Just what I was thinking - I think the quoted chances of success in such a game might be a little high!
There is some validity in the claim, but goals win games and not chances. Last season we were very fortunate with Vokes' availability level, and expecting the same this season is optimistic. I really do continue to think that we are three players off the squad we need this season.
Why is Al-Hamadi below our auxiliary right back in the pecking order for strikers? Mellor is not a front man. He didn't have a shot today, his balls didn't feed in others. The McCleary goal came from Mellor harrying the defender, yes, but he didn't actually touch the ball.
If we have no confidence in Al-Hamadi we must bring someone else in on loan, and it's time we loaned a few of those Gareth seems to have little confidence in out as well. We simply don't have the strength in depth to challenge for any more than 6th at the moment.
Not sure how we lost that match so I will leave it to @ReturnToSenda to supply the stats and voice the concerns of the people who pay to watch while @trevor and @Wanderers82 dance around their burning effigy of Gareth and sign myself off. Goodnight boys and girls. (Rob C begins open letter and Taff storms off to chat amiably to fans.)
I dont really comment a lot about games but I will this time:
I think we were genuinely unlucky today. We played well in the first half and up to the point of when we scored. But when Shrewsbury got that one chance and made it count they were on a roll and they proved too much for us in the end as seen by the final result. We try to get back into it, but we are lacking that spur of belief on the pitch when things go wrong. I was also surprised when Wing and Horgan, both having very good games were substituted off. I can only presume it was the weather?
I was also genuinely angry when JJ conceded that penalty. He is top class for a majority of the time but he made a stupid decision to wrap his arms around the attacker. I know this is only 3 league games in, but it moments like that which could determine what could happen to our season, given everything seems determined by such small margins.
I think the main problem at the moment is this: we always seem to start the season with lots of players injured. This year it seems a lot worse. The main players that we are currently missing are:
Gape
Tafazolli
Thompson
Vokes
Kaikai
Hanlan
McCarthy
Without these players we are still a good team, but nowhere near as good as we could be.
Also, without an established League One keeper we will struggle. I personally know someone who has played with Tyla Dickinson before (it was last season in an FA Youth Cup game whilst he was on loan at Hayes and Yeading and he happened to be registered to play in that game) who said that he was excellent and that he was too good for and U18s team. Tyla may find himself being too good at a youth Level but his lack of professional experience is showing. I think most established League 1 goalkeepers could have probably prevented the first goal that Shrewsbury scored as well as Boltons first goal last week. Hopefully this will help Tyla learn and improve on what he could do better next time. For now however, we really need a goalkeeper (hopefully Bishop) who will come in and make us all feel a bit more secure at back than we currently are.
I am disappointed after today, but hopefully we take the positives going forward and that we bounce back on Tuesday against Exeter. COYB!
I have to Agree with Shev, I really don't think we were that bad today, poor judgment from JJ admittedly for the Pen. However their keeper made some great saves and seemed to be in good form. On another day 2 or 3 more goals.
Hearing Luton are in for Taf, from my same source who told me about Phil Alexander well before that was announced (I'd hope I don't have a reputation as a stirrer, but you know what it's like on here!).
We have just signed only our 3rd first team centre back and have been playing full backs in the gaps, often weakening us at the back. If Couhig has any ambition at all he wouldn't consider any offer asides from a completely silly price.
I’m assuming Wheeler was given the nod in preference for his aerial capability and general experience level. I’ve also never seen AAH play so I have no idea if he’d have been the right option, but if we’re prepared to give Mellor a shot (a clear gamble) then why not AAH.
That said, I’m not knocking Mellor, who ran his socks off. I don’t know when we knew Vokes was injured but it just looked like we hadn’t had time to work much in training with Mellor as lone striker.
I do think players need time to bed into a new role/system - thinking particularly of Uche where we seemed to want him to be Beast v2 and didn’t really get the best of him in that role - it took time for him to show what he could do.
And we didn’t incorporate Vokes brilliantly from the word go either, although I felt that was also because the service to him was poor for a while.
In short though, give Mellor more time. He’s not the finished article - if he was, he wouldn’t be here.
I agree if we’re really never going to give AAH a shot then he should be shipped out again, but as many others have said I think we’re going to have real problems getting a quality frontman to come in if they’re just going to be understudy to Vokes.
Regarding Taff - assume we’re ignoring the bit (albeit brief) section on his vid that he needed work on his back and hamstring(I think) before the Bolton game and just going straight on the “he’s leaving/fallen out with GA bandwagon”? Ok cool.
this is probably a result of the whole secrecy around injuries bs. People jump on any rumour that starts going round. Maybe he was the only Cb in the club that could get through the game last week, but wouldn’t have been selected in normal circumstances. This week we had 2 Cb’s in various levels of fitness so he could be taken out
Really felt sorry for the players today. Put in a great shift in brutal conditions with so many players out injured. Dominated the first hour against a side who reminded me a bit of us about six years ago. Have to blame the manager for the lose though. That late defensive sub was just wrong. At best it shouldn’t have happened at all but change two positions at the same time? Cost us a goal against a side not even trying to score.
