What Dodd's has done is make us extremely solid at the back since he has arrived. Know as he has said in interviews he can work on the with the ball stuff which will take a little longer. Yes he is not the best in interviews, but I think he is the right man for the job.
In the end a good night. We started so well and we simply expected the goal to come. When it didn't I was worried that we would revert to long balls like we have tended to do time and time again. But we stuck with it and when the goal came there was never a chance we were going to lose. Opponents now play us like we played for years by stopping others play. And this might be why we fare better against teams who think they can go toe to toe with us. Back was very good against Sinclair. Robust in the tackle, getting forward, and when it was needed simply doing defensive stuff. But Simons was the key for me. He anchored the midfield and allowed Josh to burst forward and Humphreys to roam and be magical. And of course had a killer pass for the 2nd goal.
Good interview with Dodds at full time. You could see that Humphreys was playing slightly differently compared to Saturday. And you could see that in the second half the players retained their shape, tactics and belief.
Disappointed in Fred, and I hope that Dodds can see something that will get him firing again. He's such a threat but seems to have gone into his shell.
I quite like Dodds interviews. He actually seems to be thinking about the answering and trying to say something moderately meaningful, rather than just trotting out a cheap line.
Also like the answer re Udoh/Kone. Dan has come in to fill the boots of the league's top scorer. Lots of pressure on him and he's managed to bag 2 in 2, as well as leading the line well away at Crawley on a poor pitch against a scrappy side. It's very rare that we'll ever be able to field the first choice 11 so need the backup players to step up and deliver when the moment comes. Dan has done exactly that and rightly deserves to keep his place in my view. I'd expect Kone to reclaim the starting spot in the end but it sends an important message to the other squad players that Dan's contribution over these games is rewarded.
Agree that Dodds provides more transparent and considered responses on the squad situation than we've been used to under Ainsworth and Bloomfield. Maybe it will be media coached out of him, but its nice to know which players are unlikely to be available or selected and why.
I really like how Dodds answers the questions. He actually thinks about the question and then gives a considered honest response . Hopefully that doesn’t change. Clearly not afraid to make difficult decisions ‘ dropping ‘ Bradley and Skura. We have a big squad , with good players , so he’s going to have to continue making tough decisions on who plays.
I agree with this to a point . It's clear Bristol has a vastly bigger population but quoting 75k is always a bit lazy for me . South Bucks has 164000 people and there is not reason for out football club to only appeal to people inside High Wycombe town. Shrewsbury has a population of 75k , no urban area like us and average more than 1000 home fans more than us . They are at the other end of the table . They are also close enough to Birmingham for their large football clubs to have a pull on the locals allegiances (before we start claiming we are unique with local competition . It is bloody dissapointing .
Plus it would have been disrespectful to Udoh , and damaging to his mind set , if he had said "yes of course he's going straight back in " espacially as the previous question had been on how well Udoh had done .
The Danes have surely been signed with next season in mind . Two of your 11 are only loanees and Low may leave . We may be very pleased we have the Danes next season and I doubt their absense is due to a lack of ability .
I said this at the weekend and I stand by it: Dan Udoh is not the problem. He's a good, powerful striker with an eye for the goal and an accurate shot. He holds the ball up well and is fast when running onto goal. He was clearly brought in to be our first choice striker and when given the opportunity to play centrally, normally seizes it and does well. The problem has come from lack of service. That has now been rectified with Simons firing pinpoint balls at him or releasing our creative playmakers to do so. If Udoh stays in the team, we'll continue to score.
What's more - if Kone stays out of the team, he'll be bloody motivated when he comes off the bench, just like he was for his hattrick against Peterborough in October. More competition should mean more goals. I'd start Udoh on Saturday even if Kone is fit. Then unleash the king at the sixty minute mark and see what effect that has.
Fred is just out of form . Noone with any sense of reason can think otherwise . Leahy was injured for quite a lot of our brilliant form earlier in the season ,he is also not in form in my opinion.He is just not up to the standard of the other players we now have in midfield. His passing ability is not there and he is very prone to lumping the ball whether in midfield of at left back . He used to be a good dead ball specialist and has lost this too . It happens . They have both lost form and you can't just play players on sentiement . I never really know about Bakinson and can't make my mind up .
He has just been addressing how well Udoh had been in the last two matches . In this context it would have been pretty poor form to suggest anything other than Kone needing to fight for his place back , and that nobody is beyond needing to prove themselves in training in orer to be picked .
At the start of the season most opposition fans said we were rubbish and had no chance of staying at the top of the table.
Now we have no chance of finishing second. I might argue, we are within touching distance of being Champions. 😉
The crowd thing has been done to death. If we are still only getting 4,000 home fans in the League above, that is when we might worry, but as long as Lommy does not care...
One additional thought. With Taylor at LCB it releases Harvie to go forwards as Taylor is brilliant all round and quick enough to cover the ball into the channel.
Sonny is not the all rounder Taylor is and therefore Harvie may have been asked to be more disciplined to support Sonny.
