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Another dismal result, eh? Filled with all the stuff we've been talking about, lack of movement, pedestrian attack development, being closed down easily and dispossessed and a critical lack of clinical finishing. Millwall were actually more of a challenge than higher flying Stoke the other day. Again, teams know how we play and the fact that we have no ability to switch emphasis means that pressing and closing us down is aand no matter how much we push it up the pitch into predictable areas, we are easily marshalled away or dispossesed. Even if we do threaten, it ends in disappointing, weak efforts on goal.
No Norwood to start with tonight, so pleasingly no Wilderball and our back four is starting to look a little more together, if not still vulnerable at times. We've stopped tonning it up into the dead zone, and more giving it to the gifted players like McGoldrick, Ndayie and MGW although tonight none of them sparkled. Millwall seemed to have us in their pocket in the first half and vast empty holes appeared in the middle of the park with our own players not showing short or moving into those areas for the player on the ball meant we simply got nowhere, fast. I did at first think that their first was an attempt on goal but having watched it again, it was a spawny floated back-sticker which had enough pace and direction to outfox Olsen. My mate, sat in the BLUT simply texted 'Reyt goal', and it was. We don't score ones like that do we? #1
Then we looked shaken and beaten, very much a hangover of the Weir-to-Adkins era. Fleck bought us an equaliser and after that we looked again on the up if not able to do anything with the roar of Unitedites encouraging them on. We'd changed format too but that didn't bring much fortune even in the second half we continued to huff and puff. So bloody frustrating. MGW basically gives the shit referee a chance to send him off and although we rallied with ten men, Millwall simply swatted us away and it looked likely than rather than us grinding out an unlikely victory, we'd give up a late goal for a predictable defeat. Their late goal was a 'reyt sickner', want it? Smacked accurately into the corner from 25 yards. We don't score ones like that, do we? #2
Olsen 4/10: He covered some efforts on goal but from distance and with the first goal, he is suspect. Is Fodders the answer?
Stevens 4/10: Substandard outing for him.
Egan 5/10: Again, the more time he stays unanchored to what looks now to be a permanently absent O'Connell, the less effective he becomes. There were 'okay' moments tonight, but he's no way as good as he was three seasons ago
Davies 6.5/10: A lot better tonight. Good interceptions and clearances and a bit more bite in his defending
Bogle 6.5/10: Thought he had a decent game up until his injury which I hope doesn't keep him out for long. He does combine well with the attack and has decent vision
Fleck 3/10: No apologies. Dispossessed and coughing up possession is Jimmy Fleck stuff and he isn't anything like the 8+/10 entity we saw develop and shine two seasons ago. He is predictable and easy to play against, simple as.
Hourihane 3/10: One of the 'holes' in midfield and somewhat of a mystery as to what he has above Norwood
MGW 4/10: Mainly fo his endeavour but he has the temperament in him to attract unsympathy from officials. Looking back at it now, deservedly redded
McGoldrick 4/10: Usually one of my favourites and showing class finishing on Saturday, but tonight substandard and error prone with sitters and misplaced passes alike
Osborn 5/10: Another blood+guts+nowt performance. Great effort but for fucks sake go round your man, get the early cross in or press on to the penalty area
Sharp 4/10: Great penalty but got nothing, despite busting a gut. It's been the story of his time at United.
Ndaiye 6/10: He at least tries and runs at oppositions but he tries too hard at times and they nick the ball off him or marshal him into areas where he is isolated and ineffective
Norwood 6/10: A better game from him, even though it is still not good enough for this level and for our ambitions
Basham 5.5/10: Shows endeavour and enterprise and was up that wing many times into the danger area if to hit the wall when there's no one reading him and moving into space
Slav 6/10: Still trying to get the best out of a team largely filled with losers and deadbeats. Some of them expensive ones too.
Ref: Fucking wanker. Yep. I think that sums him up. I sincerely hope his next shit is a hedgehog tied to a sea anenome, holding an open umbrella
pommpey
Decent summary apart from Didsy I know he scored Saturday and he still has a few nice touches but he’s all washed up no energy no desire in the Wilder period his strength was creating for others that’s gone please don’t give him another contract same for the other known culprits of yesteryear glories
For all those of an age he’s as bad as Derek Richardson your hearts in your mouth with crosses
Derek Richardson, Andy Leaning, George Long rolled into one. And with a pinch of Lee Baxter on top....
Jake Cooper has scored 16 in 183 games for Millwall. Take out his games against us and he's a 1-in-15 player which would still put him third or fourth in our current squad.
Well true. But everything that goes a certain way and not one of a million other ways in a game is a sliding doors moment.
I was wrong, at 0.09 goals per appearance Cooper would be 6th in our squad behind Sharp (0.39 total; 0.44 this spell), McGoldrick (0.23), Mousset (0.16), McBurnie (0.10) and Bogle (0.10). Four of the five ahead of him are centre forwards.
Whether the officials were good or bad we did enough to have won that game, despite being awful.
I watched on tv and no matter how loud I shouted they got no better. No wonder Slav has a problem.
Agree ... but.Hang on Pomps, while your assessment of the game is pretty much spot on, I have to pull you up here:-
"...Sharp 4/10: Great penalty but got nothing, despite busting a gut. It's been the story of his time at United...."
Behave lad!
Billy was instrumental in getting us out of League One, and has scored at every level asked of him. The clock is running against him now, we all know that, and it's the one thing that none of us can stop, but we all know that (as it stands) he is the only one of our strikers you would think has a chance of scoring.
Put it this way, if Billy was taking the one-on-one (first half), instead of McG, it's pretty much in the net.
And if it's Billy, 5 feet in front of goal, (instead of McG), it doesn't go over the bar.
Mousset might have put the away as well, but give Billy a sniff on goal and he will have more of chance of converting than anyone else we have.
Contrast Olsen to the Millwall keeper who pulled off a world class save from Ndiaye to keep them in it.
That non goal at Villa. Portent of the utter, unbelievable shitfest to come.
Oh fucking hell! Thats something I didn't want to read.
One of the best posts I have EVER read
This. 100% this. The vast majority of the shitshow we find ourselves in right now is all on one man. The man who spent more money than we've ever spent, and spent the majority of it on players who just aren't good enough, or aren't right for us (Berge). He gave us the best 4-5 years I'll probably ever see as a Blade, and I thank him for that. But then he royally fucked up, refused to adapt, and eventually left us deep in the mire, and with several enormously expensive millstones around our collective necks.
The commentator had no idea MGW was dismissed til he turned down the tunnel.
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