On the bench, in hindsight - any one of Kaikai, Al Hamadi, Mellor or Horgan would have given us something different today. Instead, Taff in the 88th minute.
Not that any of the above are "fixes", but better than what we had in terms of options on the bench today. We need another CF.
Unfortunately it looks increasingly like no playoffs. We looked a bit toothless in attack. Barnsley despite their current run of form, didn’t look that good and were there for the taking. Letting players go in January is hitting us hard. Despite them not being guaranteed first team starters, , they were better options from the bench. On a positive note, despite not great results, I like what I am seeing from Bloomfield. My fear with rumoured massive drop in finances and many players out of contract, his challenge will be to keep us in this division next season.
Sadly, “a bit toothless in attack” is understating it and seeing Al-Hamadi scoring so freely in a struggling Wimbledon side really hurts.
Sam Vokes is not exactly free scoring these days but if he and Tafazolli had been alongside Forino as those 12 corners swung into the six yard box it’s hard to believe that at least one of them wouldn’t have been put away.
I haven’t felt as dispirited for a long time as I did when that Barnsley goal went in.
ironically, @Shev, I think JJ is currently too valuable as a defender and part-time (once a match) attacker to play up front. Didn’t know he’d done it before but he still has remarkably quick feet and ‘a good football brain’. Who knows? If Obita and Tafazolli are available at the Valley, he could just conceivably be an option up front from the bench.
They had 8 giants lined up in the area every time we had a corner. We could have had 20 more and Vokes on the field; we were not ever scoring from a corner yesterday
Didn't Forino have almost a free header from a corner which he put wide from about 6 yards out?
Enjoying the new style with being more possession based, but through the summer we need to work out how to translate that into incisive passes and actually cutting through the defence.
With regards the corners, I kind of agree we mostly looked unlikely to score from them. The quality of corners was good though and Hanlan really should have scored that chance in the 2nd half. Got above his marker for pretty much the only time in the game and just needed to direct his header on target. Unfortunately he stuck it wide.
Wow. When Vokes is in the side we are route one and need to change it up. When we change it up we're toothless without Vokes. If only we were higher than most of the other teams and pushing for the playoffs. This losing some games and players getting injured should be taken out of football completely. It's killing the game.
Barnsley were also toothless but had one decent chance unless I was watching a different game.
Lumping it on the air to Hanlan is a pointless exercise.
He has many great attributes, pace and power, but is one of the poorest headers of the ball we’ve had.
I’ve been very pleased with the transformation of our style this season, firstly under Ainsworth and latterly under Bloomfield, but we are certainly paying the price for letting so many attacking options go in January. The bench was incredibly light of attacking options so once the front line was tired out there was nothing really left to try.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing. I do think we had attacking options on the bench, especially for corners. Dave Wheeler is arguably the most accurate header of the ball we have and Ryan Taffazolli has scored headed goals from corners. They could have come on earlier. Barnsley did make all five substitutions possible.
The difference yesterday was the depth of their squad The guy that scored their goal was a sub and is on a season long loan from Man City and didn’t get into the starting lineup. On another note we could do with some taller players in our squad for next season.
Contrast the honest and dignified comments from Barnsley manager Michael Duff who admitted they were fortunate to be level at HT, with you-know-who who was at it again yesterday blaming their defeat against Portsmouth on the officials and (of course) the pitch!
Playing long ball up to Hanlan and GMac wasn’t working, they aren’t in the team for their heading ability. Agree that Barnsley were tall and well organised in defence. That seems to be Kryptonite for Wycombe, we really struggle ti break down a tall, well organised defence, with or without Vokes up front.
Personally I don’t think we made her most out of the loan market under GA over the past few seasons. And the quality of loan players out there is getting better and better.
I’m not sure why. Cost? Develop own players? Wycombe not being an attractive destination?
With such a potential squad overhaul coming up in the summer we may have to use loans to help the rebuild.
GMac is one of our best in the air usually but get your point, a decent quick opportunity to get the ball forward becomes a hopeless punt once you've already seen them try and fail to reach half a dozen.
To be sustainable at League 1 level it’s important that we are able to develop and sell players. Most loan players good enough to perform at our level are going to move on at the end of their loan spell.
It would be great to be able to sign Chem Campbell on a permanent basis but he has half a dozen Premier League appearances under his belt so that is a non-starter. He was signed to compensate for the loss of attacking players in January. I didn’t realise until just now that he is 6’1”. Need him in the 6 yard box for corners. Sorry, what was that ? He *was*in the box for corners. I forgot.
I suspect we got a bad reputation after signing a few high pedigree loanees and then barely playing them / out of position / trying to force them into an agricultural style. I'm thinking Luke Bolton, Rolando Aarons. When a player was sent here to gain confidence, someone like Eze who could be taken under Bayo's wing, we were the perfect fit - but I suspect others left here and did not give much positive feedback to their parent clubs. Hopefully Matt will be able to change that.
I think it’s more likely to be a Couhig philosophy, following the Championship season where a number of loanees (Knight, Muskwe) didn’t sign permanently.
I have no problem with getting loan players in at all if it's the right thing for the team. I think it's a perfect thing for league 1 and 2 teams to do, espc as most of the time the parent club covers the wages
Comments
Without Vokes we offer no threat at CF.
On the bench, in hindsight - any one of Kaikai, Al Hamadi, Mellor or Horgan would have given us something different today. Instead, Taff in the 88th minute.
Not that any of the above are "fixes", but better than what we had in terms of options on the bench today. We need another CF.
So, if no Vokes or Tjay next week, if things are going badly how about half an hour of Forino or JJ as a centre forward?
