I remember when we had no strength and depth...now we have some talent in the squad every player who cannot get in the team must 'have run over Ainsworth's dog' or their 'Wycombe career is over...' Now I'm no expert but when we are struggling the team gets switched when we are winning surely consistency is the key?
Odd sort of game yesterday. It always looked like once we had scored the first goal, that was it so there wasn’t really that level of tension you get at 1-0. Although I was glad those mad goalmouth scrambles came when we were 2-0 up.
Some moments of pure class from Mehmeti but again a masterclass in defensive midfield play from Scowen. Interesting in how much better balanced we look with him and Wing in midfield compared to him and Thompson.
On the subject of balance, we do look better with McCarthy in the team although probably more vulnerable defensively.
Interesting (and probably correct in my view) to see that JJ is keeping Obita (one of my players of the season) out of the starting 11 at the moment.
An observation from me on the Horgan debate. I’m very much in the ‘must start’ category. Looking at some of the intelligent runs he makes off the ball he must cause real problems for defenders not knowing what to do and that doubt causes opportunities and space for the rest of the team. (The answer is of course to not bother and just let him run into dangerous positions with the ball as there is zero chance of him actually scoring a goal. But sshh)
The quality of the players who can’t get in the team (or might not if they were available) is a good indicator that this is the best ever Wycombe squad.
I'll admit I find Horgan frustrating to watch at times, for all his skill and technique on the ball his crossing all too often doesn't threaten. He contributes well to keeping play moving in the final third, though he goes missing when Josh needs backup in a midfield battle. The latter was a real worry yesterday as we left vast spaces for Donny to run into, who really should have punished us. Fortunately they no longer have Alfie May, who took full advantage of the midfield going AWOL in a similar fashion in that infamous Cheltenham game.
Pretty comfortable win yesterday. Seemed like a classic ‘after a break’ performance. Felt like we played very within ourselves except before the first goal. In that period we blitzed them and could’ve had 3 or 4. Scowen was absolute class as always. Thought Wing looked very good too, an excellent partnership. Vokes was superb up top and some of his hold up play was top notch - I’ve said it before but keeping Vokes for the next few years is absolutely key to our success.
Mehmeti is developing very quickly now. If we can keep him for the entirety of next season he could be the difference to get us up next year.
But we’ve now given ourselves a chance this season with 6 games to go. Considering where we were 6 games ago that is great credit to everyone, all while tweaking the style of play which has been very good to see. Given the ridiculous pace of the play off chasers I still think the next two games are key - if we can get 6 points we have a very good chance I would say. Cambridge particularly is going to be a very, very tough game though.
One final point, I’d like to see Obita back in the side from Tuesday. JJ has been very good but we miss Obita’s enterprise going forward.
I get the feeling most players are accepted despite an odd weakness, yet for some reason Horgan has to be perfect, or his game is infinitely dissected. Or to put it another way, he seems to come in for disproportionate amount of criticism on here.
Personally I think our uptick in form, and his regular inclusion, is no coincidence. Just as at the start of the season.
Show the guy some love. He is as committed to the cause as any of them.
@LeedsBlue said:
I get the feeling most players are accepted despite an odd weakness, yet for some reason Horgan has to be perfect, or his game is infinitely dissected. Or to put it another way, he seems to come in for disproportionate amount of criticism on here.
Personally I think our uptick in form, and his regular inclusion, is no coincidence. Just as at the start of the season.
Show the guy some love. He is as committed to the cause as any of them.
Would he have come under as much scrutiny if he hadn't been our first signing for a fee in four-and-half years?
Good to keep another clean sheet. We’ve suddenly become very mean in defence, after a period of conceding absolutely loads.
We required a couple of late blocks and good saves yesterday at both 1-0 and 2-0. If I’m honest I thought we let the game drift quite a bit second half and were a little fortunate their keeper decided to throw one in. It would have been a very nervy final 5 minutes without that second goal.
Looked like we were pushing hard to get a couple of goals ahead early so that we could ease off a little ahead of Tueaday’s game. When that didn’t happen we seemed a bit leggy after half time.
