The first of three tough matches coming up starting with Orient.

They seem to have hit some form but hopefully lessons learnt against Shrewsbury should get us a win.

5 minutes ago, Cheese said:

So glad Morley didn't jump ship. Back to his best.

Outstanding today throughout, in all aspects of the game 

10 minutes ago, ianofcleveleys said:

It's become a ridiculous piece of pantomime shithousing. One of my big gripes about current football is that managers and coaches seem to spend as much time finding new ways round the rules as they do finding ways to score goals

Tbf their manager said they were wasting time after 20 minutes and it was stupid.  (Think actual words were ‘not what we are about)

11 minutes ago, onefinfrandsen said:

Simple way for refs/efl to stop it would be to order the player to go off the pitch to get treatment and just carry on with the game. 

Bang on, problem solved!

Excellent result against a very decent team. Thought both their full backs 12 and 22 looked very good players. 
 

Was glad Williams got a decent reception as he went off.

Collins was superb when he came on, probably most impact I have seen him have in a game for a long time. 
 

People need to get their head round McAtee is not going to win many headers but his role is to disrupt their defence so our 5 midfield players can pick up scraps from there. 
 

Incredible how Morley is back to being the player he looked like being 2-3 years ago. 
 

Only concern is that Murphy looked like a young kid at times 

1 hour ago, Eavesy said:

Yes but if the donkey work is trying to retrieve the ball after he’s given it away for the 50th time it ain’t much use

Do you ever have anything positive to say?

Just looked back at your posts

You’re a right negative fucker

Edited February 22, 20251 yr by desperado

19 minutes ago, Zico said:

The thing is

It seems to me like both teams want it and it's almost as if it's agreed either keeper will do it

Certainly at the time for me they were the better team in terms of chances and we were the ones that needed to regroup 

 

I actually thought the opposite. We were controlling the game for the first 25 minutes. After the keepers 'injury' I thought they then got on top for the rest of the first half.

How ace is the new video before kick off, 3 mins long all highlights of post evatt matches..

1 hour ago, Lt. Aldo Raine said:

It felt like we won every header at the death

I'm sure Collins won more headers in the last 20 minutes than in the previous 12 months!

He wasn't the only one winning them as you say, great desire.

Tomo was like a man possessed for his cameo, it was the perfect scenario for him because there was hardly enough time for him to have to worry about bookings.  The ref was kind with 1 or 2 of his iffy challenges (in contrast to the 1st half when he gave a free kick against Schon every time he went near an Orient player).

1 minute ago, Ani said:

Only concern is that Murphy looked like a young kid at times 

Said today, he looks ok. Still learning the game of course but it appeared quite a coup when we got him and he’s held in quite high esteem at Newcastle. But nothing he has done so far shows he’s a couple of levels above. But then again, maybe a dependable 6 or 7 out of 10 every week is just what’s needed. 

Gary Neville made a career out of doing just that.. 

1 hour ago, auckland_bwfc said:

Did anyone think Morley was missing that pen??

Never in a bazillion years, for me

Never crossed my mind, there isn't a player we've ever had that I'd rather have taking our pens

2 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

Tomo was like a man possessed for his cameo

He did a good interview the other week saying being captain and what’s happened previously under evatt counts for nothing new manger you need to prove your self all over again 

16 minutes ago, onefinfrandsen said:

Simple way for refs/efl to stop it would be to order the player to go off the pitch to get treatment and just carry on with the game. 

Not sure how my more complicated idea would work but if team A wastes time but are losing after 90minutes the time they waste is NOT added on. Only any time wasted by team B if they are winning is added on. 
 

If it is a draw both sides time is added. 
 

Today we played 10 minutes, would guess half that was time wasted by Orient. 
 

Last 2 home games our opponents have spent so much time delaying the game they stopped playing. 
 

 

47 minutes ago, Matt Lofthouse said:

Fucking love Morley as a player. Thanks again to Wycombe for sorting him out. 

Agreed, and thank fuck it was Evatt that went and not him.

The great thing about having Morley in there is that in games where they just sacrifice a player to take Sheehan out, like they did today, you’ve got another player next to him now that’s as comfortable on the ball and can also control the game.

3 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Agreed, and thank fuck it was Evatt that went and not him.

The great thing about having Morley in there is that in games where they just sacrifice a player to take Sheehan out, like they did today, you’ve got another player next to him now that’s as comfortable on the ball and can also control the game.

Sheehan (who did a great captains job today) and Morley are first names on team team sheet if fit.

Special shout out for Schon. Looked good on the right today, then slotted in on the left at the end to see the game out.

10 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

I'm sure Collins won more headers in the last 20 minutes than in the previous 12 months!

He wasn't the only one winning them as you say, great desire.

Tomo was like a man possessed for his cameo, it was the perfect scenario for him because there was hardly enough time for him to have to worry about bookings.  The ref was kind with 1 or 2 of his iffy challenges (in contrast to the 1st half when he gave a free kick against Schon every time he went near an Orient player).

