@Right_in_the_Middle said:
Really felt for the team today. Battled so hard to stay in without really getting a foothold in the game. Got pulled apart with the only bit of true Championship quality and the the energy just evaporates. It’s horrible to watch on the screen as the gut reaction is to just cheer a bit louder but they can’t hear me. I am certain the team would have reacted differently with a crowd.
Now I have a theory on Uche. I don’t think he helps the team as a target man and central striker. I know he feeds off scraps but he rarely holds the ball and links play up. He’s rarely on the end of a cross. I think his best value might be in one of the wider striker roles. That’s where he does his best work and stands more chance of getting the ball at his feet. I’d play Samuel or Bayo in the centre.
Finally I wonder what is going on with our full backs. Are they being asked to stay back as in previous seasons we have thrived from full back crosses further up the pitch.
Unbelievable, Samuel or Bayo upfront instead of Uche. They are no where near the level required at Championship level. Bayo can hardly move and looks like he will never score again. He has been a magnificent servant to this club but his time is over. Samuel just runs and does nothing else. To get the best out of Uche we need to play to his feet.
I think @Right_in_the_Middle makes a good point about Uche's strengths and weaknesses. He is very good at cutting in from wide once he has the ball - goals against Middlesborough and Brentford came from him cutting in, and he also won a penalty against Reading that way. So there is definitely an argument to be made that he does not work as well as the target man in a central area.
@Right_in_the_Middle said:
Really felt for the team today. Battled so hard to stay in without really getting a foothold in the game. Got pulled apart with the only bit of true Championship quality and the the energy just evaporates. It’s horrible to watch on the screen as the gut reaction is to just cheer a bit louder but they can’t hear me. I am certain the team would have reacted differently with a crowd.
Unbelievable, Samuel or Bayo upfront instead of Uche. They are no where near the level required at Championship level. Bayo can hardly move and looks like he will never score again. He has been a magnificent servant to this club but his time is over. Samuel just runs and does nothing else. To get the best out of Uche we need to play to his feet.
Opinions. If you read what I posted properly I want a proper target man to play alongside Uche. Someone who can hold play up, occupy a centre half without falling over and give Uche the ball to his feet.
Uche is a proper Jack in the Box player who can produce great moments of skill and power. He just doesn’t do the simple things well enough for me at the moment. The ball quite simply disappears back towards our back four too often.
No problem with disagreeing but please actually disagree with what I am saying rather than what you’ve made up.
@HolmerBlue said:
Blimey just looked, loads of people were not posting ! My evening is all of a haze, in which case my apologies, not that its exactly a crime !
Ignore me @HolmerBlue. My naïveté about IT led me ages ago to think that some obscure corner of my iPhone’s storage capacity might be breached if I crammed in too much text ! (Ironic, coming from me). My good mate @Malone assured me that that would not happen.
In the time this post has taken me to slowly tap out, several more posts have appeared. The reference by @Malone to Gallows Lane made me sit up. We lived for ten years in Penmoor Close, a short cul-de-sac off Gallows Lane. We lived there for ten years (1974-1983) before moving to Widmer End and I often think how much easier it would have been to get to Adams Park but we’re still on the doorstep compared with the unbelievable distances some heroic supporters travel.
@HolmerBlue said:
Blimey just looked, loads of people were not posting ! My evening is all of a haze, in which case my apologies, not that its exactly a crime !
Ignore me @HolmerBlue. My naïveté about IT led me ages ago to think that some obscure corner of my iPhone’s storage capacity might be breached if I crammed in too much text ! (Ironic, coming from me). My good mate @Malone assured me that that would not happen.
In the time this post has taken me to slowly tap out, several more posts have appeared. The reference by @Malone to Gallows Lane made me sit up. We lived for ten years in Penmoor Close, a short cul-de-sac off Gallows Lane. We lived there for ten years (1974-1983) before moving to Widmer End and I often think how much easier it would have been to get to Adams Park but we’re still on the doorstep compared with the unbelievable distances some heroic supporters travel.
Could have parked round yours, and had a gentle stroll in together.
Interesting thoughts Righty. I think the first time I saw Uche play against us for Cambridge, he was one of two big powerful strikers.
When he signed a friend who supports Cambridge told me that he wasn’t all that in the air but was great once he had the ball at his feet and had a rocket shot.
Share some of the doubts about Horgan, but - as with Wednesday - think he looks better when he floats more centrally and finds the right pass to get us going forward. What really confuses me is when he crosses - almost always a deep one to the back post - no one seems to read what he’s doing and gamble on it. He’s been doing it all season and I think our lack of anticipation and movement make his crosses look worse than they are. Happened again yesterday with Fred and Bayo rooted six yards out waiting for something directly to them.
