Incredible that we had the first actual goalkeeping mistake of the season last night and we're not up to at least 10 pages on here. Oh hang on...Rocky wasn't in goal.
@mooneyman said:
Perhaps a better description is having a physical presence. Without Uche or Bayo we get easily bullied by defenders.
It could be argued that the best strikers are selfish. Vardy and Salah spring to mind and for us back in the day, Sean Devine.
All those mentioned above and including Westy are out and out goal scorers. Target men and Battering rams have to offer different subtleties to their game, so they can create chances for fellow strikers and attacking midfielders.
If you think of the great target men over the last 50 years, Joe Jordan,Peter Withe,Cyrille Regis,Andy Gray,John Toshack etc, they would score between 10-15 a season, but create chances galore for there fellow strikers.
And since Torquay, Gareth has pretty much used a Target man to carry out his long ball philosophy.
It would be a great achievement if Gareth can get Uche to adapt his game, but personally, I'm not over confident.
@BushGoose said:
Incredible that we had the first actual goalkeeping mistake of the season last night and we're not up to at least 10 pages on here. Oh hang on...Rocky wasn't in goal.
'First actual goalkeeping mistake of the season.' This must be a world record. I can't imagine any team anywhere ever has managed to get to March without a mistake by the goalkeeper before!
Aren't Allsop and Stockdale out of contract at the end of the season. Will be interesting to see if Ainsworth offers new contracts to one, both or neither?
@Shev said:
I actually still like the lineup - Samuel warranted his chance, and I think we often looked really good up to the critical point of the final ball. It was really the execution at the vital moment.
Samuel unfortunately is not up to the Championship standard. He does not look like scoring. Let’s be honest he didn’t look like scoring in League 1.Sorry he doesn’t warrant his chance.
I actually thought Samuel did well. Drilled a couple of decent low balls on, provided some useful hold up play and did a great job with the high press.
We know he isn’t necessarily a natural finisher but I thought his contribution was valuable.
@ChasHarps said:
But is Uche a target man ?? Wins very little in the air, does not hold up the ball well, not great at laying it off, and bringing others into the game.
Uche is a big centre forward, good at turning his man and drawing the foul, and getting a shot away. But very selfish.
Really? I’d agree that his heading ability doesn’t seem to be especially strong. But the way he shields the ball and gives us time to get up the pitch is superb in my view.
I think Uche is excellent at holding up the ball, it's a real asset of his. Problem is he sometime tries to do too much, rather than laying off a simple ball to the man in space. And when that player in space is often Mehmeti, it can be extremely frustrating to see him attempting to score goal of the season, or 'win' a free kick after doing the hard work.
In my mind the time for rotation and rest for key players is perhaps games when we would do well to get a point e.g. the game at Watford, at home to Norwich and to a lesser degree Reading and Stoke. Arguably all four of those games were a free hit, regardless of what Couhig or Ainsworth say.
The time to put your best XI out, no matter what, is when you play someone that you'd identify as a winnable game - QPR last night is a winnable game, so that starting line-up was surprising.
Given the line-up, I thought we did ok until just before the hour mark, we were still getting forward and balls into the box, the next 25 minutes they really nullified us in the middle of the park. Final 5 again was slightly different as they sat back.
What is particularly disappointing is our Plan B when in poor form and trailing is to take off ball winners and throw on as many forwards as possible and hope something happens. This plan rarely works and it has long grated with me.
Ainsworth has done an incredible job to get us where we are and when on a good run he doesn't overload the forwards when we are chasing the game, he keeps the balance of the side.
Last night Kashket ended up right wing, Bayo and Uche in each others way, Mehmeti getting robbed of possession in our half and unable to influence further up the pitch, Horgan being completely bypassed (why was he left on?), Ofoborh/Gape completely overrun. Everyone looking at each other, it was an utter mess.
It was Sunday football management at it's best and the umpteenth time we've seen it this season. If we need to change from one up top then can we have two ball winners, two wingers and two strikers as the Plan B...
Onto Saturday when I'm sure we will pick up three points to just open that chink of hope again!
It saddens me to say but I now find, like others, that I don't particularly enjoy seeing us play these games. I feel I'm watching as a sense of duty, with only the smallest possibility we might put in a decent performance and actually win a game but I'll continue to watch as many games as I can in hope. It's the hope that keeps you going isn't it?
