One of those days at the office but...

kirsikka

kirsikka

UTC Legend
No fit fullbacks seemingly left at the club, a sketchy performance at best, Fulham laughing at how poor we were to let them get an away win and yet a whole host of scoring opportunities spurned plus Brighton getting a point. Not a good day!

After a blistering start, this season has been so frustrating I kind of wish it was over already. I also think the players need a long rest since the number of niggles we keep getting is ridiculous. So regular, it feels like players are coming back too soon after one injury to only then get another.

Lot's of questions to be answered this summer. Is it a case of getting everyone fit and then minor tweaks in the transfer market to refresh the squad or are more significant changes needed?
 
Last edited:
Not “one of those days” at all. That would imply that things just didn’t fall for us and we didn’t get the rub of the green. We were rubbish. Awful. Zero ideas, zero urgency and zero movement. 1 point from Newcastle, Burnley and Fulham at home. You can blame injuries all you want, but if that lack of desire transfers over into next season then we’re in real trouble.
 
King missed a sitter, their keeper made a great save from wee man, Wilson snatched at two early ones, could have been a lot different - it was all downhill after Stan went off
 
If you wanted to make a training video of everything that is poor about professional football, now you have it. I doubt that there was 30 seconds of continuous action in the second half. Almost unwatchable. I have been saying for weeks that that is the road map to beating us. Niggly fouls, constant interruption of play, questionable injuries, time-wasting ... and so on. Hard to imagine how you spend 7 days looking forward to Saturday morning, and get that. Not so much a dig at our guys, more at the style of play that Fulham brought to the table today. I get that that's the only way these bad teams expect to get a point or three, but it's hardly entertainment.
 
james_AFCB said:
Not “one of those days” at all. That would imply that things just didn’t fall for us and we didn’t get the rub of the green. We were rubbish. Awful. Zero ideas, zero urgency and zero movement. 1 point from Newcastle, Burnley and Fulham at home. You can blame injuries all you want, but if that lack of desire transfers over into next season then we’re in real trouble.
Click to expand...
Seems Maxi D wants a clear out and he’s not wrong !
Bloody awful again .
 
Well that was mightily frustrating. Poor finishing, little luck in their box and yet more injuries. Weak refereeing didn't help, allowing them to foul again and again.. We've played better, true, but we didnt deserve to lose that. We were considerably better than against Burnley.

Agree with Toronto John. We need a better game plan to deal with teams who come down here and play like that.
I said this last week, but referees need to use the laws available to them a lot better. Start cautioning for persistant infringing earlier and the niggly fouling stops... same with the timewasting. No good booking the keeper in the 85th minute.

It's a shame to see our season whimpering to an end like this. Don't see us adding to our points tally, sadly.
 
The funny thing is he booked Rico for timewasting on the one occasion when it wasn't him time wasting. One of his defenders kicked it away. :grinning:
 
  • Like
Reactions: drd
It was awful. A couple of players gave a **************** but the rest ..pah...dreadful. the rose tints can defend that as much as they want but come up with as many excuses as they want but we didnt click. There was no spark or fire. No desire to win. Fairplay to Fulham the epitomy of a smash n grab. At some points they simply took the piss out of us. We were clueless. Nevermind though, the faithful can go back to their 40 hour weeks at work and continue to spend their hard earned in the hope the players will give a **************** against Saints, spurs and palace.
 
Toronto John said:
I doubt that there was 30 seconds of continuous action in the second half .... ..... Niggly fouls, constant interruption of play, questionable injuries, time-wasting ... and so on
Click to expand...

That's the absolute killer for us. When teams (the big ones do it too) spoil matches, kill flow, we go to pot. It's been a constant not just this season but last as well. Brighton, though terrible, tried to look forward when they had the ball, and tried to get goalside when they didn't. That allowed us a little time to actually play and build into the phase of the game. We don't play positionally as such but do play as a transitional team, finding space and time when the play shifts from one to the other. All the niggly fouls and gamesmanship shown by opposition prevent us from exploiting those moments that the other team are less organised
 
cockbeard said:
That's the absolute killer for us. When teams (the big ones do it too) spoil matches, kill flow, we go to pot. It's been a constant not just this season but last as well. Brighton, though terrible, tried to look forward when they had the ball, and tried to get goalside when they didn't. That allowed us a little time to actually play and build into the phase of the game. We don't play positionally as such but do play as a transitional team, finding space and time when the play shifts from one to the other. All the niggly fouls and gamesmanship shown by opposition prevent us from exploiting those moments that the other team are less organised
Click to expand...
If one team can do it, they all will, so I guess the question over the summer is how do we beat it. I don't think it's lack of talent at our end, but lack of the right kind of talent.
 
james_AFCB said:
Not “one of those days” at all. That would imply that things just didn’t fall for us and we didn’t get the rub of the green. We were rubbish. Awful. Zero ideas, zero urgency and zero movement. 1 point from Newcastle, Burnley and Fulham at home. You can blame injuries all you want, but if that lack of desire transfers over into next season then we’re in real trouble.
Click to expand...

As poor as we were we still created countless decent chances and should have comfortably won the game.

You don't think not having any fit fullbacks on the pitch was something that might have had a bearing on the performance?
 
We don't beat it really. It's our biggest strength and also our greatest weakness. By not working in the transitions we lose what gives us our biggest wins, a clear head in the middle would help when we need to slow the game a little though. I think Lewis will be that when he returns next season
 
Did anyone else see Ibe arrive at the ground after 1.30 (apparently 15 minutes late), not get out of his car, talk to an official and then leave again?
 
I think though that Lewis Cook needs somebody else there to help him too when there's a bit of rough and tumble as I don't think he's physical enough. And I don't mean Lerma. A 3 man midfield is what we'll need.
 
Audenshaw Cherry said:
Did anyone else see Ibe arrive at the ground after 1.30 (apparently 15 minutes late), not get out of his car, talk to an official and then leave again?
Click to expand...

Perhaps went home to get his boots when he heard Smithy was injured :) He was watching the game from the stands so whatever happened he made it back.
 
SlowDownDerek said:
As poor as we were we still created countless decent chances and should have comfortably won the game.

You don't think not having any fit fullbacks on the pitch was something that might have had a bearing on the performance?
Click to expand...

Absolutely this. Although I have to question why the solution was to stick tall, relatively slow central defenders in the full back slots. For our style of play we should always prefer wingers for those roles. Aké and Mepham were atrocious, not that it was their fault.
 
Of course having no fit full backs is a problem but the answer is not to play 4 centre backs FFS. And Brooks isn't a winger, get him inside and behind the forwards to link up the play. EH tactics were poor today and the attitude of some of the team was poor as well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

;