Nice to get back to winning ways again, after a spate of performances running the full gamut from bad to awful!
I was at the Sheffield Wednesday game, but found it so uninspiring that I didn’t get round to writing it up. Three days later I sat and watched in a pub as we received a bit of a drubbing at the hands of a pretty decent looking Wolves side. The curse of Sky in full effect once more.
Tonight’s match was less than convincing, with a poor first half, and a slightly better second, partially redeemed by a nice free kick from Lee Cook. We won though…
A few common threads ran through these games.
Tactical ineptitude was one of them, less in evidence tonight perhaps, but woefully apparent in the previous two games. I love Ollie as a character, but I do wonder sometimes about his choices. Bignot at right midfield… hmm, ok, I can just about buy that, although it’s strange with Ainsworth warming the bench. Evatt at right back… erm… why not Bignot, oh yeah, cos he’s in midfield? Moore on the left wing, umm… ok, what exactly is Brown doing in the subs? That was the Sheffield game, but we had an equally bizarre line up against Wolves at times. Today things looked a bit more balanced. Cook doesn’t look totally fit, but at least he’s there, running at people and causing a little bit of mayhem. Ainsworth started on the right, replaced in the second half by Langley (hurrah!) - so at least we had wingers playing on the wings… a plan so cunning that I’m sure Baldrick would approve.
Defensive frailty is another common thread. Bignot and Shittu both look a little bit out of sorts. Milanese looks solid, but prone to the occasional error. Santos… well people who have read my blog will know my opinion of Santos. It speaks volumes to me that his team mates tend to avoid passing the ball to him whenever possible. In recent games his tackling has been pretty solid, but today it was flimsy, and he kept getting beaten in the air, turned around, and generally outsmarted. It does make me wonder why we bought two more midfielders, and didn’t strengthen the defence.
Lack of commitment would be my final common theme. Certain people don’t look like they really care. This was a big problem last season, with the likes of Rowlands and Edgehill, to name but two, regularly turning out for a leisurely stroll around the pitch. Today, the main offender seemed to be Moore. I hear good things about him, and I’m sure he’s full of potential, but so often he just doesn’t really look like he cares. He should just look at Furlong and try to copy him. Chase hopeless causes occasionally Stefan! Hassle people. Move around a bit. Look like you mean it!
Ah well… enough moaning for tonight. I’ll end on a few positives.
Doherty. He’s great. He got sent off tonight (a straight red, I’m not quite sure what for). I don’t even care. Well, I care, but mostly because he’ll be out for three games. The fact is, he’s as tenacious as Birch, and he’s got a better touch, makes great decisions most of the time, and definitely adds something.
Lomas. I only saw him for a few minutes, but I always liked him at West Ham, and straight away tonight he was bossing, shouting, and generally acting like a leader. I imagine he will provide cover for Birch and Doherty during their inevitable spells of suspension. Right now that sounds fine by me.
Langley. Despite getting a few boos, his reception was generally warm. Apparently he regrets going away, and has grown up a bit in the meantime. I really hope that’s true. We need a bit of creativity, especially if it comes with some genuine commitment to the cause. I have my fingers crossed.
PS. I lied about stopping the moaning. The referee tonight… oh dear… did I not like that…