pommpey
THE FUTURE ... AS IT USED TO BE
- Banned
- #1
I think really, we can all admit that apart from a fucking miracle on Tuesday, we've peaked this season. Even if the unbelievable happens and we overcome Forest, even if we get past Luton or Huddersfield (who won't get past Forest) our future upstairs is fraught with everything we saw this afternoon, and then some. We have to start admitting that yes, the Wilder years were unbelievable but this lot - of whom many are of that era - are not good enough to wear the Premier League badge on their arms, and that freakish ninth place spot was earned by a system and players we can't identify with any more.
Sure, a packed to the rafters, noisy and wholly fucking excellent Bramall Lane was a perfect stage for us to come out and put Forest to the sword. For ten minutes it looked like we'd do exactly that. But it was sadly the same old story with the midfield playing cautious, benign football and Forest simply waiting for us to fuck up. They played exactly that game and all of their chances and goals came from us pretending we can play the Premier League game and being found out. Badly. For us to aspire to be one of them we must act like one of them and when you have a midfield who only turn up every other game, the players trusted with scoring can't do that. Since Villa away after the lockdown our story has been based on us being 'found out'. And unless we purge the last vestiges of Wilder from our system and start playing something different, talented and quick teams like Forest will always be there to make us pay. They did it in the league, they have done it in the first half of the playoffs. And I fear our trip to their ground on Tuesday may be filled with much of a muchness, with Forest just picking us off in an easy win.
Seemed to me the defence were pretty much as good as they could perform today, but were still several steps short of what was required. The menace of Johnson, Surridge and Zinkernagel were way, way ahead of what we could throw at them and credit in small heaps, some pretty key defensive notes were achieved. But on the break and closing down we are so weak and easy to snipe at. The midfield as a collective was outplayed and outmuscled. The 'threat' posed by Berge in the ten-role was mopped up and the two front men - essentially right and left side attacking midfielders were left to dig any chances out of lofted, long balls and fucked up ventures out wide.
There's too much to do on Tuesday. Unless we outplay, outmuscle and outthink Forest - who look every much that Premier League team in waiting (with about £250m of spending injected in) - we are simply turning up to fulfil the fixture. Sure, we are one down on aggregate, but we have shipped two (avoidable) away goals and look out of ideas how to take the away game to them and put them under pressure. I may be wrong, but today's team on paper was possibly the strongest we could field given injuries, and we are ninety minutes away now from HJ&SM making the mercy killings we need and some or other new owner coming in and backing their next season's challenge to top this league by some points. Today's game shows you the difference between what could be, and what is.
Foderingham 8/10: Some breathtaking saves in the first half and not to blame for either goal
Stevens 6/10: Struggled like fuck for long periods against Spence, who knew exactly what his defensive soft spots were
Robinson 7/10: I have given him 8/10 in my Fan's React because I thought he'd scored our goal. Turns out I was wrong. He still is a whole load more solid than of old and fights like fuck, despite his shortcomings. He is one for next season but never a PL player as long as my chuffer faces the deck
Egan 6/10: Made some cracking interceptions and headers throughout the game but loses an entire two points for that complacent, stupid fuck up that led to Lolley robbing him blind and their goal
Basham 8/10: Still 'Mr Dependable'. Attacked up his flank and stole yards off Forest, recovered to make the tackle. But he's slowing ... or worse still protecting an injury
Osborn 6/10: Expected more from him today. His old club and all that but still, when he gets down that wing into the crossing zone and there are options in on goal, pulling it backwards because he's not confident enough to cross on his right foot completely defeats the effort and puts us into the tippy-tappy shit out side scenarios oppositions know they can defeat us with.
Fleck 5/10: Have gone back on my Fans React score. Today he was ineffective and outplayed. Stupid yellow card too
Norwood 5/10: Back to his usual ineffective self. Some fruitless, dodgy playmaking which led directly to Forest counter-attacking. Good choice subbing him
Berge 6/10: For too long in the first and large parts of the second was basically an ineffective ball carrier, whom Forest had every plan to counter. Scored the goal. That's it.
Ndaiye 7/10: Battled hard and once again, dug the ball out of tackles. But he and ...
MGW 7/10: ... can't do it all. Both worked hard but when out midfield is not functioning, these two can't function either.
Baldock 6/10: Back with us but still thrashing about and picking up yellows
Jebbison 5/10: Did he touch the ball?