The ref seemed to have decided he’d let fouls go without a card unless he heard a squeal. Wycombe didn’t learn. That last half hour contained hardly any football at all. Drinks breaks, so many substitutions and fiddling with the numbers board and above all classic time wasting.
I wasn't at the game today so can't really comment. The one thing I would say though is that for the last 4 or 5 years we seem to have multiple injuries just as the season starts. Maybe we are unlucky or maybe we should be wrapping the guys in cotton wool so that we can field a strong team for the first few games and get off to a flying start
If there is no booking for repeated fouls, and they have the safety net of 5 subs, there is really zero jeopardy whatsoever for a team aiming to disrupt and frustrate by repeatedly giving away free kicks.
It felt like almost every time we beat the full back they made a tactical foul.
Very surprised there has been no mention of Nick Freeman before now. Really don't want to question Gaz, but Freeman was the best player on the pitch by some distance Tuesday night. He gets rewarded with a 12 minute cameo today. What does he have to do to get a fair chance?
Comments
Just what I was thinking - I think the quoted chances of success in such a game might be a little high!
There is some validity in the claim, but goals win games and not chances. Last season we were very fortunate with Vokes' availability level, and expecting the same this season is optimistic. I really do continue to think that we are three players off the squad we need this season.
100% agree. They feigned injury, time wasted and generally broke the game up. No yellows was an absolute joke . Really poor, weak ref
Get out of jail card?
We were the better side.Shrews rode their luck. Ref handed them the game onto next week.
I’m sorry to say but if we had a keeper with just an ounce of authority then we would have won that game with a clean sheet.
Tyla never left his line once for anything that came across him and the warning was there in the first couple of minutes when they could have scored.
Thats on Gaz for me, we need a keeper on loan urgently.
Why is Al-Hamadi below our auxiliary right back in the pecking order for strikers? Mellor is not a front man. He didn't have a shot today, his balls didn't feed in others. The McCleary goal came from Mellor harrying the defender, yes, but he didn't actually touch the ball.
If we have no confidence in Al-Hamadi we must bring someone else in on loan, and it's time we loaned a few of those Gareth seems to have little confidence in out as well. We simply don't have the strength in depth to challenge for any more than 6th at the moment.
I think he might have actually moved *behind* his line for that ball across the box in the opening minutes
We didn't.
I genuinely think that had we scored late instead of conceded, we would be raving about that display, and only bemoaning not scoring more.
Not sure how we lost that match so I will leave it to @ReturnToSenda to supply the stats and voice the concerns of the people who pay to watch while @trevor and @Wanderers82 dance around their burning effigy of Gareth and sign myself off. Goodnight boys and girls. (Rob C begins open letter and Taff storms off to chat amiably to fans.)
I dont really comment a lot about games but I will this time:
I think we were genuinely unlucky today. We played well in the first half and up to the point of when we scored. But when Shrewsbury got that one chance and made it count they were on a roll and they proved too much for us in the end as seen by the final result. We try to get back into it, but we are lacking that spur of belief on the pitch when things go wrong. I was also surprised when Wing and Horgan, both having very good games were substituted off. I can only presume it was the weather?
I was also genuinely angry when JJ conceded that penalty. He is top class for a majority of the time but he made a stupid decision to wrap his arms around the attacker. I know this is only 3 league games in, but it moments like that which could determine what could happen to our season, given everything seems determined by such small margins.
I think the main problem at the moment is this: we always seem to start the season with lots of players injured. This year it seems a lot worse. The main players that we are currently missing are:
Gape
Tafazolli
Thompson
Vokes
Kaikai
Hanlan
McCarthy
Without these players we are still a good team, but nowhere near as good as we could be.
Also, without an established League One keeper we will struggle. I personally know someone who has played with Tyla Dickinson before (it was last season in an FA Youth Cup game whilst he was on loan at Hayes and Yeading and he happened to be registered to play in that game) who said that he was excellent and that he was too good for and U18s team. Tyla may find himself being too good at a youth Level but his lack of professional experience is showing. I think most established League 1 goalkeepers could have probably prevented the first goal that Shrewsbury scored as well as Boltons first goal last week. Hopefully this will help Tyla learn and improve on what he could do better next time. For now however, we really need a goalkeeper (hopefully Bishop) who will come in and make us all feel a bit more secure at back than we currently are.
