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gfnx25
Pros:
- we've stopped our 743 game losing run
cons:
- we still had more winding up orders than points in the last couple of months
- our injury list is still ginormous
- so is our suspended list
- we still don't have a manager (oh wait, we've given our shite assitant the role full time so scrap that)
- we are possibly still fekkin shite (cannot judge as I'm not going anymore)
- still on our way to visit Morecambe and Accy Stan in League Two next season anyway
BR.
(No offence to those who support teams in League 1, but it seemed an absolute world away for us a few years ago )
Shedender
Number 1
Shola
Isaac Hayden would be up there with the Des Hamilton's of the world if he was signed by Dalglish/Souness or someone less popular.
terriersmad
Number 1
gfnx25
Fola
The Non-League Jesus Navas. Great pace but that's it. Good player to bring off the bench but massively surprised he got a move to L1 as he wasn't even a regular for us.
terriersmad
We were poor in the second half, to be honest. Positive first half but didn't take our chances. Blackburn just couldn't get the ball off us. They had about 25% possession - most of which was waiting for their goalkeeper to take a goal kick. He took time-wasting to another level, to be honest. Made me laugh when Coyle asked the question about where five minutes of stoppage time came from - the ref could have added 10 for Steele faffing about over dead balls alone, never mind the three injuries (that's three more than the zero Coyle thinks happened - twice their physio was on, once ours), six subs (on five different occasions) and two goals (one in stoppage time, to be fair). Made me laugh even more when Coyle tried to explain that the free-kick we scored from wasn't a free kick. Whatever he's on, it's seriously good stuff, because last time I checked flattening someone just outside the penalty area was a free-kick whether they had the ball or not - drives me mad when managers and pundits say 'didn't have control' because the laws say nothing about control. Payne might have over-run the ball, but that doesn't matter - the Blackburn lad still came through him with a body-check 20 yards out.
Disappointing to have dropped so many points against Blackburn in December, though. If we could finish more than two of our 51 shots on their goal, we'd be golden, but hey ho.
BR.
terriersmad
All he needed to say was that you came with a game plan which you executed to near perfection - which you did, up to the last-minute free-kick. Does he still refer to himself in the third person, like some kind of Roman Emperor? We were profligate, and that's driving me mad - we've had enough chances in recent weeks to really take teams to the cleaners, but we've dropped silly points, even with things going against us.
Number 1
Maybe we're doomed to fuck this all up.
Shedender
I thought they were supposed to be shit or something?
BR.
They'll still go up, but they need to remember they couldn't score in 180 mins against a team set up by Owen Coyle, clearly a lot of work needs to be done.
Shedender
Technically we actually scored twice this afternoon.
Number 1
I don't think we're as sure a bet as everyone thinks. We're winning lots of matches, but we're losing games we need to draw, and we're way too cautious in certain games. We seem unable to respond to going behind, as if we lack the something Brighton has, and our back-up options are not working. This pair of defeats to Wednesday and Blackburn is a hefty slap in the face, and the teams below us all winning is a worry. Couldn't care about the title - avoiding the fucking play-offs is the must.
We're going to have to make signings. Especially in midfield - Hayden & Colback lack creativity as a duo, Shelvey is still banned, Diame and Atsu are off to ACON, Perez isn't looking the answer, Ritchie has gone off the boil.
So. Yeah. Happy New Year.
terriersmad
To be fair, we rotated like mad. Seven changes to Saturday's side. We looked disjointed. Billing picked up an early booking for breathing on an opponent and was running scared after that. Midfield was nowhere in the first half as a result. Too pedestrian, no incision. Same went for the second half, although Lolley added some impetus on his return from 4 months out injured. We took the only chance of the game, it really is that simple. Wigan, fresh from restricting Derby, looked like a side doomed to the drop again - absolutely nothing there whatsoever. They got lucky against us at our place with what was a much better performance from both sides than this one. Our current run of 7 unbeaten has furnished 2 points fewer in 7 games than Wigan have accumulated in 25, which says a lot about them.
We still need a striker. Possibly two. One or two fringe players showed why they're not in the first team at the moment - Bunn was anonymous and got the hook early in the second half, while Billing had the game pass him by. Defence was very solid, though. Kachunga needs a breather and will hopefully get it on Saturday against Port Vale. Wells also picked up a knock, which is worrying.
Shola
This was all relevant when we were winning games - We were just lucky to eke them games out with no one really paying attention.
