Cambridge (H) Easter Monday

[Mounts Kipper]

22 minutes ago, Cheese said:

"Bring your Wembley flags, and make sure you're in your seats for 2:45!". Was expecting them to at least bring the trophy out onto the pitch or something, but fuck all happened. Sack the board, and knock the stadium down.

They brought it to the side of the pitch near the players tunnel. 

[Cheese]

1 minute ago, Mounts Kipper said:

They brought it to the side of the pitch near the players tunnel. 

I know. Saw fuck all.

[Tonge moor green jacket]

1 minute ago, Mounts Kipper said:

They brought it to the side of the pitch near the players tunnel. 

Yep.

The crocked lads taking the plaudits.

[bolton va va]

 Without Santos, Toal, Charles, Dempsey & Morley we're likely to struggle a bit  ( & i'm not arguing with IE about who is fit to start ) but if Charles' shot goes in off the post or we score in the big scramble the game would have been won & over.....fair play to Cambridge, being only one down, they went shit or bust & pinched a point.

but,the problem was with the players who didn't take their chance, Shortire was poor, I like Thomasson but he's still painfully one footed -Dempsey & Morley are well ahead in the midfield pecking order - Jerome wasn't involved, Victor still hasn't fitted in, & Mbete was dodgy on the ball & became a defensive liability.

IE's 1st group of subs were spot on but the 2nd extra forward subs didn't make much sense.

Bradley did well but MOTM to Johnston, by far the best defender. Not great but not a disaster.

[FrancisFogarty]

The damage was done in the first hour mostly. We didn't have a clue how to break them down, but it was the wrong game to start with Jerome and Shoretire. It was crying out for Dempsey and Charles.

Very poor, the only slightly brighter spots being Bradley and Johnston .

Fogarty.

[Big E]

I would have left Thomason on but I thought the two lads who came on did well. Certainly better than the two starters.

horrific January for us. Adebayo offers nothing 

[ianofcleveleys]

1 hour ago, Johnnyrotten said:

We all see games differently but I thought Tomo was really poor most of the time.  A couple of good moments, a lot of bad one's is my memory of his performance. 

Johnstone defended well without a doubt but part of the problem was how much he slowed the game down in possession.  He must have had as many touches as the rest of the team put together apart from Sheehan, so many passes, so little progress apart from a 10 or 15 minute spell in the 2nd half when we hit it longer a couple of times.  But if its tactical to make so many short, slow passes its not always down to the player, he must be told to play that way as well.

Johnston was main culprit in the walking football stakes first half, Mbete and Jones close behind. Issue for me was they didn't trust midfield three to have it off them in a tight area and looked shit scared of a rant from Evatt if they slung a ball over the back line, into the channels (even though Vic and Jerome were constantly asking for that ball).

Result - another turgid 45 mins played largely in our own half. They had about 30% possession but were far more effective with it.

 

[ianofcleveleys]

45 minutes ago, captainmed said:

That’s where I am at.

Play-offs are clear progress for the club & the experience will do the players a world of good.

Unfortunately with Santos & Toal potentially out for the season, then we are going to struggle away from home, both in the remaining league games and particularly in the play-off away game.

 

 

With you both on that, massive blow to lose those two at the same time, they were big misses today in more ways than just basic defending. 

Fatigue no doubt an issue in some (Jones was out on his feet last 10 mins), back up options and alternatives limited, going to be a stumble and a limp into play offs. 

[Johnnyrotten]

1 minute ago, ianofcleveleys said:

Johnston was main culprit in the walking football stakes first half, Mbete and Jones close behind. Issue for me was they didn't trust midfield three to have it off them in a tight area and looked shit scared of a rant from Evatt if they slung a ball over the back line, into the channels (even though Vic and Jerome were constantly asking for that ball).

Result - another turgid 45 mins played largely in our own half. They had about 30% possession but were far more effective with it.

 

Yes, turgid.  When we all think of football matches that we've enjoyed watching or even played in (a long time ago!) - the tackles, the shots, the crosses, long passes, headers, free kicks into the box rather than played short, saves from the keeper, a winger taking on the full back etc.  The 1st half just could not be described as a football match that we know and love, and I get that football has evolved from muck & nettles slide tackles on a mud bath.  But that was more like a training exercise where over exertion and physical contact is discouraged.  Hopefully we learn from that and up the pace a bit.

 

[Take Hunt Off]

One goal lead never enough , unfortunate not to get a second but only after Lee Morley & Charles came on .We were light on our left defensively when Thomason was subbed which left Mbete a bit exposed & his lunge resulted in the freekick for their goal , which was sloppily defended.

With hindsight Evatt might have started with Lee  instead of  Shortire & maybe Charles instead of Victor who is either gash or we don’t play to his strengths, seems to make plenty of runs but rarely gets the ball.Jury is out for me.Bod offers more given our style of play although injury prone.

 

[gonzo]

30 minutes ago, Wilfs Dad said:

The damage was done in the first hour mostly. We didn't have a clue how to break them down, but it was the wrong game to start with Jerome and Shoretire. It was crying out for Dempsey and Charles.

Very poor, the only slightly brighter spots being Bradley and Johnston .

Fogarty.

Why do you feel the need to sign off like some kind of attention seeking nob head?

