I don’t think Leahy and Wheeler are archetypical wingers. Leahy prefers to play centrally and Wheeler tends to position himself well forward close to the right touchline ready to receive the ball in the air to nod it on. Something he does very well.
Sadlier and McCleary are better suited to the role, as they showed today and I hope MB will continue to play them there.
That “McCleary was very poor first half” comment is one of the strangest things I’ve ever read on here!
Just an observation post our goal. Although we conceded possession and territory to Port Vale they hadn’t really looked that much like scoring and I thought we actually had a few half-decent chances on the break. (But I wasn’t enjoying the game nearly as much).
A far better performance and I agree GMac was back to form. Sam Vokes makes such a difference to the way we play. That front 4 with Sadlier and Phillips by far our best option in my opinion.
Something that infuriates me is the way we have continually sat back on a 1 goal lead. This isn’t a new thing we were doing it under Gaz too.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and I understand why the subs were made, but I think Sadlier and GMac should have stayed on. Vokes obviously needs easing back in. Win the game in front of you and worry about the next game afterwards.
What will be interesting is how Blooms sets up when Potts is back. I would prefer the 4 at the back in a 433 but fear a return to 3.
BTW I can’t see RC putting his hand in his pocket to get rid of the management team unless the situation becomes dire, which it’s not. However if a sale is coming who knows what the new owners will do.
Good to see we're getting better, hopefully a win soon and a signing or two can help us push on. Not sure if Fosu is a realistic target or a hope but a winger with pace and trickery could be exactly what we need.
Can see where people are coming from about possession or being the better team not being enough, while 6 points above the drop with a game in hand won't get him the sack we need to pick up points and be creating far more real clear chances in games for it to not just be bad luck when we inevitably concede a goal and either lose or draw.
Don't claim to be itk at all but as far as I can see we borrowed money from a bloke who lends money, nothing concrete to suggest he, or anyone else, has any interest in investment or a takeover.
I guess our transfer activity might be dictated by AAH2.0 moving on or not. He’s off to the Asia cup next month, if he’s still a Wimbledon player and goes and has a barn storming tournament we could be in for a big payout. There’s a sliding door story to accompany that scenario of course but let’s hope.
I’m glad someone has mentioned this. Vokes was being manhandled and having his shirt pulled right from the start and a very poor referee just let it happen.
Reminded me of something mrs micra “recited” to me in the Isetta bubble car very soon after we met in 1964. “Smart Art let a fart and blew the bloody thing apart “.
I just reminded her about that and she said it took her quite a while to pluck up the courage to say it ! How times have changed.
Just had another look at the Port Vale viewpoint. In the fifth paragraph, the writer describes the misplaced clearance by the goalkeeper (Ripley) which went straight to Leahy as having then been saved by him after scrambling back. As I remember that incident, he was totally stranded and Leahy’s shot went a yard or so over the bar. There may well have been another occasion when Ripley did get back in time.
I also scrolled further down on my second look and saw the interesting Port Vale player ratings and the forecast score predictions for the upcoming visit of Barnsley who they clearly hold in much higher esteem than the mighty Wycombe Wanderers !!
Bearing in mind we are currently losing £3m per year and the Club doesn't own the ground, what are these "assets" that Mr Lomtadze can claim to recover his money in the event that the Couhigs default in interest payments?
That’s why the game is so interesting. People see it differently.
He elected to slow play down a fair few times rather than taking the full back on. When he did take him on he overhit a number of crosses or didn’t make it past the near post defender. There was no end product, for a player of his calibre I was disappointed.
Now the ball for the goal was stunning and more akin to what he can produce.
No way of knowing as the charge has zero details and the guy is pretty low publicity in his private life, we might only have borrowed a small amount at a high rate, or he might be working on someone else entirely's behalf, the club/business isn't entirely without worth btw, people do seem to still queue up to buy loss making football clubs despite it making little commercial sense, while you can pick up failed clubs for a £ they are inevitably a mess and need debts and number of other things sorting.
