Trunds saying how it is and it's a downright condemnation of Martin and his tactics.
All the fun of the fair , Blackpool come to the Liberty
- Thread starter The Blobster
- Start date
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
Nothing to be proud about. What a sham performance. Bottom of the table equalized with 10 men, and had the momentum at the end. This is a pathetic performance overall. In one word: relief not pride.
My opinion: Martin is a fcuking terrible football manager and he's given us a fcuking terrible football team. I won't list the reasons why yet again because we're all sick and tired of reading them. I wish he'd just go; he's not good enough for us.
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
We are now 5 points below Watford with a game in hand. It flatters us.
Don't want to drag this out but, overall, it seems to me that the team have stopped playing for Martin. Either that or they haven't got a clue about how he wants them to play. Our attack was toothless and our defence was at its usual leaky worst allowing a goal from 10 men who rarely saw the ball. I said we'd need two early in the thread because we always give away at least one gift goal. Unfortunately I was right. Some stats:
POSSESSION: 76-24 SHOTS: 17-7 OT: 6-3 CORNERS: 6-2 FOULS: 18-9 GOALS: 2-1
Look at the foul count! We did twice as many as them even though we had 76% possession. Suggests to me that we had to foul them to stop them even with the limited amount of ball they had. For me this ranks as one of the worst performances of the season and we've had a few bad ones!! Honestly, I've wasted enough time and words on Martin and his useless players this evening so I'll finish there.
POSSESSION: 76-24 SHOTS: 17-7 OT: 6-3 CORNERS: 6-2 FOULS: 18-9 GOALS: 2-1
Look at the foul count! We did twice as many as them even though we had 76% possession. Suggests to me that we had to foul them to stop them even with the limited amount of ball they had. For me this ranks as one of the worst performances of the season and we've had a few bad ones!! Honestly, I've wasted enough time and words on Martin and his useless players this evening so I'll finish there.
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
One extra tidbit on possession: we ended at 76-24, but for the majority of the game, certainly up to the point of the red card, it was 80+% to us.
So basically, against 10 men, we capitulated. And when they had possession, they were direct and dangerous. They hit the outside of the post. Against a better team, we would have lost the match.
So basically, against 10 men, we capitulated. And when they had possession, they were direct and dangerous. They hit the outside of the post. Against a better team, we would have lost the match.
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Yankee_Jack
Key Player
Martin commented on the drop in energy during the game in his post match interview.
The Blobster
Prediction Champ
There should be no drop in energy , what sort of basic fitness training do they do ffs ?
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
My take is it’s more a mental energy and attitude drop off than a physical fitness impact, coupled with immaturity and anxiety on the ebbs and flows of the game. Effectively the lack of experience and leadership on the field and other factors doesn’t counter this. Net result, we lose composure as a more mature team asserts its dominance and tips the balance. We saw it against Brum. We saw it against Blackpool. The presence of Allen counteracts this to a degree, especially when he starts. We don’t let Allen finish games and there may be good reason for this, but our one ever present - Grimes - is not a verbal leader, he’s a by example leader, and we lack the verbal on the field. Effectively, nobody takes charge, nobody is boss.
Behindthegoal
Key Player
Good point, @Yankee_Jack . I had the misfortune to attend in person last night. The crowd were very quiet (asleep?) so you could hear a bit from the pitch. Most of the shouting was coming from Blackpool.
Fisher shouted his fair share, to no effect that I could see.
One other “tactic“ I noticed. When we had a throw in far upfield Piroe would ALWAYS take up position on the goal line just outside the box. He was only loosely marked but never received the ball. What’s the point? It’s beyond me.
Fisher shouted his fair share, to no effect that I could see.
One other “tactic“ I noticed. When we had a throw in far upfield Piroe would ALWAYS take up position on the goal line just outside the box. He was only loosely marked but never received the ball. What’s the point? It’s beyond me.
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
What we do on throw-ins puzzles me no end. When deep in our own half, we never throw the long ball down the line for the traditional #9 to receive and hold or flick-on or play smart and let the defender head it out. We always look for the short throw inside to be tapped back to the thrower who then inevitably passes it deeper to a defender.
I've seen Ivor Allchurch take no end of throw-ins as has @ivoralljack, and almost always, down the line. Often times Ivor would move the ball down field through a series of throw-ins down the line, each a tad over the top of the #9 and each forcing the marking defender to head the ball out of play. So clever, yet so simple. You don't have to be unmarked or in space to be useful on a throw-in. In fact, the only person unmarked on a throw-in is the player taking the throw-in.
If Piroe is not receiving the ball, as you say, when he has some space on the bye-line, then that's ridiculous. Being the furthest forward of our players he would, on receiving the ball, be playing all of our players on-side. Not to use him is ridiculous.
I've seen Ivor Allchurch take no end of throw-ins as has @ivoralljack, and almost always, down the line. Often times Ivor would move the ball down field through a series of throw-ins down the line, each a tad over the top of the #9 and each forcing the marking defender to head the ball out of play. So clever, yet so simple. You don't have to be unmarked or in space to be useful on a throw-in. In fact, the only person unmarked on a throw-in is the player taking the throw-in.
If Piroe is not receiving the ball, as you say, when he has some space on the bye-line, then that's ridiculous. Being the furthest forward of our players he would, on receiving the ball, be playing all of our players on-side. Not to use him is ridiculous.
Victoria Swan
Key Player
Spot on @Yankee_Jack. My question is why isn't Allen our captain and why isn't he playing for 90 minutes? Grimes is no captain and for the last dozen games we have desperately needed a mouthy captain in the field motivating and yelling at players to get stuck in and stop flagging. Can you imagine Ash Williams putting up with what we've seen in the last half of games recently?!
We have few, if any, natural leaders in the team. Joe could be one but he isn't a natural. In terms of experience it should be Nauts but he's not guaranteed a starting spot under Martin. Jay is abrasive and might have that Scottish edge to him but the same argument applies. And therein might lie our problem. If we had a Roy Keane type who'd accept nothing less than 100%, I think we'd be in the top 6 now. It's that old chestnut isn't it? Most top coaches insist that character, attitude and effort is more important than talent without it. In no way do I profess to have their knowledge and experience but it's something I've always advocated myself.
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
What was Cooper doing that was so poor.
What was Fulton doing that was so good.
What was Fulton doing that was so good.
CroJack
Key Player
Too many errors (dispossessed, sloppy passes, failed to block crosses etc.). Not better in the second half and rightly subbed.
Everything. By far our best player in the first half (ball carries, direct forward passes, through balls, interceptions, tackles etc.)