It's certainly nice to be back in the habit of keeping clean sheets. However, we'll need to up our game a bit to continue that against Cambridge/Gillingham not to mention Plymouth/Sheffield Wednesday.
On another day there's no doubt, in my mind, that a team with more belief than Doncaster would have scored against a very flat footed defence at times.
It would indeed have been a very nervous ending to the game without that second, rather fortuitous, goal.
@LeedsBlue said:
I get the feeling most players are accepted despite an odd weakness, yet for some reason Horgan has to be perfect, or his game is infinitely dissected. Or to put it another way, he seems to come in for disproportionate amount of criticism on here.
Personally I think our uptick in form, and his regular inclusion, is no coincidence. Just as at the start of the season.
Show the guy some love. He is as committed to the cause as any of them.
Would he have come under as much scrutiny if he hadn't been our first signing for a fee in four-and-half years?
Nope. Expectations is a huge thing in football.
It's why for instance Pogba gets so much grief compared to other players due to his sky high fee and profile.
Horgan not only was a fee, but he is an international and was the big signing for the championship.
@Glenactico said:
Good to keep another clean sheet. We’ve suddenly become very mean in defence, after a period of conceding absolutely loads.
We required a couple of late blocks and good saves yesterday at both 1-0 and 2-0. If I’m honest I thought we let the game drift quite a bit second half and were a little fortunate their keeper decided to throw one in. It would have been a very nervy final 5 minutes without that second goal.
Looked like we were pushing hard to get a couple of goals ahead early so that we could ease off a little ahead of Tueaday’s game. When that didn’t happen we seemed a bit leggy after half time.
It almost felt like we did have half an eye on Tuesday.
We didn't need to go to the well to see Doncaster off, and could have stepped up if needs be.
Delighted we've kept the dream alive, but Tuesday is a huge game. Gives a real chance to bank a psychological advantage over two of our rivals who don't play their extra game until the midweek before the last game of the season.
How does this sit with those who were there:-
"John Bostock was disappointed to come away from Wycombe Wanderers without any points, despite an encouraging performance from Rovers.
Gary McSheffrey’s side** dominated possession throughout the game** and had plenty of chances, but a clinical Wycombe came away with the three points in the end."
@LeedsBlue said:
I get the feeling most players are accepted despite an odd weakness, yet for some reason Horgan has to be perfect, or his game is infinitely dissected. Or to put it another way, he seems to come in for disproportionate amount of criticism on here.
Personally I think our uptick in form, and his regular inclusion, is no coincidence. Just as at the start of the season.
Show the guy some love. He is as committed to the cause as any of them.
Would he have come under as much scrutiny if he hadn't been our first signing for a fee in four-and-half years?
It's why for instance Pogba gets so much grief compared to other players due to his sky high fee and profile.
@LeedsBlue said:
Show the guy some love. He is as committed to the cause as any of them.
The speed he ran off a few weeks ago when subbed while we were chasing a goal will always be one of my favourite Wycombe memories. Never seen that before.
@wingnut said:
How does this sit with those who were there:-
"John Bostock was disappointed to come away from Wycombe Wanderers without any points, despite an encouraging performance from Rovers.
Gary McSheffrey’s side** dominated possession throughout the game** and had plenty of chances, but a clinical Wycombe came away with the three points in the end."
Not at all, they had the best of half an hour or so at the start of the second half and they did find it surprisingly easy to get in on goal a few times but we could have been 5 up at half time with a bit more focus and luck, and we were fairly comfortable in the end.
@wingnut said:
How does this sit with those who were there:-
"John Bostock was disappointed to come away from Wycombe Wanderers without any points, despite an encouraging performance from Rovers.
Gary McSheffrey’s side** dominated possession throughout the game** and had plenty of chances, but a clinical Wycombe came away with the three points in the end."
No idea on the first part. Doncaster looked neat and tidy and if that was more than previous games I guess they could be disappointed and encouraged.
They definitely dominated possession but frankly that matters very little.
Briefly back to Lewis Wing. He is over 6’ tall - another way in which he complEments Josh Scowen and part of the reason why David Wheeler isn’t getting much game time. Plus he’s a more ‘complete’ player, of course! (I would say that, wouldn’t I.)
