Man of the match - Millwall (H)

[handworth52]

8 hours ago, Ian said:

Anyone slating Dawson’s kicks today didn’t go....he had 1 iffy kick, the rest we’re fine.....a couple of low drop kicks trying to set people away didn’t quite come off but you’d have all on finding world class midfielders to pull some of those of never mind a keeper.

 

said it many times this season......the kicking ability of the keeper would get anywhere near a top 50 of problems we have, the kicking ability of the outfield players needs sorting first

dawsons kicking was ok yesterday but his distribution is woeful for a modern day keeper ,westwood granted aint much better , apart from us what club in championship would have dawson as there no1? im glad he has signed a new deal but still needs to improve on that aspect of his game .

[daleblue]

Big Dave again for me, surprised that I wasn't alone, 5 other idiots also. 

[Adam Reachs left peg]

Iorfa stands out a Mile won't be here next season if it continues might be only player we'd actually get some money for 

[frastheowl]

1 hour ago, GerOwl said:

 

 

Bit of a rant but its terrible to watch a team who used to play decent football being reduced to this crap week in week out.

 

To be fair, it's been 4 seasons since we've played any decent football on a regular basis.

 

We really were spoilt for one season, and we've become expectant of that type of football ever since. 

 

It's not going to happen...certainly not overnight, and not with this current group of players. That's not to say we can't be successful...but if you're going to Hillsborough, expecting to be treated to the type of football Carlos had us playing in the 2015/16 season, then you're going to be coming home very disappointed week in, week out.

[frastheowl]

1 hour ago, handworth52 said:

dawsons kicking was ok yesterday but his distribution is woeful for a modern day keeper ,westwood granted aint much better , apart from us what club in championship would have dawson as there no1? im glad he has signed a new deal but still needs to improve on that aspect of his game .

 

Watch the other goalkeepers in the Championship.

 

There's some right crap.

 

Dawson is, without doubt, a goalkeeper with the ability to warrant his No.1 status at a Championship club, with many, many years to improve and get better.

 

[Ian]

1 hour ago, handworth52 said:

dawsons kicking was ok yesterday but his distribution is woeful for a modern day keeper ,westwood granted aint much better , apart from us what club in championship would have dawson as there no1? im glad he has signed a new deal but still needs to improve on that aspect of his game .

Hull and Brentford to name but 2 on the evidence of yesterday.

 

when you say Modern day keeper.......who exactly are you referring to...the £80 million and £50 million ones that Liverpool and Manchester City have?

[trotter]

Dawson 6 - Did what he had to do

 

Palmer 6 - Steady

Iorfa - 7 MOM.  Got his head on everything

Borner 6 - steady

Moses 6 - Still frightens me and frequently out of position.  Better today though.

 

Murphy 6 - Decent early but faded

Jp - Far too deep and poor distribution

Reach - Good energy but no end product

Bannan - 5 Too deep and poor distribution

Harris 5 - never got into game

 

Nuhiu 6 - Got no change out of a very poor ref or two huge centre backs.  Playing this system, we should be playing balls into his feet not just drilling them into his head.

 

FF and Da Cruz - 6  Both brought a bit of energy.

 

Ref 3 - worst I have seen for a long time for both sides.  Not all physical contact is a foul and not every foul is a yellow card

 

Monk - 3 Not true to his word.  Was expecting wholesale changes after his comments on Wednesday but he bottled it.

Poor tactics today.  Ball into Dave's feet and people running off him would make much more sense.

[Owly Mowly]

Harris and Bannan are our threat and now oppositions just snuff out those 2 and that stops any creativity we have.

That is why the 2 of them have struggled last few games - once we get other players on the pitch who are a threat it will give the 2 of them more space to play 

[handworth52]

1 hour ago, frastheowl said:

 

To be fair, it's been 4 seasons since we've played any decent football on a regular basis.

 

We really were spoilt for one season, and we've become expectant of that type of football ever since. 

 

It's not going to happen...certainly not overnight, and not with this current group of players. That's not to say we can't be successful...but if you're going to Hillsborough, expecting to be treated to the type of football Carlos had us playing in the 2015/16 season, then you're going to be coming home very disappointed week in, week out.

remember it wernt the full season either when we played attractive football in 2015/16 the 1st 2-3 months the football was quite negative ,then the season after even though we finished 4th in an absolute garbage league with teams like hudds n reading in playoffs that season there were only 3-4 what stick out in my mind where we were entertained , since then no more than 2-3 games a season tops have been entertaining at home. but supporters are going to need to be patient ,been realistic with what money will be available in summer for out contract players/loans mid table next season would be a decent effort ,look at other clubs in league who aint made such a mess with there transfer policy or have such a poor youth setup as we do. 100 million plus was spunked on unrealistic contracts and transfer fees . wage bill up from 13-14million to 42 million(that will drop on next accounts)when the hooper,abdi,jones,etc wages will come off that figure. 

[handworth52]

1 hour ago, Ian said:

Hull and Brentford to name but 2 on the evidence of yesterday.

 

when you say Modern day keeper.......who exactly are you referring to...the £80 million and £50 million ones that Liverpool and Manchester City have?

yer maybe a bit unfair comparing him to those 2 , maybe its monk what tells him to just wack it forward to the big lump up front . yer there were some poor keeping all over yesterday , maybe a howling 50 mph wind didn't make keeping easy yesterday. 

[SettleForADraw]

Special mention for Odubajo, not been up to scratch so far for us but thought he did well yesterday.

[Guest]

12 hours ago, Ian said:

Anyone slating Dawson’s kicks today didn’t go....he had 1 iffy kick, the rest we’re fine.....a couple of low drop kicks trying to set people away didn’t quite come off but you’d have all on finding world class midfielders to pull some of those of never mind a keeper.

