Man of the match - Millwall (H)

[Lord Snooty]

 

 

 

[WalthamOwl]

Iorfa by a country mile. 

[OWLERTON GHOST]

Cruz 

Because that's when we actually looked like we were playing something like a football team 

Up to then it was just gash ...

He starts next week ..

 

[Ronio]

Iorfa taketh.

 

You won't find a better tackle than the one we saw in the second half.  

 

 

[Ronio]

2 minutes ago, OWLERTON GHOST said:

Cruz 

Because that's when we actually looked like we were playing something like a football team 

Up to then it was just gash ...

He starts next week ..

 

Cruz looked very lively.  Has to start next game.  

 

 

[torryowl]

we had 15 shots ?....iorfa got my vote 

[mogbad]

Easy decision today, Iorfa.

[Guest Bulgaria]

Iorfa, followed by Reach.

 

It was a painful watch at times but can't argue about giving it a go.

 

Wouldn't surprise me if we went on another good run now we have some new faces in.

The championship is so average this year.

[OWLERTON GHOST]

11 minutes ago, Ronio said:

Iorfa taketh.

 

You won't find a better tackle than the one we saw in the second half.  

 

 

Well the irony of that 

I didnt see Doms weapon fall out of his shorts ..

I do however remember a certain Millwall players tackle hanging out of his shorts way back in the day !!!

Eamon Dunphy ....

One for the old uns ....

 

Edited February 1, 2020 by OWLERTON GHOST

[Ronio]

1 minute ago, OWLERTON GHOST said:

Well the irony of that 

I didnt see Doms weapon fall out of his shorts ..

I do however remember a certain Millwall players 

tackle hanging out of his shorts way back in the day !!!

One for the old uns ....

 

Beyond my time OG.

 

Probably still gives you nightmares.

[bradowl]

Iorfa for me. 

[McRightSide]

Iorfa...but switched off at the end and nearly cost us

[torres]

Obviously Iorfa by a mile but for the most part I think the back 4 did well 

(until 90 minutes was up then they went mental)

 

I think Odubajo deserves some credit too. Not a world beating performance by any stretch but I think it proves that a bit of pace and athleticism goes so far in this league. 

 

[The only way is S6]

Big Bad Dom by the length of a gross of country miles. Head, shoulders & telescopic legs better than anybody else.

[Maddogbob]

Big dom for me. 

[frastheowl]

 

Dawson - 7 - A clean sheet, with only two very comfortable saves to make. Had to deal with very little aerially also, which is surprising up against Millwall's giants. Struggled a little at times with his kicking, but the wind was deceptively strong. 

 

Palmer - 7 - Felt he was responsible for going aimlessly long far too often, especially in the 1st half. Defended well enough though.

 

Iorfa - 8 - Man of the Match - Back to his best again today, after a couple of rough games in the league. Swept up time and time again, looked confident once again with the ball and came out of the defence with it on numerous occasions. Absolutely fantastic tackle to deny Bradshaw when bearing down on goal. Couple of mix ups with Borner which let Millwall in, but on the whole, immense. 

 

Borner - 7 - Steady, eddy alongside Iorfa. I said it before the game, but this partnership should not be broken up, unless it absolutely has to. They just click together. Both love defending, and winning their duals. Like mentioned above, a couple of lapses which on other occasions may have been punished, but generally, more than decent.

 

Odubajo - 7 - There's always some frustrating moments with Odubajo...he's got a mistake in him. But, overall, thought he defended very well up against one of the divisions better players, in Jed Wallace. He seems to dwell on the ball too much which can often get him into trouble, but on the flip, his pace over short distances, gets him out of trouble so many times. 

 

Bannan - 6 - Another display lacking quality and impact. His set pieces weren't up to it, and in the 1st half, was anonymous. Picked up in the 2nd half, but still didn't run the game like he can, and should.

 

Pelupessy - 6 - Thought he was particularly poor in the 1st half. Didn't do his job well enough, and was too passive and reserved in his approach. His performance mirrored the teams general apathy. But, set the tone in the 2nd half, and looked to get about things in the middle more often, and as a result, we simply competed better and began to have more of the ball, and the game. 

 

Reach - 6 - Proved, yet again, that he's not a No.10. He doesn't provide any support for the striker, and yet leave the double pivot exposed. He contributes nothing to the role. That said, he's always got a bit of quality to show at times, and did get better as the game went on.