Gonzo

[MickyD]

There must be a hell of a magnetic field around the stadium. Every time Mbette got the ball he spun round and played a backwards ball. 

At the risk of being labelled a moron, he was shit.

Also, in the first half, Bradley was finding himself waiting to sprint after a long ball but the ball never came. After the goal he scored at Exeter I thought they’d try that option again.

[FrancisFogarty]

13 minutes ago, gonzo said:

Why do you feel the need to sign off like some kind of attention seeking nob head?

Gonzo

A) Perhaps I am, or

B)I'm just Francis Fogarty waiting for a Mod to reinstate my account, including the Barbara Windsor avatar, and as soon as it's done Wilfs Dad can go into retirement. Or 

C) I just want to know who's actually reading the posts.

 

How's that Gonzo ?

Edited April 10, 2023 by Wilfs Dad

[captainmed]

I knew Mbete was awful today but I’ve just seen his defending for their equaliser.

OMFG.

 

[MickyD]

2 minutes ago, captainmed said:

I knew Mbete was awful today but I’ve just seen his defending for their equaliser.

OMFG.

 

Didn’t show the tackle. I was fairly level with it and thought it was outside the box but others near me thought inside.

[captainmed]

9 minutes ago, MickyD said:

Didn’t show the tackle. I was fairly level with it and thought it was outside the box but others near me thought inside.

I don’t mean the free-kick he gave away leading upto it.

There’s a video on YT from their end when the free-kick is taken.

Its schoolboy defending at its finest.

He literally runs away from the ball.

Edited April 10, 2023 by captainmed

[perth_white]

5 hours ago, Spider said:

What you on about?

This is clearly the fault of Evatt and the board, who should all resign at once. Losing to Cambridge is bordering on criminal.

We should never ever lose a single game.

I'll have to google the population of Cambridge before I decide if it was a tactical masterclass or negligence worthy of sacking.

[Mutley]

This seasons scapeboat is mbete. Yes he’s not great. Can he defend no? Can he pass the ball? No but he’s doing his best given his abilities. Worryingly he wasn’t the worst player today on the field for us. 
 

permission to not panic. 
keep the confidence and that. 
we will be fine enjoy the rough with the smooth and all that comes with it. 
 

let’s not get nasty towards a loanee who played 6/10. Great debut against peterboro thought he was brilliant. 

new strikers are looking sharp. 1-1 draw would have taken before KO especially after car failed MOT. 
 

Wanderers. 
m
 

 

[TroySwoosh]

Apparently Santos' injury isn't as bad as first feared and should be back sooner than 4 weeks

[RUREADY2ROLL]

Role on Oxford on Saturday 

[Wanderlust]

I think the criticism of Thomason is unjustified. For me he was contender for MOTM  having won the ball back so many times, thwarted their midfield with some great tackles and provided an excellent screen for our defence - as well as playing some good accurate passes - unlike others. He put some serious miles in and his work rate was exemplary.

We scored when he was on the pitch, we were more shaky and conceded when he was off it.

If the rest of the team worked as hard and had the same sense of urgency he had we'd have won this game IMO.

Evatt seemed to think we should go for the throat once we had a lead - which would have pleased the crowd if we'd scored more - but in trying to do so, he left the back door open for the equaliser.

Edited April 10, 2023 by Wanderlust

[Wanderlust]

53 minutes ago, TroySwoosh said:

Apparently Santos' injury isn't as bad as first feared and should be back sooner than 4 weeks

That's excellent news if true. His presence alone makes a difference.

[onefinfrandsen]

4 hours ago, Wanderlust said:

I think the criticism of Thomason is unjustified. For me he was contender for MOTM  having won the ball back so many times, thwarted their midfield with some great tackles and provided an excellent screen for our defence - as well as playing some good accurate passes - unlike others. He put some serious miles in and his work rate was exemplary.

We scored when he was on the pitch, we were more shaky and conceded when he was off it.

If the rest of the team worked as hard and had the same sense of urgency he had we'd have won this game IMO.

Evatt seemed to think we should go for the throat once we had a lead - which would have pleased the crowd if we'd scored more - but in trying to do so, he left the back door open for the equaliser.

The thing wrong with Thomason, he was a bit rusty. Been out for along time, there’s getting fit and there’s match fit. 3 or 4 games and he will be fine. Just in time for the play offs😁

[Roger_Dubuis]

Very frustrating afternoon.Two easy points against a crap team dropped because a tinkering manager thought a reserves midfield and attack would be enough.It would have been like turning up at Burnden Park to find Rioch had rested McAteer, Lee and McGinlay in a crucial match.

The crowd was hundreds below what it would have been due to not getting the tickets on sale quick enough.FFS that should be the easy stuff.Due to the crap performance some of the new faces in the ground won't buy season tickets.

Just as Evatt was growing on me for how he prepared the team to demolish (an albeit garbage on the day) Plymouth he tosses away an easy two points by not showing enough respect to the oppositon.

[Tombwfc]

11 hours ago, Farnywhite said:

Think the simple answer was he never looked up he drove down the wing and smacked it 

 

I think he was running at pace, Thomason is nearly 10 yards behind him and there's a defender in the way. Thought it was a decent effort tbh.