17-12-2021, 21:38
I see Hugill starts again tonight.
Just sayin'....
Just sayin'....
WBA vs Reading & Barnsley - Match Thread
17-12-2021, 22:13
Did Ismail get a good - or bad - reception from the Home fans?
Start every day off with a smile and get it over with
17-12-2021, 23:45
That is such a poor poor group of players. Utter panic whenever we got to a good position - crossing was shocking. Chris Brunt would make a massive difference
Livermore-Mowatt does not work. So beige. TGH and Molumby at least bring movement and intent
Livermore-Mowatt does not work. So beige. TGH and Molumby at least bring movement and intent
17-12-2021, 23:48
I am starting to wonder if Hugill has some compromising photos of Ismail or something, I cant see how else he keeps getting on the pitch. Neither do I understand how Robinson can be taken off while JH is left on, I would have taken of JH put Grant central with Robbo on one side and Diag on the other??????????
18-12-2021, 01:39
(This post was last modified: 18-12-2021, 01:45 by Slick_Footwork.)
It was a tough watch... again...
Hideous really...
Hugill gets a lot of slating on here and rightly so, but IMO our entire frontline is woeful.
Every week we play with 3 and there's rarely any link up play, give and goes, interplay. The ball never sticks. No care taken with the passing. It doesn't matter which trio Ismael picks, it's like you've taken 3 people off the street who have never played together and stuck them on a field. Not only are we short of a goalscorer, we really need a footballer who can drop in the hole and link the play.
Our style of play is absolutely atrocious to watch and I'm finding our away performances in particular like pulling teeth.
That said, the league is so poor that we would probably walk it if we just added a proper centre forward who could hold the ball up and finish.
But that's not really enough to excuse the utter dross we're serving up week in and week out.
I'm the first to admit that this is the poorest "footballing" squad we've had for many years. In terms of league position, we have exceeded my expectations... But despite that, I really think we deserve to watch better than this. I feel for the fans who travelled today - a freezing misty night, covid on the rise, expensive tickets near Christmas - and having to endure that crap.
Johnstone going up for the corner at the end summed it up for me... the manager is barking mad.
If Ismael wants to win so much, rather than sending the goalkeeper forward in the last minute how's about a plan B during the game...
Perhaps sacrificing one of the lumbering central defenders for an extra midfielder so we can actually play through the park for once. Or allowing the players a few seconds to put their foot on the ball rather than instructing them to just hoof it aimlessly into the channels within a millisecond of receiving the ball. Or playing the excellent Gardner-Hickman rather than the woeful Darnell Furlong so we can actually keep some crosses in the parameters of the pitch for once.
Oh I forgot, our only plan is to score from a long throw so Furlong is nailed on even though he can't kick a ball straight....
We actually looked better against Reading with square pegs in round holes because at least then we had Jake and Reachy who could bring the ball out from the back. I really think you need central defenders who are accomplished on the ball to succeed with this formation and ours are far from it...
Up until now I've supported the manager because I've thought maybe this style of play will get the best results out of this limited squad. However, after tonight, I'm not sure how much longer I can. I'm absolutely sick of watching dreadful football week in and week out. Away from home I never fancy us to get anything. At home we still have the fear factor, but as soon as that first defeat comes, I fancy them to start flowing. I really can't see us getting promoted and with that in mind, I'd rather see us build a side that actually tries to play some football rather than this dour agricultural dross.
I'd go as far as to say this is worse than under Pulis. At least under Pulis we had a gameplan of sitting back and breaking to nick a goal. I really can't see the gameplan here. In the first few games of the season we ran like mad and pressed, but I've not seen that for months...
I don't know where we go from here. The manager clearly isn't going to change his ways. Formation, tactics, subs... the same every game...
Maybe a miracle January signing can save the day and get us promoted, but I harbour no hopes at all of us being watchable under Ismael.
Hideous really...
Hugill gets a lot of slating on here and rightly so, but IMO our entire frontline is woeful.
Every week we play with 3 and there's rarely any link up play, give and goes, interplay. The ball never sticks. No care taken with the passing. It doesn't matter which trio Ismael picks, it's like you've taken 3 people off the street who have never played together and stuck them on a field. Not only are we short of a goalscorer, we really need a footballer who can drop in the hole and link the play.
Our style of play is absolutely atrocious to watch and I'm finding our away performances in particular like pulling teeth.
That said, the league is so poor that we would probably walk it if we just added a proper centre forward who could hold the ball up and finish.
But that's not really enough to excuse the utter dross we're serving up week in and week out.
I'm the first to admit that this is the poorest "footballing" squad we've had for many years. In terms of league position, we have exceeded my expectations... But despite that, I really think we deserve to watch better than this. I feel for the fans who travelled today - a freezing misty night, covid on the rise, expensive tickets near Christmas - and having to endure that crap.
Johnstone going up for the corner at the end summed it up for me... the manager is barking mad.
If Ismael wants to win so much, rather than sending the goalkeeper forward in the last minute how's about a plan B during the game...
