United 3 Plymouth 0 - report

[Flatulent_Bob]

Really surprised the ref gave our first pen ,the lino was clearly flagging before he got in the box ,most refs would have given a freekick. Shouldn't it have been a red card for our second pen ?

I know what you're saying but the rules say that if the offence continues into the area a penalty should be given. Good play by the ref, and I think there was a defender back and potentially covering for the second pen. For the first one mind I think a case could be made that the foul stopped a goal scoring opportunity, but it would have been harsh. Right decisions on all three for me.

 

[Blade56]

Which only adds up to 9.................

It's known as the Higdon effect

 

[super_pig]

no mccarthy.. coincidence??

 

[super_pig]

Higdons heat map
View attachment 9958

shame it doesn't include the area behind the Kop (where the pies are)

 

[Bergen Blade]

Following a situation where Campbell-Ryce failed with a dribble and didn't get the throw in he wanted, the camera showed him shouting "shut up" (and more) to someone. Who was it?

 

[Deadbat]

I prefer a 4-4-2 personally. I think Murphy is half the player without Harris behind him ,he has been particularly poor in the last 2 games ,they have a great partnership. Also think there are legs in a Flynn JCR partnership down the right. We get too bogged down in the middle with the present 5 man midfield and don't use our width enough. Clough is obviously wary of losing the midfield through numbers but surely 2 strong wings would bring one of the opposition out too.
My team :
Howard
Flynn-Basham-Mceveley-Harris
JCR-Doyle-Reed/Wallace-Murphy
McNulty-OGrady.

would piss this league.

I am not sure we would piss the league but that is the side I would play too at the moment. I think having those two up top and getting service from wide allied to Wallace being fit and we could go on a run but we have to string 4 or 5 wins together but we don't look likely of doing that at the moment relying on narrow wins...

 

[Foxy]

Following a situation where Campbell-Ryce failed with a dribble and didn't get the throw in he wanted, the camera showed him shouting "shut up" (and more) to someone. Who was it?

Doyle gave him a dressing down in front of us on John Street. JCR had a little strop and Doyle carried on at him.

 

[finlaytheblade]

Really surprised the ref gave our first pen ,the lino was clearly flagging before he got in the box ,most refs would have given a freekick. Shouldn't it have been a red card for our second pen ?
Our full backs played well ,I think that is our best back 4.
Flynn my MOM ,looked better with 2 up top.
They were shite

Good report DB ,although I would take a mark off Scougall ,Baxter ,Doyle Murphy and Mceveley personally.

ref got it right with all three pens,but mccvenny must be short sighted why he tripped there player beats me he was going no where as we had 2 players covering he is becoming a liabilty with challengers like that.nice to see a linesman get involved with decision making he helped the referee by raising his flag and so making the refs job easy,too many linesman
dont get involved like that and big praise to him.
baxter is going through an identity crisis(cant hold down a position) and as lost confidence hopefully those pens will give him a boost as he has become a bit of a lame duck and we are carrying him through games.

 

[Baildon Blade]

Mccvenny might be becoming a liability, thankfully we've got McEveley there to cover up for him.

 

[Toronto Blade fan]

Am I missing something? I thought Baxter looked like crap out there. I have not been impressed with his play at all this season. He took the penalties well, however, the rest of his play left me wanting more. He was slow, he did not create any scoring chances, and he missed a sitter.

 

[Grecian2000]

Baxter looked like the Hagan/Dooley statues in the first half.

Has Jimmy replaced Joe Shaw out in the car park Sitters?

although he did look a bit slow and unfit today

Thanks Brownie, made me laugh that did.
In other news, the Pope is still Catholic, Bears do shit in the woods and Chris Waddle is a cunt.

 

[Darthblade]

Good report DB, and thanks

Given what we have for Flynn and Harris, would there be any purchase in the following formation

--------------------Howard-------------------------
Flynn--Alcock--McCarthy --Basham --Harris
------------Doyle-----------Scougall----------------
----------------------Baxter----------------------------
-------------COG ----------Murphy------------------

to start the match or defend a lead and then to push the two wingbacks on into

---------------------Howard---------------------------
---------Alcock--McCarthy--Basham------------
-----------Doyle-----------------Scougall-----------
--Flynn--------------Baxter----------------Harris--
---------------COG-----------Murphy---------------

To go on the attack. The Alcock-Flynn-Doyle and Basham-Scougall-Harris triangles seem to be the outlets down the flanks and it also frees Baxter into that roaming role in the upper part of the park he likes. Two up front keeps the opposition back four occupied enough not to be able to hang onto the ball and have to double up on the likes of Murphy.

pommpey

I would swap McEvely for McCarthy ( not impressed at all with McCarthy ) and Reed / Wallace ( if fit ) for Scougal.
UTB & FTP

 

[pommpey]

McCarthy isn't doing much good, is he? Even 'experience' isn't shining through.

