My take ...

[Nagima]

Interesting as ever Pommpey.
I thought overall we didn't capitalise on our early dominance. We just weren't cohesive enough. QPR were poor early on but grew into the game.

I thought MGW was excellent. Yes some stuff didn't work, but he was always looking for the ball and trying to create.
Fleck was busy and looked more like the player he was.
Egan played well bar the odd slip.
McBurnie for me was about a 6.
Berge did fairly well, played some good football but I did notice an issue when he is coming out of our half with the ball. Several times he passed forward and centrally but didn't run forward for the option of a return ball or to stretch the defense. He just doesn't grab the game by the scruff of the neck.

 

[Champagneblade]

I disagree quite a bit tonight. That's what this forum is about though. Opinions.

MGW is always showing and does some good things but a lot did not come off and needs at times to simplify it.
McBurnie worked really hard and was able to cause them problems in terms of no easy balls out.
Jebbison did nothing when he came on and it was an easy last 20 minutes for them. Not sure he moved about much at all as you saw it and was static and not pressing them. I felt it was like having 10 men. He did not do anything and wondered if he looked ill as he could not even run?

Fleck was superb and Norwood not far behind. They were both better than Berge who did 2 or 3 good things but was a liability the last 20 minutes he played and his lack of running/getting back saw them get their two best chances via Chair's cross first half and then the run where he had a shot 2nd half. Granted he does some good things but 2 or 3 moments is not enough in a game.

The best two players on the pitch were Fleck and Norwood for me even though MGW was the one you felt something may happen when he got it.

You always feel a little hesitant to go in on the young lads where they are doing their best and probably not ready.

But we have to remember that Jebbo could still be representing the U18s and he didn't even play that many U23 games before those few matches in the PL and then his loan.

He does look like a young foal running around with no real direction or purpose.

 

[Deadbat]

Bit of a nothing match really against a nondescript side. Just disagree on a couple of things....
MGW needs to start applying a bit of common sense in his play. Decision making on when to play the easy ball, and when to try something different is what makes half-decent players into great players. At the moment he's just half-decent. Agree about signing him if possible though.
It's early days, but I don't see anything in Jebbison that shouts out that he's a Championship player. Maybe League 2 or Vanarama at best. And I don't see much of a turn of pace from him. Can't live forever on that Everton tap-in. Makes life easy for the opposition CBs

Yeah I think what we have seen suggests the talk of Barcelona, Bayern Borrusia Dortmund was ridiculous. He is miles off even Champ level at the moment. He may get there but needs to learn where to run, get stronger and be more of an authority. He looks what he is - a young kid who does not know the game. He needs another full loan next season in League 1 - maybe back at Burton.

Next season I am guessing Sharp will get another year and Didzy as sad as it will be will be him leaving. MGW will go back, Moussett will depart and then I expect Burke will go for a nominal fee to Millwall probably as has done well there.

Assuming we do not go up....we would be down from 7-8 strikers to 3-4

McBurnie, Sharp, Brewster (and Ndiaye of course as a forward type player) and with Sharp a year older and McBurnie not exactly convincing, we would need at least 2 new strikers maybe?

 

[metalblade]

Jebbison is not ready for this level yet McBurnie was much better than him last night. QPR came into the game more after McBurnie went off although by that stage of the game they had to go for it rather than get behind the ball and hope Dike got onto one of their hoofs down the field. I expected better than simple hoofball from QPR.
It was good to see the return of John Fleck model of 2019/20 which I thought made things a lot easier for Norwood, the midfield three did well last night but QPR largely bypassed that area of the field in favour of hoofball over the top of our defence. Credit Enda too a solid display after being out for a while and should keep the shirt over RND.

 

[Houston_Blade]

I think the McBurnie and Jebbison marks were a bit amiss as well I must say, Jebbison came on and looked like that kid who wants to look like he's closing down but actually just wants to run alongside the man and not really close him down. Never really put their defenders under pressure. Compare that to MGW and every time he chases someone down they shit themselves.