@53cheese said:
Share some of the doubts about Horgan, but - as with Wednesday - think he looks better when he floats more centrally and finds the right pass to get us going forward. What really confuses me is when he crosses - almost always a deep one to the back post - no one seems to read what he’s doing and gamble on it. He’s been doing it all season and I think our lack of anticipation and movement make his crosses look worse than they are. Happened again yesterday with Fred and Bayo rooted six yards out waiting for something directly to them.
Good upbeat work. Anticipate one player is always going to overhit his crosses. Sounds easy doesn't it.
I used to plead the same case when I played. Why didn’t other anticipate my passing would always be awful and stand where I hadn’t intended playing it.
Horgan is obviously a decent player. We just seem to be a wide players graveyard at the moment.
Horgan wide left in a 4. McCleary wide right in a 4. For the vast majority of games, get some consistency of positioning and a consistent selection and both will be absolutely top quality in League 1. As it is now, both are in and out of the side, and play in a different position and formation almost every game. 4-1-4-1, 4-3-3, 4-5-1, 4-2-3-1, 4-1-2-1-2 (diamond). It doesn’t help.
Apart from pre Wycombe what can we justify Horgan’s inclusion in the team / squad with? Off the top of my head goal v Brentford in the cup, assist v Preston reserves in the cup. I can’t think of anything else. If it’s a results game he’s out, if it’s an effort game he’s in (but so are Bloomfield Samuel Pattison etc)
I think our distribution from the back is actually costing us a bit insofar as we just can’t really get the ball into the feet of the wingers in any space. None of our defenders or defensive midfielders are particularly good at placing a pass to get moves going. In fairness to them, we have set up that way and they’ve been coached for years to play direct to Bayo. But it does mean our wide players rarely receive a controlled pass into feet in the opposition half.
Essentially we are still trying to get controlled possession when the ball goes forward, whereas other teams at this level are in settled command of the ball before it is played into midfield or wide areas.
@Glenactico the one person who can play a measured pass and is sharp enough to see opportunities for one/twos and areas players can drift into space is David Wheeler, but instead of allowing him to play a playmaker role, we're instead using him as a Bloomfield battler and an auxiliary forward. I think that's a bit of a waste - I'd like to see him being allowed to use more creativity in the middle, alongside two of Knight, Thompson, Gape, Oforborh and Adeniran.
Everyone is purring about Mehmeti, and given another season of development they might be right to do so, but most of what people see in him is potential. In Wheeler we've already got a cultured Carrick-style playmaker, we just don't seem to want to use him that way.
@Glenactico said:
I think our distribution from the back is actually costing us a bit insofar as we just can’t really get the ball into the feet of the wingers in any space. None of our defenders or defensive midfielders are particularly good at placing a pass to get moves going. In fairness to them, we have set up that way and they’ve been coached for years to play direct to Bayo. But it does mean our wide players rarely receive a controlled pass into feet in the opposition half.
Essentially we are still trying to get controlled possession when the ball goes forward, whereas other teams at this level are in settled command of the ball before it is played into midfield or wide areas.
Agree with this observation. We don’t make it easy for our wide men to shine. Look at some of our opponents who carry the ball forwards and work to engineer an ‘overload’ - 2 v 1 in our wide defensive areas...we have struggled against this type of play this season, but we have also struggled to create it ourselves.
I really like Horgan, he could be a huge player for us. People complain about his end product and at times that is justified, but he does deliver a cross pretty much every time we get the ball to him in a wide position and not all of them have been poor!
He's one of the best passers in our team. He's actually been involved in a few goals this season. Off the top of my head, I can recall his cross that set up our equaliser at Derby and his through ball to McCleary at Preston. He's also been very unfortunate at times, like the disallowed goal the other week. Not a great season, but I get the feeling he could be a big asset to us next season.
@TheAndyGrahamFanClub said:
Apart from pre Wycombe what can we justify Horgan’s inclusion in the team / squad with? Off the top of my head goal v Brentford in the cup, assist v Preston reserves in the cup. I can’t think of anything else. If it’s a results game he’s out, if it’s an effort game he’s in (but so are Bloomfield Samuel Pattison etc)
Based on this season, I think you'd struggle to justify any of the attackers places in the team. They're simply against better players.
Uche would be the one most would suggest, but I see the first voices of discontent about his inability to head it, or hold it up are starting to arise.
