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To be fair Doyle was unlucky not to score twice, Done and McNulty both had it not quite fall for them a yard out, good save from Brayford's shot and we nearly scored from a corner. Just unlucky."They controlled the game but didn't test our back four"
Says a lot.
"No end product" is the cliche to cover this one isn't it?
To be fair Doyle was unlucky not to score twice, Done and McNulty both had it not quite fall for them a yard out, good save from Brayford's shot and we nearly scored from a corner. Just unlucky.
Pleased we don't have to watch that style of football every week. Although some of our fans still call for it.
Various people seem convinced we need a big lad up front and have a dig at players being patient and keeping it on the floor.Who?
You're always going to have games where, despite being the better side, you don't quite get the win. Sadly we've had a few too many this year and that's what'll cost us.I thought we were unlucky and didn't play that bad . Thing is we ain't going to win every game . The teams above us will also drop points , but in reality we are too far behind to catch em. We have just got to keep the spirit and momentum going for the play offs.
Also the play offs are not a certainty or given right , never mind thinking we have a chance for the top two.
UTB
Various people seem convinced we need a big lad up front and have a dig at players being patient and keeping it on the floor.
Who?
So what does that really tell you about the term "better side" when referring to us this season? It certainly isn't a possession stat.You're always going to have games where, despite being the better side, you don't quite get the win. Sadly we've had a few too many this year and that's what'll cost us.
I don't note down specific names.Who?
It's got nothing to do with possession. More the fact we were all over them all game and they barely got out of their half. We moved the ball around the final third looking for openings and were unlucky not to score more. Being the better side doesn't simply constitute winning, as things don't always happen as they should.So what does that really tell you about the term "better side" when referring to us this season? It certainly isn't a possession stat.
Who is the "better side" from those that can pass the ball between them without creating a scoring opportunity or those that can win games effectively / grind out a result in this league? If it's happening that often I think it's arrogant to say we are the "better side" just 'cos we pass it about more than the oppo do. Many of these teams don't have the wage bill we have so have to play to the strengths of the players they have. We shouldn't be belittling teams in this league, as we used to be castigated in the higher leagues ourselves, for playing to the strengths that the available personnel allow.
The better sides at the end of a season will be those promoted.
That's the final measure. They tend to be the ones that score the most goals as well and that's a byproduct of creating decent goal scoring chances - and having the personnel to finish them.
We're beginning to get there but given the imperative to win and take advantage of others lapses at this stage of the season we need to be a far better side than we are currently exhibiting. Preston scored 4 at Oldham. First from a corner after 66 seconds. Second from a midfielder breaking through and cracking a belter. 3 and 4 from pressuring the defence (now low on confidence) into two dreadful errors that led to a goal.
It's about a mixture of things and not just pass pass pass - there has to be purpose and too many times this season that's the thing that has been sadly lacking.
Now, of course it's not over - MKD and Swindon are in faltering form. Only Brizzle and Preston appear to be the "better sides" in this league. The way it is panning out is that those two will be promoted automatically and we will be in yet another play off situation. We could yet achieve a greater proportion of possession over a two leg play off semi and still not make the final. Would that constitute us being a "better side"?
It's got nothing to do with possession. More the fact we were all over them all game and they barely got out of their half. We moved the ball around the final third looking for openings and were unlucky not to score more. Being the better side doesn't simply constitute winning, as things don't always happen as they should.
We scored 4 against Colchester, what's your point? Preston are in a good run of form, but having seen us against them numerous times I think we're a better team. They've benefitted from having a nasty streak we lack, but looking long term you get further playing as we are, and I'd much rather watch us than these various physical sides. Lack of money isn't an excuse, plenty of smaller sides are playing decent football nowadays.
Bristol and MK Dons are by no means direct, Swindon play passing football, the only arguable ones are Preston, and you won't get near the top of the Championship playing like that. Our issue has been an occasional lack of urgency, and luck, which has seemed to go our way a bit more lately.
I think the strength thing has been aided by Coutts. Even though we lost to MK I thought we could have won both. Swindon probably looked the best of the potential play off opponents and we beat them, so we've got a chance. True about strikers but few of them would have been reccomended at the start of the season, you often get people having a good year in league one, and the goals probably came as a result of creating more chances rather than better strikers. It's not as if we've missed loads of chances this year.The main difference between us and the teams above us is:
- they have had better strikers all season
- they have bigger, stronger players.
This disparity may cause problems in the playoffs, though I at least expect us to get there.
True about strikers but few of them would have been reccomended at the start of the season, you often get people having a good year in league one, and the goals probably came as a result of creating more chances rather than better strikers. It's not as if we've missed loads of chances this year.