McBurnie was half decent last night, I do agree on the moaning at the ref stuff though. He needs to take a 'consultative approach' with referees and just have a quiet word when he isn't awarded a foul. Most refs don't suddenly start giving fouls to a player who throws their arms around and screams at them (unless it's a top 6 PL team, in which case this approach never fails).

 

[pommpey]

With Jebbo, yes, he is raw and yes last night wasn't productive for him. But I saw him more involved with MGWs mindset in ten minutes than McBurnie was for much of the game. And we broke out from a corner and the ball went up the pitch to their keeper and Jebbison lit the afterburner ... long strides ... to close him down. We need more of that if he has the toolkit and the pace.

pommpey

 

[sitwell]

With Jebbo, yes, he is raw and yes last night wasn't productive for him. But I saw him more involved with MGWs mindset in ten minutes than McBurnie was for much of the game. And we broke out from a corner and the ball went up the pitch to their keeper and Jebbison lit the afterburner ... long strides ... to close him down. We need more of that if he has the toolkit and the pace.

pommpey

I thought McBurnie and MGW linked very well in the first half ,much better than MGW has done with Sharp.
I agree with you about Jebbison , he worked really hard ,cant see what some people said ,but he looks very raw and bit headless chicken atm.

 

[finlaytheblade]

I do largeky agree with this. I don't think McB was a 5, he was decent But we did not lose anything going forward bringing Jebbison on

With Jebbo, yes, he is raw and yes last night wasn't productive for him. But I saw him more involved with MGWs mindset in ten minutes than McBurnie was for much of the game. And we broke out from a corner and the ball went up the pitch to their keeper and Jebbison lit the afterburner ... long strides ... to close him down. We need more of that if he has the toolkit and the pace.

pommpey

Yes pomppey hewas told I think to go out there and run his Bollox off closing them down which I thought he did.
He also got involved in some moves which nearly got us another goal.
A good cameo by Jebbo! Which showed he is learning his trade.
Fans tend to forget he hasn't had the grounding being around an academy since he was a young boy' he' s a late developer
Learning on the job.

 

[Gavlar]

A good win for me. Everyone put in a shift. Fleck was outstanding and Mcburnie much improved. Well done blades. Need to get a few others back fit and then we can really go for it in't playoffs. utb

 

[pommpey]

I thought McBurnie and MGW linked very well in the first half ,much better than MGW has done with Sharp.
I agree with you about Jebbison , he worked really hard ,cant see what some people said ,but he looks very raw and bit headless chicken atm.

I have seen more promise from some of the young heads recently which leads me to have faith in that no-mans land which has Billy, Bash, Norwood, Fleck ... the inevitable bad news that it's bad news for O'Connell and the predictable sale of Berge. Bogle, N'daiye, Brewster, MGW and possibly Jebbison hold great factors if we are also to modify and break out of Wilderball finally. Currently, we seem tongue-tied to 'go at' oppositions and past them - one of the reasosn for that is that we have ceased with the JOC/Bash overload. We seem reluctant to find people in the scoring areas, we seem unable to put a decent cross in and fuck me we seem eternally unable to threaten directly and indirectly from free kicks and shoot from distance. Everything is about back and forth, touchline-triangles, possession-without-end-product and making critical errors when the impetus is on us to capitalise and open up defences. I think this lot of young heads can change that. QPR - and Stoke - looked leaden and done yet we lost to one and hung onto an early lead against another.

McBurnie is simply a misfit in red and white.

pommpey

 

[varkanoid]

Thanks for the report. It was a good win, clean sheet and Wes wasnt troubled. Despite the play thats the sort of summary we like.

"Most of the balls into the box tonight were poor" was it the balls were poor or that the Strikers were poor not anticipating the ball coming in ?
There were a couple of balls into the box that Sharp would have loved to get on the end of and would have been his bread and butter.

