Madine, good player but

[Booker4]

I think we need to remember the game v Wednesday at home to remember it was the same and we started with McGoldrick that night. Whether it was long or short, if you play a team that plays men behind the ball and presses you hard in midfield, as Wednesday did,then its hard to find space. We didn't look any better for me when McGoldrick came on and it needed Duffy to come on, but my guess is that Wilder didn't want to risk us losing tonight. Wednesday's best hope was from us giving the ball away in midfield with us pushed up and them hitting us on the break. I think that's why we went longer to avoid the possibility of us giving it away in the centre. If you watch the highlights of Wednesday's last game v Brentford that's how Wednesday won from Brentford giving it away in midfield. It wasn't that we weren't our usual selves tonight, it was the type of game that most derbies are.

I also think the Leeds and Norwich results happening before ours wasn't ideal, as it put more pressure on us., I'm delighted its over, I hate derbies and thankfully we can move onto Saturday and Leeds have a tough one v Bristol.

 

[jt64]

If Madine had put that header half a yard either side and actually drawn the penalty when Hector was hauled down, would you be making this post?

 

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

Bit like Clarke and Sharp - Madine and Sharp don't complement each other. Both need someone running beyond them to stretch the play.

Madine and Hogan I believe is Tufty's masterplan.

 

[PokerBlade]

I thought the problem was Dowell. Had his worst game for us.

Thought this was the real problem. Not Dowell alone either but our whole midfield three were fairly anonymous for 70 minutes.

Madine did fine. Won his fair share, good flicks and lay offs, but without Duffy there was nothing joining the side together. As soon as McGoldrick came on and linked things up we looked like a different side. I think Duffy for Dowell would've had a similar impact.

Too many times the midfield weren't showing for the ball, forcing us long, and that just isn't our thing.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

Bit like Clarke and Sharp - Madine and Sharp don't complement each other.

And a bit like with Clarke & Sharp, I think that view is nonsense. Madine and Sharp were superb together when they started at Villa.

 

[Nicolaus_Copernicus]

Bit like Clarke and Sharp - Madine and Sharp don't complement each other. Both need someone running beyond them to stretch the play.

Madine and Hogan I believe is Tufty's masterplan.

Madine & Hogan? I seem to recall a far sighted visionary stating that they should start tonight on this very forum, pre-match.

 

[Carlton Blade]

Hector looked like a pub player. Gave away a cert pen and fouled constantly. Complete donkey.

He won almost every challenge he competed for. He's garbage on the ball but he can defend

 

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

He isn't slick enough in our style of play, we change our focus and he doesn't slot into pass and move play. Like has been said, a plan B.

He also doesn't close down anywhere near enough for our usual style.

 

[Pinchy]

Some just couldn’t wait to get the knives out for Madine.

Embarrassing.

 

[Pinchy]

not a starter for me. We launched it the whole time he was on the pitch. Great as a last 10 minutes plan b but not to start a match. If McGoldrick and Duffy start I think we win the game.

Oh well, thank fuck it's all over. We're still in it. UTB

He didn’t tell anyone to launch it. The lad is a very good, technically proficient, centre-forward. He can play football and we can play the right way with him in the team, as we did against Reading, Villa and briefly at WBA.

 

[Trigger Blade]

Hector looked like a pub player. Gave away a cert pen and fouled constantly. Complete donkey.

He got MOTM from Sky and the pundit who picked him started by saying he should have given a penalty away in the first half. That’s not a compelling argument to give him a gong in my book.

 

[Pinchy]

Should have scored and fell down like a sack of shit for most of the match. That said it was a nailed on penalty for me.

The agenda man cometh...

 

[Bladesman]

No surprise to see the troll keep trolling regardless of the result.

 

[TomHeffernan]

He didn’t tell anyone to launch it. The lad is a very good, technically proficient, centre-forward. He can play football and we can play the right way with him in the team, as we did against Reading, Villa and briefly at WBA.

Yes I know all that and I never said he did tell anyone to launch it. Launch it we did though. In fact I've never seen us play like that under Wilder before, Oldham apart.

 

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

And a bit like with Clarke & Sharp, I think that view is nonsense. Madine and Sharp were superb together when they started at Villa.

...and tonight they weren't. Your point being?

Of course there'll be games when they do ok, they're both great players. However, their games don't complement each other. It's not a criticism darling.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

However, their games don't complement each other.

So on the basis of one bad game together last night (I’d argue the first such game), you’re ignoring their other good games together where they linked very well as a pairing (rather than played well as individuals as you seem to be suggesting)?

