Ian M]

Isn't this the beauty of football?

I thought that the conditions last night encouraged passing football. That is, a long ball over the top is either going to catch the wind and go out of play. Carlisle did this a lot in the second half. Otherwise the wind will hold the ball up and allow the defenders a clear header.

The best approach should be 20yard feet-to-feet passes. But then I think that's the best approach whatever the conditions!

Except that on the occasions when we did try that last night all our players seemed to have a severe case of "the yips"

[maidenheadred]

Interesting how we differ on this, Chivs. I'd have liked to see Gerrard consistently ping accurate 20 yard passes to feet in the wind last night! The theory of route one football in weather like that being that you put the ball in the general area and get the front men to compete for it in the air, with the uncertainty caused by the swirling winds causing problems for the defenders. In the end, we won with a goal from a string of headers in the box. I grant you, we came close to not getting the goal, but I don't really blame GJ for opting for those tactics last night.

As I said, though, it would do my head in if we decided to do that every week. You can get through it on the odd occasion if you know that you will go back to attempting more attractive football when the conditions are right. If I wanted to watch rubbish backs-to-the-wall football week in, week out, I'd be a Gashead.

playing devils advocate though, current squad has a solid back four with defensively biased fullbacks, has good midfielders, but no natural wideman (murray fading.. JMW needs a spell in reserves), and has three good strikers, two of which are architypal 'big men up front'.

doesnt that suggest moving to a much more direct 4-3-3? midfield of Skuse, Aggy and JJ gives the bite, back four will hold firm under and pressure, and hitting the front three early i reckon would be a better bet than trying to pass through a narrow midfield all the time.

go long GJ!! it's the best formation for the current squad, it'll get us out of this division, and no matter how much football you try and play, city fans will still behave like moaning w@nkers!!!

[RedTop]

go long GJ!! it's the best formation for the current squad, it'll get us out of this division, and no matter how much football you try and play, city fans will still behave like moaning w@nkers!!!

Ha ha! Too true!

But I'd still rather play with wide men. As you say, it wouldn't matter whether GJ got the front men scoring hat-tricks while juggling chainsaws, there are some people who will complain about the entertainment value.

I thought the non-ironic post a few days ago from a poster complaining that it was the worst 4-3 victory he'd ever seen just about took the biscuit, though.

[Nibor]

Surely we went long because the conditions dictated it? That strong, blustery, swirling and unpredictable wind made playing creative football and pinging accurate passes around the pitch near impossible, and with so many players having played so much football it also made sense to play a long game for that reason. It was pretty clear that it was deliberate tactics from GJ, hence the way the team lined up and why GJ was the one to come off. It wasn't pretty, but in the end it was effective and so it's hard to criticize GJ's methods. He sent out a team armed with tactics which he thought could win that particular game in those particular conditions. Having a side that can win that way if necessary, as well as attempt passing football in more suitable circumstances is a massive benefit. We got the points. Job done.

I've always found it far far easier to play the ball on the floor in blustery conditions... I'm strange like that - preferring the ball to go roughly where I intended it to instead of anywhere within 20 yards of where I was aiming at.

I think if you asked GJ whether he intended his selection to play long ball he would say no, and I think his selection was the wrong one and if we'd started Brown and Murray we'd have had the better of the game instead of sneaking an undeserved winner at the end. If we line up like that against better sides we won't win.

Yes, I'm pleased with the result and delighted with the attitude and application shown by the players and that's a credit to the manager, but that doesn't to me mean that there weren't ways we could have done better.

[Chivs]

Ha ha! Too true!

But I'd still rather play with wide men. As you say, it wouldn't matter whether GJ got the front men scoring hat-tricks while juggling chainsaws, there are some people who will complain about the entertainment value.

I thought the non-ironic post a few days ago from a poster complaining that it was the worst 4-3 victory he'd ever seen just about took the biscuit, though.

With the standard of referees we get, they are bound to find fault with the chainsaws.

In all seriousness, I'd like to see Showumni, on a unicycle, juggling chainsaws whilst scoring. Now that's entertainment! Sadly, we don't have any flair players up to this standard.

[maidenheadred]

With the standard of referees we get, they are bound to find fault with the chainsaws.

In all seriousness, I'd like to see Showumni, on a unicycle, juggling chainsaws whilst scoring. Now that's entertainment! Sadly, we don't have any flair players up to this standard.

i'm sure Bas could have done all of that (bar the scoring).

bring back Bas!!!