Unfortunately it looks increasingly like no playoffs. We looked a bit toothless in attack. Barnsley despite their current run of form, didn’t look that good and were there for the taking. Letting players go in January is hitting us hard. Despite them not being guaranteed first team starters, , they were better options from the bench. On a positive note, despite not great results, I like what I am seeing from Bloomfield. My fear with rumoured massive drop in finances and many players out of contract, his challenge will be to keep us in this division next season.
JJ?
he's done it before
We could stick an ad on teletext
Sadly, “a bit toothless in attack” is understating it and seeing Al-Hamadi scoring so freely in a struggling Wimbledon side really hurts.
Sam Vokes is not exactly free scoring these days but if he and Tafazolli had been alongside Forino as those 12 corners swung into the six yard box it’s hard to believe that at least one of them wouldn’t have been put away.
I haven’t felt as dispirited for a long time as I did when that Barnsley goal went in.
ironically, @Shev, I think JJ is currently too valuable as a defender and part-time (once a match) attacker to play up front. Didn’t know he’d done it before but he still has remarkably quick feet and ‘a good football brain’. Who knows? If Obita and Tafazolli are available at the Valley, he could just conceivably be an option up front from the bench.
Three points next Saturday and “I’m ALIVE” !!
They had 8 giants lined up in the area every time we had a corner. We could have had 20 more and Vokes on the field; we were not ever scoring from a corner yesterday
Very shrewd @eric_plant. Worthy successor to the late Mystic Meg.
I’m assuming you meant 20 more corners rather than 20 more forwards!!😜
Either!
Didn't Forino have almost a free header from a corner which he put wide from about 6 yards out?
Enjoying the new style with being more possession based, but through the summer we need to work out how to translate that into incisive passes and actually cutting through the defence.
I don’t think yesterday requires overthinking. Think it was the proverbial “one of those days.”
You can say that again.
Nooooo, please don’t.
Whoops, my index finger went into fibrillation.
Cheer up, we’re four points behind the playoff places with a game in hand and you’re worried about the possibility of a relegation battle next season!
With regards the corners, I kind of agree we mostly looked unlikely to score from them. The quality of corners was good though and Hanlan really should have scored that chance in the 2nd half. Got above his marker for pretty much the only time in the game and just needed to direct his header on target. Unfortunately he stuck it wide.
Pity we didn't use a Dobbo style corner routine and get the ball out to Wing... Oh wait, or did we and GMac fluffed it??
Wow. When Vokes is in the side we are route one and need to change it up. When we change it up we're toothless without Vokes. If only we were higher than most of the other teams and pushing for the playoffs. This losing some games and players getting injured should be taken out of football completely. It's killing the game.
Barnsley were also toothless but had one decent chance unless I was watching a different game.
Lumping it on the air to Hanlan is a pointless exercise.
He has many great attributes, pace and power, but is one of the poorest headers of the ball we’ve had.
I’ve been very pleased with the transformation of our style this season, firstly under Ainsworth and latterly under Bloomfield, but we are certainly paying the price for letting so many attacking options go in January. The bench was incredibly light of attacking options so once the front line was tired out there was nothing really left to try.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing. I do think we had attacking options on the bench, especially for corners. Dave Wheeler is arguably the most accurate header of the ball we have and Ryan Taffazolli has scored headed goals from corners. They could have come on earlier. Barnsley did make all five substitutions possible.
The difference yesterday was the depth of their squad The guy that scored their goal was a sub and is on a season long loan from Man City and didn’t get into the starting lineup. On another note we could do with some taller players in our squad for next season.
Contrast the honest and dignified comments from Barnsley manager Michael Duff who admitted they were fortunate to be level at HT, with you-know-who who was at it again yesterday blaming their defeat against Portsmouth on the officials and (of course) the pitch!
Playing long ball up to Hanlan and GMac wasn’t working, they aren’t in the team for their heading ability. Agree that Barnsley were tall and well organised in defence. That seems to be Kryptonite for Wycombe, we really struggle ti break down a tall, well organised defence, with or without Vokes up front.
Personally I don’t think we made her most out of the loan market under GA over the past few seasons. And the quality of loan players out there is getting better and better.
I’m not sure why. Cost? Develop own players? Wycombe not being an attractive destination?
With such a potential squad overhaul coming up in the summer we may have to use loans to help the rebuild.
GMac is one of our best in the air usually but get your point, a decent quick opportunity to get the ball forward becomes a hopeless punt once you've already seen them try and fail to reach half a dozen.
To be sustainable at League 1 level it’s important that we are able to develop and sell players. Most loan players good enough to perform at our level are going to move on at the end of their loan spell.
It would be great to be able to sign Chem Campbell on a permanent basis but he has half a dozen Premier League appearances under his belt so that is a non-starter. He was signed to compensate for the loss of attacking players in January. I didn’t realise until just now that he is 6’1”. Need him in the 6 yard box for corners. Sorry, what was that ? He *was*in the box for corners. I forgot.
Italics failed.
I suspect we got a bad reputation after signing a few high pedigree loanees and then barely playing them / out of position / trying to force them into an agricultural style. I'm thinking Luke Bolton, Rolando Aarons. When a player was sent here to gain confidence, someone like Eze who could be taken under Bayo's wing, we were the perfect fit - but I suspect others left here and did not give much positive feedback to their parent clubs. Hopefully Matt will be able to change that.
I think it’s more likely to be a Couhig philosophy, following the Championship season where a number of loanees (Knight, Muskwe) didn’t sign permanently.
I have no problem with getting loan players in at all if it's the right thing for the team. I think it's a perfect thing for league 1 and 2 teams to do, espc as most of the time the parent club covers the wages