Taylor is arguably the most important player in our team because of what he allows others to do and his defensive/offensive abilities.
Talking of “Lommy”, this rather lengthy interview may be of interest to more business oriented Gasroomers like @StrongestTeam. I only managed about ten minutes.
It was good to see us with the ball on the ground and not hoofed up. I wonder if there is some mileage to playing both Dan and Richard, in my view Fred should not be starting; it has been said by quite a few, and I agree, he only seems to have 1 good game in 4. Can we afford that?
Both Simons and Back were so good and Low and Taylor were in such control, they are a fantastic pairing.
I agree with your assessment on Udoh but I don’t want to rewatch his shot from last night when he shanked it into the terrace! I say it in jest of course, and I’m hoping we actually haven’t seen the best from Udoh yet.
I know that man has had a far amount of negative comment over the last few months on this forum but I think we should applaud Rice for the January signings. Clearly there is still mystery about our Danish signings but Taylor coming back, Bradley, Simons, Norris , Lowry and Back have improved an already competitive squad. Clearly don’t know enough about Reach and Berry.
I thought the football last night was some of the best I've seen us play this season. Yes rovers weren't great but that also falls into our press and closing down, not allowing them to play.
The midfield 3 is the best I've seen. What was massively noticeable was the movement of the 3. Constantly finding space and giving options to each other.
Fin back looks like an upgrade on our current rb options. The centre backs and Norris were class. Harvie is arguably championship level, reminds me of Tierney in looks, running motion and playing style.
Fred in massively out of form, although his pressing and tracking back were good. Maybe like to see him benched soon. Dan's a class player, and with better service, will score more. Lubala could maybe do with being swapped out for Gideon next time round. All in all, a great display and noticeable changes in movement that have to be down to the Dodfather.
The pitch looks f#ckd atm. Be great to see that midfield 3 on our normally velvet like green.
Comments
What Dodd's has done is make us extremely solid at the back since he has arrived. Know as he has said in interviews he can work on the with the ball stuff which will take a little longer. Yes he is not the best in interviews, but I think he is the right man for the job.
In the end a good night. We started so well and we simply expected the goal to come. When it didn't I was worried that we would revert to long balls like we have tended to do time and time again. But we stuck with it and when the goal came there was never a chance we were going to lose. Opponents now play us like we played for years by stopping others play. And this might be why we fare better against teams who think they can go toe to toe with us. Back was very good against Sinclair. Robust in the tackle, getting forward, and when it was needed simply doing defensive stuff. But Simons was the key for me. He anchored the midfield and allowed Josh to burst forward and Humphreys to roam and be magical. And of course had a killer pass for the 2nd goal.
Good interview with Dodds at full time. You could see that Humphreys was playing slightly differently compared to Saturday. And you could see that in the second half the players retained their shape, tactics and belief.
Disappointed in Fred, and I hope that Dodds can see something that will get him firing again. He's such a threat but seems to have gone into his shell.
Smiling faces all round, on and off the pitch.
I think that he was just trying to give credit to the whole squad and say that we are not a one man team.
I quite like Dodds interviews. He actually seems to be thinking about the answering and trying to say something moderately meaningful, rather than just trotting out a cheap line.
Also like the answer re Udoh/Kone. Dan has come in to fill the boots of the league's top scorer. Lots of pressure on him and he's managed to bag 2 in 2, as well as leading the line well away at Crawley on a poor pitch against a scrappy side. It's very rare that we'll ever be able to field the first choice 11 so need the backup players to step up and deliver when the moment comes. Dan has done exactly that and rightly deserves to keep his place in my view. I'd expect Kone to reclaim the starting spot in the end but it sends an important message to the other squad players that Dan's contribution over these games is rewarded.
Agree that Dodds provides more transparent and considered responses on the squad situation than we've been used to under Ainsworth and Bloomfield. Maybe it will be media coached out of him, but its nice to know which players are unlikely to be available or selected and why.
Was there any information about the Great Danes? Or Berry?
On the interviews, I’m old enough to remember some fans mocking Blooms for depending on a few stock phrases during the early days.
Nothing about Berry but some good words from Dodds in the BBC3CR interview about the Danes. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0ks32nq
He does have a point though . It is highly dissapointing that the local area seems so apathetic (what ever the constantly debated reasons )
I really like how Dodds answers the questions. He actually thinks about the question and then gives a considered honest response . Hopefully that doesn’t change. Clearly not afraid to make difficult decisions ‘ dropping ‘ Bradley and Skura. We have a big squad , with good players , so he’s going to have to continue making tough decisions on who plays.
I agree with this to a point . It's clear Bristol has a vastly bigger population but quoting 75k is always a bit lazy for me . South Bucks has 164000 people and there is not reason for out football club to only appeal to people inside High Wycombe town. Shrewsbury has a population of 75k , no urban area like us and average more than 1000 home fans more than us . They are at the other end of the table . They are also close enough to Birmingham for their large football clubs to have a pull on the locals allegiances (before we start claiming we are unique with local competition . It is bloody dissapointing .