RND 5/10: Him too?
HJ&SM: 6/10: They've done well, but Forest today showed them their limitations with the players they have. The only thing we can wish for is a 0-1 result on Tuesday where we can bow out on away goals with our heads held high and ready to take the flamethrower to the rest of Wilder's framework.
pommpey
Sure, a packed to the rafters, noisy and wholly fucking excellent Bramall Lane was a perfect stage for us to come out and put Forest to the sword. For ten minutes it looked like we'd do exactly that. But it was sadly the same old story with the midfield playing cautious, benign football and Forest simply waiting for us to fuck up. They played exactly that game and all of their chances and goals came from us pretending we can play the Premier League game and being found out. Badly. For us to aspire to be one of them we must act like one of them and when you have a midfield who only turn up every other game, the players trusted with scoring can't do that. Since Villa away after the lockdown our story has been based on us being 'found out'. And unless we purge the last vestiges of Wilder from our system and start playing something different, talented and quick teams like Forest will always be there to make us pay. They did it in the league, they have done it in the first half of the playoffs. And I fear our trip to their ground on Tuesday may be filled with much of a muchness, with Forest just picking us off in an easy win.
Seemed to me the defence were pretty much as good as they could perform today, but were still several steps short of what was required. The menace of Johnson, Surridge and Zinkernagel were way, way ahead of what we could throw at them and credit in small heaps, some pretty key defensive notes were achieved. But on the break and closing down we are so weak and easy to snipe at. The midfield as a collective was outplayed and outmuscled. The 'threat' posed by Berge in the ten-role was mopped up and the two front men - essentially right and left side attacking midfielders were left to dig any chances out of lofted, long balls and fucked up ventures out wide.
There's too much to do on Tuesday. Unless we outplay, outmuscle and outthink Forest - who look every much that Premier League team in waiting (with about £250m of spending injected in) - we are simply turning up to fulfil the fixture. Sure, we are one down on aggregate, but we have shipped two (avoidable) away goals and look out of ideas how to take the away game to them and put them under pressure. I may be wrong, but today's team on paper was possibly the strongest we could field given injuries, and we are ninety minutes away now from HJ&SM making the mercy killings we need and some or other new owner coming in and backing their next season's challenge to top this league by some points. Today's game shows you the difference between what could be, and what is.
Foderingham 8/10: Some breathtaking saves in the first half and not to blame for either goal
Stevens 6/10: Struggled like fuck for long periods against Spence, who knew exactly what his defensive soft spots were
Robinson 7/10: I have given him 8/10 in my Fan's React because I thought he'd scored our goal. Turns out I was wrong. He still is a whole load more solid than of old and fights like fuck, despite his shortcomings. He is one for next season but never a PL player as long as my chuffer faces the deck
Egan 6/10: Made some cracking interceptions and headers throughout the game but loses an entire two points for that complacent, stupid fuck up that led to Lolley robbing him blind and their goal
Basham 8/10: Still 'Mr Dependable'. Attacked up his flank and stole yards off Forest, recovered to make the tackle. But he's slowing ... or worse still protecting an injury
Osborn 6/10: Expected more from him today. His old club and all that but still, when he gets down that wing into the crossing zone and there are options in on goal, pulling it backwards because he's not confident enough to cross on his right foot completely defeats the effort and puts us into the tippy-tappy shit out side scenarios oppositions know they can defeat us with.
Fleck 5/10: Have gone back on my Fans React score. Today he was ineffective and outplayed. Stupid yellow card too
Norwood 5/10: Back to his usual ineffective self. Some fruitless, dodgy playmaking which led directly to Forest counter-attacking. Good choice subbing him
Berge 6/10: For too long in the first and large parts of the second was basically an ineffective ball carrier, whom Forest had every plan to counter. Scored the goal. That's it.
Ndaiye 7/10: Battled hard and once again, dug the ball out of tackles. But he and ...
MGW 7/10: ... can't do it all. Both worked hard but when out midfield is not functioning, these two can't function either.
Baldock 6/10: Back with us but still thrashing about and picking up yellows
Jebbison 5/10: Did he touch the ball?
RND 5/10: Him too?
HJ&SM: 6/10: They've done well, but Forest today showed them their limitations with the players they have. The only thing we can wish for is a 0-1 result on Tuesday where we can bow out on away goals with our heads held high and ready to take the flamethrower to the rest of Wilder's framework.
pommpey
