ianofcleveleys

I think the manager does, probably too much, less sure about the players. As Big E said earlier, not easy to fire up players to start being and doing things that aren't in their nature. Result is likely to be more yellows and reds through ill judged, rash non-tacklers tackles. Fighting fire with fire doesn't come naturally to a fair few of our lads

If Forrester is genuinely back fit to play, having been on bench last couple of games, he must be in on Tues, especially if Santos is out, was looking as good as any at the back when he got injured.

Pen for me, went through the back of the lad to try to get to the ball, both feet off ground for half a second as he did it. Red might get rescinded as it could be argued it was an attempt to play the ball.

Evatt's set his stall out with the type of player he wants in each position. We have too many in our squad, particularly at RWB and LWB whose natural instinct isn't to defend with everything they've got, more than they're good on the ball, get forward, put crosses in, score a goal or two. That's ok against poor sides who we dominate and who don't test us in those areas. Against better opponents, with strong, physical wide players, they are found wanting. Too often we let crosses into our box too easily that we make a meal of dealing with. We haven't evolved in that area, even with yet another change of personnel this season. There's no doubt a fair few of our numerous reds and plentiful yellows this year have been down to bad refereeing, but plenty of others have been a consequence of desperate challenges after giving up the ball too easily or just not having the physicality to hold their own in combative situations. We might well, as Evatt was saying in midweek, outscore teams if we have to, but we aren't doing the basics of defending well enough for a team with designs on automatic promotion.

Tempted to park any comment on today, wait till after Tuesday and view both games together. We could shake ourselves down and show we can really win these types of game, or get duffed again and show they are still our Achilles heel.

I'd like nothing more than us to win promotion, playing the way we do, as vindication of Evatt's belief in it, in the face of alehouse tactics and piss poor refereeing. I really hope that happens. If it doesn't though, no reason at all for Evatt to go (unless of course he accepts a better offer), though if rigidly sticking to a particular way of playing and construction of a squad around it hasn't brought promotion after two good goes (not counting first season back up), I'd like to be going into next season knowing he's had a reset and is prepared to adjust our approach / personnel so we are able to see off all types that we face in L1

First was the result of half hearted efforts at shutting down the crossing opportunity then awful marking by Toal and Iredale, their lad would have had a free header if he'd touched it. Second was a catalogue of errors, Ashworth lost the ball in our third, Iredale's efforts at preventing their lad from having a shot were pathetic, then the corner poorly defended and weak effort from Coleman. Third, regardless of what Evatt wants to make of what happened to JDC, was another painful load of huffing and puffing to get it clear, reminiscent of Northampton's goal last week. Not only do we not do enough to stop crosses coming into our box, we then make a huge, airy fairy meal of getting them away.

Agreed. Not a foul and he didn't (as Evatt reckoned in his post match) land on his head, not was he holding his head when on the ground. A bit of clutching at straws and deflection away from how piss weak the subsequent attempts to clear it were.

I noticed that with Dempsey in first half. On Tuesday, as you say, his linking up with JDC and Jones was really productive, where Maghoma causes more damage ghosting in off left.

How we set up to defend corners is baffling. They were leaving two back, had two on the corner routine, one outside box, yet we had every outfield player in the 6 yard box. If we half clear it, player on edge of box has time to set his sights and hit it. Surely one of ours should be between 6 yard box and penalty box as the charger. Such a big crowd scene doesn't particularly help the keeper nor is it a guarantee we'll clear our lines effectively. Some of our faffing and wafting feet at the ball in those situations in recent weeks has been woeful

Some of Evatt's frustration with officials I can understand, though more around the systematic fouling of Sheehan than what happened with JDC today. L1 refs let pretty much every player get away with one clattering into the back of him before pulling a yellow out, so if the opposition share that job around he could have been hacked down 4 times by the time the first card comes out. Evatt's determination to have us play a certain way is laudable but the standard of refereeing isn't going to improve any time soon, maybe we have to be a bit more streetwise in making the ref know, getting in the fouler's face a bit, going to ground easier. We just look a bit lightweight and nice against limited sides who bully us and shithouse us out of games. I watched City v Chelsea when I got home and if the same standards were applied in L1 teams like Charlton would be on 3-4 yellows by half time.

We've been without at least 2/3 of our first choice back 3 for half a dozen games and today we were without a whole spine of a team with Baxter, Santos, Forrester, Thomason and Charles. The hope I'm holding out that we can go again in the final quarter of the season rests on most if not all of those being back soon.

No cause for panic just yet, we're playing for 2nd with two other sides, so no bad position as things stand, but we desperately need both of Santos and Forrester back, plus Baxter. We've stumbled and blundered our way through the last 5-6 games, got away with murder at the back in most of them and a day like today had been well on the cards. Biggest frustration today was some of our attacking play second half was brilliant, we scored three cracking goals and it added up to one point.