What the fuck is wrong with our club?

pommpey

 

[MiserableBlader]

Am I missing something? I thought Baxter looked like crap out there. I have not been impressed with his play at all this season. He took the penalties well, however, the rest of his play left me wanting more. He was slow, he did not create any scoring chances, and he missed a sitter.

No.
You're seeing what I have seen every time I have watched him.
Nothing - except greed for a goal scoring opportunity
It's all the mythical Everton superstar effect
something akin to 'Mass Hysteria'.
Seen him hell of a lot worse than that though

 

[longinthe toothblade]

Howard 7/10 – Had little to do really in genera play. One shot fizzed past his post and then of course watched the pen fly over the bar. After this he was largely untroubled with a couple of long range shots handled easily.

Flynn 8.5/10 – Excellent. Looked like he had played right back all his career. He won tackles, made blocks and got forward all game. Helped he had no one to make really and was able to get on the front foot but he was really forceful making run after run in the second half. We should have scored a few goals from such runs and balls. He had to stay in that position for now even though he will face tougher tests.

Harris 8/10 – As with Flynn thought he was excellent. He was always on the front foot and got in front of his man all game. He was able to win most balls and completely dominated his man.

McEveley 7/10 – As of Tuesday his mark would have been higher but for another daft challenge that could have been more costly than it was. He was very good apart from this with just a few careless balls but mostly on the front foot and solid. Just daft free kicks his undoing at the moment.

Basham 7.5/10 – Thought he was solid and won tackles/read the game well and was able to make some good interceptions. He to me is a superior defender to McCarthy and I feel him and McEveley will be the centre back pairing for much of the season unless a really bad run of form or injury for either.

Doyle 7/10 – Steady enough for much of the game. Most of the time kept it nice and simple but gave it away a few times with some sloppy balls too. He was solid enough against quite an insipid midfield.

Baxter 7.5/10 – May seem harsh to give him only 7.5/10 but he was up and down again. First half felt he was poor and gave it away or was not much of an influence when he played in his supposed best position off the front man but second half he became more involved (odd as he was out left) and of course stuck away two penalties. He did miss a couple of other chances including one sitter and had 3 free kick opportunities which did not get close to the goal. Still he played some lovely balls at time (one nutmeg and slide rule pass to McNulty was superb) and did score two goals amidst some mixed play.

Scougall 7.5/10 – Thought that was the best he has been this season. He was not stop with his running but had more of a threat and got in some good positions. He was busy all game and his touch and passing overall was crisper and quicker. Thought he looked more like player we saw of last season.

Murphy 6/10 – Not his day again and like Tuesday night he was ineffectual for much of the game. Started on the left but did not really beat his man much and was crowded out. Second half ended up on the right as Baxter went to the left. Things did not really come off and at times he lost 50/50 players. Maybe our most dangerous player on his day but he was not today.

Campbell Ryce 7/10 – I will be honest he went off at half time but there had been poorer players and was probably more dangerous than Murphy. Sure he wasted a few crosses but he also put 2 or 3 good ones in that no one connected with; they were certainly in the right area.

Higdon 4/10 – Sorry but felt he was pretty poor again. Ball came off him time and time again and he often was slow to react or was on the back foot. A few times he did control the ball and brought others in but most of the time he struggled both aerially and on the floor. A poor player on the evidence we have seen that lacks speed in thought and in terms of actual play.

Subs –

McNulty 7.5/10 – Showed more life than Higdon and was better than he has been in some recent outings. Looked busy and ball stuck to him more. Won a penalty and was involved in some of our better play. Missed a couple of really good chances either side of scoring a neat finish.

Reed – Brought on near the end and helped us keep the ball as we were well in control at this stage of the game

Cuvelier – Came on and had a few neat touches and then made the goal with a run and pass down the right hand side. Hopefully we can see more of him this time as he was ineffective when he played under Weir admittedly in a struggling side. Needs to show more strength in the challenge and hope some of his perceived ability can be seen more.

Manager rating : Clough 7.5/10 – It was a win. We were not scintillating but did deserve the win despite the let off with the penalty. He tried to play with a slightly more attacking side with Baxter off Higdon but it was slow and ponderous first half. Even though Campbell Ryce was not the worst player, credit to Clough as the change seemed to kick start us somewhat but the let off after the penalty was a big galvanising effect too. We did show more life going forward albeit versus an inferior side than those we have faced. Still like to see us more attacking. He may have stumbled on the best back four though which is a positive. Hopefully can get back to winning ways next week and get Murphy back on form and have O’Grady, Wallace and McCarthy available too giving us more options.

Officials – Better than the other night! All three penalties looked spot kicks. The first there was no appeal from United at all and even thought it seemed minimal contact there was contact. The first one for United, McNulty tried to stay on his feet and was fouled at first outside the box but then inside and the ref gave the second. Can see why he gave it as he tried to reward the player for trying to carry on but then I might have been a bit annoyed if an opposition fan as the worst fouls and most of the contact happened well before the one inside the box. Maybe it actually could have been a red but that would have been harsh as a man was coming back and he was on the angle but then some could have perceived it as him being the last man. The third again may have seemed soft but was a definite pull back and even though he stayed on his feet, it was good the linesman saw it. Again little appeal. Other than this there was little to referee with few really bad tackles and he could keep his book in his pocket much of the game. Odd for such a tackle free game there was three and three deserved penalties.

