kirsikka
UTC Legend
--- 12 Men And A Pitch Conspire Against Cherries ---
After his performance in the last match Sam Surridge must have been disappointed to be dropped to the bench for tonight’s match. Stanislas the man to come in with Tindall sticking to the three at the back but opting for more width in our forward play.
The pitch bears passing comment upon, looking as it did like a throwback to the 1980s. Still, it’s the same for both teams so you have to deal with it, presumably with studded wellies.
Swansea have an excellent defensive record this season and it was immediately apparent why as they set up to park the John Deere with only the occasional rumble forward.
Despite dominating the early possession the only chance created in the opening spell came from Lewis Cook darting up the pitch with the ball and slipping it to Solanke who dinked in a shot that was deflected wide.
The Cherries were trying to mix up their play with a few long balls but without Surridge they didn’t come to anything. In fact, it wasn’t until 17 minutes had gone that there was any more meaningful action. Billing and the impressive L Cook combined with the latter again sending Solanke in through the left channel but he skied his shot.
A minute later the Swansea keeper scuffed a clearance that Brooks managed to intercept. His stretch to reach the ball resulted in a fractionally heavy touch which meant that by the time he caught up with it near the goal the keeper was able to close off the angle. Brooks’ attempt to lift it into over the goalie was snuffed out for a corner.
With inspiration in short supply, on 37 minutes Lewis Cook tried to bypass involving anyone else by dribbling from deep and unleashing a humdinger of shot that would have left scorch marks on the grass if there was any but unfortunately it went a fraction wide.
It was mostly a tepid first half those aside. Lots of AFCB possession without a lot created. The only notable incidents were the ref declining to book Swansea players, one for a similar incident to the one where he booked Solanke and another for a blatant pull back that stopped a breakaway.
Swansea had a weak shout for a penalty on 39 minutes when a player volleyed the ball at Rico from point blank range and it smacked on or near his arm. The kind of decision that VAR may have given only for it to be lambasted by pundits after the match for it’s ridiculousness.
Tindall must have been pleased with what he’d seen as the second half saw no changes although there was a flurry of activity as the Cherries finally tried to add some impetus to proceedings and take the match by the scruff of the neck.
Lewis Cook was again often in the thick of everything AFCB did, intercepting and nearly setting Solanke through almost straight after the restart but Dom was unable to gather it cleanly.
Two minutes later Billing showed the strength his frame indicates he must possess to muscle his way to the byline and cross the ball ending in a Stanislas shot off target that really should have made the keeper work and, in truth, maybe should have been scored.
Ayew was the only apparent danger for Swansea with the Cherries looking reluctant to tackle him when he dribbled at them, perhaps wary of giving away cheap free kicks. A wise choice it seems.
A pattern was emerging with nudges, pushes and strong tackles near the Swansea box from the defenders repeatedly going unpunished. Something of which they took full advantage once they realised with what they could get away. No such luck at the other end though.
In fact the ref twice stopped AFCB promising breaks for apparent Swansea head injuries including one where the player didn’t even hit his head.
Google Translate from Welsh to English does change Bankes to swan so maybe the clue was already there.
Like the pitch, the game started to get really cloggy until about the 65th minute when there was another burst of Cherries pressure.
First a Smith pull back unfortunately found a defender then a Rico one from the other side resulted in a Smith shot followed by a mass scramble straight out of your local Sunday League, including an unfortunate Brooks air shot from the six yard line.
Then Billing showed a classy touch to backheel volley the ball to Solanke in the area but his shot was blocked.
Finally in this spell, the ball broke to Brooks one on one in the area with space all around them. A dream scenario for a trickster like DB and he dinked the ball past the outside of his man and made to go after it only to be blocked off and prevented from chasing it by an outstretched leg. A penalty surely had to follow. Normally banks are only too keen to give out penalties but not this one though as he incredibly waved play on to the utterly bemused expression of Brooks.
The game simmered back down again. Lewis Cook had another shot fly wide of the post before the game descended into a farce of Swansea free kicks with absolutely nothing given the other way.
I was glad the final whistle went as the longer the game went on the worse the decisions got and it felt like the ref was waiting for a Swansea player to fall down in the box.