I am disappointed after today, but hopefully we take the positives going forward and that we bounce back on Tuesday against Exeter. COYB!
Do keep up. Please.
There was a rumour last season when Taff didn't play for a while, or Stewart that it related to a night out in Revs.
Some people you'd have thought better of truly believed it.
We spoke in the concourse in the Frank Adams @micra but he does fit your description.
Lovely chap and he certainly had a far greater knowledge of the club history than myself, naturally.
I have to Agree with Shev, I really don't think we were that bad today, poor judgment from JJ admittedly for the Pen. However their keeper made some great saves and seemed to be in good form. On another day 2 or 3 more goals.
I also agree with @Shev
Hearing Luton are in for Taf, from my same source who told me about Phil Alexander well before that was announced (I'd hope I don't have a reputation as a stirrer, but you know what it's like on here!).
We have just signed only our 3rd first team centre back and have been playing full backs in the gaps, often weakening us at the back. If Couhig has any ambition at all he wouldn't consider any offer asides from a completely silly price.
Broadly agree, although you don't want an unsettled player
yup, I think, “if not now, when?” for AAH.
I’m assuming Wheeler was given the nod in preference for his aerial capability and general experience level. I’ve also never seen AAH play so I have no idea if he’d have been the right option, but if we’re prepared to give Mellor a shot (a clear gamble) then why not AAH.
That said, I’m not knocking Mellor, who ran his socks off. I don’t know when we knew Vokes was injured but it just looked like we hadn’t had time to work much in training with Mellor as lone striker.
I do think players need time to bed into a new role/system - thinking particularly of Uche where we seemed to want him to be Beast v2 and didn’t really get the best of him in that role - it took time for him to show what he could do.
And we didn’t incorporate Vokes brilliantly from the word go either, although I felt that was also because the service to him was poor for a while.
In short though, give Mellor more time. He’s not the finished article - if he was, he wouldn’t be here.
I agree if we’re really never going to give AAH a shot then he should be shipped out again, but as many others have said I think we’re going to have real problems getting a quality frontman to come in if they’re just going to be understudy to Vokes.
Knowing that promotion will mean playing Man United next season should be the only incentive this team needs
Wonder what sort of fee he'd take. £250k? More?
Got to be more than that. I wouldn't take any less than £400k for him. Is his contact up in July 2023?
I'd hope 500k as he's probably the 2nd name on the teamsheet behind Vokes.
(Pending Mawson being the level we hope for - then Mawson is up there).
But if he did go it'd be a real blow.
If we accept 250k for Taf then Rob Couhig should never again be allowed to utter the words "we're not little Wycombe anymore"
I'm sure it would take a lot more. But I'd rather have a quality centre half than money in the bank to be honest
Regarding Taff - assume we’re ignoring the bit (albeit brief) section on his vid that he needed work on his back and hamstring(I think) before the Bolton game and just going straight on the “he’s leaving/fallen out with GA bandwagon”? Ok cool.
this is probably a result of the whole secrecy around injuries bs. People jump on any rumour that starts going round. Maybe he was the only Cb in the club that could get through the game last week, but wouldn’t have been selected in normal circumstances. This week we had 2 Cb’s in various levels of fitness so he could be taken out
Really felt sorry for the players today. Put in a great shift in brutal conditions with so many players out injured. Dominated the first hour against a side who reminded me a bit of us about six years ago. Have to blame the manager for the lose though. That late defensive sub was just wrong. At best it shouldn’t have happened at all but change two positions at the same time? Cost us a goal against a side not even trying to score.
The ref seemed to have decided he’d let fouls go without a card unless he heard a squeal. Wycombe didn’t learn. That last half hour contained hardly any football at all. Drinks breaks, so many substitutions and fiddling with the numbers board and above all classic time wasting.
Not going with any of the rumours heard today.
But Ali-Al Hamadi at 6’1” and a powerful pacey unit to boot is surely more of an out and out striker than the otherwise admirable TJ DeBarr ?
I wasn't at the game today so can't really comment. The one thing I would say though is that for the last 4 or 5 years we seem to have multiple injuries just as the season starts. Maybe we are unlucky or maybe we should be wrapping the guys in cotton wool so that we can field a strong team for the first few games and get off to a flying start
Terrible display from the referee.
If there is no booking for repeated fouls, and they have the safety net of 5 subs, there is really zero jeopardy whatsoever for a team aiming to disrupt and frustrate by repeatedly giving away free kicks.
It felt like almost every time we beat the full back they made a tactical foul.
Very surprised there has been no mention of Nick Freeman before now. Really don't want to question Gaz, but Freeman was the best player on the pitch by some distance Tuesday night. He gets rewarded with a 12 minute cameo today. What does he have to do to get a fair chance?