Perhaps sacrificing one of the lumbering central defenders for an extra midfielder so we can actually play through the park for once. Or allowing the players a few seconds to put their foot on the ball rather than instructing them to just hoof it aimlessly into the channels within a millisecond of receiving the ball. Or playing the excellent Gardner-Hickman rather than the woeful Darnell Furlong so we can actually keep some crosses in the parameters of the pitch for once.
Oh I forgot, our only plan is to score from a long throw so Furlong is nailed on even though he can't kick a ball straight....
We actually looked better against Reading with square pegs in round holes because at least then we had Jake and Reachy who could bring the ball out from the back. I really think you need central defenders who are accomplished on the ball to succeed with this formation and ours are far from it...
Up until now I've supported the manager because I've thought maybe this style of play will get the best results out of this limited squad. However, after tonight, I'm not sure how much longer I can. I'm absolutely sick of watching dreadful football week in and week out. Away from home I never fancy us to get anything. At home we still have the fear factor, but as soon as that first defeat comes, I fancy them to start flowing. I really can't see us getting promoted and with that in mind, I'd rather see us build a side that actually tries to play some football rather than this dour agricultural dross.
I'd go as far as to say this is worse than under Pulis. At least under Pulis we had a gameplan of sitting back and breaking to nick a goal. I really can't see the gameplan here. In the first few games of the season we ran like mad and pressed, but I've not seen that for months...
I don't know where we go from here. The manager clearly isn't going to change his ways. Formation, tactics, subs... the same every game...
Maybe a miracle January signing can save the day and get us promoted, but I harbour no hopes at all of us being watchable under Ismael.
18-12-2021, 09:25
(18-12-2021, 01:39)Slick_Footwork Wrote: It was a tough watch... again...
Hideous really...
Hugill gets a lot of slating on here and rightly so, but IMO our entire frontline is woeful.
Every week we play with 3 and there's rarely any link up play, give and goes, interplay. The ball never sticks. No care taken with the passing. It doesn't matter which trio Ismael picks, it's like you've taken 3 people off the street who have never played together and stuck them on a field. Not only are we short of a goalscorer, we really need a footballer who can drop in the hole and link the play.
Our style of play is absolutely atrocious to watch and I'm finding our away performances in particular like pulling teeth.
That said, the league is so poor that we would probably walk it if we just added a proper centre forward who could hold the ball up and finish.
But that's not really enough to excuse the utter dross we're serving up week in and week out.
I'm the first to admit that this is the poorest "footballing" squad we've had for many years. In terms of league position, we have exceeded my expectations... But despite that, I really think we deserve to watch better than this. I feel for the fans who travelled today - a freezing misty night, covid on the rise, expensive tickets near Christmas - and having to endure that crap.
Johnstone going up for the corner at the end summed it up for me... the manager is barking mad.
If Ismael wants to win so much, rather than sending the goalkeeper forward in the last minute how's about a plan B during the game...
Perhaps sacrificing one of the lumbering central defenders for an extra midfielder so we can actually play through the park for once. Or allowing the players a few seconds to put their foot on the ball rather than instructing them to just hoof it aimlessly into the channels within a millisecond of receiving the ball. Or playing the excellent Gardner-Hickman rather than the woeful Darnell Furlong so we can actually keep some crosses in the parameters of the pitch for once.
Oh I forgot, our only plan is to score from a long throw so Furlong is nailed on even though he can't kick a ball straight....
We actually looked better against Reading with square pegs in round holes because at least then we had Jake and Reachy who could bring the ball out from the back. I really think you need central defenders who are accomplished on the ball to succeed with this formation and ours are far from it...
Up until now I've supported the manager because I've thought maybe this style of play will get the best results out of this limited squad. However, after tonight, I'm not sure how much longer I can. I'm absolutely sick of watching dreadful football week in and week out. Away from home I never fancy us to get anything. At home we still have the fear factor, but as soon as that first defeat comes, I fancy them to start flowing. I really can't see us getting promoted and with that in mind, I'd rather see us build a side that actually tries to play some football rather than this dour agricultural dross.
I'd go as far as to say this is worse than under Pulis. At least under Pulis we had a gameplan of sitting back and breaking to nick a goal. I really can't see the gameplan here. In the first few games of the season we ran like mad and pressed, but I've not seen that for months...
I don't know where we go from here. The manager clearly isn't going to change his ways. Formation, tactics, subs... the same every game...
Maybe a miracle January signing can save the day and get us promoted, but I harbour no hopes at all of us being watchable under Ismael.
I can’t disagree with you. There seems to be no pattern to our play, very little running off the ball by the forwards to create space and precious little creativity in central midfield, mainly because he relies upon the wing backs to support the two in midfield. Like you I thought the Reading performance was quite eye opening; we played the ball to feet, kept possession, created a shedload of chances -ok, we missed the lot bar one but we’ve known for ages our forwards couldn’t hit a cow’s arse with a banjo. Last night we returned to type.
It’s obvious he’s wedded to this formation and won’t change and, partly as as a result, we have the meanest defence in the league (although Fulham took it apart). However, the midfield is, for me, largely ineffective as a result, not helped by the fact that Livermore is one of the two. If he went to a back four, he could play another, creative player in midfield. This may compromise our defensive record but it would, hopefully, add something to our creativity
The light at the end of the tunnel is the light of an oncoming train
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