Maybe there is some legs in moving if someone actually for once had the money to do it properly, maybe it's all hearsay and BS.
I'd equally ask why a multi billionaire with seemingly no history of flashy purchases, holding UK trophy assets, football or local interest suddenly want to buy a L1 club in Buckinghamshire. Could say the same about Rob but we know he was in talks with Yeovil for months before he got to us, had run minor league sports teams in the US and his family is full of football coaches and players.
We'll no doubt find out in the next few months. Difficult to say what is most likely.
Her Indoors was doing her fruit about the holding. She claims she saw a Vale defender pull Voksey’s shirt over his head without the lino doing anything about it.
I saw many instances of defenders pulling Vokes's shirt, but the officials did nothing. However, on one occasion, Vokes grabbed a defender's shirt in an attempt to get past him, and the ref awarded Vale a free kick.
We were certainly dominant, if not quite brilliant, for the first hour or so, but really should have converted at least one more of many chances, so that the late Vale goal wouldn't have mattered.
To put that into perspective, if we could have scored one more goal in each league game so far, we would now be 4th in the table on 41 points. As others have said, playing 4-3-3 for 90 minutes, and not trying to park the bus when 1 goal ahead, must be the way forward.
Comments
McCleary was very poor first half ?
I'm not having that !
I don’t think Leahy and Wheeler are archetypical wingers. Leahy prefers to play centrally and Wheeler tends to position himself well forward close to the right touchline ready to receive the ball in the air to nod it on. Something he does very well.
Sadlier and McCleary are better suited to the role, as they showed today and I hope MB will continue to play them there.
It really must be mistaken identity, because GMac was giving them twisted blood.
Tariq Fosu
he was- I turned to Her Indoors and said four at the back and GMac’s back. We got this.
That “McCleary was very poor first half” comment is one of the strangest things I’ve ever read on here!
Just an observation post our goal. Although we conceded possession and territory to Port Vale they hadn’t really looked that much like scoring and I thought we actually had a few half-decent chances on the break. (But I wasn’t enjoying the game nearly as much).
Well apart from the Gormania season where we fell apart for a couple of months but scraped into the play-offs.
Yes but there were exceptional circumstances behind that run that were horrific for all to be dealing with.
A far better performance and I agree GMac was back to form. Sam Vokes makes such a difference to the way we play. That front 4 with Sadlier and Phillips by far our best option in my opinion.
Something that infuriates me is the way we have continually sat back on a 1 goal lead. This isn’t a new thing we were doing it under Gaz too.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and I understand why the subs were made, but I think Sadlier and GMac should have stayed on. Vokes obviously needs easing back in. Win the game in front of you and worry about the next game afterwards.
What will be interesting is how Blooms sets up when Potts is back. I would prefer the 4 at the back in a 433 but fear a return to 3.
BTW I can’t see RC putting his hand in his pocket to get rid of the management team unless the situation becomes dire, which it’s not. However if a sale is coming who knows what the new owners will do.
That Vale defender was so worried about Vokes getting a chill that he kept his arms around him most of the game .
Good to see we're getting better, hopefully a win soon and a signing or two can help us push on. Not sure if Fosu is a realistic target or a hope but a winger with pace and trickery could be exactly what we need.
Can see where people are coming from about possession or being the better team not being enough, while 6 points above the drop with a game in hand won't get him the sack we need to pick up points and be creating far more real clear chances in games for it to not just be bad luck when we inevitably concede a goal and either lose or draw.
Don't claim to be itk at all but as far as I can see we borrowed money from a bloke who lends money, nothing concrete to suggest he, or anyone else, has any interest in investment or a takeover.
We've had ten months of continuous slide. How much more losing football would it be appropriate to accept to avoid being classed as impatient?
I guess our transfer activity might be dictated by AAH2.0 moving on or not. He’s off to the Asia cup next month, if he’s still a Wimbledon player and goes and has a barn storming tournament we could be in for a big payout. There’s a sliding door story to accompany that scenario of course but let’s hope.
