Back From The Game - Watford (H)

[Terminal Boardom]

The 4-1 home win in 94/5 was fairly entertaining

[Maguire]

We were so hilariously shit at the back for the first 35 minutes that I thought it was April 1st.

[brendywendy]

Now it's SO PREDICTABLE that we're gonna put it down the wings and consequently teams will double up on our wingers, like what happened today. Now we're really being shown for who we really are...a distinctly average mid table team.

That is spot on. We get possession, advance to 5-10 yards inside the opponents half, and the ball then goes sideways.
It's all very well using this style of play to stretch defences, but for it to work, it requires more movement off the ball from team mates, and support from the full backs. It also requires the wingers to deliver accurate ball into danger areas.
McAnuff got tackled before he could deliver, and Kebe's crosses were seldom accurate.

We are over reliant on our wingers because it is painfully obvious that we have no threat through the middle.
It makes it relatively simple for opponents to set their stall out against us, because we are so predictable.

But any player who represents their country at any level has to have talent.

.
Really? HRK is a full international.

all very good, but after the last game everyone was moaning that we never had an option on the wings, and tried to do everything down th emiddle.

[ZacNaloen]

HRK's biggest problem is that he never asks for the ball (or he never gets passed it for some reason), that's the main reason it seems like he doesn't do anything when he comes on.

Or it could be because Jobi goes in the middle whenever he comes on and we try to play through him.

[Hoop Blah]

Or that he doesn't get in good enough positions to warrent the ball.

Or perhaps his teammates don't trust him with the ball so look for Kebe or the front two more often instead.

[ZacNaloen]

Those two would fall under the never gets given it for some reason option.

[under the tin]

Now it's SO PREDICTABLE that we're gonna put it down the wings and consequently teams will double up on our wingers, like what happened today. Now we're really being shown for who we really are...a distinctly average mid table team.

That is spot on. We get possession, advance to 5-10 yards inside the opponents half, and the ball then goes sideways.
It's all very well using this style of play to stretch defences, but for it to work, it requires more movement off the ball from team mates, and support from the full backs. It also requires the wingers to deliver accurate ball into danger areas.
McAnuff got tackled before he could deliver, and Kebe's crosses were seldom accurate.

We are over reliant on our wingers because it is painfully obvious that we have no threat through the middle.
It makes it relatively simple for opponents to set their stall out against us, because we are so predictable.

But any player who represents their country at any level has to have talent.

.
Really? HRK is a full international.

all very good, but after the last game everyone was moaning that we never had an option on the wings, and tried to do everything down th emiddle.

If you're on about the QPR game, I think that most were moaning about Reading's version of "doing everything down the middle" was to hoof it aimlesly forward, giving their centre backs heading practice. We resorted to this because a) we don't have a genuinely creative midfielder, and b) because QPR sorted our wing threat out at source.

[brendywendy]

i dont think i am, but may be mistaken

[Ian Royal]

Just got back home.

To start some rants for Y25 & 26:

Stop behaving like children you infantile bunch of retarded oxf*rd. Banging your seats petulantly like spoilt stupid little brats when things don't go the way you want them to. Grow the oxf*rd up! And as for booing HRK for coming on, you absolutely sicken me you bunch of oxf*rd. Happily I shouldn't have to put up with you in future as I have no intention of sitting in either of those mong infested pits of idiocy again.

On to the game:
Typical performance of a team bereft of confidence. We looked far better in the middle than we have most of the season with Legs & Howard who can both pick a pass and show composure. Our defence was a touch more exposed with Howard in instead of Karacan / Tabb, be we looked much better for it and still had reasonable threat despite Watford doing their homework and doubling and trippling up on Kebe & McAnuff in a tactic that would normally completely shut us down.

The defence is frustrating. At times utterly woeful and at other times comfortably solid. Short corner routines were idiotic beyond belief. By all means take the odd one to catch the defence napping when there's one or fewer defenders out there. Taking three or four in a row when there are defenders out there and ready marking you is just retarded.

Federici: 7 - pulled off an amazing save to keep us in the game at 0-1, don't think you can blame him for the scramble, but will watch highlights later.
Griffin: 6 some poor crosses, but generally alright, overlapped well.
Harte: 5 done completely in the build up to the goal iirc and causes so many problems for us defensively. To play him we need two clever, mobile centrebacks. We don't have them.
Mills: 6 defence was a shambles first half, that's his job to sort out.
Ingimarsson: 6 not the player he was, shouldn't be starting, just not good enough anymore
McAnuff: 7 lively but just took it too far too often. Not helped by working with Harte and having so many defenders on him.
Kebe: 6 poor game from Kebe, didn't look at the races at all. Should have been subbed for Antonio with 30 to go.
Howard: 8 couple of poor passes and losing of the ball, but played so many intelligent balls and gave us some threat through the middle.
Leigterwood: 9 MOTM combined really well as a pairing with Howard, we must sign him.
Long: 6 worked hard but it didn't come off for him.
Hunt: 5 (bonus point for scoring) Otherwise he was diabolical adding absolutely nothing and far more guilty of losing the ball than Howard.