I'm not going to criticise either the players or management for that because, I believe, in a few years this season will be remembered as our first in the Championship not our only. It's been played in difficult circumstances against a back drop of utter hell for many and not much fun for almost everybody and none of us know what effect the circumstances have had on our players, management and back room staff.
On the plus side my early season predictions still hold true and I'll cling onto them as positives from this season :-
1. We'll finish in our highest ever league position no matter what happens
2. Our squad will have evolved and be stronger and more experienced than if we hadn't played in the Championship
3. Our finances will be better than if we hadn't played in the Chsmpiondhip
I'm in a Wassap group with 18 other Wanderers supporters, most of them season ticket holders.
The vast majority have stopped tuning into the games. Most quote the tedious/awful style of football.
I think this is something the Couhigs will have to address, when setting the prices of next years season tickets.
The habit of going to football has been broken by the pandemic, can we rely on all our supporters coming back to watch a style of football that is not particularly pleasant on the eye ?
I think a decent PR campaign will need to be orchestrated from when we get relegated within a month, until pre season commences.
Apologies. Should’ve copied down @kiscokid’s post. Thought it was the last one; it was just the last on that page. Here it i> @kiscokid said:
@mooneyman said:
Perhaps a better description is having a physical presence. Without Uche or Bayo we get easily bullied by defenders.
It could be argued that the best strikers are selfish. Vardy and Salah spring to mind and for us back in the day, Sean Devine.
I agree strikers should be selfish. Mark West had one thing in his mind when he was in the penalty area.
Uche and Bayo do not get bullied but neither do they particularly bully other defenders in the champ. I have not seen many ruffled by Bayo at all this season whilst Uche makes them stand off a bit as he’s likely to draw a foul through his diving.
All our strikers are guilty of a lack of goals and as said before finding one who operates at this level and brings 15+ In the champ is gold dust (Toney/Taylor/Pukki/Armstrong)
@Twizz i don’t disagree with a lot of what you’ve written. I’m really struggling with it having gone home and away for 20 seasons since finishing my education. My main struggle is I watch it on my own or with my son and that’s not the norm.
I do think we can separate these fabulous achievements from being critical of the way we play sometimes...
Let’s hope everyone signs up for a Season Ticket!
I understand ST prices will stay the same whatever happens (or did I read that wrong?) I think being in the ground and feeling you are making a difference/lifting a player/influencing the officials makes a big difference to the probably more comfortable but less exciting viewing experience and I will be back at AP Great Escape or no. As I have said in the past I am finding watching the games something of a gruelling duty but balance that by trying not to get dragged into some of the more disappointing over-heated cobblers on here during and after the game. (Yes, I know that's the point of the Gasroom but still there comes a time...I hope I will not be abused and cyberbullied for the opinion of not (for a time at least) having an opinion... )
The thing that troubles me most about recent games (apart from the changes of personnel and the changes in the positions and roles of individual players) is the sheer shapelessness of the way they are deployed and the way that any semblance of pattern and composure seems to disintegrate as the pressure builds to come from behind.
I am normally reasonably positive and optimistic but I am currently finding it hard to believe that much will change in League 1. These thoughts are hard to reconcile with the recognition that Gareth Ainsworth has achieved so much with so little and that he and ‘Dobbo’ are justifiably seen as being quintessentially important to the development of the playing side of the club.
Remember the likes of Sunderland and Ipswich supporters continually remind us that League 1 is a shit league, so we should get on fine next season @micra.
Like it @Wendoverman ! If anyone’s going to lift my spirits, you are. I don’t think we’ll struggle in League 1 but I fear we are unlikely to see much free flowing passing football with players mainly holding to a prescribed position on the pitch and showing calmness and composure. Plus ça change....essentially.
Dr Phil (Hammond) uses CLANGER as an acronym to remind us what to do to stay healthy in mind and body - Connect, Learn, (be) Active, Notice, Give back, Eat well, Relax.
@Twizz - nailed it - it's pure duty at the moment.
It's everything conspiring, the novelty of watching every game, and new exciting higher teams/stadiums has long worn off, style of play, being next to no attacking threat for 90% of the games, general tedium of the lockdown itself etc.
Millwall and QPR peaked in terms of drearyness for me. The little resurgence had worn off, two dreary crap opponents who we still can't lay a glove on.
