Thoughts v Stoke

kirsikka

kirsikka

UTC Legend
It's never nice when refs mess up and change matches, even when its in your favour. That happened today for us but doesn't mean I have to like it. That was never a sending off. Aside from that, he was all over the place for both teams. Not a good performance.

Having said that, I never want to hear from Stoke fans moaning about AFCB time wasting, falling over, feigning injury and other such gamesmanship. It actually started before the sending off but what we saw after from them was simply ridiculous. Shows they're just as bad as everyone else despite their hilarious hypocritical holier than thou rantings.

The changes were rung but the first half performance was as every bit as bad as vs Blackpool. We were lucky to go in with zero on the board. Given the attacking line up, we were bereft of ideas going forward. The first 15 after half time was much more like how we should be playing only to then lose the plot again. Someone on the pitch needs to take this team by the scruff of the neck and lead them as they're aimless at times.

It felt like it was never going to happen but Stoke did eventually tire and one of the near misses finally went in. Twice on the trot we've got out of jail. I think there are only two such cards in the Monopoly deck so we shouldn't try and rely on it a third time.

All in all, it was a poor performance against ten men but three points. At this stage the points are what matter.

At the same time, more injury news hitting the squad with Anthony now out. What the heck is going on? Its madness and we need to get a grip of it as we average a game every four days from now until the end of the season. It's going to be intense and we need options available.

Positive performances:

Smith - Good to see him motoring before he understandably ran out of steam. Was the only positive thing in the first half.

Travers - Another match, another point winning save. Surely time to close the book on player of the season?

Room for improvement:

Cantwell: Suicide pass nearly cost us and, in a game that demanded tricky skills and clever balls to break down a packed defence, he only flashed in and out of the match. I would have hoped for more from him.

Schrodinger's Player:
Lowe - I was all ready to eviscerate him for another ineffective performance only for him to bag that goal. I've still no idea what kind of player he is but he doesn't look to have the qualities of a winger. If we can get someone else fit maybe we should see him as a central option when we want two up top?
 
To add:
When they watch the video back, the free kick after the sending off with Stoke still trying to reorganise and so we have a chance a man might be free... passed back to the halfway line. There should be a pause there and Parker must address that situation. Retaining possession is fine as a tactic but there are times when you have to try and go in for the kill.

I think Parker still has a lot of work to do with this team. It doesn't help not being able to have much consistency with selection with all the injuries etc. Still... get them on the training ground and drill, drill, drill until those partnerships emerge.
 
A fortunate and grateful 3 points, but our lacklustre performances continue to worry, ? Now where did I put that bottle of rum ......phew !
 
Last edited:
Thoughts:

- Good spirit again today at the end from the boys and another huge 3 points. In the end that's what really counts and what we will remember. BUT
- I think Birmingham home (for 45 mins) is the only time we have played well so far this year. The quality of this division is dire except Fulham, so we could somehow go up playing like this, but performance levels so far off the 2014 team it's laughable. Will sound like a spoilt brat but that thought of this side in the PL actually fills me with dread a bit.
- Travers...what more can we say?! We are watching someone special here, possibly best keeper I've ever seen at DC for his age. Unbelievable talent.
- We are such a confidence team - likes of Cantwell, Lowe, Solanke, Zemura, Billing all transformed with a bit of momentum.
- Why did it take a whole 45 minutes for us to wake the f*** up?! Where are the leaders on the pitch to gee the team up, not just work rate but bravery on the ball, passing forward etc. That first half was pathetic and it shouldn't have taken half time to realise it.
- Thought fans were very good 2nd half today and fed off the little the players gave them. Really good noise for most of the 2nd half except a little lull.
- More ridiculous time wasting with players going down and getting the physio on for nothing. It's got to be stopped, ruins the game as a spectacle. Quite nice seeing us timewaste in the corner at the end though!
- I thought Stoke have every right to feel aggrieved at the ref today. Never a red for Fox, Zemura should have had at least a yellow and looked like a clear pen for them at the end?
- Kelly remembered how to pass forward in the 2nd half. More of that PLEASE.
- Thought Cook, Smith and Mepham did ok, most of the rest were poor for 70 minutes. Cantwell, Lowe and Dom turned it on for about 20 minutes.
- Phew!
 
