pommpey
THE FUTURE ... AS IT USED TO BE
- Banned
- #1
Well, many of us - me included - forecast today as being a continuation of the shit form we have seen. How wrong we were.
Okay, we still need some corners filing off but today was an example as to what can be done. Shite weather conditions and expectation from the crowd with 'new manager syndrome' and Hecky didn't disappoint but face it, we are far, far from any version of completion. Chance after chance after chance ... smashed at defenders, overplayed, no 'gamble on cross' or just a basic lack of clinical finishing and at times we were just waiting for Bristol City to break away and equalise. It didn't happen of course, but in mitigation more potent teams would have capitalised on our slender lead. We simply need to kill games off properly.
Different formation today too. Whereas most were expecting a reset to 5-3-2 and Wilderball, Hecky gave us variants of 5-2-3, then 3-4-2-1, depending on what we needed. I was delighted with this because that is how you should play games in my humble opinion. Didsy and MGW tucked in a lot more and gave their defence in the first half quite a bit to handle, even if it gave Brewster a lot of responsibility as they did the playmaking duties. Behind them Hourihane and Norwood looked more comfortable, Norwood not Hollywooding balls out so much again and finding passes to feet more. Hourihane is not our answer in that part of the pitch and the second half showed us that. The backline was much more improved too with the evergreen Basham being the lynchpin but to me we still need Jack back to complete the equation.
Overall though it was a delightful outing, frustrating by the fact that it wasn't more goals but it is three points they thoroughly deserved. Cardiff next, which will test Hecky's system more in terms of intensity and structure. Another three points would have us tucked up behind the chasing pack and cynics like me believing a whole lot more. Nice to see both goals come from our forwards, one expensive one at the beginning of his career, one veteran in his twilight footballing years
Foderingham 7/10: Sound goalkeeping from him bar one gaffe in the first half. Robin who?
Bogle 6.5/10: Drops a mark for me for being caught a few times high up the pitch although in fairness, he's not really to me a wingback, more a winger who likes to get up in the opposition box a mix it up
Basham 9/10: Sorry to get all sentimental, but this bloke is the cat's twat. He should now be known as 'Mr Always Does The Right Thing', because that is what he does. His tackling is timed, accurate and functional, his heading and positional stuff is flawless and he has that errant streak of excellence which finds him difficult to dispossess, turns away from his marker, goes into space, lays off a critical pass or just simply 'contributes effectively'. Since he has been at Bramall Lane, you'll still have fingers left if you were to list the errors and things he has done whilst playing in a red and white shirt. That is how good he is.
Egan 7/10: But more assured and effective outing for him
Davies 6/10: Hit and miss outing for him. He likes to get involved and pumps meaningful balls into the box from the back, but makes a fucking rick late on which as we know ends in a goal, and then another, and then its a two points lost inquest. We can't afford to give that away. Its unforgivable. He is not O'Connell. Nowhere near in fact.
Stevens 6/10: A much better performance today more indicative of the team as a whole rather than Stevens as an individual. He is still one third of the wingback of three years ago
Hourihane 4/10: Seems to have simply taken Fleck's place by default. First half wasn't so bad ... got involved in our moves forward and assisted in defence ... but second half was pretty abject with some head-smackingly shit passes and failure to get the ball through the defence and on target
Norwood 6.5/10: Busy day for Norwood and great to see he is not whacking it across the park much unless it is needed. He still doesn't impose and dominate, and still doesn't get very far into the opposition's half but at least with us not playing Wilderball much he's not pressed and dispossessed much, allowing him to play better, effective football. One skied shot on goal, sadly
MGW 8/10: Pleasing output from him and I pray we retain him in January because without him we will be struggling for creativity. He is still apt to try to take the world on but dazzles with some lovely showboaty skills (the double flick in the first half was tremendous) He dos however have a worrying tendency to waste so many well crafted chances, and at times today I feared that might cost us a couple of points, maybe all three.
McGoldrick 7.5/10: back to being Mr Experienced in the LAM role. He is THE person to 'bring the ball down and bring other players into the game' (remember, we used to say that about Ashley Ward a lot?) but McGoldrick actually does something about it. Set Billy's goal up really well.
Brewster 6.5/10: Really pleased he has scored again and in the league, and at Bramall Lane. Kinda looked like he didn't know what the fuck to do with the ball at his feet and my mate who was sat in the BLUT says he could see MGW screaming 'SHOOT!' at him. He also still plays on the off chance the defence will fuck up and gift him a goal, whereas when Billy came on, he was making the defence gift him a goal. There is a difference there you know. Hope his reason for going off isn't serious. I want this lad to hit form and start shitting goals
Sharp 8/10: Instantly made an impact and showed his superior centre forward credentials. Very well fought for and taken goal.