I would love to see a 3 5 2 formation with Bradley Taylor and Lowe the back 3 and Udoh and Kone up front
Plus it would have been disrespectful to Udoh , and damaging to his mind set , if he had said "yes of course he's going straight back in " espacially as the previous question had been on how well Udoh had done .
The Danes have surely been signed with next season in mind . Two of your 11 are only loanees and Low may leave . We may be very pleased we have the Danes next season and I doubt their absense is due to a lack of ability .
I said this at the weekend and I stand by it: Dan Udoh is not the problem. He's a good, powerful striker with an eye for the goal and an accurate shot. He holds the ball up well and is fast when running onto goal. He was clearly brought in to be our first choice striker and when given the opportunity to play centrally, normally seizes it and does well. The problem has come from lack of service. That has now been rectified with Simons firing pinpoint balls at him or releasing our creative playmakers to do so. If Udoh stays in the team, we'll continue to score.
What's more - if Kone stays out of the team, he'll be bloody motivated when he comes off the bench, just like he was for his hattrick against Peterborough in October. More competition should mean more goals. I'd start Udoh on Saturday even if Kone is fit. Then unleash the king at the sixty minute mark and see what effect that has.
Fred is just out of form . Noone with any sense of reason can think otherwise . Leahy was injured for quite a lot of our brilliant form earlier in the season ,he is also not in form in my opinion.He is just not up to the standard of the other players we now have in midfield. His passing ability is not there and he is very prone to lumping the ball whether in midfield of at left back . He used to be a good dead ball specialist and has lost this too . It happens . They have both lost form and you can't just play players on sentiement . I never really know about Bakinson and can't make my mind up .
He has just been addressing how well Udoh had been in the last two matches . In this context it would have been pretty poor form to suggest anything other than Kone needing to fight for his place back , and that nobody is beyond needing to prove themselves in training in orer to be picked .
He has the passing ability and intelligence of Morley with more athleticism . He has a far more robust tackling ability and is generally stronger.
I liked this from Bristol
Wycombe will struggle to hold on to second spot
At the start of the season most opposition fans said we were rubbish and had no chance of staying at the top of the table.
Now we have no chance of finishing second. I might argue, we are within touching distance of being Champions. 😉
The crowd thing has been done to death. If we are still only getting 4,000 home fans in the League above, that is when we might worry, but as long as Lommy does not care...
One additional thought. With Taylor at LCB it releases Harvie to go forwards as Taylor is brilliant all round and quick enough to cover the ball into the channel.
Sonny is not the all rounder Taylor is and therefore Harvie may have been asked to be more disciplined to support Sonny.
Taylor is arguably the most important player in our team because of what he allows others to do and his defensive/offensive abilities.
Talking of “Lommy”, this rather lengthy interview may be of interest to more business oriented Gasroomers like @StrongestTeam. I only managed about ten minutes.
https://youtu.be/kKcmKLr5dHY?si=ovEgxOTSVjKDFi4M
It was good to see us with the ball on the ground and not hoofed up. I wonder if there is some mileage to playing both Dan and Richard, in my view Fred should not be starting; it has been said by quite a few, and I agree, he only seems to have 1 good game in 4. Can we afford that?
Both Simons and Back were so good and Low and Taylor were in such control, they are a fantastic pairing.
I agree with your assessment on Udoh but I don’t want to rewatch his shot from last night when he shanked it into the terrace! I say it in jest of course, and I’m hoping we actually haven’t seen the best from Udoh yet.
In the moment at least, that shot seemed to be from a fairly tight angle.
Interesting stuff. And interesting about Kone, and rightfully so. OF COURSE HE'S GETTING STRAIGHT BACK IN. But we can't say that.
I agree - the point that I was addressing was related to a different interview.
I know that man has had a far amount of negative comment over the last few months on this forum but I think we should applaud Rice for the January signings. Clearly there is still mystery about our Danish signings but Taylor coming back, Bradley, Simons, Norris , Lowry and Back have improved an already competitive squad. Clearly don’t know enough about Reach and Berry.
I thought the football last night was some of the best I've seen us play this season. Yes rovers weren't great but that also falls into our press and closing down, not allowing them to play.
The midfield 3 is the best I've seen. What was massively noticeable was the movement of the 3. Constantly finding space and giving options to each other.
Fin back looks like an upgrade on our current rb options. The centre backs and Norris were class. Harvie is arguably championship level, reminds me of Tierney in looks, running motion and playing style.
Fred in massively out of form, although his pressing and tracking back were good. Maybe like to see him benched soon. Dan's a class player, and with better service, will score more. Lubala could maybe do with being swapped out for Gideon next time round. All in all, a great display and noticeable changes in movement that have to be down to the Dodfather.
The pitch looks f#ckd atm. Be great to see that midfield 3 on our normally velvet like green.
Whilst the BBC aren't wrong with their caption, I'm not sure what a picture of Magnus has to do with it. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cgm17ed8e24o
They also say Magnus is also yet to feature under Mike Dodds - must have imagined him at Preston away then!
The same BBC that said Wrexham were 2nd in League One?