Thoughts on today

kirsikka

UTC Legend
I think Al's there so won't be posting his normal thread so here's an alternative. If he does drop in, merge them.

Pretty much fire and water in terms of approaches to the game. Truth is, until they started desperately throwing it forward, the game was all ours. Another match we should have put to bed. A big plus point that we held firm again to secure the win, but we will get punished for it at some point so need to start finishing these games we're dominating.

When they finally committed men forward, it was an aerial onslaught under which we would have wilted in the past so good to see some steel there in us holding firm. When even Adam Smith is winning headers you know the defensive line is fighting hard. At the other end, we had multiple opportunities to break and end the match but spurned them all through poor passing, poor control, poor shooting or just poor luck.

Two points clear at the top of the table after a start to the season that saw us ten men down is actually an incredibly impressive situation in which to find ourselves. Well done to the team.

Meanwhile, you can see the patterns that Parker wants the team to play coming through. That's also starting to look impressive. Well done to the management team.

Notable performances: Lerma and Pearson. Both gave us the bite we needed against Ogre XI. Cahill for marshalling the defence so well.

Room to improve: Not an individual but our forward play in general with our finishing today. We had a lot of openings to shoot. I mean a lot. And their keeper barely had to make a save.
 
For as many seasons as I can remember, we would have shown our soft under-belly in a game like this and conceded an equaliser late on .... or even lost it.

We’re now hardening up and seeing these results through which is all credit to Scotty.

I was a bit dismissive of Cahill when we signed him, but how wrong could I be? Superb performances at the heart of the defense.

Promotion form? Yeah I think so.

Well done you cherryboys!
 
My favourite performance of the season. Stood up well to the vaunted Cardiff physicality, used our speed to neutralize them and the backline was solid. This ref let things flow for both sides, which made for a good tense competitive match.

Compared to past two seasons, we look like we have a game plan for every match, and better still, the players are implementing it. Gotta give Parker some props.

Top of the charts, boys. :utc:
 
…no negs here we are a developing team and the youthful heart is beating strong!… certainly Billing knew what he was doing when turning down Norwich’s apparent approaches!…Cahill may prove a master stroke signing!…well done Mr Parker I had my doubts about you but boy you have proven me, and I suspect many others wrong so far by yards!
 
It was a knife-edge but in the end you'd say well managed.

We had our creative period and got the 1 when maybe it should have been 2 or 3, and then dropped off to invite Cardiff on. It gave us chances on the break but it tested our resolve at the back when maybe we could have carried more momentum forward and not needed to head and kick away so much.

On another day it goes 1-1 or on another day we're more clinical with those late break-aways. As it was we got the job done.

Great support from the away end, if I may say!
 
Three weeks ago Fulham and WBA were running away with the league and we were looking like a top 6 finish.

Now we're top of the table.

Good signings, what looks like excellent coaching and hopefully exciting times ahead.
I know. Worryingly un-tinpot isn’t it ?
:p
But for as long as it lasts :utc:

( P.S. I imagine Max is feeling pretty pleased with how things are going so far this season ! )
 
This Parker seems to know what he is about!
The players now know what they can achieve!
Yet to see how we would react to a defeat cuz we ain't 'ad one yet !..
We could get past 10 games unbeaten !

Its difficult to see any negatives at this point.
46 ;-)
 
Credit to Scott Parker and the team today, sounded like a dominant performance!
 
For as many seasons as I can remember, we would have shown our soft under-belly in a game like this and conceded an equaliser late on .... or even lost it.

We’re now hardening up and seeing these results through which is all credit to Scotty.

I was a bit dismissive of Cahill when we signed him, but how wrong could I be? Superb performances at the heart of the defense.

Promotion form? Yeah I think so.

Well done you cherryboys!
I was always sorry to see J Woodgate lose his job I didn’t think he did anything wrong but recently I am beginning to think SP is a safe guy to return us to the Premier.
Lots of tears for Derby, I’m disappointed that the Cherries and Eddie are never mentioned.
UTC
 
Well that was about as good as a football Saturday we can get. AFCB front up and win, quite comfortably, against a long-ball team of giants that we have traditionally always struggled against. Pretty much every other result then goes our way and we are sitting pretty on top of the league. Obviously a long way to go yet, but Parkerball (whatever that actually means), is gaining momentum and its looking good. We are not yet at the levels if the EH team of 2015 where most of us expected us to be 3-0 up by half time against anyone, however there is a shed load of talent in this team, coupled with a steely determination, that means for the first time in ages I am confident of our team getting a result against anyone in this division. I might just be tempted to put a bit of cash down on the Chezzers getting out of this division :utc:
 
Left straight after watching at home and now sat at Heathrow ready to fly back to Dubai. Chuffed with today, chuffed with how we’ve come through so far this season and it still feels like there’s plenty more for our squad to grow. Exciting times again after a couple of years of struggling to be interested.
 
I thought it was a tough watch tbh. Cardiff were so defensive until the last 15 minutes or so. Not sure they even had a shot on goal before that. Lot of talk about the "dark arts" after the QPR game but Cardiff got Smith and Lerma yellows when neither deserved them so I was really pleased when Billing scored. All in all the worst game to watch of the last three but a good result so worth it in the end and I thought the whole team did really well.
 

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