 

Harris - 6 - One brilliant bit of wing play in the 1st half which set up Reach's near post header, but we just didn't get him in those positions enough. Interesting to see what role he plays going forward...Monk now has more than a couple of options in those wide areas, with two of those goal scoring wide forwards. 

 

Murphy - 6 - Similar sort of game to Harris, but with perhaps a more general impact. That said, it's another game, where you think he's done "alright"... he needs to produce more.

 

Nuhiu - 5 - Probably a tad harsh, given the hard time he was given by the referee. Surprisingly won more aerial battles than I appreciated at the time, and was left criminally isolated. That said, too often he didn't do what was required, which is to hold the ball up and link the play. 

 

Forestieri - 7 - Decent impact off the bench. He just seemed to lift the place when he came on. Worked hard, buzzed around, and made things happen. Too selfish imo on a couple of occasions, opting to shoot rather than cross or shoot. But, encouraging performance.

 

Da Cruz - 7 - Similar to FF. In the short glimpse of him, I liked a lot of what I saw. Had an arrogance/confidence about him, looked comfortable on the ball, and was constantly trying to run in behind. It's a threat we've not had. Be interesting to see how/where he fits in.

 

Overall...

 

A game of two (Wednesday) sides... with and without FF/ Da Cruz.

 

The 1st half performance wasn't good enough. We didn't play it forward enough (unless it was an hopeless long ball), and was generally too slow, and lethargic. Millwall controlled the 1st half, and are perhaps kicking themselves, they didn't show a bit more belief at that time.

 

2nd half was much better. Of course, we'll play better. But it's the type of performance, you can get behind. When FF and Da Cruz were introduced, it sparked the players into life, and it got a reaction from the crowd. I'm sure Monk hasn't wanted to play the style he's adopted since he arrived, but he's had to make do with what he's got. With FF coming back to fitness, Da Cruz introduced and Windass and Wickham still to feature, I'm sure he'll want to get that front 4 (if we're going to play a 4-2-3-1) interchanging and playing with the sort of freedom they showed in glimpses today.

 

It's a process. It's going to take time, and it certainly won't be perfected this season. But, if Monk can get us playing a brand of football that appeals to him, and us, then the players will naturally exceed in it. That's what happened under Carlos in that 1st season...and we've not had that chance to replicate it since. 

 

Today is a start. Nothing more than that. It's a small glimpse into what I imagine Monk wants. I'd be certainly looking to start both FF and Da Cruz at Barnsley in a weeks time after that cameo though. 

[Bouncing Owl]

6 minutes ago, frastheowl said:

 

Dawson - 7 - A clean sheet, with only two very comfortable saves to make. Had to deal with very little aerially also, which is surprising up against Millwall's giants. Struggled a little at times with his kicking, but the wind was deceptively strong. 

 

Palmer - 7 - Felt he was responsible for going aimlessly long far too often, especially in the 1st half. Defended well enough though.

 

Iorfa - 8 - Man of the Match - Back to his best again today, after a couple of rough games in the league. Swept up time and time again, looked confident once again with the ball and came out of the defence with it on numerous occasions. Absolutely fantastic tackle to deny Bradshaw when bearing down on goal. Couple of mix ups with Borner which let Millwall in, but on the whole, immense. 

 

Borner - 7 - Steady, eddy alongside Iorfa. I said it before the game, but this partnership should not be broken up, unless it absolutely has to. They just click together. Both love defending, and winning their duals. Like mentioned above, a couple of lapses which on other occasions may have been punished, but generally, more than decent.

 

Odubajo - 7 - There's always some frustrating moments with Odubajo...he's got a mistake in him. But, overall, thought he defended very well up against one of the divisions better players, in Jed Wallace. He seems to dwell on the ball too much which can often get him into trouble, but on the flip, his pace over short distances, gets him out of trouble so many times. 

 

Bannan - 6 - Another display lacking quality and impact. His set pieces weren't up to it, and in the 1st half, was anonymous. Picked up in the 2nd half, but still didn't run the game like he can, and should.

 

Pelupessy - 6 - Thought he was particularly poor in the 1st half. Didn't do his job well enough, and was too passive and reserved in his approach. His performance mirrored the teams general apathy. But, set the tone in the 2nd half, and looked to get about things in the middle more often, and as a result, we simply competed better and began to have more of the ball, and the game. 

 

Reach - 6 - Proved, yet again, that he's not a No.10. He doesn't provide any support for the striker, and yet leave the double pivot exposed. He contributes nothing to the role. That said, he's always got a bit of quality to show at times, and did get better as the game went on.

