I am not doing a full report from today’s game. I will do a summary and ratings though….
Summary – We deserved to go out against a side that wanted it more and put more effort in overall. They barely had the ball but when they had it, they were far more effective than we were with us. They scored 4 good goals and attacked with purpose on the break showing pace and bravery. We faced up 9 or 10 defenders but barely created anything at all till the rally at 1-4. It was slow and clueless and we just kept recycling the ball from side to side and even though we rallied, we did not pressurise them much at all at 3-4.
A lot will point to the team selection but also we should still have had enough experience and ability to see of a League One side. The fact we did not shows that there are some of those that started, that need moving on – but whether we can find takers is debatable. At least a few, Davies, Mee and Ings are out of contract so will go anyway. The subs improved us but we were always chasing the game and whilst Bamford and Brooks did ok, I thought Davies and Seriki came on and were the same poor standards of the rest. It was a mess really most of the game and we somehow managed to have no control of the game against an average League One side. The fact we had so much possession but barely did anything with it, sums up the lack of pace, urgency and the attitude of most of the team – with no one wanting to take responsibility. Wilder never takes cups seriously and again that seemed to be the case – sure he will say we had enough but the fact we lost shows that he has to move some of these on. He cannot keep saying the same as he did v WBA, Wrexham and probably today.
It was a perfect away performance in many ways, as they soaked up a bit of early pressure but then broke out and had 2 chances better than we had before they scored with Davies making two decent saves. The goal that they scored was a great striker but we got level with a brilliant one of our own – after this we had lots of the ball but barely created anything with Soumare and Arblaster taking too many touches – us having no width whatsoever and the front two not moving and looking so immobile. The rest of the half we were the better team but other than one Chong effort, cannot recall us creating much and their keeper made no saves at all. They then score another from a corner which dropped – yes took a deflection, but think we would learn – but no we leave a man unmarked again. After the break, it was a mess as we had no real structure and were so open for the break. Hamer loses the ball (which he did all game) and they break and get down the side too easily before crossing for an unmarked player. We made changes around this point but they got the 4th as another hopeless piece of play saw Mee get beaten easily and the player just ran in and scored. We looked the lower league side. Davies leaves too much of his goal here but I felt a bit sorry for him today – he is not good enough – but had no protection at all. The South Stand around me were fuming at that point as we were getting hammered by a League One side. They had been ruthless and created things far easier than us with our sideways, plodding football just leading to nothing as they sat behind the ball and countered.
We get one back, a scrappy goal and then an own goal and at 65 minutes you think with the main players all on – at least in forward positions – we will have a real go. It never happened and other than the odd ball across the box, did the keeper make a save? Maybe one? We took way too long to get it into the box and when we did it was loopy crosses that gave them time to drop on the 2nd ball. In the end, they saw it out quite comfortably and deserve to go through. They fought hard and put bodies on the line and showed a better attitude to win the game. United were a mess throughout and so far removed from what should have been a side that kept control, defended with comfort and had quality to create lots of chances. We keep saying the same things – that we have too many players not up to it but also the team serves up one of these every 4 or 5 games meaning any playoff hopes are pipe dreams. We are saddled with some absolute dross I am afraid (with some quality of course). Signing Bamford is so important as Campbell and Ings look woeful – we also have seen without one of Riedewald or Peck, the midfield gets overrun when teams break and struggle to create much the other way. Hamer continues to frustrate – did he do much right outside of a wonder goal and the right side was a major drop off with Seriki and Brooks out.
It was an embarrassing effort overall and to concede 4 goals at home to Mansfield is embarrassing and the coaching staff have to take responsibility for our selection and approach. It's not like we have much to play for in the league – you sense we will be mid table and so a cup run would have been nice but that is gone too now. The season could be essentially over in early January.
Ratings:
Davies 3/10 – I feel 3 is a bit harsh as he made 2 good saves early and then could he do much about the first 3 goals- not seen them back but seen some say he might have got to the first shot? Overall, he was not protected at all though. The 4th is poor and he leaves the near post but again others were more at fault. He gives me no confidence at all and whenever he plays we seem to lose and ship lots of goals. Surely the young lad Faxon could have been given a chance or we could get someone better than him as a number two. He is a poor goalkeeper.
Hoever 4/10 - Very ordinary overall. A few nice touches but he also played some balls that were too short and defensively they got down his side a fair bit and he was too far off his man. His overall touch and technique was not quite what I had hoped. Strongly disagree with Wilder in some of his thinly (thickly!) veiled criticism of Seriki in recent weeks and will be annoyed if he starts this lad over him.
Burrows 4/10 – Like Hoever, did not really take his chance. His touch and passing was off and he seems to be at full stretch a lot. Did put a few decent balls in first half but then second half he is nowhere near as they break and scored the third. The final 20 minutes, he had lots of the ball but constantly hit his man at the near post. One shot saved. I have seen alleged interest from a Turkish club. If we get anything around 3-4 million, I would take it. I am not sure his ceiling is much higher than what he is. He had a good season last year but has dropped off hugely this season.
