I don't think we deserved to lose that, but we didn't deserve to win it either. We showed some intensity at least in the second half and on another day that Wilmot header goes in. Barnsley generally threatened us less than we did them. Of course, the first half was absolutely terrible (again we start way too negatively) and there remain some big problems in the team. The formation is obviously one issue and slows us down a bit, but moving Kiko to LB will mean we'd lose a bit of his threat going forwards, when he and Sarr down the right were the only two threats we seem to have had in the last couple of games. The biggest concern for me is central midfield. We have no pace, intensity, creativity or goal threat. We've been playing 3 CMs, and they've generally been wastes of a shirt for most of the season so far, contributing basically nothing going forwards or backwards. Chalobah has been especially dreadful and was rightfully hooked. Capoue grew in to the game at least, but his first half was the worst half of football I've even seen from him. Garner is still too raw. Cleverley's performance levels are very up and down within a match. At least in other positions we have more options and players to come back in. We're crying out for a player like Mowatt to play at the point of a 3 if we stick with it advance with the ball in CM and nick a few goals from there. We probably hoped one of Garner or Quina might do that for us but neither are quite up to it. We can't go the whole season just relying on repeatedly passing the ball out wide to Sarr in the hope that he does something. JP was anonymous yet again as well, we need the rest of our CFs back fit asap.
So the obvious question is what it is that Ivic is contributing to this team at the moment, because it's certainly not visible on the pitch as it stands. The second piss-poor, terrible, lacklustre, dull and unattractive performance in the space of a week, with a refusal to play through the middle despite having what should be one of the best players in the division there and serious questions, in my eyes at least, over the substitutions again. I haven't really yet seen a substitution from Ivic, that I can remember, that made sense at the time. All good signs we're gearing up to piss the league.
Just awful. He took far too long to make the changes, but for me the blame is firmly with the board for an absolute shambles of a summer. Barnsley were equally crap but really didn't have much to do once they went one up. The lack of quality is probably the saddest thing, any half decent team could walk the league this year.
Sarr and Kiko put some balls into decent areas in the first half, without someone with a striker's instinct to attack them, second half when Gray came on, we just couldn't get the ball to him, how many times did Sarr have the beating of his man only to give the ball away? I wasn't that disappointed at the first half performance, but Christ that second half was bad
F****** omnishambles. Maybe if our useless recruitment team had signed a bloody left back we’d play 4-3-3 and look competent. As it is, we look like we’re only going to score 25-30 goals all season. Whenever we concede we look done. That midfield is a f****** disgrace. They can’t string 2 passes together. The forwards look so shoehorned in too; both want to be out wide (or preferably back home). Sick of this season already. Naively I thought we might look better at this level. I remember having fun in the Champ under the Pozzos. This is dire though. Utter, utter s****.
Utterly diabolical performance against a mediocre team. No chance we will get promoted like this. Might even be a relegation battle in the offing. One mistake costly. A couple of others that also could have led to goals. Tempo was better certainly. But the accuracy of the crossing. Shocking. Getting into good positions several times and wasting them. We have done this to death but this current formation has to go. We wasted playing a centre half for nearly the entire game as Barnsley were desperate to hold on. We need a target man. Murray not even selected. Pedro and Sarr are getting frustrated. They are getting little quality to work with and not to their strengths. Several times again they have made runs only for our midfield or wingbacks to check back in or pass to the side. One decent set piece today as a positive. Hughes and Gray offer encouragement. Hughes playing in Sarr for instance. But that is clutching at straws at a generally woeful performance. Once again the inability to dominate from the start. We let Barnsley rush into the first five minutes and build momentum while once again we barely crossed into their half. That is not good enough. Ivic needs for a supposed tactician to be more flexible and dump this current set up leaving Ngakia on the bench or make changes far quicker. Sema looks awkward at left wing back and is wasted. Poor game from him with several poor touches losing the ball. Another struggle against Stoke coming if this is what we keep doing. The more shots you get on target, the more you get into the box the more likely it is one can score. We are doing neither although Wilmot, Cleverly were close the rest were what if the ball had run to so and so. Chalobah cannot get off the pitch soon enough. Awful performance from him as well. The sooner Hughes is fully fit the better. Garner is the better option. The team as a whole need to understand the basics. Simple passes into feet or space, how to make attacking runs into the box, pick up your head when you cross or before it. Not just belt it across. Truly awful week. Sucker punched by the south coast *****s and it seems to be creating a bad hangover. To gain one point from six against relegation contenders is to put it mildly disastrous in the context of the whole season. Minutes silence for Nobby Stiles: Cleverly puts wide from Sarr's driven cross, a driven cross far too hard to control: The sole hopeful moment seeing Will Hughes return at last:
To be fair if Troy was able to keep himself fit instead Barnsley were crap, they had no intention of doing anything got lucky with the goal. But you are right says a lot about us when we can't break them down.
