You can’t ask for any more than that

[Slim Man]

We competed, went toe to toe with them. And when it was a fair battle we had a good share of the ascendancy too.
But when you have a squad of 11 fit senior players and a few blokes that have just come back from injury and the opposing team brings on over £200m of players there will always be a difference in the end.

We’re fighting a battle that we can’t win, but the key thing tonight is we were fighting. And that’s all we can ask for. Very happy with what I’ve seen.

The only downer is the difference when Mcburnie is not on the pitch. Both going forward and defensively (crosses, set pieces etc) he is our linchpin. A Massive miss.

Yet coming out of the ground we’ve still got doylems slagging us off. We really do have some thick fans.

Up Heckys blades

You just love to go against the grain. We have one point. We played against a side with Jonny Evans at cb and a right footed cb at left back. We didn’t even trouble them.

 

[1987]

We can't ask for any more than one competitive half in a match?

Is that really all we can ask for?

 

[Bl4desutd]

We competed, went toe to toe with them. And when it was a fair battle we had a good share of the ascendancy too.
But when you have a squad of 11 fit senior players and a few blokes that have just come back from injury and the opposing team brings on over £200m of players there will always be a difference in the end.

We’re fighting a battle that we can’t win, but the key thing tonight is we were fighting. And that’s all we can ask for. Very happy with what I’ve seen.

The only downer is the difference when Mcburnie is not on the pitch. Both going forward and defensively (crosses, set pieces etc) he is our linchpin. A Massive miss.

Yet coming out of the ground we’ve still got doylems slagging us off. We really do have some thick fans.

Up Heckys blades

My only complaint tonight was that Hecky left the substations too late again. Macatee had drifted out of the game and Archer was stretching his calf muscles every 2 minutes and we were starting to get overrun for the first time in the game. He left it too late to bring fresh legs on and the inevitable happened….they scored. This is not the first time it’s happened

 

[Slim Man]

I don't mind Osborn coming on, but he is a player that breaks up opposition play rather than a primary creative player. Therefore perhaps when the midfield was getting tired and they brought on Eriksen & co. We were dropping back, perhaps Osborn on before they scored? Oh look no swear words!

The bottom line is if we only make changes after the opposition takes the lead, in this league, we will struggle. However, much improved performance. Shame McBurnie had to go off.

It’s all he does. Reaction instead of proactive.

 

[Toronto Blade]

At least we kept the score down .Wes made some very good stops,even though they still hit the woodwork twice .2nd half they looked comfortable they knew they were tiring us passing around while we had to chase shadows

 

[Eels]

Look at the subs they made last 30 mins. Tons of millions. We're way out of our depth - just can't compete.

 

[Russ]

1st half was decent.

2nd half was atrocious. Fitness levels are abysmal for a supposed Premier league team. Every week we're gassed at 60 minutes. We've not got a single athletic player in our team and at this level you get found out.

So on that basis I reckon he needs to make at least 3 or 4 changes after 60 minutes.

The problem is what changes can we make that doesn’t weaken the team. Oh yes Hecky bring the lad on who looks 12 years old. He’s achieved so much this season!

 

[Nelson1889]

So on that basis I reckon he needs to make at least 3 or 4 changes after 60 minutes.

The problem is what changes can we make that doesn’t weaken the team. Oh yes Hecky bring the lad on who looks 12 years old. He’s achieved so much this season!

Or, and hear me out here because this is quite a radical thought, we get the players physically fit enough to play 90 minutes.

Not being technically good enough at this level is understandable and I think the vast majority accept we can't compete on that level. What we can do is compete physically and try and at least be competitive.

Most teams now know if they can hold us to 60 minutes we'll blow up and that's when they can start dominating us which inevitably leads to us conceding.

 

[DI36O]

Thought we gave a great account of ourselves first half but once you take the starters off and the subs on its a much weaker side. We don't have the personnel and the fitness is a huge problem.
Comparing our subs Brewster, Osborn, Traore to theirs - Martial, Eriksen, Garnacho, Varane, Mount - the difference in quality is a joke. All of their players who played today are better than any of ours.