 

said it many times this season......the kicking ability of the keeper would get anywhere near a top 50 of problems we have, the kicking ability of the outfield players needs sorting first

 

Most on here who have offered a summary of performances have commented on his kicking and the audible groans from the Kop at some of his attempts were the loudest noise heard all game but yeah you must have been the only one in attendance who had an accurate assessment........

[Guest]

15 hours 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. 

 

Think this is a fair summary but some of the marks are too high for me. As you say, Borner had a few lapses which would have been punished against better opposition, Bannan was poor yesterday, far too slow in possession, Pelupessy as you say did improve 2nd half but he set the bar very low for that with his first half display and his complete lack of challenge for a header in injury time contributed to the best chance of the match for either side. 

 

Iorfa saved us on a couple of occasions and Da Cruz and Forestieri were lively off the bench which is encouraging but that's now 1 point from the last 4 home games against pretty average sides. 

[Hougoumont]

Iorfa just for that one fantastic tackle in the area. The courage and confidence in your own ability that it takes to do that can't be measured.

[onlyonedavidhirst]

I nearly passed out when I voted and saw Obadajo got some votes. I accept he did marginally better and actually did some good things, but 3 moments jump out to me where you realise he's way off. Admittedly I thought that about Fox a year ago, so you never know. First was the foul he got when robbed by Wallace just outside our area in the 2nd half. It didn't look a foul and Wallace would have been in a prime position if it hadnt have  been given. Questionable decision making there by Moses. Second was when he was jogging back and Wallace was goalside and it seemed to take him.an age to realise. Third and by far the worst was when Iorfa made that tackle. That happened because 3 of our defenders were in a line. 3 Millwall players were 5 yards offside, but wait no, Moses was on his own playing them all on at left back, almost oblivious to his team mates positions. 

[davetherivelinowl]

18 hours ago, Kagoshimaowl said:

Dawson 5 nowt to do. Crap kicks again 

Palmer 6 decent. Glad he’s back

Iorfa 8 excellent again but I did think he fouled their striker when he was through and it could have been a second yellow

Borner 5 he’s totally lost form in my opinion. Seems slow and loses his runners and concentration 

Odubajo 6 ok to say he was out of position 

Murphy 5 no impact 

Pelupessy 4 he’s crap. I hope the bust up rumor with Hutch is not true cos I don’t want Joey anywhere near the 18

Bannan 5 dropped too deep again. I love Bazza but he’s starting to wee wee me off. So one dimensional recently 

Harris 5 he’s trying but he’s so out of form it’s almost embarrassing. What’s happened to him?

Reach 5 never been a striker and that header was woeful. I’m hoping he’ll be benched soon

 Nuhiu 5 not good enough

 

Forestieri 7 was lively. Still greedy at times but we need him on his game

Da Cruz 6.5 some lively touches. Was impressed with his close control. Could be a player.

 

Overall very poor again.

I think this is pretty much spot on.

 

I hadn't thought badly of Borner until recently but I think you're right that he's not the player he was. I think Lees is more steady, better in the air, not so good playing forward but less likely to give away daft fouls. 

 

You always hope that Murphy or Harris will produce a bit of magic but we were so much better when they'd been replaced (although Murphy had been lively in the first half)

 

Not convinced about Da Cruz yet though possibly better than I expected. I'm assuming Windass will play in his spot with Wickham replacing Nuhiu. But if Wickham can't get his game time by being picked ahead of Benteke then we shouldn't expect too much of him either.

[legendaryswan]

Its hard not to give that to Iorfa,he had a wobble near the end,but was otherwise on top of his game.

Was suprise when palmer wasnt played at LB where hes normally done well as stand in,thought Odubajo struggled with the switch,but generally did ok,hes not unlike Helan in many ways.

It was good to see the troubled FF make a return,so much quality that kid brings,if he can stay fit,stay out of trouble he could be a HUGE player for us in the comming months

[brando]

On 02/02/2020 at 15:03, onlyonedavidhirst said:

I nearly passed out when I voted and saw Obadajo got some votes. I accept he did marginally better and actually did some good things, but 3 moments jump out to me where you realise he's way off. Admittedly I thought that about Fox a year ago, so you never know. First was the foul he got when robbed by Wallace just outside our area in the 2nd half. It didn't look a foul and Wallace would have been in a prime position if it hadnt have  been given. Questionable decision making there by Moses. Second was when he was jogging back and Wallace was goalside and it seemed to take him.an age to realise. Third and by far the worst was when Iorfa made that tackle. That happened because 3 of our defenders were in a line. 3 Millwall players were 5 yards offside, but wait no, Moses was on his own playing them all on at left back, almost oblivious to his team mates positions. 

feel the same with the Nuhui fan club

[brando]

On 02/02/2020 at 16:15, davetherivelinowl said:

I think this is pretty much spot on.

 

I hadn't thought badly of Borner until recently but I think you're right that he's not the player he was. I think Lees is more steady, better in the air, not so good playing forward but less likely to give away daft fouls. 

 

You always hope that Murphy or Harris will produce a bit of magic but we were so much better when they'd been replaced (although Murphy had been lively in the first half)

 

Not convinced about Da Cruz yet though possibly better than I expected. I'm assuming Windass will play in his spot with Wickham replacing Nuhiu. But if Wickham can't get his game time by being picked ahead of Benteke then we shouldn't expect too much of him either.

how long for Fletch....him and a fit Wickham sounds better than we have had all season....with FF somewhere and Nuhui selling programmes