To be fair we had what was a fairly solid looking although soft penalty shout turned down. Admittedly other than that I can't think of anything except shots from distance.
I don't think the referee made one wrong decision all game, never a penalty the ball was smashed at him from 3 yards away and he hands were down. good point considering other results and we have teams around us to play this really is in OUR hands.
Since the turn of the year we have played 1620 mins of competertive football, plus injury time. Our forwards have mustered 4 goals, 1 each for Ugwu,Thommo,Hayes and Cowan-Hall.
so on that ratio, we might just sneak two more goals from our goal shy strikers come the 7th May.
Hayes hasn't been fit and thats a serious issue, Garry looks like he is past it to me at times then others looks like he might still have something left. Ugwu don't even need to say what I think of that excuse for a footballer.
I was watching the massively over-analysed program that is now Match of the Day a while back and they were talking about Benteke and how he has lost his scoring mojo. They compared his positional play from season to season and showed how when he was scoring he was in the box constantly (a rather dull 12-yard square was shown to illustrate his hot zone so to speak). Now they illustrated where he can be found now, dropping deep, trying to win the ball wide, etc etc. This is Hayes all over. Once a lethal penalty box player he is dropping deeper and deeper and the results show. Its tough to criticise a player for working too hard but he is not in the team for creation.
A huge part of Hayes' game is creation and link play, to the detriment of his goalscoring tally this season. Our high intensity midfield is often favoured in place of the creativity department (with the occasional exception of Luke) so our best chances tend to be through Hayes linking the midfield and attack, as well as set pieces. Hayes played an attacking midfield role yesterday quite deliberately and I think it's the position we get most from him at the moment. As a prolific striker he would be getting little service and have less involvement in matches
As soft as a penalty as it would have been, that should have been given, he was a good 5 yards away and his hands were above his body, heard a county fan say they were lucky to get away with it on the way out of the ground!
I really don't think i'm that surprised that Hayes doesn't score. As someone mentioned above, he plays essentially as a midfielder now, USUALLY plays one touch football and thus is lucky if he touches the ball inside the penalty area more than once every 5 or 6 games. He is good at that role, but it's a shame as he is probably even better at playing as an out and out striker.
Either that, or let's just concede that he IS playing as a midfielder, and play him as one of the midfield, with two actual strikers who are looking to score.
Seems bizarre to me as we seem to have midfielders aplenty...and the relative lack of goals from our present frontline...that we don't use PHayes as the main striker. With him as a target for O'Nien, McGinn and Harriman we might pose a few more problems for League Two defences.
So four points from two matches over Easter, a return to the playoff places raising the very real possibility of a return to Wembley for the second successive year. Way above my expectations walking to Plainmoor less than two years ago.
I wonder what my thoughts would be if I was Gareth Ainsworth. Despite very low relative budgets (unless you believe the magic money pot fantacists) he has fashioned remarkable success over the last two seasons. He must know in his heart with key parts of that team ageing or moving upwards and the team possibly breaking up, it will be very hard to repeat again next season. The fans are already moaning, what would they be like if the team were languishing in the bottom third, how much understanding would he and the club be given. Must be sorely tempting to think that he might be better off looking for alternative jobs in the summer.
Out of interest, if GA was to leave, who would you suggest should take over.
It's like seeing an old friend reading that post Dev. Not seen you copy and paste it in for a few weeks now.
I'm guessing some will bite on the constant thread of 'everyone moaning' and 'Ainsworth will leave' but I think I've said my piece on it when you posted it a couple of copies ago. Or maybe it was three back.
Nothing if not tenacious.
Ah @DevC . There was nothing controversial or confrontational in my post to you and I still have no idea what you keep dragging out as an insult.
I am just bored stupid with your constant need to start the Ainsworth is leaving debate.
And Dev, cut and paste post withstanding, Gaz has a long term job here, he's signed a whopping long contract, he's got a chairman who lets him get on with things and backed him, despite us almost going out of the league.
Unless QPR or another close to heart club offered a big contract, not the time to leave.
@DevC said:
(1) So four points from two matches over Easter, a return to the playoff places raising the very real possibility of a return to Wembley for the second successive year. Way above my expectations walking to Plainmoor less than two years ago.