Crowd – Trend of poor crowds in the opening rounds of this competition continued as only around 7,000 inside the Lane with only around 500 from Plymouth. Their fans made some decent noise and kept singing even after the big penalty miss and turnaround at the other end. United fans were quiet but been so many games at the Lane and so many poor results you can understand the apprehension to some degree.

Half a point off Scougall, Baxter and McNulty.

Generally, a fair enough assessment of the game although it was as they say, definately a game of two halves.

For me, the first 45 mins went the same as previous matches - loads of huff and puff but no end product. They could (and probably should) have gone ahead of us twice, and as they are 21 positions below us in the league that wasn't too encouraging. BCs post match assessments re Oldham, Notts County and MK Dons was that they provided tougher opposition
than we (the fans) probably realised. What then for Plymouth of league 2?

Still a worry for me and the lack of fire power upfront causes me major angst. We said we were lacking last summer and the position remains the same. Is O'Grady the answer, who knows? Point I'd make is that he hasn't been the answer in all the other clubs he's played for and all of them have been content to move him on? Hope I'm wrong.
Better fist of it in the second 45 mins but still very predictable stuff from Utd

 

[Lane Ender]

We need to play Ogrady with another up front Mcnulty , Higdon or even Baxter play him up top on his own and we are pissing in the wind

 

[Woodwardfan]

Half a point off Scougall, Baxter and McNulty.

Generally, a fair enough assessment of the game although it was as they say, definately a game of two halves.

For me, the first 45 mins went the same as previous matches - loads of huff and puff but no end product. They could (and probably should) have gone ahead of us twice, and as they are 21 positions below us in the league that wasn't too encouraging. BCs post match assessments re Oldham, Notts County and MK Dons was that they provided tougher opposition
than we (the fans) probably realised. What then for Plymouth of league 2?

Still a worry for me and the lack of fire power upfront causes me major angst. We said we were lacking last summer and the position remains the same. Is O'Grady the answer, who knows? Point I'd make is that he hasn't been the answer in all the other clubs he's played for and all of them have been content to move him on? Hope I'm wrong.
Better fist of it in the second 45 mins but still very predictable stuff from Utd

Wednesday thought the world of him in that promotion season but Jones cooled on him the following season at the higher level, as I remember it.

He's a workhorse and an honest player with a relatively poor scoring record in low leagues as well. It's all about how the other players feed off him. Don't expect him to score many goals.

 

[longinthe toothblade]

Wednesday thought the world of him in that promotion season but Jones cooled on him the following season at the higher level, as I remember it.

He's a workhorse and an honest player with a relatively poor scoring record in low leagues as well. It's all about how the other players feed off him. Don't expect him to score many goals.

Yep agree and that's my worry.

I think for many however, they see him as the 'missing link' and hopefully the answer to our lack of goals up front. For me he's not going to score a hat full [he never has] and I can't see McNulty, nor Higdon, nor Baxter [can't believe I'm even citing him as a genuine striker?] feeding off him and scoring many goals as a result. For me, the first two won't score 20/25 goals a season at this level period - that's unless we made them the main penalty takers and we enjoyed a glut of spot kicks. Sad but true.

For me we still need a real scorer [yes - like so many in this league and the championship].

Time for the board to make that investment they promised us some months back when they talked about building a team for the Championship and beyond.

 

[Woodwardfan]

Yep agree and that's my worry.

I think for many however, they see him as the 'missing link' and hopefully the answer to our lack of goals up front. For me he's not going to score a hat full [he never has] and I can't see McNulty, nor Higdon, nor Baxter [can't believe I'm even citing him as a genuine striker?] feeding off him and scoring many goals as a result. For me, the first two won't score 20/25 goals a season at this level period - that's unless we made them the main penalty takers and we enjoyed a glut of spot kicks. Sad but true.

For me we still need a real scorer [yes - like so many in this league and the championship].

Time for the board to make that investment they promised us some months back when they talked about building a team for the Championship and beyond.

Given suitable service I reckon Higdon could top 20 goals in a full season in league 1. He has the technique and ability to convert chances when they are presented and his record shows that. In 4-5-1 he might struggle to get 8 or 9.

We've signed him on a two year deal with an option of a third year. Sorry I don't see him in the Championship if we should get there and that presumably is the plan.

One of the strangest signings I can remember given our style of play. How much did our experts know about him before committing a big salary for 2/3 years?

When posters above plead for a striker signing and backing from the board, he's right there already.

 

[United Aren't Back.]

Bumped due to latest draw.
Clough lumping to a win v a poor team.