 

Harris - 6 - One brilliant bit of wing play in the 1st half which set up Reach's near post header, but we just didn't get him in those positions enough. Interesting to see what role he plays going forward...Monk now has more than a couple of options in those wide areas, with two of those goal scoring wide forwards. 

 

Murphy - 6 - Similar sort of game to Harris, but with perhaps a more general impact. That said, it's another game, where you think he's done "alright"... he needs to produce more.

 

Nuhiu - 5 - Probably a tad harsh, given the hard time he was given by the referee. Surprisingly won more aerial battles than I appreciated at the time, and was left criminally isolated. That said, too often he didn't do what was required, which is to hold the ball up and link the play. 

 

Forestieri - 7 - Decent impact off the bench. He just seemed to lift the place when he came on. Worked hard, buzzed around, and made things happen. Too selfish imo on a couple of occasions, opting to shoot rather than cross or shoot. But, encouraging performance.

 

Da Cruz - 7 - Similar to FF. In the short glimpse of him, I liked a lot of what I saw. Had an arrogance/confidence about him, looked comfortable on the ball, and was constantly trying to run in behind. It's a threat we've not had. Be interesting to see how/where he fits in.

 

Overall...

 

A game of two (Wednesday) sides... with and without FF/ Da Cruz.

 

The 1st half performance wasn't good enough. We didn't play it forward enough (unless it was an hopeless long ball), and was generally too slow, and lethargic. Millwall controlled the 1st half, and are perhaps kicking themselves, they didn't show a bit more belief at that time.

 

2nd half was much better. Of course, we'll play better. But it's the type of performance, you can get behind. When FF and Da Cruz were introduced, it sparked the players into life, and it got a reaction from the crowd. I'm sure Monk hasn't wanted to play the style he's adopted since he arrived, but he's had to make do with what he's got. With FF coming back to fitness, Da Cruz introduced and Windass and Wickham still to feature, I'm sure he'll want to get that front 4 (if we're going to play a 4-2-3-1) interchanging and playing with the sort of freedom they showed in glimpses today.

 

It's a process. It's going to take time, and it certainly won't be perfected this season. But, if Monk can get us playing a brand of football that appeals to him, and us, then the players will naturally exceed in it. That's what happened under Carlos in that 1st season...and we've not had that chance to replicate it since. 

 

Today is a start. Nothing more than that. It's a small glimpse into what I imagine Monk wants. I'd be certainly looking to start both FF and Da Cruz at Barnsley in a weeks time after that cameo though. 

Good summary;

 

Team for next week;

 

Dawson

 

Palmer

Iorfa

Borner

Fox

 

Luongo

Bannan

 

Da Cruz

Windass

FF

 

Wickham

 

Bench;

Wildsmith

Lees

Joey

Reach
Murphy

Dave
Winnall

 

Hope Luongo is fit as I’m convinced him and Bannan are the best midfield duo. I believe windass will be the number 10 behind Wickham. I’d go for the throat and play FF and Da Cruz. 

[frastheowl]

1 minute ago, Bouncing Owl said:

Good summary;

 

Team for next week;

 

Dawson

 

Palmer

Iorfa

Borner

Fox

 

Luongo

Bannan

 

Da Cruz

Windass

FF

 

Wickham

 

Bench;

Wildsmith

Lees

Joey

Reach
Murphy

Dave
Winnall

 

Hope Luongo is fit as I’m convinced him and Bannan are the best midfield duo. I believe windass will be the number 10 behind Wickham. I’d go for the throat and play FF and Da Cruz. 

 

I tend to agree with you.

 

My instinct is, Monk will perhaps now interchange FF and Da Cruz, as strikers who'll play off a flank, and on the other side, he'll play a more natural wide man (Harris/Murphy/Reach). That'll give us a good variety in attack.

 

Windass/Wickham must be the choice as the No.10/No.9 combo. Of course, he could switch to a more traditional 4-4-2 and play Da Cruz alongside Wickham, with Wickham dropping deeper to provide the link.

 

But, there's different options there. There's pace, inventiveness, hold-up play, dribblers, crossers etc. There's goals in these options. The question is, can we find a formula to make everything click.

[PriceAPP]

17 minutes ago, frastheowl said:

 

Dawson - 7 - A clean sheet, with only two very comfortable saves to make. Had to deal with very little aerially also, which is surprising up against Millwall's giants. Struggled a little at times with his kicking, but the wind was deceptively strong. 