Tomo did a good job when he came on, especially in the injury time, just getting his body in first, taking hits and earning us fouls. Vic did similar, whatever he is, his effort couldn't be knocked today, got clattered three times in 10 minutes but still soldiered on and was back blocking a cross on our dead ball line just before he went off

33 minutes ago, onefinfrandsen said:

Simple way for refs/efl to stop it would be to order the player to go off the pitch to get treatment and just carry on with the game. 

Nice idea but if it's a keeper there is absolutely no chance of that.

Just now, ianofcleveleys said:

Tomo did a good job when he came on, especially in the injury time, just getting his body in first, taking hits and earning us fouls. Vic did similar, whatever he is, his effort couldn't be knocked today, got clattered three times in 10 minutes but still soldiered on and was back blocking a cross on our dead ball line just before he went off

I love Tommo.

He’s not ahead Sheehan and Morley.

What a player to bring on in a situation like that. 👏

Also on Morley. It’s often been said about his defensive side letting him down, well he must have seriously worked on it because he has a very very good eye now for tracking a runner, covering his full backs and just generally proving a very solid centre mid going towards his own goal - he’s also the best header of a ball we have in the midfield.

Like others have said, I don’t think I’ve been as confident of a pen being stuck away. I was watching their set piece coach and he mimed over to the keeper that he was going bottom left - doesn’t matter, he hits such a clean ball that keeps didn’t have a chance even though he went the right way (bet the set piece coach was still happy with himself for doing his bit).

12 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

Never crossed my mind, there isn't a player we've ever had that I'd rather have taking our pens

 

I take your point, but Gary Speed surely?

Petrov was also nailed on despite putting them all in the same spot.

16 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

Never crossed my mind, there isn't a player we've ever had that I'd rather have taking our pens

Gary speed

25 minutes ago, only1swanny said:

How ace is the new video before kick off, 3 mins long all highlights of post evatt matches..

2 minutes long. It's good, but I wish they'd get rid of that video with the shit medley soundtrack that plays 5 seconds of each song. Or just change it so it plays one song all the way through. I thought this was replacing it, but they played both. Daft thing to moan about, I know.

 

Edited February 22, 20251 yr by Cheese

1 hour ago, tomski said:

Thoroughly happy again.

Didn't think the first half was that bad and that we actually started well. The goalie ‘injury’ and huddle seemed  to throw us off balance.

Their goal looked miles off side.

Great second half and Collins looked a menace on that wing. Great take from McAtee and the pen was a stone waller if not stupid from them.

Heard a few people saying it was a bit IE first half. Not even close. 5 wins in 6. Itching to get in and around the teams around us. Not said that for a long time.

Agreed on the first half, I think folk have forgotten how bad we were against the better teams under IE and how mind numbingly boring our play had become in a lot of games.  We were the better team overall first half (without having a shot on or off target?!), played some decent stuff but annoyingly just couldn't get the final pass or cross right.  And Tutu strangely quiet which didn't help.

Orient did play well last 15 minutes 1st half but going in level at H-T would have been a fair reflection.

Great attacking 2nd half but grateful for the pen they gave us (virtually the same as our 2nd pen v Reading when Vic was fouled in the same unthreatening position).

24 minutes ago, DaveTheRave said:

I actually thought the opposite. We were controlling the game for the first 25 minutes. After the keepers 'injury' I thought they then got on top for the rest of the first half.

For me felt like we did nothing of note  but they threatened

Was looking at the stats at half time 

It was 60% us

But we had one shot not on target

They had seven with two on

Second half all us and they were no where to be seen

5 minutes ago, desperado said:

Sheehan (who did a great captains job today) and Morley are first names on team team sheet if fit.

Special shout out for Schon. Looked good on the right today, then slotted in on the left at the end to see the game out.

Schon definitely had one of his best games for us. He has got a tendency to get himself so wound up that he makes some stupid decisions (he nearly cost us a couple of times in a few mins around the middle of the second half because he was flying in and missing them) but I think you just have to accept that and it makes him what he is.

As good as I thought he was, I still can’t believe he didn’t manage to play the pass to JDC just before the keeper did his play acting. JDC had overlapped and was in and Schon could have put it anywhere in about 5 yards and he was in with nobody near him… he put too much on it and it went out for a goal kick. It felt like that, followed by the keeper stoppage (that needs fucking off sharpish) changed the first half and then only a couple of minutes later we were 1-0 down out of nowhere!

In comparison, Collins’ pass to McAtee was inch perfect. He had about a yard to put it and it was spot on, great finish from McAtee too.

Collins changed the game, he’s so good. If that half volley goes in that flew past the post it’s possibly one of the best goals ever at the Reebok. I don’t know how he made contact cause he seemed to be reaching for it, never mind hit it as cleanly as that.

54 minutes ago, Zico said:

The thing is

It seems to me like both teams want it and it's almost as if it's agreed either keeper will do it

Certainly at the time for me they were the better team in terms of chances and we were the ones that needed to regroup 

 

I would respectfully disagree.  We were playing well and were all over them in terms of having possession in their half (admittedly not looking like scoring).  They hadn't had a sniff at our end for a good while, and it all changed from that moment (credit to them for that). 

If our opponents all leave the field and have a chat and a drink, we're going to use that time too, but SS would have preferred to have continued playing as mentioned in his interview (I even watch manager's interviews again, ages since I listened to the IE claptrap).