Man of the match - Swansea (A)

[Guest gizowl]

2 hours ago, pazowl55 said:

Ayew is a very good player and Van Aken has shown in the past that he is no good when faced with one on one's like that so I wasn't expecting him to do any better to be honest. If not for that mistake he wouldn't have been getting such poor scores in everybody's ratings. 

It wasn't just that incident he was poor throughout, his passing and positional play was woeful. 

[Blatter]

Reach, not only for a very well worked goal but a great all round effort.
One of the very few of our players still running strongly at the end too. 

 

Got to mention Paterson though. Just for all round effort and being an absolute nuisance to Swansea defenders.

[Tommy Crawshaw]

1 hour ago, Daizan10 said:

JVA is a serviceable defender - but he is pish at reacting to opponents when one on one.

 

4 hours ago, gizowl said:

Van Aken was terrible and at fault for the goal allowed Ayew to dance around him like a statue. 

 

I don't know what Monk saw in JVA to make him first choice centre half this season and

drop Boerner for him.

 

I don't think TP will put up with weak defenders.

[mcmigo]

23 minutes ago, gizowl said:

It wasn't just that incident he was poor throughout, his passing and positional play was woeful. 

There is no real point being critical of JVA.  I feel sorry for him, same as I did for Da Cruz last season.  We all know his challenges, as do opponents.  His footwork has been an issue since the first minute of his first game.  he cant shift weight quickly enough and often moves and drives from the wrong foot.  the goal last night, there was nothing at all JVA could have done about it.

 

 

 

 

[prowl]

12 hours ago, A E Neuman NYowl said:

Also. A big shout out for Tony Pulis, that goal was straight of the training ground something we have not seen in a long time.

We scored from the same move earlier in the season. Windass, I think.

 

If it works once it's got to be worth another go.

[toooldforthis]

Westwood 6

Wildsmith 7

Palmer 7

Lees 7

Böner 8

Van Aken 7

Odubajo 8

Luongo 7

Paterson 8

Bannan 8

Reach 8 (MOTM - Goal)

Rhodes 7

Pelupessy 6

Shaw 7

Kachunga 6

 

A good all round performance. They have a new manager and new ways, they adapted really well. In the past we would have folded in the 2nd half...but they had belief and worked hard against a top 6 side and a Prem quality striker.

[prowl]

Westwood. I'm not sure what happened when the ball came over but he was way underneath it and flapped at it. Maybe he was already injured and couldn't move.

Palmer, solid, doesn't get forward but he is what he is.

Lees, solid

Borner, solid, nice to have him back, he had a bad patch but looks to be through it.

Van Aken, played out of position and got done by a very good player for the goal. He's no world beater but he's not as bad as some say. Half decent back up centre half. Nothing more, nothing less.

Reach, excellent had a very good game and scored.

Bannan, a good game, ran about a lot and made the goal

Luongo, not his best game but we are so much better with him in the side. 

Odubajo MoM for me, showed what he can do,  carried the ball well, constant thorn in their side and nipped in to intercept a dangerous ball over the defence that had their player through on goal. He had no right to be there but spotted the danger and his speed got him there.

Paterson, his best game so far, Never a centre forward.

Rhodes, ran the channels well but never looks like scoring.

[WC1Owl]

Decent showing, and for a change we didn't spend 90 minutes making the other lot look like the only football team on the pitch. I can see people getting frustrated with Pulis's conservatism - there were big chunks of the first half where we kept possession but didn't find a way to progress, but I'd rather that than aimlessly punting it upfield all the time. Van Aken was just well beaten for the goal, and should Börner have been covering behind him? My vote goes to Reach.

[Adem Poric]

I thought Reach was an 8, Luongo and Bannan were a 7.5 and the majority of the rest a 7 - in the first half. We weren't as good second half because we dropped too deep and allowed them back in. Probably knock half a grade off everyone for that but a solid display all round. We are desperate for a centre forward though.

[Dutch McLovin]

51 minutes ago, WC1Owl said:

Decent showing, and for a change we didn't spend 90 minutes making the other lot look like the only football team on the pitch. I can see people getting frustrated with Pulis's conservatism - there were big chunks of the first half where we kept possession but didn't find a way to progress, but I'd rather that than aimlessly punting it upfield all the time. Van Aken was just well beaten for the goal, and should Börner have been covering behind him? My vote goes to Reach.

van Aken couldn't move his weight quick enough in his directional change and was scared of giving away a pen, hes been poor at that since he signed an im guessing its never been worked on. But Luongo stood off him initially and then Paterson was ball watching he should have covered, it was too late for Borner to react when it happened. A mess all round but that said it was a good goal.

[@owlstalk]

1 hour ago, Dutch McLovin said:

van Aken couldn't move his weight quick enough in his directional change and was scared of giving away a pen, hes been poor at that since he signed an im guessing its never been worked on. But Luongo stood off him initially and then Paterson was ball watching he should have covered, it was too late for Borner to react when it happened. A mess all round but that said it was a good goal.