We movrd the ball quicker in the second half and Caps started passing to Watford players. I'd no problem with Caps moving to centre back as it gave him time to get Sarr moving. Unfortunately Sarr was crap today. Oh for a centre forward.
Kiko can play LB perfectly well, Nige played him there a lot and he did well. I don't believe this time recruitment is to blame, on paper we have the squad to do really well at this level.
Another dreadful performance. Just what is so special about three at the back that means we must play it no matter what the circumstances? We bring on Grey late on, but reduce numbers in the midfield to shore up the defence. But why leave it so late? No shots on target against a poor side, a poor side who had no difficulty in containing us. Our tactics are negative, and have ben all season. We have a team with no football brains, they can't pass or cross. and doesn't want to play at a high tempo ever. We knew some players don't want to be here, but do any of them?
Hi, don't post much after Gloryhorns went down, but have been holding my breath for 2 weeks watching the views on here, and now I am furious that we keep doing the same old same old game after game and learn absolutely nothing in the process.!! 1) Sarr and Pedro are not yet mature enough for this division, especially in the striker roleand definitely not together.! 2) This knocking the ball about around our penalty box is not the way to play, 10 years ago with our average team we would have LOVED playing against thi current team.! 3) We don't have the quality at the back to play the ball out as proven so fat this season. 4) Can't see the manager lasting long.... he has no plan b and is too stuborn by a mile. 5) Why does he stick with this attack when it clearly doesn't work... I would have thrown on Gray and Murray for the last 20 minutes..... What a total farce.!
Don't think I've been as angry after watching a game. Ivic has gone from looking great to looking shambolic in the space of a week. Going to Wycombe and Barnsley with 3 centre halves and 2 defensive mids is ridiculous, and I think he's already on borrowed time
Record up to transfer deadline day: P5 W3 D1 L1 10 points After the transfer deadline: P4 W1 D2 L1 5 points Seems things were going better when we were focusing on the young players who wanted to be here. The obvious way to try to turn this round is to play 433 if Sarr is in the team. Something/someone is obviously still wrong at the club.
Many fans felt Ivic would be gone by Christmas when he was appointed. Winning the league in Israel is like winning the Conference league North or South. We look disinterested and playing really negative football. Ivic seems hell bent on not conceding, but has no plan B when we do concede. Have our players given up playing for yet another manager? Our midfield is weak as dog s**t. Cleverly - over the hill, Chalobah- finished, Capoue, - not interested, Garner - lightweight and lacks experience, Quina - not good enough at this level. He has two games to save his job
Delighted I opted against paying to watch that. My thoughts... Recruitment sh*t. Formation/tactics sh*t. A midfield of TC, NB & EC is always going to be sh*t. Ivic doesn’t like Garner, is he sh*t? The LB or lack of excuse is sh*t. Ivic is under pressure. Everything is a bit sh*t.
That is a very good call. I don't suppose any one of us thought we would equalise. Even Mooney had given up by 80 minutes. Lord that was vad,Freudian typo,bad!
Our owners are too tight to pay compensation for a head coach so just bring in whoever happens to be without a club at the time.
That has to be the last time Pedro and Sarr play up front together as ‘strikers’. I think we could have played all weekend and not scored.
The top players aren’t performing and the rest aren’t playing well looking uncomfortable on the ball or taking too long.
We've taken one point from two pub teams this week - and we were lucky to get that. We have arguably the best squad in this p155 poor league and yet our main attacking move is based around the hopelessly optimistic long diagonal pass (not seen since Gavin Mahon's days). I'm going out to cheer myself up by buying all the bog-roll in my local supermarket
I only listened to the game today and from what I could tell, we were constantly hitting long balls to the wings that didn't lead to anything or were cleared easily. That pretty much the gist of it?
Stoke are the Burnley of the Championship. They will go 1-0 up and do what they did last time at the Vic. Park the bus as we pass it sideways. Coventry are a bit more open, but can score goals and are beginning to settle in now. If the next two results really so determine Ivic's future, he needs to win both and play much, much better.
Sarr was very involved but generally was crap, hardly noticed JP was on the pitch. Same goes for Gray when he came on, didn't manage to get a shot away, only thing he really did was hold the ball up and win one free kick, though he only had 10 minutes on his first game for months. Team for Stoke: Foster Ngakia WTE Wilmot/Cathcart Kiko Capoue Chalobah Sarr Garner Pedro/Sema Murray With Hughes and Gray getting a bit more gametime off the bench. Big ******* game this, Stoke are neck and neck with us in the table now. What are they like now, do they play stereotypical Stoke football, or are they a bit more expansive these days?
[QUOTE="GoingDown, post: 2924290, member: 4224"]I only listened to the game today and from what I could tell, we were constantly hitting long balls to the wings that didn't lead to anything or were cleared easily. That pretty much the gist of it?[/QUOTE] You’re Ismaila Sarr and I claim my five pounds
Capoue (who had a mare in the first half, gave away the ball for the goal and was generally sloppy) played numerous excellent crossfield passes, only for Sarr to put in a poor ball. Very little down the left