Next two home games are Wolves and Bournemouth, we need 6 points from that really or 4 at an absolute minimum. If we get that I'm happy for him to stay, if not then I'm ambivalent. We'd need a genius to get much more out of this lot in this division but fair play if you want to roll the dice.

 

[Davalon]

So yeah let’s take off Mcatte and Hamer (our only two creative players) then shall we. And yeah let’s change once we are losing which was so obvious to see what was going to happen.

Maybe Slimane instead of Osborn who hasn’t kicked a ball in about 8 weeks?

1 point in 9 games. But yeah - we can’t ask for anymore can we….

Did you see McAtee when he went off?

 

[Davalon]

We should definitely be asking for more than that.

As Mr T used to say, 'Shud up fool'

 

[Houston_Blade]

As soon as McBurnie went off we were finished and there were 45 minutes left after that.

Not only that, we concede a goal and the genius decision is to immediately take off McAtee for Osborn, then later off comes Hamer.

It's almost like we're actively trying to keep the score down rather than get back in it.

We wouldn't have scored another with the finishing 11 if we were playing now and Man United had already left Sheffield

The McAtee and Hamer subs were due to them both being fucked. Archer would have been hooked for the same if we had grown up strikers on the bench.

 

[Houston_Blade]

We can't ask for any more than one competitive half in a match?

Is that really all we can ask for?

With the squad we have overall, the injuries and the squad we had available today I think it’s probably more than we can ask for.

As much as Hecky is failing, he’s been setup to fail and never had a chance this season.

A scenario where we we kept Ndiaye and Berge and didn’t buy Slimane, Souza and Traore as well as resigning Fleck and Osborn would have not left us that much out of pocket and we’d have had a lot more chance of competing in games this season.

 

[Rodley]

The McAtee and Hamer subs were due to them both being fucked. Archer would have been hooked for the same if we had grown up strikers on the bench.

Why are they running out of steam so early in games Del? Something is going south. We’re practically 10 games in! Luton seem capable of running around and they were in the conference not long ago!

 

[Houston_Blade]

Why are they running out of steam so early in games Del? Something is going south. We’re practically 10 games in! Luton seem capable of running around and they were in the conference not long ago!

In my opinion it’s because we spend far too much time chasing the ball instead of keeping the ball. It’s bloody hard to stay in shape, concentrate and chase shadows for 60 minutes, compared to making the opposition do the same and conserving energy.

We aren’t at the level where we can retain the ball so we have no option but to run our forward thinking players into the ground for 60 mins chasing after scraps.

 

[Rodley]

We aren’t at the level where we can retain the ball so we have no option but to run our forward thinking players into the ground for 60 mins chasing after scraps.

How are we worse than Luton? We can’t be significantly worse than them surely?

 

[DI36O]

In my opinion it’s because we spend far too much time chasing the ball instead of keeping the ball. It’s bloody hard to stay in shape, concentrate and chase shadows for 60 minutes, compared to making the opposition do the same and conserving energy.

We aren’t at the level where we can retain the ball so we have no option but to run our forward thinking players into the ground for 60 mins chasing after scraps.

Agree with this in principle and it applies to other games this season but we dominated play for about 25 minutes first half so why are they gassed at half time?
Anyone have the half time stats on possession?

 

[Davalon]

You just love to go against the grain. We have one point. We played against a side with Jonny Evans at cb and a right footed cb at left back. We didn’t even trouble them.

Jonny Evans is better than our centre halves and we played a left sided defender at right CH.

That's before we consider the fact that the cost of one of Man Utd's poorer players, Antony, outweighs the valuation of our entire squad.

 

[Keen Blade]

You can ask for less hoof, less mistakes and at least one decent corner though.

Hamer put in a Woody type thunderball of a corner but unfortunately Norwood took the others

 

[diplomat]

So yeah let’s take off Mcatte and Hamer (our only two creative players) then shall we. And yeah let’s change once we are losing which was so obvious to see what was going to happen.

Maybe Slimane instead of Osborn who hasn’t kicked a ball in about 8 weeks?

1 point in 9 games. But yeah - we can’t ask for anymore can we….

