Anyone back yet? What went wrong?

[Mutts Nuts]

I have a horrible feeling we will look back on this season as the one that got away. Massive unbeaten run for the first half, then dire for 5 weeks, then back on song (including a nice pair of 4-0's) but then unable to build any momentum. You have to win games like tonight if you want to go up.

The one that got away was our first season at the Amex, if we had kept Glenn we would be in the PL Tony would not give him the pay rise that he deserved, that is going to cost us for a long time to come

 

[Guy Fawkes]

Ok, purely my view on it.
The night started with a flat pint of Harveys, and ended pretty flat.
Sheffield's defence looked solid, as did ours, Bannon was allowed a free run because Sidwell looked and played like a loan player on a good wage, at the end of a career at a club that he has no affection/allegiance or heart for. We lacked creativity, pace and guile tonight. A point was all we deserved imo.
The clubs in and around the play off positions did not fair well, but the pleasure of Boro losing is put into perspective when they have won one and lost one where as we have drawn two, which means they have picked up 3 points from two games and we have picked up 2 points. Boring Hull now have a couple of games in hand and Burnley have pulled away.
We must beat Burnley at home and Boro away and hope they slip up as well against other sides. Still all to play for but we must turn draws into wins.

What a strange comparison

You could also use the last 3 Middlesbrough games in which they picked up a grand total of 3 points (1 win, 2 losses) and find that our last 3 games have yielded 5 points, (1 win and 2 draws) which is 2 more than them.

I guess it's a reflection of someones personality and how much of a negative / defeatist attitude they have

 

[Guy Fawkes]

Wasn't at the game. So if they were doubling up on our wingers every time, were our full backs not overlapping ? Who was doubling up ? That should have created space for others, did we not that ? Or was it just a shite day at the office? Seems a world away from the Leeds thumping

They sat deep and denied space and this is always difficult to break down, we did it to Hull at their place and Sheffield Wednesday did the same to us.

When teams do this you need to get yourself ahead in the fixture to get the opposition to open up and attack, freeing up space for your attacking players to exploit as they push more forward looking for an equaliser.

At the end of the day it's still a decent point against a well organised team that will be in or around the play-off places at the end of the season and that point could still prove to be crucial

 

[Seagull]

Both teams had a very solid defence that neutralised the respective attacks. For us Stockdale, Dunk & Goldson dominated the dangerous moments in our area. Sheffield Wed came for a draw and in the second half were the more threatening side. Sidwell nowhere near as penetrative as Kayal. Not enough good balls into the box by us in this match, unlike vs Leeds.

 

[Soulman]

What a strange comparison

You could also use the last 3 Middlesbrough games in which they picked up a grand total of 3 points (1 win, 2 losses) and find that our last 3 games have yielded 5 points, (1 win and 2 draws) which is 2 more than them.

I guess it's a reflection of someones personality and how much of a negative / defeatist attitude they have

Really, while many on here slate, i am very upbeat and just took the last couple of games. To many draws have cost us not just this season. Perhaps read the whole of my post.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

Not a shot on target not one, promotion without strikers don`t think so

And that's only down to the strikers?

Where was the supply for them to miss chances?

or were the strikers / our attacking threat was simply marked out of the game by a very good, well organised defence, just like we did to Hull (GD = +28) when we played there?

 

[Guy Fawkes]

Really, while many on here slate, i am very upbeat and just took the last couple of games. To many draws have cost us not just this season. Perhaps read the whole of my post.

It's a written message, very hard to get tone across and, (for example, using your original quote) using a comparison between Middlesbrough and our points over a limited number of games which reflects better on Middlesbrough because the sample size is so small hardly comes across as positive or upbeat

 

[Soulman]

It's a written message, very hard to get tone across and, (for example, using your original quote) using a comparison between Middlesbrough and our points over a limited number of games which reflects better on Middlesbrough because the sample size is so small hardly comes across as positive or upbeat

As i stated, i am upbeat, i only did the comparison of the last two games, had i actually given a different "sample size" that was not "so small", then i would have stated it, as it was i was commenting on the "sample" that i did state, which was the last two games. I am still "positive and upbeat" as i also stated by referring to our upcoming games with Burnley and Boro which hopefully we can win.

 

[perseus]

Substitutions were a horrendous mistake. We were just getting on top and the changes disrupted the pattern.

Murphy created a chance in the first half and Bruno made a very good run into the opposing penalty area. Stockdale, Bruno, Goldson and Murphy all played well against a good defence where Loovens was outstanding (he was the last time we played Wednesday at the Amex).

The problem is our second striker, Baldock on this occasion. This is a rather important position and Baldock is rather ordinary. It is arguable whether we need two wingers against the better teams. We can only play on one wing at a time and on the opposite side an overlapping full back can work. The opposite winger to the play becomes redundant for large periods of the game.

Lualua was a disaster as he played too deep. Wednesday could see Knockaert coming and could deal with him, send him into cu de sacs cause he is predominately left footed. Knockaert lost the ball as much as Teixeira did, at least five times.

I think CH wanted Murphy go on the right hand side when Lualua came on, but he didn't.

As we are not going to be able to buy a second striker what player have we got that fits best in this role? Another day.

One very succcesful game was had by Goldson. His position as covering (mostly) central defender has now been filled. I thought Greer had pooped his clogs from the beginning of the season and at least now we have a more than adequate partner for Dunk.

At least we've got a week to sort out what we are going to against the better sides in attack.

I thought we had to win six of the seven home games (and beat Burnley), so that is one down, the next five to win.

