My thoughts from the sofa

[robbiez666]

Moore
Wilson Wright O'Connell
Freeman - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Lafferty
Basham Coutts
Duffy
Sharp Done
​

ta

 

[Bergen Blade]

Moore - 6 - excellent save from McDonald but flapped at a cross.
Wilson - 6 - not convincing but didn't make any real mistakes, we did look stronger when Ebanks-Landell replaced him though.
Wright - 7 - looked vulnerable in the first half but assured in the second, at home in the middle of a back three.
O'Connell - 8 - made a lot of good interceptions and dealt with everything he had to, cleared it well, good with the ball too, at home on the left of a back three.
Freeman - 8 - physically and technically better than his opponent all game, solid, kept the ball and got a goal.
Lafferty - 6 - looks like he knows how to defend, made us solid on the left, not bad on the ball but could've done better in the final third, gave away free kicks.
Basham - 7 - made a lot of good tackles, OK on the ball. Important player in that midfield, need his legs and defensive ability.
Coutts - 7.5 - showed some tenacity, kept the ball well as usual, stayed quite deep and kept it quite simple. Most assured player on the pitch.
Duffy - 7 - seems to have been rated poorly but I remember the contributions to our attacking moves more than the poor end product, he was also reliable in our own third of the pitch. Would've had an assist if Sharp could finish.
Done - 6.5 - got better as the game went on, was stretching their defence and I think Sharp should've been taken off instead.
Sharp - 6 - missed at least two very good chances which could've cost us on another day, he really has to start taking them. Looked lively in the second half.

Ebanks-Landell - 6.5 - we looked more solid with him on and he dealt with everything he had to, didn't think he got enough distance on his headers though.
Clarke - 6 - gave them something to think about, won headers, gave us a focal point.
Scougall - only got a few minutes, should've probably replaced Duffy earlier as he tired.

Agree with these points and comments. I tried to watch him closely and Duffy had a good game, always busy, showing vision, composure, numerous great touches and passes. Really enjoy watching him play, and surprised at some of the comments. Against a Gillingham side with four central midfielders there wasn't a lot of space for a number 10 to excel in, but Duffy was mobile and was involved in a lot of our attacks. A lot of number 10s can be a bit lazy, but Duffy works really hard in closing down opposition players and making himself available. Such hard work defensively and offensively affects concentration and technique, i.e. the odd poor control and shot. Really looking forward to seeing more from him.

 

[Ricky]

Agree with these points and comments. I tried to watch him closely and Duffy had a good game, always busy, showing vision, composure, numerous great touches and passes. Really enjoy watching him play, and surprised at some of the comments. Against a Gillingham side with four central midfielders there wasn't a lot of space for a number 10 to excel in, but Duffy was mobile and was involved in a lot of our attacks. A lot of number 10s can be a bit lazy, but Duffy works really hard in closing down opposition players and making himself available. Such hard work defensively and offensively affects concentration and technique, i.e. the odd poor control and shot. Really looking forward to seeing more from him.

He seems to have a good attitude, will do what's asked of him and doesn't hide.

 

[Bergen Blade]

He seems to have a good attitude, will do what's asked of him and doesn't hide.

Some good touches and passes from him yesterday:

 

[Ricky]

Some good touches and passes from him yesterday:

Exactly. And there were more good contributions too.

 

[Roygbiv]

I thought Duffy was poor from my view in the pub but Ricky and Bergen Blade have shed a different light with their posts since the game

 

[LoughboroBlade]

I thought Duffy was poor from my view in the pub but Ricky and Bergen Blade have shed a different light with their posts since the game

I see where both are coming from, but for me while he was involved in some good stuff there were some particularly wasteful crosses, instances where he cheaply conceded possession, and others where had his passing been marginally better there would have likely been more goals. The Sharp blocked chance first half is a key example of that – one which on first viewing I thought was Sharp's error in not taking it first time, but the extra touch was necessary because Duffy played it slightly behind him. Don't get me wrong, I recognised his general pressing, and he got into some good positions, and I do think that in time we'll see a much better contribution from him in this formation. But on Sunday, a lot didn't come off for him based on what I saw.

 

[Balham]

Some good touches and passes from him yesterday:

Nice retro finishing on the clip there Bergen - looks like something recorded on a VHS tape that's been used too much

Thanks for the insight though; it is much appreciated here!

 

[Grizzly blade]

I see where both are coming from, but for me while he was involved in some good stuff there were some particularly wasteful crosses, instances where he cheaply conceded possession, and others where had his passing been marginally better there would have likely been more goals. The Sharp blocked chance first half is a key example of that – one which on first viewing I thought was Sharp's error in not taking it first time, but the extra touch was necessary because Duffy played it slightly behind him. Don't get me wrong, I recognised his general pressing, and he got into some good positions, and I do think that in time we'll see a much better contribution from him in this formation. But on Sunday, a lot didn't come off for him based on what I saw.

You do know we are in L1 mate? If Duffy was able to do what he did successfully, plus pulling off all the passes you mention he missed or made errors on, he wouldn't be with us in the third tier of the game.
There will be games where he does get it all right, but probably be no more than 5 a season.
It's the ability to deal with different opponents and tactics that allow consistency, and that's the difference between your premier league players and the lads like Duffy.

Did Duffy play the pass behind Sharp....or was Sharps run to early? Either way, with more games the finer details like this will be resolved.

Apologies for the sarcasm Btw.

 

[Grizzly blade]

I thought Duffy was poor from my view in the pub but Ricky and Bergen Blade have shed a different light with their posts since the game

I like to look back over certain players on Bladesplayer. I was surprised when I saw some of the ratings for Duffy on here, because what I saw I thought he had a decent game. Yes he got a few things wrong, but he did a lot of very good work as highlighted by Bergen.
Shooting....one poor back pass like shot....then put his foot through one which was decent...then seemed to avoid a couple of shots. Free kick...woeful.

Chris needs to get all these lads doing shooting and finishing practice for the next week!

 

[Slim Man]

I think it's hard to argue that Duffy wasn't poor the other day, he was.

But what I really like about him is his willingness to keep trying. A lot of wingers are inconsistent because they hide, that's not the case from Duffy, if something goes wrong he gets his head back up and goes again.

I'd prefer to see him on the wing myself because he's really tricky and can whip in a decent ball but you won't hear me complain about him being picked even when off form because he's got that flash of quality you need to win a game. Once he gets going and it clicks, he's going to be our most important player going forward.

 

[robbiez666]

You have to bare in mind that week keep switching formations and it can't be easy for any player to automatically adjust. Duffy is clearly a very good player at this level.