First half was borderline unacceptable from a defensive perspective.
-1st goal we had 4 players challenging for the same ball with a man completely free on the edge of the box. Schoolboy ball watching there.
-2nd goal to get beaten by a bog standard long ball over the top into the path of one of the slowest strikers known to man kind just about sums it up really. Phillip’s failed spectacularly to deal with the exact kind of situation that is supposed to be his strength. I’m no great fan of Mepham at all but I would immediately put him in the side on Saturday, Phillips is an accident waiting to happen. More in him in a bit.
Our play was far too pedestrian and lacking any kind of creativity or spark in the first half, the issue with our style is that if the players drop their intensity levels even slightly then we instantly become incapable of creating anything. This kind of football really needs to be played with tempo and intensity of it becomes very turgid very quickly.
2nd half was a bit better in fairness, but the damage had already been done at this point. We did up our intensity levels a bit and this resulted in more sustained spells of pressure and we managed to carve out a few fairly presentable opportunities. Unfortunately it was an evening that we had to be clinical and we simply weren’t. But at least we committed bodies forward and had a go 2nd half.
The good:
-dembele- might be clutching at straws a bit here but thought he looked a threat when we could get the ball to him. Not everything came off but he certainly offers something different and adds an element of unpredictability to our play.
-Solanke-put in a hell of a shift and held the ball well, unfortunately couldn’t be clinical with his only chance. Moved back into midfield in the latter stages and actually thought he was our best midfielder during this period too!
The bad:
This is actually going to be ‘the worst,’ because there was too much bad to mention everybody!
-Nat Phillips- why oh why is this guy in the side? So dodgy it’s untrue, not only does he lack any pace (I think Cahill might even challenge him in a foot race) but his positioning is all over the shop too! His attempt to defend the 2nd goal today is something a league 2 defender should be embarrassed by, let alone an ‘alleged’ top end championship one. His role in the side is simply to defend long balls, he struggles to do the only thing he’s in the side for. Mepham, Cahill, Hill, I don’t care, just get this cart horse out of the side before he costs us even more.
-Zemura- lad has tons of potential but at times he really does look like a boy playing men’s football. You only have to blow in his direction to knock him off of the ball. It’s a bit of a worry going into the run in. His defensive nativity makes us look very vulnerable at times too. He’s constantly targeted as an area to exploit and I can see why. In all honesty I see him as a wing back with reduced defensive responsibilities, not a natural full back.
-Christie- just not on it tonight. I like him but he was woeful.
-Cantwell- I understand that it’s hard to make an impression when coming on for a losing side but I just felt as though everything he tried to do was executed poorly. Simple passes going astray, over hit crosses, missed interceptions ect. For all his hype I see nothing in him yet to suggest he’s anything other than a decent championship player in a good day.
-1st goal we had 4 players challenging for the same ball with a man completely free on the edge of the box. Schoolboy ball watching there.
-2nd goal to get beaten by a bog standard long ball over the top into the path of one of the slowest strikers known to man kind just about sums it up really. Phillip’s failed spectacularly to deal with the exact kind of situation that is supposed to be his strength. I’m no great fan of Mepham at all but I would immediately put him in the side on Saturday, Phillips is an accident waiting to happen. More in him in a bit.
Our play was far too pedestrian and lacking any kind of creativity or spark in the first half, the issue with our style is that if the players drop their intensity levels even slightly then we instantly become incapable of creating anything. This kind of football really needs to be played with tempo and intensity of it becomes very turgid very quickly.
2nd half was a bit better in fairness, but the damage had already been done at this point. We did up our intensity levels a bit and this resulted in more sustained spells of pressure and we managed to carve out a few fairly presentable opportunities. Unfortunately it was an evening that we had to be clinical and we simply weren’t. But at least we committed bodies forward and had a go 2nd half.
The good:
-dembele- might be clutching at straws a bit here but thought he looked a threat when we could get the ball to him. Not everything came off but he certainly offers something different and adds an element of unpredictability to our play.
-Solanke-put in a hell of a shift and held the ball well, unfortunately couldn’t be clinical with his only chance. Moved back into midfield in the latter stages and actually thought he was our best midfielder during this period too!
The bad:
This is actually going to be ‘the worst,’ because there was too much bad to mention everybody!
-Nat Phillips- why oh why is this guy in the side? So dodgy it’s untrue, not only does he lack any pace (I think Cahill might even challenge him in a foot race) but his positioning is all over the shop too! His attempt to defend the 2nd goal today is something a league 2 defender should be embarrassed by, let alone an ‘alleged’ top end championship one. His role in the side is simply to defend long balls, he struggles to do the only thing he’s in the side for. Mepham, Cahill, Hill, I don’t care, just get this cart horse out of the side before he costs us even more.
-Zemura- lad has tons of potential but at times he really does look like a boy playing men’s football. You only have to blow in his direction to knock him off of the ball. It’s a bit of a worry going into the run in. His defensive nativity makes us look very vulnerable at times too. He’s constantly targeted as an area to exploit and I can see why. In all honesty I see him as a wing back with reduced defensive responsibilities, not a natural full back.
-Christie- just not on it tonight. I like him but he was woeful.
-Cantwell- I understand that it’s hard to make an impression when coming on for a losing side but I just felt as though everything he tried to do was executed poorly. Simple passes going astray, over hit crosses, missed interceptions ect. For all his hype I see nothing in him yet to suggest he’s anything other than a decent championship player in a good day.
Merge.