 

Palmer - 7 - Felt he was responsible for going aimlessly long far too often, especially in the 1st half. Defended well enough though.

 

Iorfa - 8 - Man of the Match - Back to his best again today, after a couple of rough games in the league. Swept up time and time again, looked confident once again with the ball and came out of the defence with it on numerous occasions. Absolutely fantastic tackle to deny Bradshaw when bearing down on goal. Couple of mix ups with Borner which let Millwall in, but on the whole, immense. 

 

Borner - 7 - Steady, eddy alongside Iorfa. I said it before the game, but this partnership should not be broken up, unless it absolutely has to. They just click together. Both love defending, and winning their duals. Like mentioned above, a couple of lapses which on other occasions may have been punished, but generally, more than decent.

 

Odubajo - 7 - There's always some frustrating moments with Odubajo...he's got a mistake in him. But, overall, thought he defended very well up against one of the divisions better players, in Jed Wallace. He seems to dwell on the ball too much which can often get him into trouble, but on the flip, his pace over short distances, gets him out of trouble so many times. 

 

Bannan - 6 - Another display lacking quality and impact. His set pieces weren't up to it, and in the 1st half, was anonymous. Picked up in the 2nd half, but still didn't run the game like he can, and should.

 

Pelupessy - 6 - Thought he was particularly poor in the 1st half. Didn't do his job well enough, and was too passive and reserved in his approach. His performance mirrored the teams general apathy. But, set the tone in the 2nd half, and looked to get about things in the middle more often, and as a result, we simply competed better and began to have more of the ball, and the game. 

 

Reach - 6 - Proved, yet again, that he's not a No.10. He doesn't provide any support for the striker, and yet leave the double pivot exposed. He contributes nothing to the role. That said, he's always got a bit of quality to show at times, and did get better as the game went on.

 

Harris - 6 - One brilliant bit of wing play in the 1st half which set up Reach's near post header, but we just didn't get him in those positions enough. Interesting to see what role he plays going forward...Monk now has more than a couple of options in those wide areas, with two of those goal scoring wide forwards. 

 

Murphy - 6 - Similar sort of game to Harris, but with perhaps a more general impact. That said, it's another game, where you think he's done "alright"... he needs to produce more.

 

Nuhiu - 5 - Probably a tad harsh, given the hard time he was given by the referee. Surprisingly won more aerial battles than I appreciated at the time, and was left criminally isolated. That said, too often he didn't do what was required, which is to hold the ball up and link the play. 

 

Forestieri - 7 - Decent impact off the bench. He just seemed to lift the place when he came on. Worked hard, buzzed around, and made things happen. Too selfish imo on a couple of occasions, opting to shoot rather than cross or shoot. But, encouraging performance.

 

Da Cruz - 7 - Similar to FF. In the short glimpse of him, I liked a lot of what I saw. Had an arrogance/confidence about him, looked comfortable on the ball, and was constantly trying to run in behind. It's a threat we've not had. Be interesting to see how/where he fits in.

 

Overall...

 

A game of two (Wednesday) sides... with and without FF/ Da Cruz.

 

The 1st half performance wasn't good enough. We didn't play it forward enough (unless it was an hopeless long ball), and was generally too slow, and lethargic. Millwall controlled the 1st half, and are perhaps kicking themselves, they didn't show a bit more belief at that time.

 

2nd half was much better. Of course, we'll play better. But it's the type of performance, you can get behind. When FF and Da Cruz were introduced, it sparked the players into life, and it got a reaction from the crowd. I'm sure Monk hasn't wanted to play the style he's adopted since he arrived, but he's had to make do with what he's got. With FF coming back to fitness, Da Cruz introduced and Windass and Wickham still to feature, I'm sure he'll want to get that front 4 (if we're going to play a 4-2-3-1) interchanging and playing with the sort of freedom they showed in glimpses today.

 

It's a process. It's going to take time, and it certainly won't be perfected this season. But, if Monk can get us playing a brand of football that appeals to him, and us, then the players will naturally exceed in it. That's what happened under Carlos in that 1st season...and we've not had that chance to replicate it since. 

 

Today is a start. Nothing more than that. It's a small glimpse into what I imagine Monk wants. I'd be certainly looking to start both FF and Da Cruz at Barnsley in a weeks time after that cameo though. 

So annoying that that year now we’d be automatic 

[markg]

Iorfa, carried the team and borner especially