5 things learnt from the Millwall game

[Return of the Rev]

not sure vincente would have fancied millwall way after a few flouncy throwing himself to floor against hull..... Good decision not to play him imo.

needs to get fit first!

 

[Arkwright]

Id like to see us play 451 away, with two wingers and CMS up front on his own. Close down the midfield and keep the ball, with two wingers attacking. When we are away we still chase the game and there is no need

Isn't one of the problems that the ball keeps on coming straight back as we are expecting too much of CMS to hold the ball up. I think one up front is our problem.

I do agree about the two wingers, we have such quality out wide but with just one in the box for a target makes life hard.

Glad I'm not the manager but I do feel after the start of the season Gus has become a tad negative, we looked so good with Noone and Buckley and KLL coming on the for last 15 minutes. That said we did need to sure up the leaky defence.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Despite last season's farcical situation with missed penalties, it hasn't been drummed into all of the players not to fanny about.

 

[Mendoza]

We need someone in the middle of the pitch that can put in a tackle and win a header.

The last few games have show it more and more. All the tackles in the midfield are poncy tackles with no force behind them. So when our players go in, they just lose the ball or bounce off the opposition onto the floor.
Thats even if we put a tackle in at all.

So frustrating, just need someone in there rough a few people up like Kish used to do.

 

[Established1982]

Agree with most of what has been said here.. Harley was terrible last night and I thought he could have been sacrificed a lot earlier than he was and we would have missed nothing. Even a straight swap for Dicker after an hour would have been better. Definitely a good player but just needs to settle in a bit more.

Noone was absolute quality. Can't remember a time when he didn't take the ball past the defender and by the end they were backing off him so much it was unreal. If he'd only packed his shooting boots as well it could have been a different story.

Shame we couldn't hold out for the win but I thought that after we scored we stopped playing and started trying to hold onto the result.. Similar to what Arsenal get a lot of $hit for in the Prem. If we'd continued coming at them like we were before we scored we could have forced a second and then the freaky wonder goal would have counted for nothing.

Millwall might struggle this year unless they are able to bring in a bit more quality in January. Henderson looked woeful last night and if he's their replacement for Morison they're in trouble..

Final point - disappointed with Millwall fans last night. Been before quite a few times and they were always pretty funny, last night they just came out with the same old boring bollocks you get everywhere.. Poor from them!

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

but don't forget A FEW YEARS AGO we were bottom of div 2 with no real stadium! Now look at us! Are you sure you are allowed to be this honest?

No, I will never forget and I'm hugely enjoying everything we have now.. a wonderful stadium, million pound players and Gus Poyet. Of course. But that's not the point. I think there are weaknesses in the team which need to be addressed and perhaps we could be more a little more adventurous when we are in a position to kill teams off? Not the most controversial thing to say surely.

 

[Storer 68]

Done what he does best. Held the ball up to take the pressure off his team! What we could do with ALOT right now!

Murray is amazing! Gutted we let him go!

FFS we didn't!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! he left after deciding not to sign the contract we offered him.

 

[Deleted member 18477]

FFS we didn't!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! he left after deciding not to sign the contract we offered him.

poyet offered him a shit contract knowing full well he wouldnt sign. he was never in poyets plans for some bizaare reason!

so effectively we let him go!

p.s. don't FFS me you little tinker!

 

[WhingForPresident]

By God do we miss Glenn Murray..

 

[Gritt23]

Without personalising: 5 things which came to mind after the 1-1 draw at Millwall.

1) We cannot or seem unwilling to kill games off after going ahead.
Yes we could have been 2 or 3 down at half time but then to go 1 up and completely dominating, we created very little to kill Millwall off. They were there for the taking.

2) We had no-one who can run at Millwall with the ball from central midfield. Was Vicente injured? Couldn't understand why he wasn't even on the bench. We do need someone to drive forward and run with the ball.

3) We need another striker. Someone who can hold the ball up and bring others into play. No criticism at all of CMS, Barnes and Hoskins but we do need another. Has to be said we are missing Murray.

4) Our set pieces tonight were terrible. Never mind Harley's piss poor penalty, he and the rest of the team couldn't even take a decent corner. Corners and free kicks very poor tonight.

5) Related to no 1, are we too negative?

Of the points you raise, I would comment;

1. I don't think it's "unwilling" we just created very few clear cut chances for all our possession. We don't seem to be making very good decisions in teh final third, and have become too happy to lay the ball off to someone else rather than take a shot or attempt the killer pass.

2. I was surprised that Vicente was left out, but I think we are viewing Harley / Vicente as an either or in this side atm, with 2 more defensively minded players behind them in midfield, who will not be tasked with making the runs you speak of. The running at defenders in this formation is done from wide, and Noone was superb all night for me.

3. I disagree slightly on this one, as it's not really our style to be hitting balls up to someone to hold up. For the amount we do it, I think CMS is good enough, without bringing in someone who is very physical, who wouldn't necessarily have the ball skills to fit in with our style of play. A great point was made to me last night, that we lack a "selfish striker." CMS does tonnes of running, plays others in, and so do the others around him. That generally works best (as it did for CMS with McLean) when it combines with the single-minded, only-got-eyes-for-goal predator. I think there be something in that.

4. Agree. Couldn't really understand why that was either. Harley, it's still a bit early to be sure, but I've seen a greater body of work from Noone, and delivery from set pieces has been very good. Last night was a throw-back to the Dean Cox days.

5. At times we lack the killer instinct to make that final ball, or hit that shot from the edge. I don't think it's negativity, more a case of confidence being a tad low right now.

 

[Dalos]

My personal viewpoint is that although we try and play football the right way, players dont have the level of movement to make it really work at this level.

Starting from the back. Dunk or Greer get the ball and they try and find a pass from a static position. Invariably the forwards cut off painter and calde and the midfield are marked leaving no easy pass.

Dunk and Greer need to travel forward with ball a little which commits forwards opening up space for the full backs to recieve a pass and time when they get it. Movement create angles, so frustrating when they have 40 yards of space in front of them and they dont move forward.

 

[Falmer Flutter ©]

Without personalising: 5 things which came to mind after the 1-1 draw at Millwall.

1) We cannot or seem unwilling to kill games off after going ahead.
Yes we could have been 2 or 3 down at half time but then to go 1 up and completely dominating, we created very little to kill Millwall off. They were there for the taking.

This was the thing that was most frustrating about last night's game. Millwall were absolutely there for the taking in the second-half. We were so on top possession wise it was unreal – and not just pointless knock it about at the back stuff. The passing was crisp, movement excellent and Millwall just couldn't cope with our intensity. And then we scored and decided, job done, let's sit on the lead for 30 sodding minutes.

We slowed the game down, did little with the ball, and just decided to take the piss. Christ, even the fans were "ohlaying" at one point – at 1-0 with a quarter of the game to go.

We just invited Millwall to get back in the match and lo and behold, they score a somewhat streaky equaliser and we're hanging on for a point. Why? Because by then Millwall are on the front foot and we can't raise our game again. If we had kept going like at the start of the half we would have won 2 or 3-0 no problem.