PS:

1) the role of the second striker is to run around a lot (counts out Zamora) create assists and score goals. Baldock does neither.
2) if we played just one winger, we could push a midfielder forward to join the attack instead. (He would even be allowed to go wide and cross and shoot like Judge for Brentford.)

 

[Papa Lazarou]

We don't want Greer pooping his or anyone else's clogs

 

[T soprano]

Just got back now ...... Bloody traffic

 

[Justice]

The one that got away was our first season at the Amex, if we had kept Glenn we would be in the PL Tony would not give him the pay rise that he deserved, that is going to cost us for a long time to come

FFS get over it.

 

[Seagull58]

You are assuming Hull Burnley and Boro will all win all their remaining games. Somehow I suspect this may not happen

Nobody's going to win all their remaining games but we need to win 8 from 10 for auto.

 

[Wrong-Direction]

Substitutions were a horrendous mistake. We were just getting on top and the changes disrupted the pattern.

Murphy created a chance in the first half and Bruno made a very good run into the opposing penalty area. Stockdale, Bruno, Goldson and Murphy all played well against a good defence where Loovens was outstanding (he was the last time we played Wednesday at the Amex).

The problem is our second striker, Baldock on this occasion. This is a rather important position and Baldock is rather ordinary. It is arguable whether we need two wingers against the better teams. We can only play on one wing at a time and on the opposite side an overlapping full back can work. The opposite winger to the play becomes redundant for large periods of the game.

Lualua was a disaster as he played too deep. Wednesday could see Knockaert coming and could deal with him, send him into cu de sacs cause he is predominately left footed. Knockaert lost the ball as much as Teixeira did, at least five times.

I think CH wanted Murphy go on the right hand side when Lualua came on, but he didn't.

As we are not going to be able to buy a second striker what player have we got that fits best in this role? Another day.

One very succcesful game was had by Goldson. His position as covering (mostly) central defender has now been filled. I thought Greer had pooped his clogs from the beginning of the season and at least now we have a more than adequate partner for Dunk.

At least we've got a week to sort out what we are going to against the better sides in attack.

I thought we had to win six of the seven home games (and beat Burnley), so that is one down, the next five to win.

PS:

1) the role of the second striker is to run around a lot (counts out Zamora) create assists and score goals. Baldock does neither.
2) if we played just one winger, we could push a midfielder forward to join the attack instead. (He would even be allowed to go wide and cross and shoot like Judge for Brentford.)

 

[Tim Over Whelmed]

Seriously guys, I haven't read the whole thread but here's my take on it.

Wednesday set up with 5 at the back and 3 deep midfield, they came for a draw, set up well, put in a good shift and we couldn't break them down.

We gained a point.

We're nailed on for the play-offs as a minimum

Come on, is it really that bad?

 

[Dave the OAP]

Sheffield Weds came with a game plan tonight of simply stopping us dead in our tracks outside the penalty area and did so every time,
and would have probably been told to just try a smash and grab job on us and it nearly worked too.
Dreadful passing from us tonight and one shot on goal by Lua Lua.
Worst game at home for a fair while now. Total inability to to penetrate their defence at all.

I think smash and grab is unfair on Wednesday. The first half they looked more likely to score and in the second stockers again made a couple of cracking saves...the run and shot from theI little midfielder looked in all the way. There was only one team set up to win last night and it wasn't us!

The way we had no idea how to breakdown an organised side showed how far this squad is from a Premiership side.

Our remaining games are not that easy, but I think we are good enough to make the playoffs, unless we really implode.

 

[Tim Over Whelmed]

Having now read this thread I can only conclude that some people are deluded and know very little about football, financing football and have expectations that may mean they need to support Barcelona or the Shanghai Knights (or whatever they'll be called)

Supporting a football team, any team, is about highs and lows, it's about the unpredictability of football. Trust me we don't want a Man City type project, we want to be Brighton. That means we take the rough with the smooth, enjoy the good games and support during the not so good. Will we get to the Premier League, I don't know and if I was 100% open I don't really care, so long as we have a sustainable club that can deliver me the dream and realistic chance that one day it may happen. (Feel free to flame as required)

Wake up chaps, uit's football, this IS WHAT FOOTBALL IS.

 

[Icy Gull]

Seriously guys, I haven't read the whole thread but here's my take on it.

Wednesday set up with 5 at the back and 3 deep midfield, they came for a draw, set up well, put in a good shift and we couldn't break them down.

We gained a point.

We're nailed on for the play-offs as a minimum

Come on, is it really that bad?

Wednesday bullied and harried us like very few teams have done this season. Would not like to meet them in the playoffs.

 

[Gazwag]

Just got back now ...... Bloody traffic

Nightmare last night thanks to the delayed KO, first time (since Sunderland extra time) we haven't caught the 22.04 back to Polegate and then got stuck on the marsh road for 20 minutes thanks to incompetent traffic management skills at the line marking roadworks with a "follow me" taking the same amount of cars either side of the half mile coned off section when there were about 100 cars going east and 5 going west.

 

[Albumen]

Nothing wrong with the set-up. The conditions made it near impossible for through balls so it was up to the wingers to get crosses in, which they failed to do due to a decent full back display. They set themselves up well, we couldn't break them down. Simple.

Then there's the ref. The worst I've seen at the Amex for a long time, I'm all for letting play flow but never blowing the whistle just infuriated both sets of players and they didn't trust him, making for a shit game. No foul for 32 minutes? Did he have a bet on it or something?

We missed Kayal, obvs, but we can't be a one man team.