Akinfenwa
I thought the performance today was lethargic with little cause for optimism The problem was the inclusion of Bayo who was slow and ponderous.It is no coincidence that when he was injured we adapted to a new ;exciting and speedy style of play with the ball on the ground,but as soon as he returned we resorted to the hoof ball up to him in the hope that he could head it on to someone,anyone.Once defenders are aware of this trick 'they close him down and all momentum is lost.Whilst I have admired him as a talisman for a long time,sadly I feel his days are numbered.If we persist in playing him at all costs our younger,quicker players will suffer,the crowd pleasing performances will be a thing of the past and we will continue to slide down the table
Comments
@hughie
You know.
Best run and performances have been when Bayo was out injured.
Bench player for me... best used when chasing a game. Doncaster as an example. He won us that game that day but apart from that should never be getting started.
Is it Facebook day?
'Playing him at all costs'
He was sub last week
I love Bayo, I'm not on Facebook... but no have to say i agree, we played some great football during that little spell when we had to 'adapt',was all a little flat yesterday. Hopefully another couple of wins and we'll defo be safe, which Is a great achievement as far as I'm concerned. Next season might/should see a change of style permanently.
To me Kashket was clearly the weak link yesterday. Bayo ended up having to be creator and finisher.
It should be remembered that when we had our spell of playing attractive football, it was generally with Williams and Fred in the starting line-up. Kashket rarely played in that good spell.
Sometimes it just comes down to luck. I counted three occasions in a row in our best spell when Kashket was beyond Akinfenwa and the flick on was on the unfortunate side rather than the fortunate side . We know that given less than half a chance Kashket can put that sort of ball away. We also know that Akinfenwa often doesn't know himself which side the flick is going to go - you have only got to look at his shorts to conversion rate. I reckon it often depends upon which of the defenders surrounding him shoves him last. Needs a player either side beyond and Bloomfield or Gape behind.
You see Akinfenwa move to the touchdown area for the high ball, but maybe not the others in the right spot for what happens next.
Yesterday was a bit flat because nothing came off, not the long balls, nor the runs by McCarthy, JJ and Sido (down the middle!).
I thought we looked more secure at the back, despite the repeated testing of JJ with the high ball to chase on our left side. Perhaps that was because Gillingham weren't as good as recent competition.
It may be a bit of a premature end of the season feeling but in my humble opinion it just comes down to luck.
Maybe we get a better share on Saturday.
I think Fred has been a huge loss. That right wing was very strong and a constant source of attacking pressure. To my mind that is the main reason for the goals drying up.
you have only got to look at his shorts to conversion rate.
TMI @railwaysteve!
Oops. Shots to conversion rate: I believe that is published.
Slightly enigmatic post @EwanHoosaami.
I’d not heard of “..the touchdown area..” before @railwaysteve. Whereabouts is it?
@micra: Standing in the Valley end, I sometimes feel that the balls launched by Allsop (Jombati / Stewart) are akin to space missions, this was especially the case yesterday with the clear blue sky and all. Like space missions, where even NASA cannot accurate predict where they will land, there are several degrees of uncertainty as to where these missiles will hit the grass.
Bayo does a fantastic job of trying to reach the landing zone - the touchdown area if you wish. I liked the idea of calling it the touchdown area because Bayo deals with it better if he can ground it by meeting it with his chest rather than his head. There was also a, perhaps an uncalled for, dog whistle towards Bayo's recent brief sojourn in the states.
If the explanation is good please can I have a like from the distinguished @micra.
Who on earth lets a player go to America for TV work when were in a relegation battle ?? Madness !!!
A relegation battle? 9 points above 21st with 12 games to go; in all likelihood needing just 9 more points from those games. You really are a cretin of the highest order.
Bayo was alright yesterday. Won every header as per usual and on another day would have scored at least the one he smashed over the stand.
That gap on the 9th March could have almost evaporated, we dont look like scoring a goal !!!
It's in his contract I am led to believe, also a little mid-winter break may help prolong his season for the last few games when he could make the difference?
@rmjlondon - I suppose the answer to the question "Did you see the game yesterday?" - is that you didn't.
We did look like scoring. There were at least 3 occasions when the ball was in flight and the shout was forming in my throat.
I'll suggest before anyone else does that you were watching Luton.
No cos Luton played today !!!
What idiot agreed to that ??
Bayo still moved quicker than the ref did. I thought he wasted a lot of time.
Some of our fans need to decide whether playing Bayo is the reason for all of our ills, or whether him missing 1 game in America is.
As it can't be both.
To be fair @Malone, it is mainly our resident Luton fan who giving Bayo undeserved stick.
The thread was started by @hughie so a bit harsh to blame a troll account set up by a well known regular.
Bayo did yesterday what he has done so often. Win headers, lead the line and get on the end of most of our chances. Could have had a hat trick. Interesting the panicked are aligning behind their scapegoats.
Bayo is fine - yes, he missed a sitter, but that is a freak occurrence. He also drew a great save out of the (very good) Gillingham keeper with a stunning turn and shot.
I do think we had games we looked great without Bayo, but as others have stated, that included Fred, Williams, etc. Also, losing CMS as the fulcrum of that kind of attack is difficult. Either way, it does not negate the usefulness or necessity of Bayo, just give us another arrow in our arsenal, which is good.
Ultimately, it is a streaky season, and the down times are rather depressing as the good times seemed to lead us to the cusp of safety, only for us to fall away. However, other teams go through the same thing - Scunthorpe come to mind as a team that was on an awful streak, and looked hopeless, yet after they beat us, they went on a tear.
I think we will be safe, but in true Wycombe style we are making it a little interesting. I also think Bayo is absolutely vital, as even if we hoof it a bit with him, he commands so much attention, and is so effective at creating space and opportunities for other players. If he went down injured we would soon be missing him fondly!
I am really proud of this team, in what has been a tough, rollercoaster season, with some very high peaks and some very low troughs. Yesterday was tough to swallow, because we were so close to a win that would have taken us to close to safety at 46 points, but it's all part of the game. This club has exceeded expectations, and Bayo continues to be a vital part of that!
@Right_in_the_Middle who do you think is the genius behind @rmjlondon?
@Shev POTD.
We should limp over the line this year but there could well be a big job to be done in the summer. Still think Bayo is ok, although his usage might change, but when you bring in all these old boys together you know they won't carry on forever. Add in the lost running of the younger returned loanees and we are a bit short and a bit out of sorts. Scotty K will also be a concern, unless he can play and score more often.
There's tonnes of questions for the summer.
Gape has to be a huge risk of leaving
Can Bloomfield do another season as a fairly regular player, or does he need to be phased down to Bean type use?
Can Paris or Freeman step up to be consistent starters? We've clearly fancied others ahead of them for a lot of the season.
Tyson and Bayo, can they do another season?
Does Samuel have enough to be the "Main" striker?
Can Kashket get anywhere near what he showed a season or 2 back?
Can Harriman turn it around when he was rumoured to have been off to Notts C before turning it down?
The defence looks the area with the least questions, apart from the perennial "left back cover" question.
Luke Bolton has a big role to play. Scott Kashket's injury yesterday looked worrying considering his previous issues.
@chris you are not a genius