I don’t understand the reluctance with giving slimane minutes. But then I’ve barely seen him so can’t comment really.

 

[Houston_Blade]

Agree with this in principle and it applies to other games this season but we dominated play for about 25 minutes first half so why are they gassed at half time?
Anyone have the half time stats on possession?

Us ‘dominating’ possession isn’t like other teams though and that was certainly the case tonight, we graft and work hard but we don’t stroke the ball around and watch the opposition chase the ball. It’s all frenetic, up and at ‘em, chase it down, run a lot style football. That’s what we did for 25 mins today, before they broke and scored with their first decent foray forwards.

 

[diplomat]

Jonny Evans is better than our centre halves and we played a left sided defender at right CH.

That's before we consider the fact that the cost of one of Man Utd's poorer players, Antony, outweighs the valuation of our entire squad.

We’d take Evans and the much maligned Harry in a heartbeat wouldn’t we? That’s the chasm between us and this league. Plus we’d probably have no money for the rest of the entire squad wages if we did have them. That’s the problem.

 

[Houston_Blade]

How are we worse than Luton? We can’t be significantly worse than them surely?

I really don’t know, we seem a long way off anything I’ve seen this season though. Burnley are bad, but that’s because they try to play and aren’t as good as the others. We don’t have a style and flit from trying to not trying from game to game.

 

[Keen Blade]

My only complaint tonight was that Hecky left the substations too late again. Macatee had drifted out of the game and Archer was stretching his calf muscles every 2 minutes and we were starting to get overrun for the first time in the game. He left it too late to bring fresh legs on and the inevitable happened….they scored. This is not the first time it’s happened

My only complaint tonight was that Hecky
has only switched to 442 coz he had only 2 fit CBs , when he should have done this ages ago.
Played Hamer & McAtee the whole game on their weaker side of the pitch even though he like me watched McAtee run through teams last season on the left.
Put Osborn on instead of Slimane
Never brought in cover for McBurnie
Signed tiny Traore when we needed an big strong striker
Signed crock Tom Davies
Made a lot of questionable summer signings
Keeps playing Norwood
And loads of other rubbish decisions
His recruitment especially of fragile unfit unathletic specimens , tactics , substitutions and failure to acquire any real leader on the pitch try my patience.
There is a real inertia about the club.
The owner doesn't want us but is stuck with us and is never here.
The manager is on a five year contract so we can't afford to change him.
The players are leaderless and the injury list never shortens.
The whole thing resembles that stupid hotel.

 

[Paddy1]

Who? Who the fuck do you want to bring on? Come on, one of you has to answer that question tonight

Stuart McCall and Jack Lester with their legs tied together carrying an egg on a spoon rather that competition winner Osborne

 

[Houston_Blade]

My only complaint tonight was that Hecky
has only switched to 442 coz he had only 2 fit CBs , when he should have done this ages ago.
Played Hamer & McAtee the whole game on their weaker side of the pitch even though he like me watched McAtee run through teams last season on the left.
Put Osborn on instead of Slimane
Never brought in cover for McBurnie
Signed tiny Traore when we needed an big strong striker
Signed crock Tom Davies
Made a lot of questionable summer signings
Keeps playing Norwood
And loads of other rubbish decisions
His recruitment especially of fragile unfit unathletic specimens , tactics , substitutions and failure to acquire any real leader on the pitch try my patience.
There is a real inertia about the club.
The owner doesn't want us but is stuck with us and is never here.
The manager is on a five year contract so we can't afford to change him.
The players are leaderless and the injury list never shortens.
The whole thing resembles that stupid hotel.

Apart from that though…..

 

[Keen Blade]

Apart from that though…..

sorry , I felt the need to ventilate

 

[Fjortoft's Aeroplane]

How are we worse than Luton? We can’t be significantly worse than them surely?

I dont recall Luton selling their best 2 players after getting promoted.

 

[bornablade]

If Hecky had brought on Slimane and not Osborn and we had still lost there would have been those on here with their University honours degree in 'Hindsight' slating Hecky for bringing the wrong player on.

 

[biggiesablade]

I can take losing like this