 

[Speedracer]

He didn’t tell anyone to launch it.

Sorry but I can't agree with that. How do you know he didn't tell them to play that way? If he didn't & they ignored the managers instructions there would have been wholesale changes at half time & a different approach to the second half. There wasn't, so it was pretty evident they were playing to a game plan.

 

[John Street West Terrace]

He scores with the header & it’s a master stroke ... he misses and it’s a tactical error ? ..... That’s football .. think the issue was more about they stopped the ball from wide Stevens & Freeman never got forward so options were limited hence longer balls down middle which will favour CH’s

 

[Millhousesblade1889]

He just wasn’t the right option last night, but he was unreal against Villa/ Reading and played well against Norwich/ Boro....get off his back, quite a few didn’t turn up yesterday but I don’t see threads saying they’re not starters?

 

[Topplayersleave]

Dowell isn't going to play well when the midfield is getting bypassed

It reminded me of the time we had Leon Britton with Blackwell managing him

 

[Fulwood Blade]

He scores with the header & it’s a master stroke ... he misses and it’s a tactical error ? ..... That’s football .. think the issue was more about they stopped the ball from wide Stevens & Freeman never got forward so options were limited hence longer balls down middle which will favour CH’s

Agreed - but we should have changed tactics when this was plainly Wednesdays way of playing.

We can't stop what the opposition do, but the disappointment for me is we didn't change to tactics that gave us a chance of winning the game.

UTB

 

[Bladesway]

I don't think we should write off starting him, it was just the wrong game for him tonight.

Absolutely this. Everyone is an expert after the event but to just can the guy off and say he isn’t a starter is ridiculous.

I remember the same wise heads saying McGoldrick was shite after the corresponding game at BDTBL.

 

[Bladesway]

Agreed - but we should have changed tactics when this was plainly Wednesdays way of playing.

We can't stop what the opposition do, but the disappointment for me is we didn't change to tactics that gave us a chance of winning the game.

UTB

I am sorry but you absolutely can stop what the opposition do. You press them into mistakes and you stop them doing what they want to do.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

Absolutely this. Everyone is an expert after the event but to just can the guy off and say he isn’t a starter is ridiculous.

I remember the same wise heads saying McGoldrick was shite after the corresponding game at BDTBL.

We have a few fans that can’t think back further than a handful of games. I predict we’re one more non-scoring game away from calls for Sharp to be dropped. You’re seeing it now with Basham (back to being shit apparently), Madine and Dowell.

 

[BushBlade]

I am sorry but you absolutely can stop what the opposition do. You press them into mistakes and you stop them doing what they want to do.

Yes, that’s what the pigs did to us. At the expense of creating enough chances to win a home game against their bitter rivals.

It’s not actually possible to win every game but whenever we lose, and it may as well have been a loss last night, it’s because ‘Wilder fucked it up’.

Would I have done things different if I were manager? Probably. Would it have worked? Fuck knows, there’s no way of finding out, we can’t turn it off without saving it and play the game again with Didsy up front, or Hogan, or Duffy in midfield. So it’s just hypothetical.

(Not a dig at you personally, just my thoughts having read a number of posts from several posters who are brilliant back seat drivers).

 

[Fulwood Blade]

I am sorry but you absolutely can stop what the opposition do. You press them into mistakes and you stop them doing what they want to do.

OK, point taken - pressing high on the opposition pitch last night could have been dangerous. I would have preferred to nullify their closing down by playing quicker with more in midfield.

It's also United's mindset playing against teams like Wednesday last night. It's been our Achilles heel for a few years now - teams did it in L1 but at times we played round them. I thought we had cracked it as we did it v Reading/QPR at home and it looked good.

The question to ask is: why didn't we do it last night? It was obvious Wednesday didn't want to lose - we also seemed to have that mindset at times as we didn't commit fully the whole game.

Think our whole tactical game is up for question last night - lets hpe it was a one off considering who the opposition was.

UTB

 

[Booker4]

not a starter for me. We launched it the whole time he was on the pitch. Great as a last 10 minutes plan b but not to start a match. If McGoldrick and Duffy start I think we win the game.

Oh well, thank fuck it's all over. We're still in it. UTB

That's what happened at the Lane and we didn't do any better then. Yes, Wednesday parked the bus last night but it wasn't vastly different last night, I recall Fletcher in his own half when Wednesday were out of possession, we couldn't get behind them again. Its a game like last night that you need someone who can score from long range and Dowell is that man, but he had an off night.