For me they should be disappointed with no points because despite being them quite toothless in attack we still allowed them to test Stocko a couple of times. I could not work out how we were allowing them to even get into our half!
Johnny Bostock being allowed the freedom of central areas of the pitch. Can’t recall a single forward move by Doncaster that didn’t go through him. He might have been denied that freedom if Thompson had been partnering Scowen but it’s horses for courses and I would generally prefer a Wing/Scowen partnership.
Hate to say it, as a long-term admirer of Anthony Stewart, but I don’t think he was at his best yesterday.
@wingnut said:
How does this sit with those who were there:-
"John Bostock was disappointed to come away from Wycombe Wanderers without any points, despite an encouraging performance from Rovers.
Gary McSheffrey’s side** dominated possession throughout the game** and had plenty of chances, but a clinical Wycombe came away with the three points in the end."
Utterly laughable.
One of those teams that utterly pointlessly rack up 100s of passes between their defenders and very deep midfielder, and were one of the easier games of the season to see out defensively.
They had a couple of chances, but in 90mins most teams will, and the best one was in the 91st min when we'd long cruised the win out.
They had chances but were poor in front of goal, they seemed to have too much space in midfield (was this deliberate?). Some on here seem to rate Wings performance yesterday, apart from a few neat passes I thought the game past him by.
Oh and Obita is coming back from illness, JJ isn’t keeping out of the side, J.O. will start Tuesday.
“We dominated the game and we have been hit on the counter and punished. Our performance level was good and I’ve reiterated to the boys that it was the type of performance I expect every week.”
I’m not sure I watched the same game as him? They certainly didn’t dominate and I'm not sure many would have been surprised to see us go in 3 or 4 goals to the good at the break. Had we gone up a gear, the score line may have been more favourable to us.
Their two centre halves were utterly appalling for League 1 standard. Routine win for us, but we did have a few shaky moments defensively. Against tougher opposition we will have struggled to keep the clean sheet. Still, a solid performance and onto Tuesday night. Scowen outstanding once again.
Their manager is inexperienced and their fans are on his back for this very reason and his comments demonstrate this naivety. Yes it all looked very neat straight out of the training manual with possession, pass and move, neat triangles but that won’t win games at this level. There was no ‘enforcer’ in the team, they looked soft (so few fouls committed) it was like watching the MLS.
I also believe we would have raised our game against better opponents but you can only beat what is in front of you. On to Cambridge.
Here we go again. MLS. Alright, I know I should probably know what that stands for but Google have started charging me for abbreviation searches.
Astonished to read that the game “passed Wing by”. Makes him sound a bit like Olly Pendlebury. Two goals each as well. I’ve seen virtually nothing of Pendlebury’s play but I’d be surprised if Wing isn’t considered by ‘those who know’ to be streets ahead, a class apart.
Our record this century against Cambridge United is very impressive indeed. In 17 matches, we have won 11 and, incredibly, there has only been one draw. All but three of our wins have been by the odd goal. The last time Cambridge beat us at the Abbey ground was six encounters ago (home and away) in March 2016. With 9 one goal margins and a 1-1 draw, this one looks like being a nail-biter until the 100th minute!
Comments
Was anyone wanting Gaz sacked or were they just speculating?
Talking of Gaz, rumour has it that Warburton is on the brink of the sack at QPR so strap yourself in for some more of that speculation
I remember when we had no strength and depth...now we have some talent in the squad every player who cannot get in the team must 'have run over Ainsworth's dog' or their 'Wycombe career is over...' Now I'm no expert but when we are struggling the team gets switched when we are winning surely consistency is the key?
Odd sort of game yesterday. It always looked like once we had scored the first goal, that was it so there wasn’t really that level of tension you get at 1-0. Although I was glad those mad goalmouth scrambles came when we were 2-0 up.
Some moments of pure class from Mehmeti but again a masterclass in defensive midfield play from Scowen. Interesting in how much better balanced we look with him and Wing in midfield compared to him and Thompson.