Roll on getting through these next 11 games, hope there's a few high points. A Bayo farewell goal would be superb
@Wendoverman said:
I understand ST prices will stay the same whatever happens (or did I read that wrong?) I think being in the ground and feeling you are making a difference/lifting a player/influencing the officials makes a big difference to the probably more comfortable but less exciting viewing experience and I will be back at AP Great Escape or no. As I have said in the past I am finding watching the games something of a gruelling duty but balance that by trying not to get dragged into some of the more disappointing over-heated cobblers on here during and after the game. (Yes, I know that's the point of the Gasroom but still there comes a time...I hope I will not be abused and cyberbullied for the opinion of not (for a time at least) having an opinion... )
The club certainly have given the impression that the price remains the same upon relegation.
However, I'm sure someone on here had been told by maybe Pete C that they'll go down if we go down? Maybe I mis-read that at the time.
But £494 for Frank Adams will definitely be a little on the steep side for league 1. I'd imagine that'll be top 3 in the division.
(all with the disclaimer that the Couhigs have been brilliant on the whole refund without questions aspect etc)
Comments
Incredible that we had the first actual goalkeeping mistake of the season last night and we're not up to at least 10 pages on here. Oh hang on...Rocky wasn't in goal.
It was pretty poor keeping.
Weakest goal we have conceded this season from a goalkeepers perspective.
The whole defence to be fair
You have to question the defending that allowed the forward to get into the box
All those mentioned above and including Westy are out and out goal scorers. Target men and Battering rams have to offer different subtleties to their game, so they can create chances for fellow strikers and attacking midfielders.
If you think of the great target men over the last 50 years, Joe Jordan,Peter Withe,Cyrille Regis,Andy Gray,John Toshack etc, they would score between 10-15 a season, but create chances galore for there fellow strikers.
And since Torquay, Gareth has pretty much used a Target man to carry out his long ball philosophy.
It would be a great achievement if Gareth can get Uche to adapt his game, but personally, I'm not over confident.
'First actual goalkeeping mistake of the season.' This must be a world record. I can't imagine any team anywhere ever has managed to get to March without a mistake by the goalkeeper before!
Yeah that's true I suppose but perhaps depends on what you class as a mistake - I was meaning a real clanger really.
Aren't Allsop and Stockdale out of contract at the end of the season. Will be interesting to see if Ainsworth offers new contracts to one, both or neither?
Whilst being associated with Bedfordshire, the clanger 'was also recorded in rural Buckinghamshire.' Are these real clangers?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedfordshire_clanger
I actually thought Samuel did well. Drilled a couple of decent low balls on, provided some useful hold up play and did a great job with the high press.
We know he isn’t necessarily a natural finisher but I thought his contribution was valuable.
Really? I’d agree that his heading ability doesn’t seem to be especially strong. But the way he shields the ball and gives us time to get up the pitch is superb in my view.
I think Uche is excellent at holding up the ball, it's a real asset of his. Problem is he sometime tries to do too much, rather than laying off a simple ball to the man in space. And when that player in space is often Mehmeti, it can be extremely frustrating to see him attempting to score goal of the season, or 'win' a free kick after doing the hard work.
In my mind the time for rotation and rest for key players is perhaps games when we would do well to get a point e.g. the game at Watford, at home to Norwich and to a lesser degree Reading and Stoke. Arguably all four of those games were a free hit, regardless of what Couhig or Ainsworth say.
The time to put your best XI out, no matter what, is when you play someone that you'd identify as a winnable game - QPR last night is a winnable game, so that starting line-up was surprising.
Given the line-up, I thought we did ok until just before the hour mark, we were still getting forward and balls into the box, the next 25 minutes they really nullified us in the middle of the park. Final 5 again was slightly different as they sat back.
What is particularly disappointing is our Plan B when in poor form and trailing is to take off ball winners and throw on as many forwards as possible and hope something happens. This plan rarely works and it has long grated with me.
Ainsworth has done an incredible job to get us where we are and when on a good run he doesn't overload the forwards when we are chasing the game, he keeps the balance of the side.
Last night Kashket ended up right wing, Bayo and Uche in each others way, Mehmeti getting robbed of possession in our half and unable to influence further up the pitch, Horgan being completely bypassed (why was he left on?), Ofoborh/Gape completely overrun. Everyone looking at each other, it was an utter mess.
It was Sunday football management at it's best and the umpteenth time we've seen it this season. If we need to change from one up top then can we have two ball winners, two wingers and two strikers as the Plan B...
Onto Saturday when I'm sure we will pick up three points to just open that chink of hope again!
It saddens me to say but I now find, like others, that I don't particularly enjoy seeing us play these games. I feel I'm watching as a sense of duty, with only the smallest possibility we might put in a decent performance and actually win a game but I'll continue to watch as many games as I can in hope. It's the hope that keeps you going isn't it?