Frustrating but a decent performance all told, if still with a lot of room for improvement.
--- Conclusions ---
The Nutcracker is the more traditional ballet near Christmas but tonight it was Swan Lake with eleven white swans ably backed up by the black swan. His determination not to give any free kick he could avoid to the Cherries whilst whistling faster than the proverbial New York second anytime a challenge came in near to a Swansea player was almost admirable it was that blatant. I’m not even talking about the penalty incident here, this was a general observation all over the pitch.
Having seen the display tonight, it’s easy to imagine what took place to anger Lee Bowyer after Charlton’s match against Swansea last year where he expressed his frustration at the official choice given the close connection between the ref and the Swans management. A three match touchline ban swiftly followed, let’s hope JT managed to keep a lid on it.
I may groan about refs here and there, especially in relation to isolated incidents and inconsistencies. However, it isn’t often I will say a ref was genuinely consistently and outrageously one sided. Tonight we can chalk that one up for the season. There was no excuse, no crowd to getting on his back and no big team bias where he may have feared the pundit aftermath.
I only hope we never have him as the ref again when we play Swansea. It was horrible and disappointing to watch from a man in the middle not that far from the top of his profession.
- We were the dominant force in the game without being consistently threatening. However, I think JT called this game wrong tactically.
Three at the back felt like overkill against a side with little attacking threat. Riquelme or Surridge near to Solanke would have given the Swans more to think about and us more options.
- Lewis Cook was a class above every other player on the pitch. A brilliant display.
- Junior and Brooks had frustrating nights. Lots of industry without a lot coming off for them. See above for the tactical issue though.
- A point away from home to a promotion rival can never be considered bad but it’s disappointing in that the three looked there for the taking. I think JT didn’t want to risk it though.
--- Player Ratings ---
Begovic – 6
Almost nothing to do all night.
Mepham – 7
Tried to get forward and make things happen in the way the formation allows although not always to great effect. Decent try though.
S Cook – 7
On the rare occasion Swansea did threaten he was usually there to get a challenge in.
Kelly – 6
A bit more subdued than Mepham but simply fine.
A Smith – 7
Tried to get forward and make things happen. A little shooting practise wouldn’t be amiss!
L Cook – 9 and Man of the Match
The complete midfield performance. Helping out at the back, driving forward with the ball and pinging balls around the park. Also two piledriver shots that flashed past the post. MotM by a country mile.
Billing (off from 86) – 7
Continued his recent good form. Always available for a pass aided by good tracking back when needed.
Rico – 7
Maybe his best performance in this role. Very unlucky one cut back didn’t result in a goal.
Brooks (off from 82) – 6
Same score as last match but a much more positive showing. Really looked to be trying to make things happen but it never quite came off.
Solanke – 7
Ploughed a lonely furrow at times although I doubt you’d notice it’s impact on that pitch. Never gave up battling despite the ref refusing to give him a free kick no matter the treatment whilst very happy to rule against him.
Stanislas – 6
Shaky at times in the first half but far more influential in the second. A bit like Brooks, tried but it never really happened. Perhaps needed another partner in crime across the line.
--- Subs ---
Surridge (on from 82) and Lerma (on from 86)
No marks since almost nothing happened during their time on the pitch apart from more cheap Swansea free kicks and no AFCB ones.
Overall Grade: B-
It was a display that showed promise in a lot of areas. However, it’s hard to get over excited since the Swansea game plan seemed to be sit in deep and wait for us to commit men forward to try and break, which they rarely did. So the possession stat can be a little misleading.
I still felt we were too conservative in our approach. One less defender would have left more room for them to break into but would have allowed us to try and replicate the fast passing interchanges that have proved effective before with a three behind Solanke, or given Surridge a chance to try and influence the match.
When Surridge finally made it onto the pitch Stanislas was playing centrally which left little chance to get any crosses in. So a B for a good performance and a point away from home but the – for slight timidity in not going for it.
After his performance in the last match Sam Surridge must have been disappointed to be dropped to the bench for tonight’s match. Stanislas the man to come in with Tindall sticking to the three at the back but opting for more width in our forward play.