We're not exactly bereft of options and Charles hasn't been pulling any trees up for a few weeks (though still working as hard as ever), time to try different pairings and see how they go. Even CMG might get nearer to a game

Difficult one when we're at home and the pattern tends to be set, but recent games have given a feel that we'd be better off at times letting them have the ball a bit more, we can be devastating when we turn it over and there's space to counter as they've pushed men foward

Noticed that myself, just that semblance of a little gap appearing. Barnsley won't go away lightly but don't think they're as good as last season

This probably won't be a popular view, and I'm probably contradicting myself, but I'd still like to see Sheehan as the most forward midfielder, if he was working closer to Collins and Charles, in the final third, he could create loads for them. He also chipped in with one or two good goals from that area. My only reasoning is that, in L1, when opposing midfielders are allowed to plough through that receiver without censure, we'd be better with that player being more robust and able to withstand that clattering. Even City, more often than not, play that ball out to Rodri, who's a big physical specimen. I just think at times we're trying to play Pep's way but with too lightweight a squad against big rough opponents who are aided and abetted by piss poor refs

Problem with Morley when in for Sheehan is he isn't as quick or nimble as the receiver of the ball out from keeper, nor as confident in playing the first time ball that's needed to break the press. Sheehan can spin quickly either way and pop that first time ball off. It doesn't help though when we take so long to decide who to give it to from those restarts. Half a dozen times last night Coleman had a blindingly obvious pass out on but stood around deliberating till the player he chose had a man right up his arse. Baxter's as guilty of it

None of Collins, Charles or Vic pulled any trees up tonight. Charles and Collins didn't look a combo but it's very early days and service up to them first half was non existent. Equally, not sure Collins and Vic is a combo either. Conundrum for Evatt how he gets the best out of his expensive attacking riches

We are in the sort of stumbling, scrambling run we were in as we limped into the play off semi last season but with 16 games left. Another game where a poor side has gone away feeling hard done to. The hope is that, with Santos and Forrester back, we'll look a bit less flaky at the back and pick our form back up for the run-in. First half was horrendous, too ponderous again, too many loose passes, poor touches and bad decisions. All a bit disjointed and airy fairy. Second a bit better at times, Maghoma woke up to the task and had a really good half hour till he went off, Dempsey got forward well and put some good balls across. Ogbeta did well and the goal came from him doing the only positive, direct thing in the whole half. Got a very good left peg. Dacres Cogley back to good form, at least when he gets the ball he tries to be progressive and do things quickly. Coleman did pretty well over the 90 mins, couple of more than decent blocks when needed Another night of the teeth pulling variety but, again, points on the board

He's brought in an experienced no2, who's done ok last week at Blackpool. If we play to our best and defend properly as a unit he ought not to have too challenging a night

This is it for me. Evatt and many others are Pep disciples, which is fine, but even he has evolved, building in with Haaland a different option, greater physical presence and different way(s) of scoring goals. If Collins beds in as we'd hope, he might give us those additional options. We are one-dimensional with Vic and Dion, and while we've scored plenty of goals with them together, they're largely the same type of goals. We don't score headers and rarely bundle in those balls across six yard box. Whatever the whys and wherefores of the crowd reaction to that mad 20 mins, and Evatt's comments on it, the reality was that he just about got away with leaving it till when he did. We should have been two down, game over, when he acknowledged it needed to change, the impact was huge, complete shift in the game, with them ending up blowing a bit and hoofing it away near the end. Teams have wised up to us now, even modest ones, and to get up Evatt will need to be not so shy about using all those different ways to score a goal and win a game, from minute one and during the 90

Too many teams recently have latched onto systematically hammering into Sheehan as the easy way to disrupt us. It actually took Barnsley till half time, he had a fair bit of space first half and we got out easily. They upped the work rate 10% from the whistle into second half and tore into him. It's going to keep on happening and we may need to consider reverting to having Tommo at the base and Sheehan furthest forward, in the area where he did a load of damage v Derby.

Similar, Dempsey in particular found some great bits of space, pulled it back well, across the corridor of six yard box, to nobody as neither Vic or Dion are inclined to gamble and attack the box.

Very good arm wrestle of a match. We were poor first half, dreadful second half and should have been out of the game by time subs were made. From then on loads better, they ended up hoofing it away at the end. Vic and Charles were equally bad, both looked like they were playing on Coronation St Tough baptism for Taylor but did ok overall Dempsey's best game for us, only one who kept driving at them, battling and putting a foot in. Couple of great pull backs decent strikers who attack the six yard box would have buried. Bod showed he still has value, great little ball to Collins, more good hold up play after. Barnsley played well, bit more open than under Duff and more prepared to throw numbers forward when they nicked the ball, even late on. We missed Thomason Sheehan needs more support from his team mates in getting round the ref and getting into their players faces when he's getting clogged. We've too many who are too nice and mild mannered. Ref was weak on the rough stuff on him but we are too weak as a group. Baxter completely lost the plot for a couple of mins with the passing out, cancelled it out, thankfully, with saves. Evatt may well wave his arms around if he goes long when there isn't a safe option in front of him but what would he have done if one of those hospital balls had resulted in a goal, applauded and encouraged him? The obsession with playing a certain way, and the drumming in of the doctrine to the players makes them scared stiff of taking responsibility on the pitch and adapting to what's occurring in front of them. Evatt should be giving the players licence and confidence to be responsible, own situations and be flexible in finding solutions. They weren't a particularly good back line but we made it a doddle for them for an hour. As soon as the subs came (and with them a goal), and they had to start dealing with balls over and round them, forcing them to backpedal, stretch or turn back towards their own goal, they looked panicky. Sometimes, at this level, just getting the ball into the final third quickly and forcing mistakes will be enough to unlock the door Collins had a dream few minutes, looked good, plenty to look forward to from him