(2) Must be sorely tempting to think that he might be better off looking for alternative jobs in the summer.
(3) Out of interest, if GA was to leave, who would you suggest should take over.
(1) you should have got sponsorship for your walk to Plainmoor.
(2) I for one am not sorely tempted to think that and I doubt whether GA is - certainly not at this stage!
(3) for heaven's sake don't start that hare. You've already seen the sort of response that encourages! Someone will doubtless suggest bringing in John Sheridan as a means of retaining AAH!!
1) Depends where I started from. Torquay refused to let me park on the pitch so I had to walk several hundred yards from the nearest (free) available parking. Bastards!
2) lets hope not. You would maybe forgive him for maybe just maybe feeling just a smidgeon frustrated at the lack of gratitude for two remarkable seasons by a section of the fanbase? And a slight concern as to what would happen if next season was disappointing?
3) Hare today, gone tomorrow? Lets hope not for all sakes. The grass is not always greener on the other side.
I think you will find Alan Devonshire is much better manager that Maidenhead, he already proved it with Braintree and didn't stay there because of contractual issues. He may not want to manage in the league but I think he would do a good job and he played alot higher than GA and also for England I believe.
I think the point that GA is deserving of a little more respect and gratitude than he is getting from a section of the fan base needs to be made more often to be honest.
This is one where you probably do need to come up to Adams Park to judge Dev. On a match day you'll find pretty much everyone is supportive and appreciative of GAs remarkable achievements.
Don't be fooled by the minority on a board of maybe 50 (?) regular posters who like to over-analyse and criticise (usually constructively) the team/tactics/(and rarely) the manager.
We all know the entertainment value is low (and GA does too) but whilst we moan about it most of us understand some of the reasons for it and most of us know our league position is better than we could reasonably expect.
Comments
Still true 16 hours later.
To be fair we had what was a fairly solid looking although soft penalty shout turned down. Admittedly other than that I can't think of anything except shots from distance.
I don't think the referee made one wrong decision all game, never a penalty the ball was smashed at him from 3 yards away and he hands were down. good point considering other results and we have teams around us to play this really is in OUR hands.
I'd have been furious if that penalty had been given against us.
Since the turn of the year we have played 1620 mins of competertive football, plus injury time. Our forwards have mustered 4 goals, 1 each for Ugwu,Thommo,Hayes and Cowan-Hall.
so on that ratio, we might just sneak two more goals from our goal shy strikers come the 7th May.
Hayes hasn't been fit and thats a serious issue, Garry looks like he is past it to me at times then others looks like he might still have something left. Ugwu don't even need to say what I think of that excuse for a footballer.
and hoping Cowan Hall could be fit for the playoffs should we make it.
I was watching the massively over-analysed program that is now Match of the Day a while back and they were talking about Benteke and how he has lost his scoring mojo. They compared his positional play from season to season and showed how when he was scoring he was in the box constantly (a rather dull 12-yard square was shown to illustrate his hot zone so to speak). Now they illustrated where he can be found now, dropping deep, trying to win the ball wide, etc etc. This is Hayes all over. Once a lethal penalty box player he is dropping deeper and deeper and the results show. Its tough to criticise a player for working too hard but he is not in the team for creation.
A huge part of Hayes' game is creation and link play, to the detriment of his goalscoring tally this season. Our high intensity midfield is often favoured in place of the creativity department (with the occasional exception of Luke) so our best chances tend to be through Hayes linking the midfield and attack, as well as set pieces. Hayes played an attacking midfield role yesterday quite deliberately and I think it's the position we get most from him at the moment. As a prolific striker he would be getting little service and have less involvement in matches
As soft as a penalty as it would have been, that should have been given, he was a good 5 yards away and his hands were above his body, heard a county fan say they were lucky to get away with it on the way out of the ground!
I really don't think i'm that surprised that Hayes doesn't score. As someone mentioned above, he plays essentially as a midfielder now, USUALLY plays one touch football and thus is lucky if he touches the ball inside the penalty area more than once every 5 or 6 games. He is good at that role, but it's a shame as he is probably even better at playing as an out and out striker.