McGuiness 3/10 – The two centre backs were not the issue defensively first half I thought but the lad Oates caused them all sorts of problems with his running and play down the sides. The goals came from long range shots that dropped though. They had a few moments from him running off them. Second half though, I thought him and Mee were hopeless. They made mistakes with the ball and did not mark when they broke – they just ended up free when the balls came in (3rd goal and chance at 2-4). When he had the ball, Mansfield just left him as he has no idea what to do with it and is atrocious technically. When he went up for corners and always jumped too soon and thus was on his way down when it came in.
Mee 1.5/10 – A real struggle all game. Found the pace of the game too much, could not cope with the lad up top and his passing/touch was off all game. The lad Oates, a journeyman striker who has never played very high up completely outplayed him beating him in the air and on the floor, time after time. He looked like a player that is at the end of his career (which he is) and someone who was a free agent that no clubs wanted (they did not – till we signed him). Reminded me of a performance Craig Short gave in a League Cup tie versus a League One Birmingham I think, where they beat us 4 or 5-2 and he was awful and you knew he would not play much more (might have been his last pro game). Not saying Mee will not play again but today he was wretched. Got injured at the end (head) and then when we had a chance to get it forward – just kicked it straight to them.
Soumare 4/10- He was better than Arblaster I thought in that at least he got around a bit and tried to move it forward. A few decent passes but then some bad ones too. He never seemed to be in control of the ball. The midfield had so much of the ball first half but took forever to move it on and often it just slowed it down to a walking pace. Doubtful he is the answer long term – he is very inconsistent for a young player. Hopefully Riedewald, Peck and another incomer will take the minutes – as not sure we will see much of Davies and Arblaster is a long way off.
Arblaster 3/10 – Had a really difficult afternoon. He had a lot of the ball but it was all very safe and slow. He took too long to move it on and when he did he only played one or two good forward passes (one good ball to Burrows). He played passes that were short or 50-50’s often too as the game went on and seemed to be struggling to press and harry. They broke a few times second half and the midfield area was non-existent. I hope he can get back to what he was but the evidence of so far (tidy game v Stoke and a great ball v Leicester apart) he is a long way off what he was and remains to be seen if he can get back to that. He lacks the dynamism and that burst of pace he used to have to move away from players on the half turn, we have not see so far.
Hamer 4/10 – Gets a lot of his marks for an absolutely wonder goal that got us level but before this he had given the ball away a lot, he tried things that did not come off and was careless in possession all game. The goal is brilliant and shows what he can do but the rest of his performance was not good enough for a player of his ability. He was shrugged off it a few times, including on the break to one of their goals. I would move him on, if a bid of decent value came in. Another that has had a relatively poor season for someone with so much ability - the fact he is not a guaranteed starter sums it up.
Chong 1.5/10 – An absolutely horrific performance. He had one decent shot when he came onto the ball early but outside of this, he gave it away, took forever to move it on and was caught napping time after time. He seems to think he has an age on the ball and when he does have it, he rarely contributes anything impactful. Meandering on the ball and rarely gets back to help in the middle or his full back. Another one of our mystifying August signings that we are now stuck with. How Wilder can think he deserves minutes over Brooks- is beyond me? There was a moment 2nd half when he just tripped over his own feet. 2 minutes later he gave it away and then got it back but just gormlessly stood there as they took it off his toes again. He is another, like McGuiness, that has no football brain. Whoever, signed off on these two and Matos, really needs to be questioned and their position in jeopardy – 3 to 4 year deals for many of these?! Incredible.
Campbell 2/10 – Another largely forgettable showing where he was slow, did not move or anticipate and never looked a goal threat at all. He looks woefully unfit and is not showing for the ball, is not even a nuisance factor and looks overweight. A few tussles he finally won second half and at least had a few more touches but never looked like scoring – with one chance where he was blocked as he took too long. We had nothing up top till Bamford came on.
Ings 1.5/10 – As above but maybe even worse if possible? One chance where he did not react quick enough but I genuinely forgot he was playing. If he was a young kid, you would just say he was out of his depth but he is a senior pro that played for England! Sadly, his performance since he came on the whole have showed (like Mee) why he was not signed by anyone. He does not anticipate things, does not hold it up, not even a target to hit. Just looks slow and old – surely we will not see much of him before the season is out? With him and Campbell being so far off it and Cannon still up and down (although improved) we need another striker – like with the centre back positions – our lack of depth here is a real concern but we might wait till the summer now.
Subs -
Bamford 6.5/10 – Scored a goal and put himself about and looked like he cared. Provided a focal point. They instantly looked worried. After we got back in it, we rarely found him – preferring to move the ball around at a snails pace or never put crosses in. He was always moving though – compared to the two who started.
