Heck of a night. Still come away from that two parts relieved, one part disappointed and no parts confident. Our big mission was to absolutely smash a predictably determined Wrexham out of sight by half time and spend the next forty five showboating. Never fucking happens like that though, does it?
With an unconventional lineup and Hecky's need to rest players ahead of the upcoming tsunami of likely assassins, we sure made chances in the first half but equally predictably failed to capitalise. And the most frustrating aspect of our game is for us to endlessly play keepball across the backline. Side to side, back again, inside back back across the back, whilst the opposition set themselves and give us no options. They just know we'll burn time up and the crowd will get restless or we'll cough up possession. Going in at 0-0 at half time extends the documentary value but in truth didn't do much for Wrexham because Davies had not much to do. We just patiently and pointlessly played possession football and spunked obvious chances, like McAtee's one-on-one. In that situation (and NDaiye should have held back) you HAVE to get your shot on target. Feint, go the other way, draw the foul from the chasing defender or a stray arm from the keeper. Either way its a red. What you don't do is miss the goal entirely. Unforgivable. Second half we improved slightly but still managed to allow Wrexham ... a fucking non league side ... to harry and press and put us under pressure. Out opening goal was well worked and taken but to give them a spot kick from fuck all - and do the maths ... that ref aint gonna give us the benefit of the doubt even though it was technically a penner - is also unforgivable. See also Norwood's clumsy clumping for the second spot kick. At that moment the episode was in the bag save for Davies who paid back for his errors in the first leg. But it's odd about us isn't it? We have what ... seven or so players who played in the PL out there and a PL loanee, plus a World Cup player or two and still we looked hopeless against the sheer parks footballery of Mullins. Next time out you can forgive Harry Kane dancing rings round our back three and bagging a hat-trick but Mullins, for all his shithousery, epitomised what it takes to be a fucking nuisance up top.
I'm glad we won. Like Billy, they can lick the underside of my fucking bawbag with their massive away crowd that is possibly three times bigger than their normal Saturday home crowd. They can chomp my turds in a fluffy breadcake with Stork on it for all their billy big time Hollywood/Disney bollocks. They came, they got beat. Now fuck off back to that town the other side of Stoke and back to the small time. You've had your say and it amounted to fuck all. We've got business to do. Flare-throwing peasants.
Davies 7/10: Full two points for a pretty quiet performance simply for saving us the humiliation of going down 2-1 from which we wouldn't come back from.
Basham 6/10: Oddly out wide at RWB but although his superpowers are fading, he still put a moderately decent shift in tonight
Anel 5/10: First half he was poor. Took his goal well then practically gave them their penalty.
Egan 7/10: I thought he played well and got himself in places to deny Wrexham (yeah ... non league Wrexham) the chances they were likely to capitalise from
JLT 6/10: Thought he too gave a committed Morganesque performance
Osborn 7/10: A lot better from him. Although still vulnerable I thought he got involved and made telling runs and crosses tonight
Berge 6/10: Again, sometimes when he is on the ball he pushes past players and shows his class. But tonight he is up against non-leaguers. Took his goal really well but robbed a few times and at others he just failed to make his effect work to dominate
Coullibally 6.5/10: Thought he looked promising. Good eye for playmaking and deft footwork, Why the fuck he was hooked is a mystery
McAtee 5/10: Thought he came back into the game second half after a dismal first smattered with errors and fuck ups. Good lay off for Berge's goal
NDaiye 7/10: Again, loads of digging out of the ball and making half chances his own to get us back on the front foot. His skill level and energy is way above the rest of the team
Sharp 5/10: He spent a lot of time trying to muscle in and right at the death, wins the match for us and puts Wrexham to sleep. He does what it says on the label, does Billy.
Norwood 6/10: Added some composure to the midfield but I'd have hooked McAtee and put Coullibally in his place and put Norwood in at CDM. Great cross field ball to Sharp which their defender fucked up to his cost
Lowe 5/10: Not a massive amount for him to comment on. We changed to 4-3-3 then.
Brooks - No mark
HJ&SMcC 6/10: Yeah, we got there and we didn't get humiliatingly dumped out of the competition by a non league side at Bramall Lane after struggling to draw with them at their place. The tale of the tape this season is 'making hard work of it' and we have done this since beating Burnley at Bramall Lane all those long weeks ago. I am not really sure what his ideal side is or what his most effective tactic is. We are on them, fail to score, allow them back into the game and struggle to finish. But we don't get beat, which is somewhat a pyrrhic, bittersweet bonus. Give Spurs the next round, protect the squad and don't let this points gap drop to anything below six points because if by Birmingham away in May we are down to the last game we'll end up in the playoffs and we all know what happens there.
And those rather suspect entities running the club need to get this fucking sale sorted out quickly. We will need at least £120m to finish 17th in the PL next season. This current squad won't make it. Tonight is proof.
pommpey
btw ) so you have to give them credit for kicking us just a bit harder in the second half , they do only have one way to play , but did it well , if limited in that second half , it was to be expected , when we did break , strangely at speed we cut right through them , again admittedly at lower league level , and poor finishing, decision making gave them an undeserved chance of an upset .
