whitey1980

Agree with everything said thus far about the evenings game, but wish we would retain our positivity when in front.

The first 15 minutes of the second half were breathtaking and we simply blew them away......and then sat deep and went long into the channels!!

When we have the tempo in our game that we did through that spell our movement flows and we destroy teams....slow it down and we end up with poor options and heading backwards!!

I think he will be pretty disappointed. It was a really poor clearance that led to the goal and although I will reserve judgement for the moment, it appeared an error for the equalising goal to me!!

For a goalkeeper with his range he would also have expected to save more than one penalty. He got hands on at least 4 by my recollection!!

Far too early to judge as a long term prospect however!!

He is a solid dependable goalkeeper, who at the age he is (and at his height, which is on the short side for a football league goalkeeper), does not have a tremendous range as a shot stopper.

Anybody who underestimates the organisation and structure that he brings to us defensively knows nothing about the position. His distribution is also integral to our attacking play - as is his ability to clear off either foot, given the number of times he is touching the ball in general play!! They also ignore the defensive statistics since he returned to the side last season.

This is not to say he is irreplaceable - he clearly isn't. However with a largely young back 4 of late, it would have to be a very good and confident goalkeeper at this level doing it!!

Finally, I am sure he will be disappointed at the goal conceded yesterday - but any strike coming through a defender at that range is never easy. It is the goals conceded from range that should trouble him more!!

I don't disagree with the assessment of Rachubka for the goal - and felt it was soft in real time. That said, only he will know how much of it he saw and its flight appeared to take a slight deflection to me!!

The sending off was soft......and would certainly not have been given the other way. I have rarely felt actually cheated by an official (and team of!) but yesterday was a disgrace!!

It actually disrupted our tempo yesterday as we were not able to press them in the top two thirds of the pitch as we clearly had set out to do!!

Is anybody else a touch concerned that we are fading so markedly in the final 20 minutes of games?

There are some god awful seasons in here, but the Penney one was horrific.

I will never forget the 3-2 home defeat against Brentford when Latics fans were turning on each other in the Rochdale Rd end - horrific - and watched by about 2500!!

It cannot be worse than that - although watching Maidstone tonight in the cup reminds you it can!!

Anybody hearing his comments on the Rooney rule on radio 5 a few months ago could have any doubts how out of touch he was.

The 'coloured lads' just don't fancy coaching - but are lovely lads!! The casual racism and ignorance in his language was unbelievable!!

Radio 5 had to apologise as soon as he left the air!!

Aye aye cap'n.

 

While we're at it, do you fancy Lions-Chiefs at Wembley next year? Ask your effeminate younger brother too.

Book it in lad!!

Bellew is an excellent pundit but turns into a complete prick for his own fights.

 

Cleverly will beat him easily

Absolutely spot on in both regards - I don't think I have been anything other than completely underwhelmed when watching his fights!!

I say this every year, but I'm definitely getting ESPN next year so I can start getting into college football properly.

Get it sorted lad!!

The NFL has left me quite bored this year in truth with a lot of one sided games - especially on a Thursday!!

I Fancied Denver were looking well balanced until they got pulverised in New England....which looked suspiciously like their superbowl capitulation last year!!

Past them though it is wide open - really tough break for the Cardinals this week with Palmer done for the year - I think that probably rules them out but you never know!

I was talking about the college play off when I asked the question as that has been sensational by comparison!

The Alabama - Mississippi State game tonight should be an absolute cracker, and what the selection panel are going to do if 'Bama win (and they both win out) god only knows!!

Was gutted for Ole Miss and for the young receiver who injured himself 2 inches before the possible winning score against Auburn. To lose like they did against them and LSU must have been tough to take!!

I can't see Florida State winning it as they have been awful in games like Clemson and Louisville - and I can't see them getting away with the turnovers against a top opponent.

You've got to fancy the Ducks, but that defeat against Arizona - a bit like the Virginia Tech defeat for Ohio State - has to leave a few doubts.

Probably Mississipi State for me - certainly if they get past Alabama this evening!!

I see no evidence that Mellor will go on to be a significantly better player elsewhere.

The point about the Rotherham game is significant - as was his non-performance in the game at Brentford. On both occasions his manager had trusted him to deliver in a big game (in the first instance, making changes to a side that had performed superbly at Preston.) and in both cases he let his manager down royally.

Thus despite being re-signed for his versatility he is plainly well down the pecking order at this time which is fair enough.

If he does well somewhere else in the future he will have demonstrated mental strength he has not shown here - and I hope for his sake he does.