I thought it was way way too easy for Ayew 

 

 

[sherlyegg]

Pulis was motm..we would have got battered under monk..especially 2nd half.

Never stopped shouting instructions and waving like a windmill. Surprised he was so fit after such a long lay off.

Maybe we will rest him for the Stoke game..

[The Night-Owl]

A much improved solid team performance, we looked far better organised. A lot of our players worked their socks off, looked tidy on the ball at times, especially in the first half and for the majority of the game we had a better shape or balance to the team. Even when we were pushed back we looked comfortable. Until Ayew came on and the hairy end of the game.

 

I was most impressed with Borner; Luongo, Bannan, Reach and Paterson. I thought at times they looked class for this level, and helped us control the game, especially in the first half and dug in during the second half. I'd give it to Paterson, because he was switched around and still gave his all. He's a likable committed player, who in time, looks like becoming a key player for Pulis. 

Edited November 26, 2020 by The Night-Owl

[frastheowl]

23 hours ago, Lord Snooty said:

 

Where's @frastheowl?!

 

Come on Corky. 

I want those ratings.

 

I'm here...busy day today.

 

Here goes...

 

Westwood - N/A - ...

 

Palmer - 7 - Couldn't knock his defending, he was part of a, on the whole, very organised back line. But he's ridiculously wasteful in possession. It seemed for the 1st half an hour last night, he was aimlessly hoofed it towards Swansea's centre halves?!

 

Lees - 8 - Another more than adequate display. Noticeable from kick off, that he'd been given the role to go and engage with the Swansea striker who dropped deep. Looked to constantly stop that ball into the feet of the forwards. Type of player I could see flourishing under Pulis.

 

Borner - 8 - Another very composed display. In form at the minute.

 

Van Aken - 6 - Typical Van Aken display...looks sound for 95% of it, but a lapse in concentration often costs us. He must've directly cost us 3 or 4 games now, and we cannot afford it. He'll be dropped the first opportunity Pulis gets, unless he books his ideas up.

 

Odubajo - 8 - Another impressive display, from a player starting to find his feet. Playing with a bit of confidence, and pretty faultless defensively.

 

Bannan - 8 - Pulled the strings in the 1st half. He was the magnet that ensured our attacks flowed. Good imagination for the goal, and worked tirelessly right to the end.

 

Luongo - 7 - Did well in the 1st half, and engaged high up and prevented Swansea playing through the midfield. Visibly tired in the 2nd half, and as a result dropped deeper and struggled to engage as successfully. Wasn't surprised with what Pulis said about him carrying an injury.

 

Reach - 8 - Man of the Match - Thought he was terrific last night. Obviously took his goal well, but also carried the ball and passed the ball with quality. Given a free role of a sort last night, but under strict defensive instructions, and it seemed like he thrived under the freedom.

Paterson - 6 - Worked hard, played the advanced ball-winning midfielder role reasonably well...but it all seems a bit huff and puff.

 

Rhodes - 6 - Given an unenviable role really...how many times have we said that? Toiled away but without much success. 

 

Wildsmith - 6 - Steady enough. Had little to do, and looked assured.

 

Rest of subs - 6 - All came on, did their job without making too much of an impact.

 

Overall...

 

Encouraging signs, but with the same worrying drawbacks. 

 

It was interesting to watch from a tactical viewpoint last night. Set up in a 5-1-3-1 formation, with Luongo sitting, and Bannan, Paterson and Reach both playing very central. Reach in particular seemed to be given the licence to roam and effect things, and he and Bannan seemed to relish that and linked up well together. Given Swansea's 3-4-1-2 system relies heavily on using Grimes in the midfield, our centrally biased system nullified Swansea very effectively.

 

Even though Swansea changed system in the 2nd half, and we given the plaudits my the commentators, I can't say I ever really felt like we were troubled by them. We got caught cold after the break, conceded following such naive defending from van Aken, and was rarely troubled until the scramble in the box deep into stoppage time.

 

I've been impressed with our organisation over the last two games. We already look a well-drilled defensive output that'll dig in and put our bodies on the line. We've conceded only 1.1xG over the last two games...which given 75 of those 180 minutes were with 10 men, is something to be encouraged about.

 

Conversely, we've created a meagre 1xG, and of course, given our lack of quality in forward areas, that simply isn't going to be enough. Pulis is going to have to find a way, in the short term, to increase those offensive outputs. Tough ask given the tools at his disposal, but I'd imagine the return of Harris will give us a boost (given he won't be playing a role he was bloody awful at!). 

 

Until Pulis can bring in some attacking prowess in January, it's going to be a slog. But to pick up results in the meantime, we're going to have to be, first and foremost, hard to beat. I hope we're heading in the right direction, in that respect.

[HOOTIE AND THE SHIT TU]

Bannan

 

Did anyone notice Patterson's part in the goal

 

He stopped a defender from running out towards Reach