On the subject of balance, we do look better with McCarthy in the team although probably more vulnerable defensively.
Interesting (and probably correct in my view) to see that JJ is keeping Obita (one of my players of the season) out of the starting 11 at the moment.
An observation from me on the Horgan debate. I’m very much in the ‘must start’ category. Looking at some of the intelligent runs he makes off the ball he must cause real problems for defenders not knowing what to do and that doubt causes opportunities and space for the rest of the team. (The answer is of course to not bother and just let him run into dangerous positions with the ball as there is zero chance of him actually scoring a goal. But sshh)
The quality of the players who can’t get in the team (or might not if they were available) is a good indicator that this is the best ever Wycombe squad.
I'll admit I find Horgan frustrating to watch at times, for all his skill and technique on the ball his crossing all too often doesn't threaten. He contributes well to keeping play moving in the final third, though he goes missing when Josh needs backup in a midfield battle. The latter was a real worry yesterday as we left vast spaces for Donny to run into, who really should have punished us. Fortunately they no longer have Alfie May, who took full advantage of the midfield going AWOL in a similar fashion in that infamous Cheltenham game.
Pretty comfortable win yesterday. Seemed like a classic ‘after a break’ performance. Felt like we played very within ourselves except before the first goal. In that period we blitzed them and could’ve had 3 or 4. Scowen was absolute class as always. Thought Wing looked very good too, an excellent partnership. Vokes was superb up top and some of his hold up play was top notch - I’ve said it before but keeping Vokes for the next few years is absolutely key to our success.
Mehmeti is developing very quickly now. If we can keep him for the entirety of next season he could be the difference to get us up next year.
But we’ve now given ourselves a chance this season with 6 games to go. Considering where we were 6 games ago that is great credit to everyone, all while tweaking the style of play which has been very good to see. Given the ridiculous pace of the play off chasers I still think the next two games are key - if we can get 6 points we have a very good chance I would say. Cambridge particularly is going to be a very, very tough game though.
One final point, I’d like to see Obita back in the side from Tuesday. JJ has been very good but we miss Obita’s enterprise going forward.
I get the feeling most players are accepted despite an odd weakness, yet for some reason Horgan has to be perfect, or his game is infinitely dissected. Or to put it another way, he seems to come in for disproportionate amount of criticism on here.
Personally I think our uptick in form, and his regular inclusion, is no coincidence. Just as at the start of the season.
Show the guy some love. He is as committed to the cause as any of them.
Would he have come under as much scrutiny if he hadn't been our first signing for a fee in four-and-half years?
Good to keep another clean sheet. We’ve suddenly become very mean in defence, after a period of conceding absolutely loads.
We required a couple of late blocks and good saves yesterday at both 1-0 and 2-0. If I’m honest I thought we let the game drift quite a bit second half and were a little fortunate their keeper decided to throw one in. It would have been a very nervy final 5 minutes without that second goal.
Looked like we were pushing hard to get a couple of goals ahead early so that we could ease off a little ahead of Tueaday’s game. When that didn’t happen we seemed a bit leggy after half time.
It's certainly nice to be back in the habit of keeping clean sheets. However, we'll need to up our game a bit to continue that against Cambridge/Gillingham not to mention Plymouth/Sheffield Wednesday.
On another day there's no doubt, in my mind, that a team with more belief than Doncaster would have scored against a very flat footed defence at times.
It would indeed have been a very nervous ending to the game without that second, rather fortuitous, goal.
Nope. Expectations is a huge thing in football.
It's why for instance Pogba gets so much grief compared to other players due to his sky high fee and profile.
Horgan not only was a fee, but he is an international and was the big signing for the championship.
It almost felt like we did have half an eye on Tuesday.
We didn't need to go to the well to see Doncaster off, and could have stepped up if needs be.
Delighted we've kept the dream alive, but Tuesday is a huge game. Gives a real chance to bank a psychological advantage over two of our rivals who don't play their extra game until the midweek before the last game of the season.
How does this sit with those who were there:-
"John Bostock was disappointed to come away from Wycombe Wanderers without any points, despite an encouraging performance from Rovers.