The Shelvey thing is an easy excuse - no other team has a 'creative' midfielder and goals still happen. We need pressure - which we rarely provide. No real pressing, no bombardment of the box, no one willing to beat a man - very little through balls or crosses, CM's rarely getting into the box, Wingers not holding width, and full backs never overlapping. And never any substitutions.
gfnx25
Looked alright today given it was his first game in a proper crap side. Certainly has some pace and got some ability at least. Put in a good cross or two but didn't look like he's going to tear sheet up in this division it has to be said.
Oh and we lost again, WA-HEEEEEY
Number 1
Its a weird one all told. Its an easy excuse but the performance against Wednesday was bad. Yesterday was as much the issue of nobody stepping up to get goals when Gayle was effectively muted, but the midfield was still pants going forward. But it goes back to stuff I wondered earlier in the campaign about not asserting ourselves during games. Clearly we haven't learned.
Strangely its been pointed out that at this point in 2009/10, we had 52 points and were 6 points clear of the team in third - on those two stats, its identical this time around. Only this time we're winning a shitload - more wins than anyone else in the division - but guilty of being shit when going behind, and there's also stronger competitors. Brighton are probably going to win the league, and the likes of Reading, Huddersfield and Leeds are providing a stronger challenge than I thought they would. Certainly its a stronger league than it was 7 seasons ago.
bmg033
Vercoe
In fairness to Portsmouth fans, Luton do have a tendancy, at least since I've seen them under Nathan Jones, to over-play injuries a bit. I remember last season at our place one of their players went down under a fairly innocuous challenge and lay there for ages getting treatment, then had to be stretchered off etc... seeing as how he wasn't the first opposition player to milk it that game we all booed him similarly to the Portsmouth fans and Jones came out afterwards and said how terrible we were blah blah blah. Anyway, long story short that same player started for them next game after his miraculous recovery.
Also: getting booked for breaking your leg and hitting the floor is fucking ridiculous - I knew there were some absolutely shit refs in League Two but that takes the piss.
Shola
It's the tactics though. The players aren't supposed to go forward
Also seriously worried about the 'ambition' around the club - people genuinely upset about only finishing 10th now seemed to be resigned to being unable to compete with Brighton
Also reckon last time was loads harder - WBA immediately set themselves up in midtable along with us, and Nottm Forest went on a crazy winning/unbeaten streak.
Number 1
Feels like I've said this before but the whole issue in comparing 2014 and now is how relative it all is. 2013/14 was disappointing purely on the parameters of that campaign, which is going to be the way for sleepwalking to the end from being 6th and with a shot at the top 4 at Christmas to nearly dropping out of the top 10 in the final month, but that was still preferable to the twisted tortured mess of the following 2 seasons, and now whatever the fuck this is. Still, its easy to doom monger. The win attrition means something might come about. And its one thing for being resigned to be finishing behind Brighton. They might walk away or they might collapse. Still got 4 months to go yet. Maybe its still too soon to be doomy, if not too soon to recognise things aren't really going the way they should be.
I knew Forest did alright in the last campaign we shared a tier with them, but not specifics. 19 game unbeaten run in October 2009-January 2010, then fell face first over the line with 8 defeats after mid January, and losing both legs of their play-offs, or least so says Wiki. Which isn't too bad a run but seems to have stunted them - they seem to have been permanently stuck in midtable since. But I don't recall the Cardiff, Leicester and Blackpool teams that rounded off the top 6 being that great.
As an aside, Luton may well have their moments of being arrogant dickheads judging by what little I know of Jones in post-match comments, but there's really no excuse for booking McGeehan for striking the pitch in pain or serenading him in a manner akin to that Alan Smith got at Liverpool in 2006. Shame as well as McGeehan seems like a decent player.
ItsWoosey
terriersmad
Probably means Bunn to Barnsley is also a done deal, after Paurevic departed for Ufa yesterday.
BR.
Good signing for you that yeah, when we played them he was probably the best player on the pitch, certainly the best in their team by some distance.
gfnx25
First one is Taylor Moore, 19 years old, defender who joins on loan from Bristol City. Quite chuffed about this. England international, got senior experience in two countries already and by all accounts Bristol's fans seem to rate him, so good signing probably.
Second is Reece Brown. Had him last season but Flickers let him go and he joined Sheffield United. Couldn't get a game for them, trained with us for a few days and he's back now. Not the kind of signing i was hoping for but I take that.
Third is Cameron Burgess. Defende,r on loan from Fulham. Scottish born but plays for Australialand. Oldham fans seem to rate him quite highly, so that will do me.
If we weren't playing bloody Scunny away I'd be half confident we could snatch a point or so
Shola