pommpey
THE FUTURE ... AS IT USED TO BE
- Banned
- #1
Refreshing parts of a shit-your-pants win today with us effectively home and hosed, yet getting very Villa away at the end. First half was a dismal punch up between two substandard lower end Championship sides with Barnsley looking shockingly poor and us marginally poorer. 66% possession or summat and much of that kicked about across the back four with precious little penetration. Barnsley - like most sides - have the brief to press and that simply works fine. We couldn't get past, pass and move into space and when we did, using Ndaiye as a conduit, he quickly overplayed it and ran into blind alleys. It was a makeshft formation with an early switch for McBurnie and Mousset, McBurnie seems to like the attacking midfielder role only too well, if not being very good at it. But we created fuck all apart from one weak shot straight at their keeper and many of us feared we'd end the game goalless ... even if Barnsley scored. Right the way through this turgid 45 minutes though, The Bladesfans were of great voice.
Then we are out for the second half and ... what the fuck happened? Mousset creates space and a gap and fires home a cracking, curling shot (reminiscent of what has been banged past us recently) and follows it up with a great burst to latch onto Osborn's endeavour, and Osborn himself receives a great low cross from Baldock and it's three nowt! Barnsley, flat out, gumshield spat, arms spread and the ref counting ... five ... six ... seven ...
Then Mousset is done. That's it now until he comes on as sub at home against Blackburn next February. Sharp came on and tried to connect with a few hopeful punts and our other minuteman Ndaiye (what the fuck is wrong with him going the full ninety, I ask?) came off for Didsy. Then we folded. Suddenly Barnsley, no more endowed with a change of tactics or direction, were on us and our backline all over the shop. So fucking porous and indecisive. What happened to our solidity and invincibility? Two goals and it could have been more with our post struck and Devante Cole spooning a sitter.
It was a typical reflection on what we are and where we are, was this game. On our ascendency, I don't think there was one person who thought, 'fuck me, but don't say owt, but we are up in the top half of the Premier League' without thinking also 'wonder when we'll get found out and we'll end up back in the Championship exchanging blows with a shit Barnsley side?' Well, here we are. We could have easily lost today's game as much as floored the Tykes and took out our cocks and pissed on their supine bodies. For fifteen minutes we looked fucking unplayable. For one hour and fifteen we looked like Sheffield fucking Wednesday. Three points is three points and all that and we are but three more being lofty Luton Town in fifth, but we feel and we know we should be better than this.
Olsen 5/10: Not impressive at all. If this is the best Sweden have then fucking 'Uvavu'. His distribution is poor and he still needs airbags and proximity alarms
Baldock 6/10: Drops a point because of his defending for their goals but attacking he was good today and his low ball to Osborn was decent
Egan 4/10: Regressing. Clearly doesn't like the four-at-the-back experience because or the gaps which opposition players exploit
Davies 5/10: Similarly vulnerable and off-colour in this lineup. To be honest, Stearman was a better centreback than this bloke.
Stevens 5/10: A pretty standard, unremarkable outing.
Norwood 4/10: Early doors he was okay, if limited in what to do. In the second half he'd regressed to his ineffective, pointy old self. It's his job and
Fleck 2/10: ... job to defend the defence and create the outlets. Jimmy was back today and he was simply a traffic cone, anonymous, ineffective and someone who really reduced our tea to ten men. Seriously think he is done now and we need to replace both of these with viable alternatives who can play in Slav's system because both CDMs are vital and need to be performing correctly for us to get a foothold in the game
Osborn 7.5/10: A real revelation today. Plenty of endeavour, okay some errors but lets overlook that and look at the runs he had, the goals he made and the one he scored
McBurnie 4/10: Swapped early doors with Mousset to play in the CAM role but was lumbering, not really in the game and no threat whatsoever to their defence. He tries, does McBurnie. But the way we play just doesn't accommodate for him
Ndaiye 5/10: Only an hour again from him (with no real reason, surely our conditioning coaches train these players to do at least two hours of output per session?) He's lovely on the ball but fuck me he needs to stop thinking he can beat everyone he faces. Many times he tried to inch past opposition players which don't get me wrong is credible, but he's not got the guile or capability to carry this off.
Mousset 5/10: That looks like a shit mark doesn't it? Let me explain. For massive parts of the fist half he was ineffective. However he created his fist goal practically on his own and made some pacey sprints up the pitch after that (one to grab his second) but on sixty he was 'done' and limped off. That's it. Great to se him get two, and the crowd sing his name but over the ninety ... sorry sixty ... it was just 'two goals'.