Gary McSheffrey’s side** dominated possession throughout the game** and had plenty of chances, but a clinical Wycombe came away with the three points in the end."
Is that why Graeme Souness has it in for him...?
The speed he ran off a few weeks ago when subbed while we were chasing a goal will always be one of my favourite Wycombe memories. Never seen that before.
Not at all, they had the best of half an hour or so at the start of the second half and they did find it surprisingly easy to get in on goal a few times but we could have been 5 up at half time with a bit more focus and luck, and we were fairly comfortable in the end.
No idea on the first part. Doncaster looked neat and tidy and if that was more than previous games I guess they could be disappointed and encouraged.
They definitely dominated possession but frankly that matters very little.
Briefly back to Lewis Wing. He is over 6’ tall - another way in which he complEments Josh Scowen and part of the reason why David Wheeler isn’t getting much game time. Plus he’s a more ‘complete’ player, of course! (I would say that, wouldn’t I.)
For me they should be disappointed with no points because despite being them quite toothless in attack we still allowed them to test Stocko a couple of times. I could not work out how we were allowing them to even get into our half!
Both teams should definitely have scored more. 4-2 would have represented the game better than 2-0!!!
Johnny Bostock being allowed the freedom of central areas of the pitch. Can’t recall a single forward move by Doncaster that didn’t go through him. He might have been denied that freedom if Thompson had been partnering Scowen but it’s horses for courses and I would generally prefer a Wing/Scowen partnership.
Hate to say it, as a long-term admirer of Anthony Stewart, but I don’t think he was at his best yesterday.
Utterly laughable.
One of those teams that utterly pointlessly rack up 100s of passes between their defenders and very deep midfielder, and were one of the easier games of the season to see out defensively.
They had a couple of chances, but in 90mins most teams will, and the best one was in the 91st min when we'd long cruised the win out.
We won not breaking out of 1st gear.
They had chances but were poor in front of goal, they seemed to have too much space in midfield (was this deliberate?). Some on here seem to rate Wings performance yesterday, apart from a few neat passes I thought the game past him by.
Oh and Obita is coming back from illness, JJ isn’t keeping out of the side, J.O. will start Tuesday.
It's interesting to read the comments about the item I quoted which went against what I had read before. Different views but truth in both.
This is my favourite quote, from their manager:
“We dominated the game and we have been hit on the counter and punished. Our performance level was good and I’ve reiterated to the boys that it was the type of performance I expect every week.”
I’m not sure I watched the same game as him? They certainly didn’t dominate and I'm not sure many would have been surprised to see us go in 3 or 4 goals to the good at the break. Had we gone up a gear, the score line may have been more favourable to us.
Their two centre halves were utterly appalling for League 1 standard. Routine win for us, but we did have a few shaky moments defensively. Against tougher opposition we will have struggled to keep the clean sheet. Still, a solid performance and onto Tuesday night. Scowen outstanding once again.
Their manager is inexperienced and their fans are on his back for this very reason and his comments demonstrate this naivety. Yes it all looked very neat straight out of the training manual with possession, pass and move, neat triangles but that won’t win games at this level. There was no ‘enforcer’ in the team, they looked soft (so few fouls committed) it was like watching the MLS.
I also believe we would have raised our game against better opponents but you can only beat what is in front of you. On to Cambridge.
Here we go again. MLS. Alright, I know I should probably know what that stands for but Google have started charging me for abbreviation searches.
Astonished to read that the game “passed Wing by”. Makes him sound a bit like Olly Pendlebury. Two goals each as well. I’ve seen virtually nothing of Pendlebury’s play but I’d be surprised if Wing isn’t considered by ‘those who know’ to be streets ahead, a class apart.
Our record this century against Cambridge United is very impressive indeed. In 17 matches, we have won 11 and, incredibly, there has only been one draw. All but three of our wins have been by the odd goal. The last time Cambridge beat us at the Abbey ground was six encounters ago (home and away) in March 2016. With 9 one goal margins and a 1-1 draw, this one looks like being a nail-biter until the 100th minute!
@LX1, @HolmerBlue and @HomeGameRegular could be on the money.