Man of the match v Reading?

[Rogerwyldesmullet]

Can't see this anywhere so here goes 

 

Westwood - instructed waste time and to clutch the ball like his favourite teddy bear from the first minute. Apart from one nerve jangling pass to Loovens did some good hoofing - 7

Palmer - had some dodgy moments with their winger but did OK - 6

Loovens - took out a player instead of risking another castrational 50:50 but solid if fantastically unimaginative with the ball - 7

Van Aken - can't argue with clean sheet but when he crosses the half way line it is 50% Beckenbaur and 50% Larry May - 7

Fox - seems a bit slight but did put some of the best crosses in (tellingly) without having to get to the byline. More of that son. -7

Lee - looked knackered especially when tracking back - apart from a miracle turn late on I thought he was "unpenetrative" - injured? -5

Jones - let's not forget his task is to be the invisible man and he succeeded - "  "

Bannan - best player on the park by a mile and first to clap the fans - only one who looked likely to provide the magic to unlock the defence - not sure what more he can do before he leaves for the Prem in January - 9

Reach - quiet lad, quiet game - 5

Joao - some mercurial touches coupled with woodentop decision making - 5.5

Fletcher - hard working as ever but his day was summed up by a breathtaking take of a long ball which he contrived to back heel rather than shoot - 5

 

Hoops - puts his arris into things and links play - wish he would shoot a bit more often 5

Rhodes - there are no words - how did the most lethal animal in the EFL jungle turn into Bambi? 3

 

 

As for my arris - it has just about thawed out!

 

 

[Beholder]

Bannan 9?

 

YeH he was good in a ten minute spell but 9?

 

A nine would mean goals and assists...and Bannan never scores and hardly ever assists. 

 

I think one of our problems as a team is it's all about Bannan.

 

He is simultaneously the dictator and the limiter of of our play. 

 

He has become too important in a way. 

 

 

[TrickyTrev]

Bannan was the best of a very ordinary bunch yesterday.

[Hougoumont]

There wasn' a MOM yesterday. It was a very poor very boring team performance.

[York_Owl]

Bannan by a distance. He’s the player that makes us tick but he needs a Carlton Palmer type alongside him if we stick with just two in the middle.

 

Ideally he should be part of a three man central midfield.

[Bouncing Owl]

3 minutes ago, York_Owl said:

Bannan by a distance. He’s the player that makes us tick but he needs a Carlton Palmer type alongside him if we stick with just two in the middle.

 

Ideally he should be part of a three man central midfield.

 

Absolutely. When all fit, Hutch should be the defensive player, Lee on the right and Bannan on the left. Movement and pace ahead of them, ideally with Ff on the left of a front 3. Bannan has been excellent this season but if we played this formation, you would get more out of him.

 

 

[York_Owl]

Couldn’t agree more @Bouncing Owl. 

 

I thought this this would be our blueprint after the Arsenal game or at least our plan b but I don’t remember seeing it since.  @Lord Snooty did an excellent thread on this very point.

[BarnsleyOwl96]

I thought van aken was solid yesterday 

 

westwood- didn’t have to do much , sometimes takes too long with kicks and getting on with the game , I understand sometimes we need to take the sting out but- 6

palmer - solid enough but not too much going forward 6

loovens - odd error here and there but generally ok - 6

JVA- thought he looked pretty decent yesterday won his battles , few nice passes and intent to pick someone out 

7

fox - got forward fairly well at times and generally ok defensively 6

lee- didn’t do much other than that outrageous bit of skill towards the end ! Not a wide man but did ok -6

Jones - did a very typical jones performance 5/6

bannan - typical baz tried to get things moving and worked hard- 8

reach- didn’t really offer much and never looked a likely source to create - 5/6

fletch - poor yesterday didn’t really do much 5/6

joao - lively and made a few good runs but never materialised into anything . 7

 

motm Bazz with joost and Joao playing relatively well

[torres]

If you give Reach more than 0 you can't have been at the game 

[Brando17]

55 minutes ago, Hougoumont said:

There wasn' a MOM yesterday. It was a very poor very boring team performance.

whoever cut the oranges up at half time

[Tamworthowl]

Some fair comments in the OP, but I tend to disagree with the comment on Jones.

 

I agree about invisible man, I thought the same at about 20-25 minutes, when I realised he was playing, but one of the main reasons Reading were passing across the back four more than we do was down to Jones positioning to prevent a through ball. He was very influential in protecting the back four (their main attacks came from long balls by-passing midfield into the fullback areas) without actually touching the ball. Hence, invisible, but not ineffective. I'd rate him 6-7.

[oldishowl]

1 hour ago, Bodhidharma said:

Bannan 9?

 

YeH he was good in a ten minute spell but 9?

 

A nine would mean goals and assists...and Bannan never scores and hardly ever assists. 

 

I think one of our problems as a team is it's all about Bannan.

 

He is simultaneously the dictator and the limiter of of our play. 

 

He has become too important in a way. 

 

 

 

This is a good point.

I have thought for a while that this season our tactics have all been based around two players, Bannan and Hooper.

 

Lets be clear I am not blaming the players for this , they are two of our better players, but they have weaknesses as well as strengths.

 

Our reliance on Bannan means that when he either gets pushed deeper by the opposition or drops deeper himself because everything has to go through him we get stuck in our own half .