Church: 6 some good link up play, forced a decent save iirc made one poor pass.
HRK: 6 game was over by the time he came on, nothing particularly bad.. can't blame him for not beating his men when Kebe & McAnuff couldn't.
McCarty: 7 did exactly what he had to, showed composure. Well done!

[sandman]

The defending is definitely a problem this year, often overshadowed by Long being the Lone Ranger up front. Not having Bertrand is showing and not having him created almost as big a hole as losing Sigs. I think we have a couple defenders whom are part of England's U-17(or U-19?) squad. Jack Mills is one and the name of the other lad escapes me. Point is we do have some good young talent in the system but how close are they to making an impact? But any player who represents their country at any level has to have talent.

Angus McDonald is the other one. They are frankly fairly awful, no concentration, not good enough in the air, not strong enough in the tackle. Mind you, I haven't seen either play since we scrapped the reserve team. I don't see a future in our team for either of them. Noel Blake is known to be clueless, so their England involvement means nothing. I'd much rather have Harte and Griffin at centre back than those two.

Because reserve games really show up players stengths and weaknesses. Considering the fact that a lot of people on this site say any player coming through our system is overrated and won't make it in the first team I'll hold off on making a judgement on both players until I've seen them in a competitive environment. Rather than a glorified kickabout against Aldershot reserves.

[ZacNaloen]

@ 17 year olds not being strong enough against adults in the reserve league


Lets see how they do when they've grown up a bit more.

[Hoop Blah]

IIRC SCAIG has watched a lot of the youth and reserve team football over the years and so is pretty well placed to form an opinion.

Anyone who's watched players develop has a feel for their strengths and weaknesses and how they compare to their peers and other youths to come through before them.

Any player might suddenly have a spurt in their development but you can form an opinion on these lads by watching them play below the first team.

[ZacNaloen]

I've seen enough young players written off only for them to come good a season later to know I can pretty ignore anything that is said about a player until they are playing regular league football.

[Hoop Blah]

I've seen enough young players written off only for them to come good a season later to know I can pretty ignore anything that is said about a player until they are playing regular league football.

What about those majority that don't get that far? Some people actually watch some of that development and so can form an opinion.

If these guys don't get as far as playing league football, does that mean you can't have an opinion that they weren't good enough?

I too ignore a lot of what people post on here, but I seem to remember that this poster actually has a bit of a clue when talking about our youngsters because he actually watches them and doesn't just read the PR posted on the OS about our hot prospects.

[ZacNaloen]

There's a distinction between players that graduated from the academy and got professional contracts and those that never made it that you seem to be missing here.

[Hoop Blah]

Plenty of youngsters who were awarded professional terms have never made it.

[ZacNaloen]

And even more youngsters have made it.


Until these players are observed in a competitive environment in a proper team no one can speak for their ability.

Oh and Jack Mills

Jack had a steady game at the back and is beginning to settle in / look the part. He was much busier then the prevoius week but with Telstar playing the whole of the second half with 10 men away from home, it was to be expected. He appears to be the sort of player that does things effortlessly and his positioning is spot on.

Sounds shit.

[Hoop Blah]

Yet, about the league their playing, the same poster said:

The level of football in the Jupiler League isn't great, probably akin to your 2nd division, but it's very technical and all about keeping the ball, the complete opposite to hoofball

I'm not writing these lads off, but the standard is pretty low and the opposite of our physical and attritional football that SCAIG implied they weren't cut out (or at least ready) for. I'm not saying he's right or wrong, just that dismissing his/her opinion on the basis that you haven't seen them in league football is a little odd.

[Big Foot]

Just got back home.

To start some rants for Y25 & 26:

Stop behaving like children you infantile bunch of retarded oxf*rd. Banging your seats petulantly like spoilt stupid little brats when things don't go the way you want them to. Grow the oxf*rd up! And as for booing HRK for coming on, you absolutely sicken me you bunch of oxf*rd. Happily I shouldn't have to put up with you in future as I have no intention of sitting in either of those mong infested pits of idiocy again.

LOL @ you

[ZacNaloen]

Regardless of the quality of that league, it's going to be a better indicator of his abilities than playing a reserve game.

Also SCIAG implied they weren't good enough for the physical side of the game they weren't even fully developed physically yet. He may be your friend or something but that is completely laughable.

Further more I'm not going to give credence to any anonymous opinion on the internet without seeing anything to back it up regardless of how many games you or he claims to have watched. And don't think that by posting what hup holland hup has to say means I'm giving that anymore credence, I was merely point out that there are already conflicting opinions.