It's got nothing to do with possession. More the fact we were all over them all game and they barely got out of their half. We moved the ball around the final third looking for openings and were unlucky not to score more. Being the better side doesn't simply constitute winning, as things don't always happen as they should.
We scored 4 against Colchester, what's your point? Preston are in a good run of form, but having seen us against them numerous times I think we're a better team. They've benefitted from having a nasty streak we lack, but looking long term you get further playing as we are, and I'd much rather watch us than these various physical sides. Lack of money isn't an excuse, plenty of smaller sides are playing decent football nowadays.
Bristol and MK Dons are by no means direct, Swindon play passing football, the only arguable ones are Preston, and you won't get near the top of the Championship playing like that. Our issue has been an occasional lack of urgency, and luck, which has seemed to go our way a bit more lately.
It's got nothing to do with possession. More the fact we were all over them all game and they barely got out of their half. We moved the ball around the final third looking for openings and were unlucky not to score more. Being the better side doesn't simply constitute winning, as things don't always happen as they should.
We scored 4 against Colchester, what's your point? Preston are in a good run of form, but having seen us against them numerous times I think we're a better team. They've benefitted from having a nasty streak we lack, but looking long term you get further playing as we are, and I'd much rather watch us than these various physical sides. Lack of money isn't an excuse, plenty of smaller sides are playing decent football nowadays.
Bristol and MK Dons are by no means direct, Swindon play passing football, the only arguable ones are Preston, and you won't get near the top of the Championship playing like that. Our issue has been an occasional lack of urgency, and luck, which has seemed to go our way a bit more lately.
All the top teams and around us all seem to have a nasty streak and a boat load of gamesmanship , when its suits . Now us blades don't go for that sort of thing and will not play the game like that . Whether it cost us getting out of this league only time will tell . The masters of this were Charlton when they got promoted . Give me a dose of being nasty , time wasting , if it gets us out of this league .
UTB
I think the lack of risk taking is down to a fear of abuse if they don't come off, which are crowd is particulary bad for. Whereas you see other clubs applauding the thought more often.I think it's half and half. We have had a few games where chances have not been taken and we've not won (Orient home, Bristol C home, Barnsley home) but by and larger when we've not won it's often because we haven't taken risks or we haven't had anyone to get on the end of the crosses that do come in.
That was why I was annoyed about JCR going - like Murphy he goes to the byline and can get the ball in the area, which Done has shown he can score from. Flynn and Davies do not do this, so done will not benefit.
I would agree re Coutts and I hope that Scougall is nowhere near the first XI when he gets fit.
Well we've had 3 players sent off this season for appalling 2 footed tackles, so there's some nastiness there.
We had at least one off the line, and a few near misses, whether it's the case in other games or not I think yesterday we were unlucky.But for all the pressure and playing a majority of the game in their half (by the way that constitutes possession) how many saves did the keeper make? How many shots were cleared off the line (not blocked as the player shoots because that is not a clear cut chance)? And winning the majority of your games makes you a "better side" in the league. The best one wins it and to do that you have to win more games than anyone else, ergo.....
Agree with you totally that we are set up for playing in a higher division and Preston may well struggle if they don't adapt in the Championship. The issue is that we are not set up to beat the "standard" teams in this division, as often as not, NOW. Preston have that edge, both physically and mentally (your aptly named nasty streak), which means they will steamroller teams - much as Wendy did 3 years ago. whereas we cannot. It's not a dimension we can call upon. Crewe is an example of a club looking to play tidy football on a very low budget and growing home talent but they are a million miles away from challenging for promotion because of the relative size of the club and the resources at their disposal. We are not looking to be a Crewe, though, are we?
If promotion is the aim then we have to be adaptable to win matches regardless of who we are playing. If we had the strikers at the start of the season I think we would be in the top two already, for sure, but we are playing catch up (again) and we still lack the quality overall to make our modus operandi of out-footballing teams a superiority instead of (sometimes) a liability.
I think the lack of risk taking is down to a fear of abuse if they don't come off, which are crowd is particulary bad for. Whereas you see other clubs applauding the thought more often.
Equally as important, a midfield 5 of : Flynn, Coutts, Doyle, Basham, Murphy is seriously short of creativity and goalscorers - only Murphy does goals and assists, with Flynn being OK from time to time, depending on his confidence.
This is where the Baxter and Scougall bashers ( and I am one of the latter types!) need to be careful what they wish for. Reed gets no games these days, why not? Fingers crossed for Wallace's fitness. We shouldn't take the field with only two/ three players who can realistically assist or score goals.
The loan out of Ryce is bewildering frankly.
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