 

Equally our 442 system is based around Hooper playing second striker and linking play . I am sick and tired of seeing him linking play in our own half and playing 90 mins with his back to goal.

Again it means we are always going backwards.

 

Oh for a 433  or similar. Two wide attackers stretching their defence then making forward runs into the box and two attacking midfielders again making forward runs and exposing gaps in the defence.

 

 

 

[adelphi1867]

2 hours ago, Rogerwyldesmullet said:

Can't see this anywhere so here goes 

 

Westwood - instructed waste time and to clutch the ball like his favourite teddy bear from the first minute. Apart from one nerve jangling pass to Loovens did some good hoofing - 7

Palmer - had some dodgy moments with their winger but did OK - 6

Loovens - took out a player instead of risking another castrational 50:50 but solid if fantastically unimaginative with the ball - 7

Van Aken - can't argue with clean sheet but when he crosses the half way line it is 50% Beckenbaur and 50% Larry May - 7

Fox - seems a bit slight but did put some of the best crosses in (tellingly) without having to get to the byline. More of that son. -7

Lee - looked knackered especially when tracking back - apart from a miracle turn late on I thought he was "unpenetrative" - injured? -5

Jones - let's not forget his task is to be the invisible man and he succeeded - "  "

Bannan - best player on the park by a mile and first to clap the fans - only one who looked likely to provide the magic to unlock the defence - not sure what more he can do before he leaves for the Prem in January - 9

Reach - quiet lad, quiet game - 5

Joao - some mercurial touches coupled with woodentop decision making - 5.5

Fletcher - hard working as ever but his day was summed up by a breathtaking take of a long ball which he contrived to back heel rather than shoot - 5

 

Hoops - puts his arris into things and links play - wish he would shoot a bit more often 5

Rhodes - there are no words - how did the most lethal animal in the EFL jungle turn into Bambi? 3

 

 

As for my arris - it has just about thawed out!

 

 

We must have been bad if they all got Minus (-) scores.

[thesouthowl]

Bannan is our best link up/creative player by far, however I don't want to see him linking up play with Westwood, Loovens or Van J all the time. He needs to be further forward. 

We looked dangerous when the ball went out wide (typically after good link up play from Bannan) Just the crossing after always seems to be poor. Is it me or does Fox have a problem with lifting the ball higher than 4 foot when crossing-maybe he needs his Weetabix?

It's not if we haven't got any decent heading ability up front. Better service and goals will come from this area. I actually feel sorry for Rhodes as he just isn't getting any service and he looks cack because of it-chance yesterday aside he glanced wide.

 

 

[Rogerwyldesmullet]

For the avoidance of doubt, I thought the fans were the best thing about Wednesday yesterday - was in their west stand and their "viewers" (don't seem to

have supporters)were v complimentary and singled out

Tango for special admiration. 

 

Re Bannan I agree with all those pining for the Arsenal formation but I m not sure Hutch will ever be fit enough for long enough to make it happen long term. 

 

I could take pelters on this but a minder like Mac Shane yesterday might suit. He was always decisive and tried to drive his team forward.

 

More  generally I don't think there was a cig paper between the four play off contenders last season and all have struggled this year apart from udders who are in the Prem which is more suited to possession play. Fact is, the more direct approach is carrying the day this year in the EFL such that Barnsley Mick thinks they were unlucky with 30% of the ball.

 

[Rogerwyldesmullet]

41 minutes ago, Tamworthowl said:

Some fair comments in the OP, but I tend to disagree with the comment on Jones.

 

I agree about invisible man, I thought the same at about 20-25 minutes, when I realised he was playing, but one of the main reasons Reading were passing across the back four more than we do was down to Jones positioning to prevent a through ball. He was very influential in protecting the back four (their main attacks came from long balls by-passing midfield into the fullback areas) without actually touching the ball. Hence, invisible, but not ineffective. I'd rate him 6-7.

 

Accept your point on this, it's just that conversely, as he advances forward, you can see all the opposites relax and reshape cos nothing is going to happen fast. I was hoping that shot against Sunderland was a sign of things to come but the entire team seems phobic about shooting. 

Edited November 26, 2017 by Rogerwyldesmullet

[DuttyTeabags]

14 minutes ago, thesouthowl said:

Bannan is our best link up/creative player by far, however I don't want to see him linking up play with Westwood, Loovens or Van J all the time. He needs to be further forward. 

We looked dangerous when the ball went out wide (typically after good link up play from Bannan) Just the crossing after always seems to be poor. Is it me or does Fox have a problem with lifting the ball higher than 4 foot when crossing-maybe he needs his Weetabix?

It's not if we haven't got any decent heading ability up front. Better service and goals will come from this area. I actually feel sorry for Rhodes as he just isn't getting any service and he looks cack because of it-chance yesterday aside he glanced wide.

 

 

Rhodes is cack, paid to hit the target  so when he does get a chance and heads it over, wide, or whatever it is amplified cos he has absolutely eff all else to his game.

[northeastowl]

No one. 

 

I guess Bannan was the best of a bud bunch but doesn’t deserve mom.

[lanzaroteowl]

 

Bannan

 

Only player you noticed in any positive light

[Lord Snooty]

Did stick the poll up yesterday but it sunk in a wave of a despair!

Still here. Only 7 votes so far.