The pitch bears passing comment upon, looking as it did like a throwback to the 1980s. Still, it’s the same for both teams so you have to deal with it, presumably with studded wellies.
Swansea have an excellent defensive record this season and it was immediately apparent why as they set up to park the John Deere with only the occasional rumble forward.
Despite dominating the early possession the only chance created in the opening spell came from Lewis Cook darting up the pitch with the ball and slipping it to Solanke who dinked in a shot that was deflected wide.
The Cherries were trying to mix up their play with a few long balls but without Surridge they didn’t come to anything. In fact, it wasn’t until 17 minutes had gone that there was any more meaningful action. Billing and the impressive L Cook combined with the latter again sending Solanke in through the left channel but he skied his shot.
A minute later the Swansea keeper scuffed a clearance that Brooks managed to intercept. His stretch to reach the ball resulted in a fractionally heavy touch which meant that by the time he caught up with it near the goal the keeper was able to close off the angle. Brooks’ attempt to lift it into over the goalie was snuffed out for a corner.
With inspiration in short supply, on 37 minutes Lewis Cook tried to bypass involving anyone else by dribbling from deep and unleashing a humdinger of shot that would have left scorch marks on the grass if there was any but unfortunately it went a fraction wide.
It was mostly a tepid first half those aside. Lots of AFCB possession without a lot created. The only notable incidents were the ref declining to book Swansea players, one for a similar incident to the one where he booked Solanke and another for a blatant pull back that stopped a breakaway.
Swansea had a weak shout for a penalty on 39 minutes when a player volleyed the ball at Rico from point blank range and it smacked on or near his arm. The kind of decision that VAR may have given only for it to be lambasted by pundits after the match for it’s ridiculousness.
Tindall must have been pleased with what he’d seen as the second half saw no changes although there was a flurry of activity as the Cherries finally tried to add some impetus to proceedings and take the match by the scruff of the neck.
Lewis Cook was again often in the thick of everything AFCB did, intercepting and nearly setting Solanke through almost straight after the restart but Dom was unable to gather it cleanly.
Two minutes later Billing showed the strength his frame indicates he must possess to muscle his way to the byline and cross the ball ending in a Stanislas shot off target that really should have made the keeper work and, in truth, maybe should have been scored.
Ayew was the only apparent danger for Swansea with the Cherries looking reluctant to tackle him when he dribbled at them, perhaps wary of giving away cheap free kicks. A wise choice it seems.
A pattern was emerging with nudges, pushes and strong tackles near the Swansea box from the defenders repeatedly going unpunished. Something of which they took full advantage once they realised with what they could get away. No such luck at the other end though.
In fact the ref twice stopped AFCB promising breaks for apparent Swansea head injuries including one where the player didn’t even hit his head.
Google Translate from Welsh to English does change Bankes to swan so maybe the clue was already there.
Like the pitch, the game started to get really cloggy until about the 65th minute when there was another burst of Cherries pressure.
First a Smith pull back unfortunately found a defender then a Rico one from the other side resulted in a Smith shot followed by a mass scramble straight out of your local Sunday League, including an unfortunate Brooks air shot from the six yard line.
Then Billing showed a classy touch to backheel volley the ball to Solanke in the area but his shot was blocked.
Finally in this spell, the ball broke to Brooks one on one in the area with space all around them. A dream scenario for a trickster like DB and he dinked the ball past the outside of his man and made to go after it only to be blocked off and prevented from chasing it by an outstretched leg. A penalty surely had to follow. Normally banks are only too keen to give out penalties but not this one though as he incredibly waved play on to the utterly bemused expression of Brooks.
The game simmered back down again. Lewis Cook had another shot fly wide of the post before the game descended into a farce of Swansea free kicks with absolutely nothing given the other way.
I was glad the final whistle went as the longer the game went on the worse the decisions got and it felt like the ref was waiting for a Swansea player to fall down in the box.
Frustrating but a decent performance all told, if still with a lot of room for improvement.