I'm not going to criticise either the players or management for that because, I believe, in a few years this season will be remembered as our first in the Championship not our only. It's been played in difficult circumstances against a back drop of utter hell for many and not much fun for almost everybody and none of us know what effect the circumstances have had on our players, management and back room staff.
On the plus side my early season predictions still hold true and I'll cling onto them as positives from this season :-
1. We'll finish in our highest ever league position no matter what happens
2. Our squad will have evolved and be stronger and more experienced than if we hadn't played in the Championship
3. Our finances will be better than if we hadn't played in the Chsmpiondhip
Roll on Saturday...
Totally agree @Twizz
“In the champ” - that’s horrendous!
all fair points @Twizz
I'm in a Wassap group with 18 other Wanderers supporters, most of them season ticket holders.
The vast majority have stopped tuning into the games. Most quote the tedious/awful style of football.
I think this is something the Couhigs will have to address, when setting the prices of next years season tickets.
The habit of going to football has been broken by the pandemic, can we rely on all our supporters coming back to watch a style of football that is not particularly pleasant on the eye ?
I think a decent PR campaign will need to be orchestrated from when we get relegated within a month, until pre season commences.
Apologies. Should’ve copied down @kiscokid’s post. Thought it was the last one; it was just the last on that page. Here it i> @kiscokid said:
@Twizz i don’t disagree with a lot of what you’ve written. I’m really struggling with it having gone home and away for 20 seasons since finishing my education. My main struggle is I watch it on my own or with my son and that’s not the norm.
I do think we can separate these fabulous achievements from being critical of the way we play sometimes...
Let’s hope everyone signs up for a Season Ticket!
I understand ST prices will stay the same whatever happens (or did I read that wrong?) I think being in the ground and feeling you are making a difference/lifting a player/influencing the officials makes a big difference to the probably more comfortable but less exciting viewing experience and I will be back at AP Great Escape or no. As I have said in the past I am finding watching the games something of a gruelling duty but balance that by trying not to get dragged into some of the more disappointing over-heated cobblers on here during and after the game. (Yes, I know that's the point of the Gasroom but still there comes a time...I hope I will not be abused and cyberbullied for the opinion of not (for a time at least) having an opinion...
)
The thing that troubles me most about recent games (apart from the changes of personnel and the changes in the positions and roles of individual players) is the sheer shapelessness of the way they are deployed and the way that any semblance of pattern and composure seems to disintegrate as the pressure builds to come from behind.
I am normally reasonably positive and optimistic but I am currently finding it hard to believe that much will change in League 1. These thoughts are hard to reconcile with the recognition that Gareth Ainsworth has achieved so much with so little and that he and ‘Dobbo’ are justifiably seen as being quintessentially important to the development of the playing side of the club.
Remember the likes of Sunderland and Ipswich supporters continually remind us that League 1 is a shit league, so we should get on fine next season @micra.
Let's not get relegated from League One before we've been relegated from the Championship @micra
No these are real Clangers and I’ve never seen one in Buckinghamshire, except of course for that one night.
Like it @Wendoverman ! If anyone’s going to lift my spirits, you are. I don’t think we’ll struggle in League 1 but I fear we are unlikely to see much free flowing passing football with players mainly holding to a prescribed position on the pitch and showing calmness and composure. Plus ça change....essentially.
Dr Phil (Hammond) uses CLANGER as an acronym to remind us what to do to stay healthy in mind and body - Connect, Learn, (be) Active, Notice, Give back, Eat well, Relax.
@Twizz - nailed it - it's pure duty at the moment.
It's everything conspiring, the novelty of watching every game, and new exciting higher teams/stadiums has long worn off, style of play, being next to no attacking threat for 90% of the games, general tedium of the lockdown itself etc.
Millwall and QPR peaked in terms of drearyness for me. The little resurgence had worn off, two dreary crap opponents who we still can't lay a glove on.
Roll on getting through these next 11 games, hope there's a few high points. A Bayo farewell goal would be superb
The club certainly have given the impression that the price remains the same upon relegation.
However, I'm sure someone on here had been told by maybe Pete C that they'll go down if we go down? Maybe I mis-read that at the time.
But £494 for Frank Adams will definitely be a little on the steep side for league 1. I'd imagine that'll be top 3 in the division.
(all with the disclaimer that the Couhigs have been brilliant on the whole refund without questions aspect etc)