Yet another 'dirty win' against a team resoundingly bummed up the bum last time out by our nearest promotion rivals. The game tonight made both teams look very much like they were within one place of each other down the bottom of the league than where they actually are. All over the pitch United are failing to fire on all cylinders and dominate weaker teams like Reading. I'm not saying we should be whupping them 4 or 5-0 at the Madjeski (although really, it would restore some confidence in fans that we will go up in the autos) but we should be at least more than a solitary goal from nowhere up and playing out the final minutes high up in their half with them looking beaten rather than defending and 'thank fuck'ing the final whistle. Many on shoutbox and elsewhere noted we were 'well on top' in the first half hour but that masks the reality that although we seemed to be, we actually created fucking nowt. We're great at 'possession football' in phases. It's almost as if the brief is to keep the ball in the centre third and don't dare to attack their goal. It's indicative of a few things. One is that this team is stuffed still with legacy players who don't know anything different than Wilderball. The second is that no one bar Basham and NDaiye knows how to make use of the space in front of them. Everything has to be passed back and forth like some fucking extended training drill. Unless its at the feet of NDaiye it aint gonna trouble their defence. Crossing and through balls, cracks from distance and just 'well worked goals' are out of the question. We seem scared to gamble and instead pass it endlessly this way and that boring the arse of everyone. Reading were abject tonight and you could see exactly how Boro destroyed them at the Riverside on Satdi. They went at their weaknesses. Tonight they played 5-2-3 at one stage and still our midfield looked fucking outnumbered. Great to still maintain seven points but coming up we have Luton at the Lane whereas Boro visit a shambolic Swansea. Put in a performance like we did tonight (and let's hope NDaiye is okay) and that seven points once again gets squeaky-bum again. Hecky needs to get us consistently at oppositions and trying efforts and gambling a bit. The passing and positionals tonight also need tightening. The back three tonight, although coping, were seriously under the cosh. And for fuck's sake, where is Jebbison and Doyle?
Foderingham 6/10: Decent tip over from Carroll. Some questionable distribution in the first half
Bogle 4/10: Shambolic and off-key performance from him tonight. very Kozluk-like with his crossing too
Basham 6/10: Blood (literally) and guts from him but he's showing his limitations at times. Still able to carry the ball forward into space, which makes a fucking change
Egan 6/10: Bullied and battered by Carroll for much of the game which is par for the course for Egan. He's a decent centre back and gets his head in but aerially he's powderpuff against big strong centre forwards
JLT 6.5/10: Another committed if spoon-footed game for Jacky boy. No long throws either?
Lowe 5/10: Timid. That word just about sums him up.
Berge 4/10: Marginally better game in a deeper role. Strolled around with the ball and looked capable, but wasn't.
Norwood 4/10: Poor game and reversion for him against a numerically inferior midfield where you'd imagine him to be bossing the game and winning it for us.
McAtee 3/10: Thought he was outmuscled and weak tonight. He epitomised where tonight's game, although won on goals, was lost on the pitch.
NDaiye 7/10: Our only outlet and our only ball winner. Well worked for and taken goal. Hope the flying fuck his hip injury isn't bad because he is the only way we get promoted now if Hecky doesn't switch on and start getting us engaged to win the game from start to finish
McBurnie 6.5/10: Worked very hard to get and remain with the attack but tended to shithouse a bit. Well worked for the setup for NDaiye's goal
Baldock 5/10: Added marginally more than Bogle down on the right
Sharp 5/10: Usual hustle and bustle and dug in to set Reading back, but he's running out of steam as we run out of options
Fleck 4/10: Didn't see what he brought to the outfield play or much of him in the game either. Pointless and indeed wrong substitution
We still have so much to do now and indeed over the next six months to justify going up. Beating Reading tonight was good, but it was wholly unconvincing that without NDaiye we are rudderless and beatable. We have far too many player with us still with their heads in Division One and not moved on or out when the right time - on relegation - was apparent and when we could have and should have changed. The trouble is that if we go up we WILL have to change or we will be smashed week in, week out. We will have to get shut of a good 40-50% of the current squad and buy big to replace them and change entirely the way we play - Wilderball without any of the good bits. It's heartening we are still in the chase but we remain fragile and fraught and the confidence is brittle. Maybe a dropping of Berge for once and Doyle/Norwood at R/LDM with McB and Jebbo as frontmen and NDaiye as No 10 could be better. Whatever happens, we are going to the fucking wire with this. Strap yourselves in.
pommpey