His early performances as a ball playing fullback are sadly a distant memory, I for one have doubts he will hit those heights again.

Who do you fancy for the playoffs chaps?

To be honest, I am not convinced that we don't run out of gas at times in those final 30 minutes.

The game we play at our best is so dependent on pace and movement that becomes all that much harder to produce the longer the game goes on.

When we are in front and teams start to gamble by pressing us higher up the pitch we are vulnerable to players becoming isolated and picked off if the movement drops.

In addition we tend to use time in possession as recovery when we have been under pressure. If we don't have the ball and don't have that luxury, then we inevitably end up too deep!!

On the plus side we have actually defended well of late - particularly balls into the box that have hurt us in previous seasons!

One aspect of the side that has helped all the back 5 (if you include Kelly as a deep lying midfielder) has been the quality of Rachubka's distribution.

He is excellent at inviting the runner into space with ball in hand which has allowed both the full backs to offer up the line with confidence.

In addition his comfort with the ball at both his feet means the centre backs and Kelly can offer in tighter situations and still have the return ball as a safe option.

Its a strength of his game that is crucial to us at present.

Anybody who thinks Liam Kelly is ':censored:e' knows absolutely nothing about football - or indeed about how our manager is setting us up to play.

He was efficient, unremarkable, yet essential to a hard fought, scrappy - and all the more valuable for it! - win!!

We have to work on maintaining the tempo of our play as we tire in the second half, and ensuring we keep our options when in possession is key.

To do that well, Liam Kelly is absolutely essential!!

I think Lockwood will really struggle in the side with the current demands on our centre backs.

He has never looked comfortable when stretched into wider areas and yet in our current system thats exactly what we require our centre backs to do when we are in possession.

Would have him even behind Dieng at present.

As for Brown, as others have said, good move for all parties for the reasons discussed!!

I think the point that is trying to be made is that at times - and particularly when we are trying to attack quickly on the counter - Winchesters preference to want to hold the ball can slow the speed of attack.

When we are at home, this matters less, but particularly at Chesterfield (admittedly his worst performance) it was noticable - as was his fitness issue!

To disagree with the assessment is fine, but to suggest there is no logic is wrong IMHO!!

Some really unfair comments IMHO opinion about the tactical decision to leave Winchester out.

How it cost us a game we had been in complete control of (whilst admittedly not creating much!!) for half an hour is beyond me.

You could see from the way City started the game that they were desperate to stretch us wide - and early! Johnson had clearly tried to address this by having Dayton and Jones balancing our midfield in those wider areas that had been exposed in recent games.

Once we settled we were the better side, had more of the ball, and were on top of a good side who we gifted a goal to by switching off at a set play.

That's why we lost the game, a defensive mistake, pure and simple!!

As an aside, Kasunga should also have buried his free header just before the break!!

We were a little toothless, but so were they in truth - it was a tightly contested encounter between 2 good sides with 3 efforts on target in the entire game!!

Their goal was criminal from our point of view.

1. It was an extremely soft free kick.

2. We were too busy wrestling in the wall and weren't switched on.

3. We were in complete control of the game and had been for the half hour either side of half time.

We paid for a small lapse in concentration and that is a bitter pill to swallow.

That said we were excellent in possession for large periods and were better defensively than we have been in recent weeks.

We went to keep it tight and hoped to nick it - unfortunately we just came up short, but there should be no shame or panic in that!!

Should be a cracker and its clear that the flanks will be key.

Despite our attacking threat from wide we are very narrow defensively with the diamond employed and teams will try and target the space that we concede. Bradford did it very effectively in the second half for instance.

It sounds like Bristol City have similar defensive concerns, so will be interested to see if either manager considers changing formation.

I reckon it could be a high scoring draw, 2-2 wouldn't surprise me!!

Bloody hell, I thought he had retired years ago!!

Nevermind the great following, is Fulham's keeper wearing grey tracksuit bottoms a'la the great Gabor Kiraly???

Anyone else think Kelly was outstanding today? Getting better and better, i was probably one of the first to make my mind up that he was :censored: after 2-3 games, delighted to be wrong!

Can only see him getting better with games and he is crucial to our chances against the better sides in the division!!

Question 4: When was the last time we sent our best player on to stretch his legs at 4-1 up?

Winchester - really?

We were decent without being fantastic - they were truely woeful, but as some have suggested that was at least in part due to the pressure placed on them in the top third!!

Was pleasing that we could change the balance, shape and make up of the team and still win so comfortably.

Kelly, Philliskirk and Forte the standouts for me, with a nod to an improving Mills.

Saturdays team will be interesting!!