Disagree about the penalty. If you're giving that then we should probably have had three in the match. Wouldn't have surprised me if the ref had given it on this day, but it would have been as bad a decision as the sending off.
 
Lowe gets goals.... Its why we signed him I 'spect.
Its not a non- no brainer is it !

He scores but people don't rate him...

Ive had some doubts about this Forum from day one...don't think I'll ever get the general drift of it !!!
 
It was once again "blah" for most of the game, but the two late goals and the loss by SU surely make it look like we are away to the races. We still have some 3-pointers against the chasing pack, but I really cannot visualize how we would be third after the games in hand are played. Just a matter of ticking the boxes ....
 
My thoughts:
First of all- GET THE F**K IN. like I said after the Bpool game, if you can’t enjoy moments like that then you’re following the wrong sport.

However- we surely can’t just ignore how unacceptably bad we were up until the sending off. I’m not saying that from a position of entitlement by the way, had we the resources of Peterborough United I’d be saying the same. As a fan I can take losing, I can take it when a player has a shocker, but what I find it very hard to stomach is intentionally going out with such a conservative and frankly illogical game plan. What on earth do we actually hope to achieve by knocking it around at the back for a bit and then eventually lumping it forward to a hopelessly isolated Solanke? How can anybody in their right mind believe that this game plan is the optimal way to get the best out of what we’ve got? It’s the same issues every game and it only ever changes either when we change formation or the opposition has a player sent off. It’s insane that he keeps lining up with this God awful starting formation and even more insane that he keeps getting away with it!
 
Full ground I noticed, the family stand was full and the main stand outer left, the freebie tickets, was over half full.
 
Struggling to contribute more than YESSSS right now. **************** YES.

Slightly miffed at us not really pressing home the man advantage until late. Think it was probably orange tackle if you know what I mean.

We got there eventually. A point wasn't bad, a win even better. UTC.
 
The quality of officiating seems really poor, not just in this league but in the PL aswell. The east stand linesman was struggling to see because of the sun in his eyes but at no point thought about putting a cap on. Some of his decisions were pure guess work. The ref completely lost control of the game and made little attempt to stop the time wasting. Although he did finally book one of their players from yet again time wasting with a throw in. There was one challenge in the second half on our left that didn't make contact but their player slid in totally out of control and I think it was Zemura who saw it coming and jumped over it. The ref should have had a word with the player but didn't. I think someone up there didn't like the time wasting, the constant fouling by the stoke players, the feigned injuries and the dreadful refereeing and made sure that we could shove all of that back down their throats by winning.
 
Not sure how we won that to be honest.
Poor in the first half. Red card, not sure. I'll watch on Quest tonight. They were trying to get one of our players sent off from then on. I thought Zemura was a gonner, not even a yellow! Good job Jeff wasn't playing!

Such a lot of time wasting from Stoke from quite early on really. 'Injuries' in the second half. Amusing that they got a dose of their own medicine later.
I couldn't see us scoring be we persevered. I hope we don't miss Moore.
I thought we missed Christie today.

Absolute brilliant save from Travs at the end. What a player.
Good to see Smithy back, I thought Kelly played well. Meps OK. Dembele a tricky player.
The points all count, talking of which I said after the Blackpool game on the 12th Feb that we needed 30 points for promotion. 10 wins or a combination of wins and draws.
We had 58 pts with 16 to play. One win down. 61 pts with 15 to play, 27 pts needed.
 
Red_till_im_ded said:
The quality of officiating seems really poor, not just in this league but in the PL aswell. The east stand linesman was struggling to see because of the sun in his eyes but at no point thought about putting a cap on. Some of his decisions were pure guess work. The ref completely lost control of the game and made little attempt to stop the time wasting. Although he did finally book one of their players from yet again time wasting with a throw in. There was one challenge in the second half on our left that didn't make contact but their player slid in totally out of control and I think it was Zemura who saw it coming and jumped over it. The ref should have had a word with the player but didn't. I think someone up there didn't like the time wasting, the constant fouling by the stoke players, the feigned injuries and the dreadful refereeing and made sure that we could shove all of that back down their throats by winning.
Click to expand...

Agreed, the ref today was woeful, summed up by him running to check Cantwell had the ball in the right position for the corner, of which he did. Made himself look a right idiot
 
The pgmol doesn't allow officials to wear caps was the explanation. The assistant struggled to shade his eyes while watching the play.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

;