Thoughts v Cardiff

kirsikka

kirsikka

UTC Legend
Back on track in the last match, we needed to follow it up and cement the return to form. Happy to say that it was objective achieved.

The first quarter was a little like watching air hockey at time the way the ball flew around off the slick surface slightly out of control at almost all times. When we settled down we looked much better.

One thing to note is the offside trap, so ruthless and efficient earlier in the season, looked shaky. Time spent apart due to injuries perhaps telling and lets hope we can get it back to where it was.

Travers is really growing into his role. I wouldn't even consider a keeper in January considering how he's played.

The red card was as red a red card as you will ever see. Really nasty.

Glad to see we weren't passive in the second half. It would have been easy to knock it about slowly and then face a last 10 minute onslaught from Cardiff. No sign of that tonight. The game was chased and well and truly put to bed.

Solanke is a striker on a roll and looks a totally different player to the one we saw in the dark PL days.

Notable performances:
Billing: When you see PB muscling people off the ball you know he's on his game. That was him tonight.

Lerma: The man is a monster. Or a machine. A monster machine.

Zemura: Looked much more himself tonight. Great to have him back.

Room for improvement:
Kelly: Some of his passing left a bit to be desired. Needs to get back into full match practise to iron out those errors.

Stacey: All the work was there but its still somehow not clicking for him.

Overall, a good night for the team and puts some pressure back on Fulham.
 
How do you write these so fast?!

- Lerma immense
- Billing was on it today and is clearly our most creative player
- Not much to say on Stan. Hope he is OK but this is becoming a parody
- Travers is going from strength to strength, just looks so solid in all aspects of his game, one dodgy kick though
- On which note, Kelly really needs to sort out those lazy, sloppy passes. Unacceptable for a captain to switch off so many times. He needs to stamp that out if he wants to make it to the top, which he has the attributes to do
- Zemura making a huge difference...we will miss him in Jan!
- Stacey great energy but sometimes needs to relax. It's like watching on fast forward when he plays
- Delighted for Christie. Fitting that he got off the mark with a tame strike, only way it's going to happen...his finishing is abysmal but I love the rest of his game
- Tackle for the red was a disgrace. Guy should be ashamed of himself for doing that to a fellow pro. Could easily have broken his leg(s)
- We are back! Bring on 2022!
 
First half was really dull and Cardiff missed two great chances to lead at HT. But it was very one sided after the break as we bossed the game, looking more like the early season bullies of weaker teams.

decent Christmas for us and hopefully we can beat posh next week now

will christie get that first goal - don’t know how he didn’t score in the second half to be sure
 
Some of the performances in that run were very awful, but it’s worth remembering we had several disruptive injuries. With everyone in our best 11 getting back up to speed together again we’ll be as we were in September imo.

Only unconvinced by Cook over Kilkenny. Think GK has been much better in comparison tbh.
 
NWCherries98 said:
Some of the performances in that run were very awful, but it’s worth remembering we had several disruptive injuries. With everyone in our best 11 getting back up to speed together again we’ll be as we were in September imo.

Only unconvinced by Cook over Kilkenny. Think GK has been much better in comparison tbh.
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Also credit for seemingly turning that awful run around. Hopefully spring now back in our step.
 
Old Cherry said:
This league is ours to own now....pressure is on the others...

Boscombe are a very good football team.
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Very important to win these two games. Both on paper very winnable ( one set of three points already secured ) and of course Fulham can still overtake us if they win their games in hand, but every manager will tell you that they‘d rather have the points on the board than the games in hand. It’s important that we don’t slip up now. We really could do with the six points from these two games, it will keep Fulham honest.
Also worth remembering that if many more games get postponed, those previously affected such as Fulham may be left facing a bit of a fixture backlog, which could become a problem if they suffer injuries or fatigue.
Let’s build a gap while we can and hope that none of our games get called off !
Great effort tonight. Job well and truly done !
:utc:
 
Pre red card:
Very dull performance full of possession in harmless areas. Never looked like creating a clear cut opportunity. For one of quite a few times this season we got incredibly lucky that the opposition forward(s) missed more than one guilt edged opportunity. Hit the two best opportunities of the half straight at Travers.
Post Red card:
Kept plugging away and eventually Cardiff tired, we took full advantage. Some good football at times but Cardiff had given up at this point in all honesty.
Worrying that 11 v 11 it was only luck that prevented us from being behind against a very poor opponent. Need to be better.
 
Waz afcb said:
Pre red card:
Very dull performance full of possession in harmless areas. Never looked like creating a clear cut opportunity. For one of quite a few times this season we got incredibly lucky that the opposition forward(s) missed more than one guilt edged opportunity. Hit the two best opportunities of the half straight at Travers.
Post Red card:
Kept plugging away and eventually Cardiff tired, we took full advantage. Some good football at times but Cardiff had given up at this point in all honesty.
Worrying that 11 v 11 it was only luck that prevented us from being behind against a very poor opponent. Need to be better.
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So dying to know XG scores
 
Waz afcb said:
Pre red card:
Very dull performance full of possession in harmless areas. Never looked like creating a clear cut opportunity. For one of quite a few times this season we got incredibly lucky that the opposition forward(s) missed more than one guilt edged opportunity. Hit the two best opportunities of the half straight at Travers.
Post Red card:
Kept plugging away and eventually Cardiff tired, we took full advantage. Some good football at times but Cardiff had given up at this point in all honesty.
Worrying that 11 v 11 it was only luck that prevented us from being behind against a very poor opponent. Need to be better.
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Any positives? you really do disgust me as a Cherries fan.
If i was your mother i would send you to to bed without any broth.
You need to really see the positive sides of life.
 
Another important 3 points :thumbup:

We do need to get going as soon as the match starts , we seem to take too long to move out of first gear and were lucky today not to have been chasing the game after Cardiff missed some early chances ? Hopefully SP has another striker lined up as back up for more goals alongside Dominic .

One must feel for Stan , don't know yet what the story is but one can suspect his career must now be in the balance if it's another injury ?
 
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