United 1 Norwich 1 - report/ratings

[SirNibletsO'Korne]

Spot on assessment. Changes had to be made and we looked like a team that was having to deal with that. Can't understand why people are moaning so much, 10 points from 4 games? I'll take that after getting the square root of fuck all at the start of the season thanks very much.

 

[Addison]

The best result last night was not losing. Hard to be critical as the team played and looked like it had been cobbled together at the last minute. Too many players without enough game time and others allegedly playing through illness. Narwich had just as many problems with their catalogue of injuries so personally glad we got through the game. Moment of the night Seriki's sublime pass that set up our goal. Biggest disappointment Chong played welL but looks like he's injured again.

The most important team at the club will be the medical team over the next few days. Hopefully we can put out a fit first eleven on Friday.

 

[John Street West Terrace]

So disjointed last night , too many changes ( I know some enforced) but I would still have started with as close to the side as Saturday & rotated players later in the game .
At no point did we gain any control in the middle of the park & it often exposed us at the back . Arblaster still way off though, I’m assuming the Peck absence was enforced. Really missed Reidewald last night to break things up & do the simple things ..Soumare nowhere near Championship level in afraid .
I thought Bindon & Cooper were our best performers when many had an off night .
First time I’ve seen Chong tonight looked lively but lightweight & as for Matos fk me we have really pissed some money up the wall on that lad !
We got a point but could easily have won or equally lost it .. onwards & upwards bring on the Baggies

 

[John Street West Terrace]

I think it's obvious by now that he needs to play off a focal-point type striker. That probably needs to be Bamford rather than Ings.

Not making excuses for him as he still looks unable to anticipate anything at times but I think that's how we get the best from him. If we could move him on in January I still would do.

100% .. partners very well with Bamford who holds the ball up better than Campbell .. He & Ings are too similar & both were heading into the same spaces last night

 

[Grappler]

Enforced changes, as we all now know, made for a very scrappy game.

Norwich were nowhere near the worst team I have seen at the lane this season (probably Watford), and played neat, short passes, straight through our midfield. We missed some great chances, the ball along the goal line that both Ings and (I think) Chong missed, when just sticking your foot out would have been a simple tap in, was typical of the night.

My thinking is always, start with the best 11 you have, try and gain a lead, take off the better players (if they need to rest before the next game) and replace with subs who can hopefully see the game out.

Brooks elevated the playing immensely when he came on, and put Norwich on the back foot with his runs. It was one of those nights where the ball seemed to stick to his feet.

The own goal was a gut punch, but we have to clear balls better than that.

At the start of the season, we would have lost that game, and I guess it says something where many of us now expect to win, such is the run we have been on.

 

[dc_blade]

I think when players generally have an unconvincing game and then go on to making a couple of noticeable mistakes, picked up by the crowd etc, you get the ott reviews.

This was pretty much what I was getting at. He didn't play well but I don't see the point in making stuff up to make it look worse.

 

[nopigfansintown]

Thought Bindon swept up really well.

Arblaster showed his quality on the ball on numerous occasions but the balance out of possession was all wrong. I include the front lads and Chong in this. Once they got through the first press we were in trouble. They were then straight into the backline. There wasn't a second press and neither of the two in the middle anchored ala Riedeweld. The defenders for the most part did a decent job considering this huge structural issue which was constantly putting them under undue pressure

Seriki's sublime pass during the first goal deserves a mention.

The key part of the game was when Hamer went in the centre. We totally lost all authority/middle in the middle at that point. The game became a basketball game until the Matos change.

 

[Balham]

On Soumare, why does it go from him being someone earlier in the season who you weren't sure why he was dropped, to now needing to be sent back due to having an admittedly awful game last night?

It's almost that he's a young player who hasn't played enough competitive football due to a massively bloated squad and now is drastically out of form. I imagine if I pore over previous ratings, there will be times at which Brooks has been written off due to a couple of those utterly half arsed performances last season where the ball bounced off his foot relentlessly, but now there's a very very good player in there.

If the rumours about the illness in the squad are correct it's not beyond the realms of possibility that Soumaré was playing at less than 100%. It's impossible to absolve him from culpability for the own goal but fundamentally it was because he's solely left footed, he couldn't sort his right foot out to clear it.

I like Soumaré. I admire the fact that his first thought when he receives the ball is to go forward - much as Arblaster does (or at least did) - and that he is capable of beating the press. I have reservations over his positional discipline and as a result I'm not sure that pairing him with a just-back-from-a-year-out Arblaster was, with hindsight, the best move. Equally, pairing him with the nervous and struggling Matos was only going to exacerbate those weaknesses in his game.