Berge 6/10: Nice to see him back, and hopefully a start next time out alongside Norwood
Osborn Not maked. Not on long enough
Hecky 8/10: Testing conditions and a long break in the second half but overall a really, really pleasing first game for the Heckngbottom/McCall/Lester nexus. We just need to work hard on finishing and we can be in and amongst it next May.
pommpey
Okay, we still need some corners filing off but today was an example as to what can be done. Shite weather conditions and expectation from the crowd with 'new manager syndrome' and Hecky didn't disappoint but face it, we are far, far from any version of completion. Chance after chance after chance ... smashed at defenders, overplayed, no 'gamble on cross' or just a basic lack of clinical finishing and at times we were just waiting for Bristol City to break away and equalise. It didn't happen of course, but in mitigation more potent teams would have capitalised on our slender lead. We simply need to kill games off properly.
Different formation today too. Whereas most were expecting a reset to 5-3-2 and Wilderball, Hecky gave us variants of 5-2-3, then 3-4-2-1, depending on what we needed. I was delighted with this because that is how you should play games in my humble opinion. Didsy and MGW tucked in a lot more and gave their defence in the first half quite a bit to handle, even if it gave Brewster a lot of responsibility as they did the playmaking duties. Behind them Hourihane and Norwood looked more comfortable, Norwood not Hollywooding balls out so much again and finding passes to feet more. Hourihane is not our answer in that part of the pitch and the second half showed us that. The backline was much more improved too with the evergreen Basham being the lynchpin but to me we still need Jack back to complete the equation.
Overall though it was a delightful outing, frustrating by the fact that it wasn't more goals but it is three points they thoroughly deserved. Cardiff next, which will test Hecky's system more in terms of intensity and structure. Another three points would have us tucked up behind the chasing pack and cynics like me believing a whole lot more. Nice to see both goals come from our forwards, one expensive one at the beginning of his career, one veteran in his twilight footballing years
Foderingham 7/10: Sound goalkeeping from him bar one gaffe in the first half. Robin who?
Bogle 6.5/10: Drops a mark for me for being caught a few times high up the pitch although in fairness, he's not really to me a wingback, more a winger who likes to get up in the opposition box a mix it up
Basham 9/10: Sorry to get all sentimental, but this bloke is the cat's twat. He should now be known as 'Mr Always Does The Right Thing', because that is what he does. His tackling is timed, accurate and functional, his heading and positional stuff is flawless and he has that errant streak of excellence which finds him difficult to dispossess, turns away from his marker, goes into space, lays off a critical pass or just simply 'contributes effectively'. Since he has been at Bramall Lane, you'll still have fingers left if you were to list the errors and things he has done whilst playing in a red and white shirt. That is how good he is.
Egan 7/10: But more assured and effective outing for him
Davies 6/10: Hit and miss outing for him. He likes to get involved and pumps meaningful balls into the box from the back, but makes a fucking rick late on which as we know ends in a goal, and then another, and then its a two points lost inquest. We can't afford to give that away. Its unforgivable. He is not O'Connell. Nowhere near in fact.
Stevens 6/10: A much better performance today more indicative of the team as a whole rather than Stevens as an individual. He is still one third of the wingback of three years ago
Hourihane 4/10: Seems to have simply taken Fleck's place by default. First half wasn't so bad ... got involved in our moves forward and assisted in defence ... but second half was pretty abject with some head-smackingly shit passes and failure to get the ball through the defence and on target
Norwood 6.5/10: Busy day for Norwood and great to see he is not whacking it across the park much unless it is needed. He still doesn't impose and dominate, and still doesn't get very far into the opposition's half but at least with us not playing Wilderball much he's not pressed and dispossessed much, allowing him to play better, effective football. One skied shot on goal, sadly
MGW 8/10: Pleasing output from him and I pray we retain him in January because without him we will be struggling for creativity. He is still apt to try to take the world on but dazzles with some lovely showboaty skills (the double flick in the first half was tremendous) He dos however have a worrying tendency to waste so many well crafted chances, and at times today I feared that might cost us a couple of points, maybe all three.
McGoldrick 7.5/10: back to being Mr Experienced in the LAM role. He is THE person to 'bring the ball down and bring other players into the game' (remember, we used to say that about Ashley Ward a lot?) but McGoldrick actually does something about it. Set Billy's goal up really well.
Brewster 6.5/10: Really pleased he has scored again and in the league, and at Bramall Lane. Kinda looked like he didn't know what the fuck to do with the ball at his feet and my mate who was sat in the BLUT says he could see MGW screaming 'SHOOT!' at him. He also still plays on the off chance the defence will fuck up and gift him a goal, whereas when Billy came on, he was making the defence gift him a goal. There is a difference there you know. Hope his reason for going off isn't serious. I want this lad to hit form and start shitting goals
Sharp 8/10: Instantly made an impact and showed his superior centre forward credentials. Very well fought for and taken goal.
Berge 6/10: Nice to see him back, and hopefully a start next time out alongside Norwood
Osborn Not maked. Not on long enough
Hecky 8/10: Testing conditions and a long break in the second half but overall a really, really pleasing first game for the Heckngbottom/McCall/Lester nexus. We just need to work hard on finishing and we can be in and amongst it next May.
pommpey
after a bizzare few days