--- Conclusions ---
The Nutcracker is the more traditional ballet near Christmas but tonight it was Swan Lake with eleven white swans ably backed up by the black swan. His determination not to give any free kick he could avoid to the Cherries whilst whistling faster than the proverbial New York second anytime a challenge came in near to a Swansea player was almost admirable it was that blatant. I’m not even talking about the penalty incident here, this was a general observation all over the pitch.
Having seen the display tonight, it’s easy to imagine what took place to anger Lee Bowyer after Charlton’s match against Swansea last year where he expressed his frustration at the official choice given the close connection between the ref and the Swans management. A three match touchline ban swiftly followed, let’s hope JT managed to keep a lid on it.
I may groan about refs here and there, especially in relation to isolated incidents and inconsistencies. However, it isn’t often I will say a ref was genuinely consistently and outrageously one sided. Tonight we can chalk that one up for the season. There was no excuse, no crowd to getting on his back and no big team bias where he may have feared the pundit aftermath.
I only hope we never have him as the ref again when we play Swansea. It was horrible and disappointing to watch from a man in the middle not that far from the top of his profession.
- We were the dominant force in the game without being consistently threatening. However, I think JT called this game wrong tactically.
Three at the back felt like overkill against a side with little attacking threat. Riquelme or Surridge near to Solanke would have given the Swans more to think about and us more options.
- Lewis Cook was a class above every other player on the pitch. A brilliant display.
- Junior and Brooks had frustrating nights. Lots of industry without a lot coming off for them. See above for the tactical issue though.
- A point away from home to a promotion rival can never be considered bad but it’s disappointing in that the three looked there for the taking. I think JT didn’t want to risk it though.
--- Player Ratings ---
Begovic – 6
Almost nothing to do all night.
Mepham – 7
Tried to get forward and make things happen in the way the formation allows although not always to great effect. Decent try though.
S Cook – 7
On the rare occasion Swansea did threaten he was usually there to get a challenge in.
Kelly – 6
A bit more subdued than Mepham but simply fine.
A Smith – 7
Tried to get forward and make things happen. A little shooting practise wouldn’t be amiss!
L Cook – 9 and Man of the Match
The complete midfield performance. Helping out at the back, driving forward with the ball and pinging balls around the park. Also two piledriver shots that flashed past the post. MotM by a country mile.
Billing (off from 86) – 7
Continued his recent good form. Always available for a pass aided by good tracking back when needed.
Rico – 7
Maybe his best performance in this role. Very unlucky one cut back didn’t result in a goal.
Brooks (off from 82) – 6
Same score as last match but a much more positive showing. Really looked to be trying to make things happen but it never quite came off.
Solanke – 7
Ploughed a lonely furrow at times although I doubt you’d notice it’s impact on that pitch. Never gave up battling despite the ref refusing to give him a free kick no matter the treatment whilst very happy to rule against him.
Stanislas – 6
Shaky at times in the first half but far more influential in the second. A bit like Brooks, tried but it never really happened. Perhaps needed another partner in crime across the line.
--- Subs ---
Surridge (on from 82) and Lerma (on from 86)
No marks since almost nothing happened during their time on the pitch apart from more cheap Swansea free kicks and no AFCB ones.
Overall Grade: B-
It was a display that showed promise in a lot of areas. However, it’s hard to get over excited since the Swansea game plan seemed to be sit in deep and wait for us to commit men forward to try and break, which they rarely did. So the possession stat can be a little misleading.
I still felt we were too conservative in our approach. One less defender would have left more room for them to break into but would have allowed us to try and replicate the fast passing interchanges that have proved effective before with a three behind Solanke, or given Surridge a chance to try and influence the match.
When Surridge finally made it onto the pitch Stanislas was playing centrally which left little chance to get any crosses in. So a B for a good performance and a point away from home but the – for slight timidity in not going for it.
Last edited:
. Rico looked very good last night so it's a shame he won't be playing on Saturday. Kelly still doesn't convince and had one of his regular bouts of indecision again before thankfully booting it out of play but I can't help feeling that sooner or later this will lead to him conceding a goal. Other than that everyone did as well as they good given the conditions, the ref, and Swansea's determination to play out a 0-0 draw from virtually the first whistle.