Brooks 5.5/10 – At least showed for the ball and got on it and tried to penetrate. He got some balls into the box, linked with others and showed some energy. Took too long at times maybe. I have seen Wilder had criticised his lack of impact (and Seriki’s which is fair enough) but he was ok I thought? Wilder clearly does not rate him or Seriki and the signing of Hoever and the Chong selections over Brooks, makes me think these two talented lads would be better moving on -as sad as that makes me feel as both come for our academy/Brooks a Sheffield lad. It is bizarre the difference in how he sees Peck/Blaster to these two and can only be a clash of personality thing but that is stupid if they are assets?
Seriki 3/10 – I thought he was not great even though I am concerned why Wilder has brought Hoever in to replace him. When he came on, he did not really contribute much – even though he got down the side a few times – the full back played him well and actually they forced him back a few times. Everything was messy in terms of touch and play when we needed some crisp passing/control and some moves where we may force them back. Still for Wilder to signal him out when so many were even worse is staggering. Once the ball went out at the back post and he screamed at him when he had no chance of getting to it. It is odd how he is being treated.
Davies 3/10 – Not great when he came on. Gave it away a fair bit and seemed a bit rushed. Surprised he used him – would have saved him for the league at least with the midfield issues we have. The narrative of the changes making a difference might be thrown out but whilst Bamford and Brooks did ok, Seriki and Davies did not.
Riedewald – At least gave us some control in here but at this stage everything was all a bit desperate./ Proved how much we miss him.
Manager: Wilder 1/10 – Team selection is ok if we go and win the game. We did not and thus he should rightly get criticised. He picked the team and he made the changes and set them up. He looked furious but he keeps saying the same things. Players like Chong, McGuinness, Ings and Mee are way off the level we need. Throw in drop offs from Burrows, Campbell and Hamer and that is 7 of your starters. With Arblaster and Soumare also not really giving us control in midfield, the whole team looks a bit of a mess. However, for all the criticism of the above, the players should be better than their counterparts but today they were outworked and at key moments, Mansfield found the quality to break and score goals. As much as the team selection will be examined the lack of a structure and way we are so open when teams break needs to be looked at. The slow, ponderous attacking play was also a concern without O’Hare, Brooks and Seriki – three players he is taking out of the team a fair bit when they are our main 3 attacking threats. He keeps criticising Brooks and Seriki though. Crazy. He even name checked Brooks and Seriki in his after-match comments which Is mad when Chong, Campbell, Ings, Arblaster, Mee are not mentioned individually? "[Andre] Brooks just played where he wanted to play, Femi [Seriki] didn't do what he needed to do. Pat [Bamford] came on and made a big difference."
The decision to sack him was mad and he has done well to improve things but this sort of stubbornness will surely alert the owners again? Also, the way he attacks the FA Cup games smacks of cockiness or that he simply does not care? I keep going to these games under him in the third round but maybe I should not as he treats us with contempt really in how we play in these games. It has happened several times now at the 3rd round stage.
Mansfield – Deserved to win overall as whilst they had little of the ball, they broke at pace, scored 4 excellent goals and overall they defended well. They worked really hard but also showed quality on the break too. They moved it with purpose and the goals they scored 2nd half were well made and taken. They showed bravery to put men forward even at 1-2 and 1-3. After this, a few poor goals to concede to make it nervy and they could have gone under but they regrouped and saw it out in the end with not too much trouble. Clough got a lot of criticism at the end of his tenure and made some poor signings (lots of little weak Scottish players and the final season did not build from his first one here) but was probably harsh he was sacked – when you look at what happened under Adkins the next season. He did an ok job here and we had two semi finals for a League One team. We have had far worst managers than him but not sure he was ever better than a decent manager at the level he is at. He showed today, he can get sides organised and carried on upsetting sides in the cup.
Opponent Man of the Match – Reed showed two long rangers but the lad Oates was superb and caused us all sorts of problems. He ran his socks off and Ings/Campbell in comparison should be ashamed at their efforts. The left winger Evans (number 11) played well too and got into some great areas.
Opponent Weak link – Can’t pick anyone out as a weak link when they have gone to a higher ranked side, scored 4 and won an away game in the FA Cup.
Referee / Officials – Gavin Ward. Had him quite a bit and he has annoyed me most times he has taken us. Too officious how he operates.Fussy. He seemed to give them more 50-50’s than them but then when he brought up bad fouls, took forever to have a word but did not book them. So slowed the game down and made sure we all knew he was there? Just seemed to want to get too involved and had no concept of advantages (the one at end as laughable when we broke). Not blaming him for the defeat- that is on Wilder and the team but he was not very good.
Crowd/Day Out – More there than I thought there would be – if Wilder is here in 12 months and we get drawn at home – will many home fans will go? We would be better opening one side stand and the Kop – just to help the atmosphere. Mansfield brought nearly 5k and were really good, getting behind their team and the team put in an excellent performance and they had a good day out. Hope they get a decent draw for their efforts.