Sharp 4/10: Reduced to chasing long punts up the pitch
McGoldick 3/10: An off game for him
Basham 5/10: Reinforced a creaking defence as Barnsley smelled blood and we went to 5-4-1
Slav 6/10: Great three points, but fuck me mate, you don't half make the task difficult
pommpey
Then we are out for the second half and ... what the fuck happened? Mousset creates space and a gap and fires home a cracking, curling shot (reminiscent of what has been banged past us recently) and follows it up with a great burst to latch onto Osborn's endeavour, and Osborn himself receives a great low cross from Baldock and it's three nowt! Barnsley, flat out, gumshield spat, arms spread and the ref counting ... five ... six ... seven ...
Then Mousset is done. That's it now until he comes on as sub at home against Blackburn next February. Sharp came on and tried to connect with a few hopeful punts and our other minuteman Ndaiye (what the fuck is wrong with him going the full ninety, I ask?) came off for Didsy. Then we folded. Suddenly Barnsley, no more endowed with a change of tactics or direction, were on us and our backline all over the shop. So fucking porous and indecisive. What happened to our solidity and invincibility? Two goals and it could have been more with our post struck and Devante Cole spooning a sitter.
It was a typical reflection on what we are and where we are, was this game. On our ascendency, I don't think there was one person who thought, 'fuck me, but don't say owt, but we are up in the top half of the Premier League' without thinking also 'wonder when we'll get found out and we'll end up back in the Championship exchanging blows with a shit Barnsley side?' Well, here we are. We could have easily lost today's game as much as floored the Tykes and took out our cocks and pissed on their supine bodies. For fifteen minutes we looked fucking unplayable. For one hour and fifteen we looked like Sheffield fucking Wednesday. Three points is three points and all that and we are but three more being lofty Luton Town in fifth, but we feel and we know we should be better than this.
Olsen 5/10: Not impressive at all. If this is the best Sweden have then fucking 'Uvavu'. His distribution is poor and he still needs airbags and proximity alarms
Baldock 6/10: Drops a point because of his defending for their goals but attacking he was good today and his low ball to Osborn was decent
Egan 4/10: Regressing. Clearly doesn't like the four-at-the-back experience because or the gaps which opposition players exploit
Davies 5/10: Similarly vulnerable and off-colour in this lineup. To be honest, Stearman was a better centreback than this bloke.
Stevens 5/10: A pretty standard, unremarkable outing.
Norwood 4/10: Early doors he was okay, if limited in what to do. In the second half he'd regressed to his ineffective, pointy old self. It's his job and
Fleck 2/10: ... job to defend the defence and create the outlets. Jimmy was back today and he was simply a traffic cone, anonymous, ineffective and someone who really reduced our tea to ten men. Seriously think he is done now and we need to replace both of these with viable alternatives who can play in Slav's system because both CDMs are vital and need to be performing correctly for us to get a foothold in the game
Osborn 7.5/10: A real revelation today. Plenty of endeavour, okay some errors but lets overlook that and look at the runs he had, the goals he made and the one he scored
McBurnie 4/10: Swapped early doors with Mousset to play in the CAM role but was lumbering, not really in the game and no threat whatsoever to their defence. He tries, does McBurnie. But the way we play just doesn't accommodate for him
Ndaiye 5/10: Only an hour again from him (with no real reason, surely our conditioning coaches train these players to do at least two hours of output per session?) He's lovely on the ball but fuck me he needs to stop thinking he can beat everyone he faces. Many times he tried to inch past opposition players which don't get me wrong is credible, but he's not got the guile or capability to carry this off.
Mousset 5/10: That looks like a shit mark doesn't it? Let me explain. For massive parts of the fist half he was ineffective. However he created his fist goal practically on his own and made some pacey sprints up the pitch after that (one to grab his second) but on sixty he was 'done' and limped off. That's it. Great to se him get two, and the crowd sing his name but over the ninety ... sorry sixty ... it was just 'two goals'.
Sharp 4/10: Reduced to chasing long punts up the pitch
McGoldick 3/10: An off game for him
Basham 5/10: Reinforced a creaking defence as Barnsley smelled blood and we went to 5-4-1
Slav 6/10: Great three points, but fuck me mate, you don't half make the task difficult
pommpey