I’m glad someone has mentioned this. Vokes was being manhandled and having his shirt pulled right from the start and a very poor referee just let it happen.
Smart arse
Thanks @Doober48 !
Reminded me of something mrs micra “recited” to me in the Isetta bubble car very soon after we met in 1964. “Smart Art let a fart and blew the bloody thing apart “.
I just reminded her about that and she said it took her quite a while to pluck up the courage to say it ! How times have changed.
An interesting and very balanced report on yesterday’s match.
https://www.onevalefan.co.uk/2023/12/wycombe-wanderers-1-1-port-vale-report-lucky-valiants-steal-a-point-after-desperately-poor-performance/
Why would an apparently highly successful business man loan money to a League 1 football club with no assets?
Firstly it does have assets, and secondly he'll be earning money in interest payments
Just had another look at the Port Vale viewpoint. In the fifth paragraph, the writer describes the misplaced clearance by the goalkeeper (Ripley) which went straight to Leahy as having then been saved by him after scrambling back. As I remember that incident, he was totally stranded and Leahy’s shot went a yard or so over the bar. There may well have been another occasion when Ripley did get back in time.
I also scrolled further down on my second look and saw the interesting Port Vale player ratings and the forecast score predictions for the upcoming visit of Barnsley who they clearly hold in much higher esteem than the mighty Wycombe Wanderers !!
Bearing in mind we are currently losing £3m per year and the Club doesn't own the ground, what are these "assets" that Mr Lomtadze can claim to recover his money in the event that the Couhigs default in interest payments?
That’s why the game is so interesting. People see it differently.
He elected to slow play down a fair few times rather than taking the full back on. When he did take him on he overhit a number of crosses or didn’t make it past the near post defender. There was no end product, for a player of his calibre I was disappointed.
Now the ball for the goal was stunning and more akin to what he can produce.
It was a comfortable catch.
No way of knowing as the charge has zero details and the guy is pretty low publicity in his private life, we might only have borrowed a small amount at a high rate, or he might be working on someone else entirely's behalf, the club/business isn't entirely without worth btw, people do seem to still queue up to buy loss making football clubs despite it making little commercial sense, while you can pick up failed clubs for a £ they are inevitably a mess and need debts and number of other things sorting.
Maybe there is some legs in moving if someone actually for once had the money to do it properly, maybe it's all hearsay and BS.
I'd equally ask why a multi billionaire with seemingly no history of flashy purchases, holding UK trophy assets, football or local interest suddenly want to buy a L1 club in Buckinghamshire. Could say the same about Rob but we know he was in talks with Yeovil for months before he got to us, had run minor league sports teams in the US and his family is full of football coaches and players.
We'll no doubt find out in the next few months. Difficult to say what is most likely.
But the one described did sail over the bar, didn’t it ? I assume you’re referring to the other occasion.
It wasn't a criticism. I'm impatient for wins too and think the manager probably should have gone already.
I'm just saying the last couple of games have been decent and we were unlucky not to have taken 3 points yesterday.
Her Indoors was doing her fruit about the holding. She claims she saw a Vale defender pull Voksey’s shirt over his head without the lino doing anything about it.
I saw many instances of defenders pulling Vokes's shirt, but the officials did nothing. However, on one occasion, Vokes grabbed a defender's shirt in an attempt to get past him, and the ref awarded Vale a free kick.
We were certainly dominant, if not quite brilliant, for the first hour or so, but really should have converted at least one more of many chances, so that the late Vale goal wouldn't have mattered.
To put that into perspective, if we could have scored one more goal in each league game so far, we would now be 4th in the table on 41 points. As others have said, playing 4-3-3 for 90 minutes, and not trying to park the bus when 1 goal ahead, must be the way forward.
Did you ever get trapped by the lack of a reverse gear? , there was that urban myth about a driver imprisoned and wasting away in his garage.
I would however have been more concerned about something like a Humber Imperial turning me into a hood ornament.