Am hoping/expecting a lot of our attackers to be star players in league one though.
@Wycombe85 said:
I really like Horgan, he could be a huge player for us. People complain about his end product and at times that is justified, but he does deliver a cross pretty much every time we get the ball to him in a wide position and not all of them have been poor!
He's one of the best passers in our team. He's actually been involved in a few goals this season. Off the top of my head, I can recall his cross that set up our equaliser at Derby and his through ball to McCleary at Preston. He's also been very unfortunate at times, like the disallowed goal the other week. Not a great season, but I get the feeling he could be a big asset to us next season.
I can barely recall an assist to be honest. A goal in there, but his output has been fairly woeful. But then it's fair to say we haven't exactly been attacking dons this season.
When you think about how much some of our L1 stalwarts have struggled at this level after playing so well in the tier below, it illustrates the gulf, and also leaves me pretty excited about how good some of these new players will look in L1. I think there are pretty clear flaws to all of our attacking players, but based upon facing ruthless opposition. Dropping down to L1, I think Mehmeti could look like Maradona, Uche may bag 15-20 goals, while Horgan and McCleary could give L1 defenders twisted blood.
@Shev said:
When you think about how much some of our L1 stalwarts have struggled at this level after playing so well in the tier below, it illustrates the gulf, and also leaves me pretty excited about how good some of these new players will look in L1. I think there are pretty clear flaws to all of our attacking players, but based upon facing ruthless opposition. Dropping down to L1, I think Mehmeti could look like Maradona, Uche may bag 15-20 goals, while Horgan and McCleary could give L1 defenders twisted blood.
Agree with that and for another example, when you think McCarthy looked like an absolutely star player in league one, but has looked at best just about able to fill in occasionally, then it'll be exciting for next season.
If we can carry over the positives of our season in the championship and have no mental hangover from the run of difficult results I believe this squad will be formidable.
Comments
Blimey just looked, loads of people were not posting ! My evening is all of a haze, in which case my apologies, not that its exactly a crime !
Come on son.
We expect betterings from you than the wrong your/you're option.
Unbelievable, Samuel or Bayo upfront instead of Uche. They are no where near the level required at Championship level. Bayo can hardly move and looks like he will never score again. He has been a magnificent servant to this club but his time is over. Samuel just runs and does nothing else. To get the best out of Uche we need to play to his feet.
That’s my fifth ‘whoops’ of the week @Malone. Standards are definitely slipping. Is ‘betterings’ a Malonian composite of better things?
Good to see the gasroom sense of humour shines through on another disappointing day.
Gots to uphold standards bossman.
Betterings is a perfectly cromulent word.
We're deep into gallows humour territory now.
Incidentally, there's a road called Gallows Lane about 1/3mile from our ground. I always think that's quite ominous walking past.
Are you sure that's not your sixth!
I think @Right_in_the_Middle makes a good point about Uche's strengths and weaknesses. He is very good at cutting in from wide once he has the ball - goals against Middlesborough and Brentford came from him cutting in, and he also won a penalty against Reading that way. So there is definitely an argument to be made that he does not work as well as the target man in a central area.
Opinions. If you read what I posted properly I want a proper target man to play alongside Uche. Someone who can hold play up, occupy a centre half without falling over and give Uche the ball to his feet.
Uche is a proper Jack in the Box player who can produce great moments of skill and power. He just doesn’t do the simple things well enough for me at the moment. The ball quite simply disappears back towards our back four too often.
No problem with disagreeing but please actually disagree with what I am saying rather than what you’ve made up.
Ignore me @HolmerBlue. My naïveté about IT led me ages ago to think that some obscure corner of my iPhone’s storage capacity might be breached if I crammed in too much text ! (Ironic, coming from me). My good mate @Malone assured me that that would not happen.
In the time this post has taken me to slowly tap out, several more posts have appeared. The reference by @Malone to Gallows Lane made me sit up. We lived for ten years in Penmoor Close, a short cul-de-sac off Gallows Lane. We lived there for ten years (1974-1983) before moving to Widmer End and I often think how much easier it would have been to get to Adams Park but we’re still on the doorstep compared with the unbelievable distances some heroic supporters travel.
Could have parked round yours, and had a gentle stroll in together.
Bit before your time wasn’t it @Malone @?
Interesting thoughts Righty. I think the first time I saw Uche play against us for Cambridge, he was one of two big powerful strikers.
When he signed a friend who supports Cambridge told me that he wasn’t all that in the air but was great once he had the ball at his feet and had a rocket shot.
