Just back from the game (hotel)

[Albion in the north]

I thought Knockaert was our MOTM tonight. A lot of positivity about him. With him and a fully fit KLL on the field we will cause some problems. Wilson seemed to be surrounded by 4 of their players every time he got the ball and became frustrated. On another day Bobby would have scored a couple and set up a third. Hemed just seemed disinterested in the first half. Stockdale had an off day (to put it politely). Murphy seems to be running through treacle when he has the ball. Kayal and Stephens dont seem to be as effective as they were earlier on.(But Kayal is still consistently one of our best players)
The things that were going our way in the first half of the season arent going our way now. We maybe punched above our weight a bit for the first 20 games but we are not far from being that side again now that some of the walking wounded are returning to action.
Thats football.

 

[theboybilly]

Nice ground, decent stewards and yes, it was cold. But some sort of performance might have warmed us up. Hemed tries but he isnt a goal threat. Dunk played well enough bar the slip and I actually thought Bruno did okay but I didn't get a good view of the second goal. Stephens was my stand out player with Knockhaert but even they would only get a mark of 7 at best.

 

[RM-Taylor]

Not long home. One of the worst and most toothless first half displays I've witnessed over the years. Gifted them their goal but it felt like one was coming the way the first half went. Yet again in the first half it appears some of our players weren't fully committed to the game and kept gifting away the ball with stupid passes and stupid decisions.

Second half we started brightly and looked good for approx 20 mins, Zamora making a huge difference when he came on, he had a great chance which he fluffed as I think he was caught in two minds whether to shoot or to pass across to Hemed in the box, in the end he kind of did both and put it wide of the post.

LuaLua came on and looked knackered after 5 mins, kept giving the ball away and couldn't beat his full back who had played an hour more than he had. Maybe he is being rushed back too soon but I certainly don't think he is fit enough.

On to Blackburn on Saturday, it can't get any worse can it.

We are staying up!

 

[Bansko Seagull]

Nice ground. Jolly cold. Must do better - we are staying up for the game on Saturday at Blackburn. Please let us see one goal in our favour.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

The fans who chose to go deserved to see a far better performance. (Really NOT 'heroes' though!) The fans were very very subdued to be honest. Barely a peep all game. Not that there was much to get excited about.

 

[RM-Taylor]

The fans who chose to go deserved to see a far better performance. (Really NOT 'heroes' though!) The fans were very very subdued to be honest. Barely a peep all game. Not that there was much to get excited about.

Didn't help with chants stopping after being sung once, I tried my best to get some sort of atmosphere going but nothing really caught on. Even Ring of Fire only lasted about 15 seconds

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Didn't help with chants stopping after being sung once, I tried my best to get some sort of atmosphere going but nothing really caught on. Even Ring of Fire only lasted about 15 seconds

Well fair play for trying, anyway. Seems everyone Albion was off colour tonight!

 

[Giraffe]

Can't believe how ineffective James Wilson has become. Did nothing tonight, couldn't hold the ball up and looked lethargic. We actually looked threatening once Zamora was on his place.

I really think Zamora needs to start on Saturday.

As for the defence I have no words. But all the chopping and changing is not helping. We need to settle on the back four and keep it now. I would go with the same back four for Saturday.

 

[portlock seagull]

Time for the north stand to get those cut out arrows to point out where the goal is for the players like a couple of seasons ago. Yes. It was only a couple of seasons ago. We've been shite at shots and goals for huge swathes of recent seasons even when finishing in the play offs. And whilst that continues, regardless of our position, we aren't realistically going to challenge. In fact, it very nearly got us relegated. A striker? We need to recruit six in order to get two because being us, the other four will no doubt soon turn to shite despite scoring 30 a season at previous club.

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

Credit to Rotherham for getting in our faces right from the kick off and never letting us settle, greatly helped by a firm pitch with tennis ball bounce that made first touches a lottery. However it was the same for both teams and we struggled to cope. We just did not enjoy any time or composure on the ball and it seemed to strangle our game, all bar 20 minutes in the 2nd half.

Knockaert was lively and was my MoM (not much competition) but often drifted into the centre from wide right and this seemed to compress our formation to the extent that we were tripping over each other, combined with Murphy having a very poor game which meant there were no real outlets to spread the play and get Rotherham on the back foot.