Either that, or let's just concede that he IS playing as a midfielder, and play him as one of the midfield, with two actual strikers who are looking to score.
Seems bizarre to me as we seem to have midfielders aplenty...and the relative lack of goals from our present frontline...that we don't use PHayes as the main striker. With him as a target for O'Nien, McGinn and Harriman we might pose a few more problems for League Two defences.
Do any of the stats people know how many goals we've scored from set pieces and how many from not set pieces this season?
So four points from two matches over Easter, a return to the playoff places raising the very real possibility of a return to Wembley for the second successive year. Way above my expectations walking to Plainmoor less than two years ago.
I wonder what my thoughts would be if I was Gareth Ainsworth. Despite very low relative budgets (unless you believe the magic money pot fantacists) he has fashioned remarkable success over the last two seasons. He must know in his heart with key parts of that team ageing or moving upwards and the team possibly breaking up, it will be very hard to repeat again next season. The fans are already moaning, what would they be like if the team were languishing in the bottom third, how much understanding would he and the club be given. Must be sorely tempting to think that he might be better off looking for alternative jobs in the summer.
Out of interest, if GA was to leave, who would you suggest should take over.
It's like seeing an old friend reading that post Dev. Not seen you copy and paste it in for a few weeks now.
I'm guessing some will bite on the constant thread of 'everyone moaning' and 'Ainsworth will leave' but I think I've said my piece on it when you posted it a couple of copies ago. Or maybe it was three back.
Nothing if not tenacious.
Good to see you back Geoffrey.
Desperate as you are to be controversial and confrontational, not sure it suits you though. Still feels like a dead sheep to me.
I think Alan Devonshire would do a fabulous job as our manager if GA was to leave and yes that is a serious post.
Ah @DevC . There was nothing controversial or confrontational in my post to you and I still have no idea what you keep dragging out as an insult.
I am just bored stupid with your constant need to start the Ainsworth is leaving debate.
Of course you don't, son.
Think I'll leave this one for others.
Richie, you want us to "Poach" Maidenhead's manager? Seriously ROFL
And Dev, cut and paste post withstanding, Gaz has a long term job here, he's signed a whopping long contract, he's got a chairman who lets him get on with things and backed him, despite us almost going out of the league.
Unless QPR or another close to heart club offered a big contract, not the time to leave.
(1) you should have got sponsorship for your walk to Plainmoor.
(2) I for one am not sorely tempted to think that and I doubt whether GA is - certainly not at this stage!
(3) for heaven's sake don't start that hare. You've already seen the sort of response that encourages! Someone will doubtless suggest bringing in John Sheridan as a means of retaining AAH!!
1) Depends where I started from. Torquay refused to let me park on the pitch so I had to walk several hundred yards from the nearest (free) available parking. Bastards!
2) lets hope not. You would maybe forgive him for maybe just maybe feeling just a smidgeon frustrated at the lack of gratitude for two remarkable seasons by a section of the fanbase? And a slight concern as to what would happen if next season was disappointing?
3) Hare today, gone tomorrow? Lets hope not for all sakes. The grass is not always greener on the other side.
I think you will find Alan Devonshire is much better manager that Maidenhead, he already proved it with Braintree and didn't stay there because of contractual issues. He may not want to manage in the league but I think he would do a good job and he played alot higher than GA and also for England I believe.
@DevC you just make the same post over and over and over again
I think the point that GA is deserving of a little more respect and gratitude than he is getting from a section of the fan base needs to be made more often to be honest.
Give it a rest, most fans love Ainsworth and rightly so
They hide it very well.
Vast majority probably.
This is one where you probably do need to come up to Adams Park to judge Dev. On a match day you'll find pretty much everyone is supportive and appreciative of GAs remarkable achievements.
Don't be fooled by the minority on a board of maybe 50 (?) regular posters who like to over-analyse and criticise (usually constructively) the team/tactics/(and rarely) the manager.
We all know the entertainment value is low (and GA does too) but whilst we moan about it most of us understand some of the reasons for it and most of us know our league position is better than we could reasonably expect.
But we are football fans. We like to moan