FWIW, I don't think it would be the worst option in the world to discuss Soumare going back as he's going to get less game time as we go through the season. He's behind Jairo, Peck, Blaster and a fit Tom Davies in those deeper positions - we'll get more performances like last night.

Soumaré is effectively fourth choice because we can't guarantee that Arblaster won't have complications having had so long out and Davies won't be fit for more than one match at a time. Add in the fact that Riedewald is only contracted until some point in January and it would be lunacy to cut short a loan deal we've invested €1m in.

 

[Cheeky Blade]

I’d say Norwich missed a golden opportunity to take three points tonight. When I saw Arblaster and then Chong starting I knew something was up. Happy with the point.

 

[Roygbiv]

It was very much like a FA Cup 3rd round game. 2 sides with lots of injuries meaning they played patched up sides that led to a scrappy, disjointed game. We've seen in past cup games how much we struggle when we make loads of changes, even when we've had deeper squads. Wilders teams are usually well drilled and never look good when 7 or 8 non first teamers are thrown in together. It could have been a lot worse last night.

 

[Working Class Hero]

The only surprise mark there really is Matos getting a 3. He was as bad, if not worse than Soumare.

The midfield was way to open even with Arblaster in there, mainly because Soumare looked like he did not have a clue where he was supposed to be. When Matos came in, it became a bit embarrassing. I can't remember many midfield pairings that looked as bad as that together.

Most of the disastrous summer signings have been cast aside now (and rightly so) but they could be what prevent us making a dash for the play offs if we start getting injuries and they need to come back in, and these two showed that last night.

 

[joe casey]

I have seen it mentioned on social media that Tanganga played with the flu.. which if true explains his performance after his recent good play.

All the marks pretty accurate though I might have given Bindon and Seriki an extra point

Did wonder how many of the others had potentially been or were carrying illness but playing anyway

 

[JOEYDEE]

Spot on assessment. Changes had to be made and we looked like a team that was having to deal with that. Can't understand why people are moaning so much, 10 points from 4 games? I'll take that after getting the square root of fuck all at the start of the season thanks very much.

Thought it was 13 from 5 ...?

 

[SirNibletsO'Korne]

Thought it was 13 from 5 ...?

I was always shit at maths
How the fuck did I forget Leicester?

 

[Tarqs]

Thought Bindon was our best player, didn't do much more than the basics but that's all that was needed. Chong had a couple of moments but was no better than the others who got a 5 out of 10.

They were abysmal, not one player for them looked better than mid table league one and there's a reason they're so low in the league and losing so many games. A real opportunity missed tonight.

UTBFTP

Strange assessment, thought they ran rings around us at times and had us chasing shadows. Their midfielder (7) absolutely dictated the play and had the freedom of the pitch whenever he had it.

If Sargent and Mclean stayed on second half, they probably win that, imo of course.

 

[wardonia_blade]

Reminds me of when we put 5 past Burnley a few years ago. We were all on a high then three days later we rested a few and were well beaten at home by lowly Rotherham.

 

[bruce]

Thought it was 13 from 5 ...?

14 from 6.

 

[Bladeloyal]

Blaster will be fine when he trusts his body again ,fitness and confidence will come .he's quality

 

[BobbyDavison'sDebut]

I was always shit at maths
How the fuck did I forget Leicester?

I thought we'd got Eni Aluko posting on here for a minute!

 

[Bladethebrian]

I'd hoped for more from Soumare. On occasions he looks very good with athleticism and ability on the ball, but then he frustrates by being too erratic and making a mess of things. Performances need to be put in context though. It was a patched up team with players who haven't been allowed to build the same understanding shown by the team that's played of late.

I think when players generally have an unconvincing game and then go on to making a couple of noticeable mistakes, picked up by the crowd etc, you get the ott reviews.

Regarding his passing it was ok and we don't know the instructions and restrictions he's given. Our current style is quite attacking and it wouldn't be a surprise if the management wanted Soumare to take few risks with his passing.

His best pass was in the second half when at first he was a part of some passing in our own half, got it from Cooper, carried it forward past Norwich's first press, drew attention from their deeper midfielders before threading a fine pass through them to Hamer. Hamer turned and there were space and runs in behind, but his pass failed.

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Always appreciate your analyses Bergen but I thought Soumare was appalling

 

[Blademan89]

I think i will be lenient with the majority of them from that game & wilder, as we not sure who was starting who had an illness or carrying knocks & who was on the bench with the same. To me ohare & tangana both looked to be ill, arblaster & chong probably thrown in too early.

Then on flip side we play those on the bench first. Who do we bring on for them? Wilder had no choice but to rotate the few that came on. If any of them got injured or knackered or wasnt 100% we would have been stuck.

Rather risk it against 2nd to bottom Norwich (who have just a bad injury & illness crisis as us), than away at West brom and potentially more games.