Share some of the doubts about Horgan, but - as with Wednesday - think he looks better when he floats more centrally and finds the right pass to get us going forward. What really confuses me is when he crosses - almost always a deep one to the back post - no one seems to read what he’s doing and gamble on it. He’s been doing it all season and I think our lack of anticipation and movement make his crosses look worse than they are. Happened again yesterday with Fred and Bayo rooted six yards out waiting for something directly to them.
To be fair, most of his crosses are so overhit that it's unlikely anyone is going to gamble on it by running to the corner flag.
Good upbeat work. Anticipate one player is always going to overhit his crosses. Sounds easy doesn't it.
I used to plead the same case when I played. Why didn’t other anticipate my passing would always be awful and stand where I hadn’t intended playing it.
Horgan is obviously a decent player. We just seem to be a wide players graveyard at the moment.
Horgan wide left in a 4. McCleary wide right in a 4. For the vast majority of games, get some consistency of positioning and a consistent selection and both will be absolutely top quality in League 1. As it is now, both are in and out of the side, and play in a different position and formation almost every game. 4-1-4-1, 4-3-3, 4-5-1, 4-2-3-1, 4-1-2-1-2 (diamond). It doesn’t help.
Apart from pre Wycombe what can we justify Horgan’s inclusion in the team / squad with? Off the top of my head goal v Brentford in the cup, assist v Preston reserves in the cup. I can’t think of anything else. If it’s a results game he’s out, if it’s an effort game he’s in (but so are Bloomfield Samuel Pattison etc)
I think our distribution from the back is actually costing us a bit insofar as we just can’t really get the ball into the feet of the wingers in any space. None of our defenders or defensive midfielders are particularly good at placing a pass to get moves going. In fairness to them, we have set up that way and they’ve been coached for years to play direct to Bayo. But it does mean our wide players rarely receive a controlled pass into feet in the opposition half.
Essentially we are still trying to get controlled possession when the ball goes forward, whereas other teams at this level are in settled command of the ball before it is played into midfield or wide areas.
@Glenactico the one person who can play a measured pass and is sharp enough to see opportunities for one/twos and areas players can drift into space is David Wheeler, but instead of allowing him to play a playmaker role, we're instead using him as a Bloomfield battler and an auxiliary forward. I think that's a bit of a waste - I'd like to see him being allowed to use more creativity in the middle, alongside two of Knight, Thompson, Gape, Oforborh and Adeniran.
Everyone is purring about Mehmeti, and given another season of development they might be right to do so, but most of what people see in him is potential. In Wheeler we've already got a cultured Carrick-style playmaker, we just don't seem to want to use him that way.
Agree with this observation. We don’t make it easy for our wide men to shine. Look at some of our opponents who carry the ball forwards and work to engineer an ‘overload’ - 2 v 1 in our wide defensive areas...we have struggled against this type of play this season, but we have also struggled to create it ourselves.
I really like Horgan, he could be a huge player for us. People complain about his end product and at times that is justified, but he does deliver a cross pretty much every time we get the ball to him in a wide position and not all of them have been poor!
He's one of the best passers in our team. He's actually been involved in a few goals this season. Off the top of my head, I can recall his cross that set up our equaliser at Derby and his through ball to McCleary at Preston. He's also been very unfortunate at times, like the disallowed goal the other week. Not a great season, but I get the feeling he could be a big asset to us next season.
Well, you'd have had to have stayed living there, obvs
Based on this season, I think you'd struggle to justify any of the attackers places in the team. They're simply against better players.
Uche would be the one most would suggest, but I see the first voices of discontent about his inability to head it, or hold it up are starting to arise.
Am hoping/expecting a lot of our attackers to be star players in league one though.
I can barely recall an assist to be honest. A goal in there, but his output has been fairly woeful. But then it's fair to say we haven't exactly been attacking dons this season.
When you think about how much some of our L1 stalwarts have struggled at this level after playing so well in the tier below, it illustrates the gulf, and also leaves me pretty excited about how good some of these new players will look in L1. I think there are pretty clear flaws to all of our attacking players, but based upon facing ruthless opposition. Dropping down to L1, I think Mehmeti could look like Maradona, Uche may bag 15-20 goals, while Horgan and McCleary could give L1 defenders twisted blood.
Agree with that and for another example, when you think McCarthy looked like an absolutely star player in league one, but has looked at best just about able to fill in occasionally, then it'll be exciting for next season.
We'll have the best keeper in league 1 as well
If we can carry over the positives of our season in the championship and have no mental hangover from the run of difficult results I believe this squad will be formidable.