Defensively we seem to be losing the plot and gifting too many self inflicted goals. Firstly Dunk's slip wrong footing Ridgewell and later Ridgewell's initial error leading to Bruno's kamikaze header nicely setting up a tap in for Rotherham from within our own 6 yard area. Two very stupid and feeble errors that were deservedly punished. This calamitous trend is baffling given the collective defensive experience and expertise of our coaching staff. That's without Stockdale's nightmare moment when he froze with ball under his feet, instead of comfortably hoofing the ball away.

The irony is that we probably had the best 3 or 4 scoring chances in the game but fluffed all of them. IMO our tactical substitutions all came a bit too late. Zamora had a positive impact and KLL should have been brought on much sooner, although he barely received any decent service. Wilson mostly struggled but had his best moments just as the game opened out. He then got subbed, when perhaps a quiet Hemed could have been replaced instead.

Finally a shout for the contingent of Donny fans in the away end with us, sorry we didn't give you much entertainment other than a lesson in how not to defend .

 

[Durlston]

Hughton couldn't shake a dice, get rid before this season is ruined

Ernest, you're a good poster on here but for you to even think of getting rid of Chris Hughton is crazy. Who would you like to replace him? Pep Guardiola?

Maybe I'm being whooshed?

 

[Ernest]

Ernest, you're a good poster on here but for you to even think of getting rid of Chris Hughton is crazy. Who would you like to replace him? Pep Guardiola?

Maybe I'm being whooshed?

I told you , Jose Mourinho

 

[Scotty Mac]

David Stockdale's kicking last night was about as good as letting an ISIS member loose at the Wailing Wall. The fact he had the nerve to swear atvpeople who had made the effort to go to Rotherham, ****ing ROTHERHAM on a Tuesday night is piss poor in anyone's eyes

Sheffield is a good night out mind

 

[Insel affe]

Wilson needs a break. Whatever was wrong with him was clearly draining and I'm not convinced he should have been forced to play through it.

I was actually thinking (which is dangerous) that since the little boy wonder has joined us, we have dramatically taken a nose dive in form. Could this have something with trying to include him in the squad, there is no doubt he is talented but....

somethings not right..... can we blame the manc !!!

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Liam Ridgewell looks a very basic defender. It was his endless hoofing which started the sequence for their second. And a friend pointed out he is the knob who was photographed wiping his arse with 50 pound notes a few years back. I'll be happy when he's back in Potland.

And Stockdale can "do one" himself. He's happy to take it when when we're doing well. He needs to learn to take it when we're not.

 

[smiler]

Can't argue with much else in your post but I don't recall any such gesture from Stockdale.

Freezing cold and absolutely dire.

I noticed the gesture after someone shouted something like "come on David" If he's that sensitive he shouldnt be a footballer

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Liam Ridgewell looks a very basic defender. It was his endless hoofing which started the sequence for their second. And a friend pointed out he is the knob who was photographed wiping his arse with 50 pound notes a few years back. I'll be happy when he's back in Potland.

And Stockdale can "do one" himself. He's happy to take it when when we're doing well. He needs to learn to take it when we're not.

An attempt to hoof clear, charged down by the winger (POSSIBLY with his hand - was too far away to tell) who strolled to the bye line, while Ridgewell stood whining about the handball.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

David Stockdale's kicking last night was about as good as letting an ISIS member loose at the Wailing Wall. The fact he had the nerve to swear atvpeople who had made the effort to go to Rotherham, ****ing ROTHERHAM on a Tuesday night is piss poor in anyone's eyes

Sheffield is a good night out mind

Where did the swearing at fans come from? There is some debate as to whether he gestured to the fans or was annoyed with himself., but swearing at fans? I was in the front row so had a good view of all that went on.

 

[Tomo1794]

Where did the swearing at fans come from? There is some debate as to whether he gestured to the fans or was annoyed with himself., but swearing at fans? I was in the front row so had a good view of all that went on.

The way I saw it was he was annoyed with himself, made a 'gesture' towards the fans to convey this annoyance. Definitely no swearing from my point of view. (Row O)

 

[Albion in the north]

The way I saw it was he was annoyed with himself, made a 'gesture' towards the fans to convey this annoyance. Definitely no swearing from my point of view. (Row O)

Thats pretty much how I saw it.