Why did we lose the second half?

[debram]

When the going gets tough we can't handle it, it's been so obvious for too long now. 

[daveyboy66]

40 minutes ago, Watto said:

Hutchinson was a prime example yesterday , he hasn't got the energy to play championship football in a midfield role for 90 mins

At one point yesterday he couldn't pick up a simple midfield pass despite having five yards on the player who took it from him...from then on his second touch was always a tackle. He needs to be in the back line or coming on to see matches out.

 

[FreshOwl]

We went into panic mode after they got the 1st 

 

After that we were desperate not to let the balls through, and Lees and Hutch in particular were charging around the pitch getting dragged out of position. This freed up pockets of space for them to exploit 

 

The wingbacks would push up, then when we failed to retain possession further up the pitch they wouldn’t make the effort to get back 

[OwlerIT]

2 hours ago, Bulgaria said:

I don't think we as a team look fit enough.

 

We look like we are running through treacle come 60 minutes.

And that Jog back from Penney for the 2nd goal leaving his man totally unmarked in front of goal

[Emilianenko]

Several incidents/mistakes  and momentum cost us.

The ball was going out for a throw in. Paterson intervened and hooked it back for a corner to them. They scored from resulting corner due to inept defending.

Their second came from our attack. Ball into Paterson , his poor control (bounced off his foot about 20 yards)sent them racing away for their second.

Their third started with a poor pass from Rhodes which again sent them away.

Add to this it was glaringly obvious Hutch was struggling and was giving possession away constantly from the 50th minute on. Our mental weakness and them getting momentum all added to a poor second half.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, @owlstalk said:

 

Not looking for ‘cos we are crap’ replies but more specifically where you think we went wrong in the second half yesterday and lost the game 

 

For me I started to worry when Windass sat down injured two minutes in as we were trying to build up the momentum and attacks again

 

It totally took the wind out of our sails and I felt that went definitely in their favour 

 

After that it was a mess but what specifically do you think was the issue?

 

Luton came out with a rocket under them for sure but Neil Thompson said he had spent half time drilling into them that would happen and to be on their guard 

 

Hutchinson looked cream crackered - no way he should have played 90 minutes in midfield.

Likewise Brown - played well but apparently hasn't been fit enough to play more than 15 minutes for 4 months then plays a full 90

As you say, we should have been expecting a reaction from Luton but the first goal is slack, just poor marking from a routine corner, once that goes in early our fragile confidence comes to the fore.

Why does he keep making substitutions at centre-back? What was the point of bringing Dunkley on for Borner with 7 minutes left? Dunkley then contributes to the completes shambles for the 3rd goal. 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, 83owl said:

You’re not going to control a full game with Bannan, Hutchinson and brown.

 

Bannan is defensively and athletically woeful.

Brown hasn’t played a full game in as long as I can remember.

Hutchinson has the mobility of captain Tom and when in midfield seems to lose any sense of defensive awareness.

 

As a unit it’s just ineffective over 90 minutes. They may play well for half an hour or whatever but it’s just a ticking time bomb waiting to go off.

 

How all 3 played the full game when we have 5 subs to use is beyond me. It was clear as day.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, waverley_owl said:

I blame the sun. All goals scored in one end of the ground. 
 

Simple when you think about it. All wear baseball caps and we’d have won that game. 
 

 

We would have wore them but Pulis pocketed them all as part of his pay off! 

[prowl]

In a situation where you can't buy a win and confidence is shot a manager has to try to turn the tide. First try to draw a game, it's a step in the right direction. Then try to get a clean sheet, build up the confidence, big up the success. Try to get back to back clean shhet, then try to keep it going. Eventually you will fluke a win and you have a bit of confidence back.

 

The big trouble is we don't have enough time for that, it's the back end of the season and we need points and wins now. Realistically we are already down unless we have a miracle.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Grandad said:

I keep seeing all the 'spineless' and 'lazy' comments

 

I think its neither.

 

I just don't think we are very good.

 

Weve spent 2 seasons allowing all the quality from our squad to leave for free and replacing it with free transfer cast offs from other Championship sides. And we are now exactly where we deserve to be

 

We were good enough to be 2-0 and should really have been 4.
 

It was clear in the second half that our midfield was blowing out of its backside. No surprise when you have Hutchinson playing 2 games a week regularly for the first time in his career having spent the previous 6 months at a low standard, and Brown, who hasn't been fit enough for much more than 10 minutes per game previously playing a full 90.

 

Reach is supposed to be one of our better quality players - he came on as a second half sub so should be fresher than most on the pitch - his effort to stop the cross coming in for the 3rd goal is really poor. 

 

We are clearly not very good but we should be better than conceding 3 goals in 45 minutes with a 2-goal lead. No other team has managed that feat in the Championship this season, just like no other team has failed to get a single point when conceding the first goal, that's not purely down to ability - attitude and mentality play a part. 

 

Having an actual manager might help as well. The substitutions Thompson has been making in recent games haven't helped at all. 

[CircleSeven]

The general direction of posts on here is the same and confirms my view really. 
 

The Windass injury did disrupt momentum. He also seemed out of sorts after the knock. We could have taken him off. He had a brace and should have had more. Chance of him scoring again was slim. 
 

We should have weathered the inevitable storm by shutting up shop for the first 20mins of the half. Drop everyone back a few yards. Drop Paterson into midfield for a bit to break up play. Catch them on the break etc. I know we scream ‘attack attack’ but we were 2-0 up. Let them punch themselves out a bit, get frustrated. Then make personnel changes and get our second wind. 
 