The people saying McBurnie did well etc are just clinging to straws. "His defence was good" "his link up play was good" they just need to listen to themselves the comments should be "his shot was good even if it was saved", "he made some good inroads in the box" not that he was good in defence. I've even read some people on here moaning about Sharp being back in defence on more than one occasion.

He had one header straight at the goalkeeper. He seemed to be more interested moaning at the 4th Official. The cameras captured it quite a few times. (when the YTS kid wasnt using one).

There was a comment that he had been ill and was 50/50 whether he was going to play so I gave him benefit of the doubt when he looked knackered. Saying that though he's gone from Thigh Strain so cant play in last match to ill day before the match. Is he just being really unlucky as he's not 100% fit yet we have to play him we dont have any strikers.

 

[pommpey]

The cameras captured it quite a few times. (when the YTS kid wasnt using one)..

That is certainly one thing which pissed me right off last night. First two minutes sounded like shite, then the fucking camera froze on the kop while the cameraman must have been busy TikTokking his dick with eyes biroed on the helmet miming GCB to his 'followers' (i.e his nan) and then he's zoomed in on and then out of the fucking play.

Death to them all. Cunts.

pommpey

 

[Bladey_blade]

I disagree quite a bit tonight. That's what this forum is about though. Opinions.

MGW is always showing and does some good things but a lot did not come off and needs at times to simplify it.
McBurnie worked really hard and was able to cause them problems in terms of no easy balls out.
Jebbison did nothing when he came on and it was an easy last 20 minutes for them. Not sure he moved about much at all as you saw it and was static and not pressing them. I felt it was like having 10 men. He did not do anything and wondered if he looked ill as he could not even run?

Fleck was superb and Norwood not far behind. They were both better than Berge who did 2 or 3 good things but was a liability the last 20 minutes he played and his lack of running/getting back saw them get their two best chances via Chair's cross first half and then the run where he had a shot 2nd half. Granted he does some good things but 2 or 3 moments is not enough in a game.

The best two players on the pitch were Fleck and Norwood for me even though MGW was the one you felt something may happen when he got it.

I could have sworn I heard a collective groan when Jebbo didn't press at one point from people from where I was on the John street stand. I said earlier I genuinely think Jebbo on caused the nail biting last 10

 

[cahill]

I do largeky agree with this. I don't think McB was a 5, he was decent But we did not lose anything going forward bringing Jebbison on

Thing is, our expectations of McBurnie are so low when he does do things which aren’t ridiculous, eg, tackling MGW, losing the ball in silly situations, giving away costly fouls, failing to control the ball, we think he’s having a good game and playing well. I wish him well and desperate for him to come good.

 

[Constantly Optimistic...]

Well......as always an incisive, intelligent and bollock stretchingly witty report. I wait with anticipation for "my take" after each match. I can't add a lot to this. The Jekyll and Hyde that is the current team. They can actually play off the park any team in this poor Championship, if they decide to turn up and do it. But we are still littered with Wilder remnants, collecting big bucks if they decide to put in the effort or not. I do get the feeling their heads are on the beach pillows already. Having creamed off their annual wages already, knowing they will be shunted out shortly. So why do an extra 4 play off games? Better to finish early and get the tan.
In all honesty, this team could easily win the last 6 games if they put their minds to it. I was there and saw the Fulham away performance. Trounced them. I think we will fuck Bournemouth fully up the arse this Saturday. Just to show them we can do it if we want to.
But, this lot will melt into the ether at the end of the season.
We are not, and will not be good enough for EPL. The brilliant up and coming youngsters need one or two more seasons at Championship level.
So, what do we want? A fabulous end to this season, Wembley, great day out and then possibly EPL trauma for a year? Or a quiet end to the season, finish 7th, clear out the crap and feel we are rebuilding for the future with a Fergiesque youth team?
No I don't know which to choose either. Cream today, death tomorrow? Or pragmatism today followed by shattered hope as the Prince cashes in on our successful youth team? Shit either way, but that's being a Blade through and through!!! Nothing new here then.