Hutchinson was knackered after 50mins. Swap him out. Brown was also knackered. Swap him or put fresh legs along side him. 
We have 5 subs. There’s a reason for that. It’s because players get knackered with the number of games being played!

 

As for the Borner for Dunkley substitution. Christ knows what that was about. 
 

I know I’m a broken record on this but the lack of a target man in the bench is crippling. Nuhui on for Windass after his knock could very easily have won us that game. Or if Adabayo signed for us for £250k not Luton then we definitely would have won!

 

[Guest Willow Owl]

2 hours ago, megsonstheman said:

All the above valid reasons . For me,Wildsmith does not promote confidence, if Westwoods in goal they don't score 3.

Can’t say it had anything to with Wildsmith, the abject defending in front was to blame. Lees had 4 at the back post for the third and the midfield tracking back was non existent. Hutchinson was a liability and should have been off at half time.

Westwood conceded 4 at Millwall ( 2 his fault) and is again an injured liability. 

[ashley8]

I don't know if something happens at half time that switches them off....

A lot of teams these days including us over the past few years try to hold it together first half then have a go usually in second half in our case it got to be with 20 mins to go! 

Maybe when we go 2 up (Well if we do) we should go back to the negative crap and shut teams out. Just to try stay up. In the summer we need a real clear out (of the failed attempt last summer plus others who should have gone....) dependent on which league we are in............ go and Chansiri MUST be gone asap.... his management since this time last year, never mind his hole tenure should be more than enough for him to go. 

[Ronnie Starling]

Having a central midfield you can drive a bus through.

[ZicoSterland2]

When we concede we look like a team of condemned men staring at the gallows just waiting for the inevitable. 

[thesouthowl]

1 hour ago, CircleSeven said:

The general direction of posts on here is the same and confirms my view really. 
 

The Windass injury did disrupt momentum. He also seemed out of sorts after the knock. We could have taken him off. He had a brace and should have had more. Chance of him scoring again was slim. 
 

We should have weathered the inevitable storm by shutting up shop for the first 20mins of the half. Drop everyone back a few yards. Drop Paterson into midfield for a bit to break up play. Catch them on the break etc. I know we scream ‘attack attack’ but we were 2-0 up. Let them punch themselves out a bit, get frustrated. Then make personnel changes and get our second wind. 
 

Hutchinson was knackered after 50mins. Swap him out. Brown was also knackered. Swap him or put fresh legs along side him. 
We have 5 subs. There’s a reason for that. It’s because players get knackered with the number of games being played!

 

As for the Borner for Dunkley substitution. Christ knows what that was about. 
 

I know I’m a broken record on this but the lack of a target man in the bench is crippling. Nuhui on for Windass after his knock could very easily have won us that game. Or if Adabayo signed for us for £250k not Luton then we definitely would have won!

 

Agree with most of that except sitting deeper as that invites more pressure on us. As for the rest, yes 100%.

Surely there is a different set up that they work on in training. i.e change from 352 to 442, switch player A for player B and go again.  I find it infuriating that we try round pegs in square holes and vice versa. Play to OUR strengths not the oppositions. Substitutions either seem to be the wrong players, the wrong tactics or too late.

Everything is so reactive and never proactive, it is so frustrating!!!

[matt68owls]

yet again the opposition score and we capitulate, it's like when we concede all of the players give up, even when we are winning.

 

we desperately need a manager and a strong leader on the pitch. 

[kristmace]

Their 2nd and 3rd goals are down to the system we're playing: 352 only works with exceptional wing backs. We've just not got players that suit this at all.

 

For the 2nd - Penny doesn't follow his man and Harris isn't even in our half. 

 

For the 3rd - Lees has 4 players around him on his own when that cross comes in. Harris is miles away and the other 2 CBs have been drawn to the ball. 

 

We looked fine in the first half when we were on the front foot but a tiny bit of pressure and we've capitulated. They had 3 shots on target all game. 

[CircleSeven]

2 hours ago, thesouthowl said:

Agree with most of that except sitting deeper as that invites more pressure on us. As for the rest, yes 100%.

Surely there is a different set up that they work on in training. i.e change from 352 to 442, switch player A for player B and go again.  I find it infuriating that we try round pegs in square holes and vice versa. Play to OUR strengths not the oppositions. Substitutions either seem to be the wrong players, the wrong tactics or too late.

Everything is so reactive and never proactive, it is so frustrating!!!

I think the advantage of sitting deeper for a portion of the game is it does give you a better chance of weathering any storm as long you have a runner up front as an outlet and you don’t do it for the whole half. It can make things congested in the defensive half which is very hard for teams to break down. It’s not foolproof and does indeed invite pressure but we were under pressure anyway. The fact we were so easy to carve open made it way to easy for Luton. If we had an extra man in the defensive midfield and made them play in front of us we might have kept them out for an extra 10 mins or so. By then they start to throw caution to the wind a bit and we then get more chances. 
All of this is all conjecture of course and maybe there is nothing that would have made a difference because our players just don’t have it in them!

Im still frustrated now thinking about yesterday’s game!

[Kew Owl]

Lack of fitness and confidence were a key part of our collapse IMHO.

 

It was to be anticipated that Luton would improve 2nd half, but Brown and Hutchinson in particular seemed spent and that helped galvanise Lutons comeback and gave them encouragement to really go for it