Another nervy win.  2-1

24 minutes ago, Arrested development said:

Was it a poor goal? I'm not having that's a poor goal. He's thumped it from 25 yards out. 9/10 keeper saves it or it's over the bar. We've conceded a lot of poor goals and that ain't one of them 

The strike itself wasn’t, but the way we surrendered possession and Johnston showing him on to his right foot were both very poor

Btw will someone cut the grass ffs

Schumacher mentioned it after the game on Saturday and I thought he was just looking for excuses, but it didn’t half slow us down tonight (as if we could be any slower when going forward)

It's beyond mental that we beat Wigan and Bristol creating nothing and lost tonight. 

But I'll take the positives. The performance was much improved and I still think us, Reading and Huddersfield will be dropping points all over the shop over the next five games. It'll go down to the last game.

9 minutes ago, Leyther_Matt said:

The strike itself wasn’t, but the way we surrendered possession and Johnston showing him on to his right foot were both very poor

I feel like your clutching at straws here. Showing him in to his right foot was showing him away from goal. He can't let him come inside. It's just a good goal. Sometimes you have to hold your hands up. 

12 minutes ago, Eddie said:

That felt like we’ve finally had payback for the City away game where they hit the woodwork 6 times and we knicked it with Speedo’s pen.

We shouldn’t have just won, it should have been by 5 or 6 at least. It got to the point by about 55/60 mins where it was almost laughable.

Their keeper had the game of his life and their no.22 was an absolute monster - he must have made 10+ blocks. Their goal was soft and shit from Jones and Sheehan, but the lad has also scored the best goal of his career.

An absolute freak game and I think a lot of the comments are unfair, up to the subs it was the best we’ve played by far since Birmingham. The subs did kill it, but Rotherham also managed to get a foot hold with their subs.

A couple of observations other than it being a freak/joke of a game:

- I think I’ve come to the conclusion that McAtee is poor. I really want to like him, but he’s just not very good, and it’s worse because he clearly thinks that he’s actually really good. He’s so fucking wasteful, isn’t a striker and isn’t a no.10.

- Another good game for Forino. Looks very solid as the new big man at the back.

- Jordan Hugill is everything we lack up front. I’ve no idea why he didn’t start, I’d expect it’s because he’s been injured, but from the moment he came on the game was killed. Our defenders couldn’t get near him, they had to foul him time and time again, he was clever with time wasting and just generally has that experience that’s needed in this league. He’s only 32 and is exactly the type of player that would add balance and options to our front line for a proper push at promotion next season if we’re still down here.

Everything here spot on, though I’ll say I thought tonight was one of McAtees better games (it’s a low bar) 

Forino is outstanding. Injuries have slowed his career but he’s a level above. 

Agree on Hugill. Also thought Nombe offered a threat on the break all night. 

We can still make the play offs, but lack of goal scorer and Readings favourable run in make it tricky. Albeit, the EFL may decide on April 22nd to do us a massive favour.  

Edited April 8, 20251 yr by thebells

In all my years watching us I’ve never seen a game like that. If we’d won 10-1 you’d have said fair enough. 

Fwiw, i actually proper enjoyed my night out

Thought we played really well

There has to be some criticism of a failure to score when you have 74 shots, but its not gonna happen every week

The first 15mins of the second half was the most fun I've had at the football in ages. Beautiful chaos

Strange game that..

The best we’ve played since Birmingham and created enough chances to win 2 games!

I had a weird feeling after 30 mins it was going to be “one of those nights”.

I’m not sure blame can be applied to anyone because we dominated and moved the ball forward throughout the match. On another day that was a 5-1 win.

The concern I have (if we make the playoffs) is the final ball is often poor with the wrong choice pass/cross or poor finishing.

Very frustrating! But that’s the joy of being a Trotter 🥱

Agree with the lads who would move Sheehan on.The biggest diappointment in the run in has been Collins.I rated him highly  but i'm beginning to have doubts.I saw him looking to avoid getting hurt in the penalty box against both Bristol and Rotherham.Not the bravery you need from your best forward.

1 hour ago, Didledee said:

I remember us losing 1-0 to Portsmouth in Prem when we missed chance after chance and Matty Taylor literally missed from a yard, it wasn't quite on same level as our win at City 1-0 (Speed pen) but my god what a bs result we've just seen, if that was on FIFA a controller may have visited the moon via the window 🥲😁

I remember that Portsmouth game well when the away fans were singing "you just got out Boltoned" Reminded me of the Win over Arsenal on Bruce riochs return.

This was definitely a smash and grab . Enough chances to win the game 4 times over . Id be seething if we played shit but we battered them for 85 minutes . Keeper had the game of his life and it was just one of those days . Keep creating chances and we will sluice teams. 

All of our limitations encapsulated in that 90 minutes. Some of the best, most incisive approach play we've seen for months but another piss poor goal given away, lack of composure at their end, too few ways to score a goal, no natural finisher. 

Keeper played well for sure, though a couple of the saves we made fairly straightforward for him. We had to score in the 15 mins after HT when we were peppering them, flurry of subs broke the rhythm up, intensity dropped and we looked less like scoring as it drew towards the end.

For about the 100th time in the last couple of seasons we've given up the first goal and given the opponents open invitation to shithouse their way through the next 70 minutes. It's a really bad and costly habit.

3 minutes ago, Ros Coe said:

I had a weird feeling after 30 mins it was going to be “one of those nights”.

I felt exactly the same, said so to stepdaughter around that time, had a strong whiff of that sort of game

56 minutes ago, waffer cup 07 said:

I know its a game of opinions, but Victor, really .

I get what you are saying but Vic or Etete ? I know who id rather have .

 

15 minutes ago, Arrested development said:

I feel like your clutching at straws here. Showing him in to his right foot was showing him away from goal. He can't let him come inside. It's just a good goal. Sometimes you have to hold your hands up. 

Did you not see the 10-15 seconds prior to him running at Johnston?

4 minutes ago, Krimzon said:

I get what you are saying but Vic or Etete ? I know who id rather have .

Aye, Charles

14 minutes ago, Arrested development said:

I feel like your clutching at straws here. Showing him in to his right foot was showing him away from goal. He can't let him come inside. It's just a good goal. Sometimes you have to hold your hands up. 

He finished it really well for sure but it was a poor goal to concede, Jones gave the ball away, then lost out in a challenge that allowed them to move the ball over to the lad. Johnston then wasn't quick enough to do enough to either force him a bit wider or even stick a leg out to try and block / deflect the shot. 

3 minutes ago, ianofcleveleys said:

He finished it really well for sure but it was a poor goal to concede, Jones gave the ball away, then lost out in a challenge that allowed them to move the ball over to the lad. Johnston then wasn't quick enough to do enough to either force him a bit wider or even stick a leg out to try and block / deflect the shot. 

Johnston isn't quick. The challenge was on his strong side and he still couldn't do it. He's a huge weak link and a player we should look to upgrade in the summer. 

6 minutes ago, Kane57 said:

Johnston isn't quick. The challenge was on his strong side and he still couldn't do it. He's a huge weak link and a player we should look to upgrade in the summer. 

Johnston definitely does struggle when a pacy player is running at him, but to say he's a huge weak link is going a bit far.

I agree he was poor for the goal, but Jones and Sheehan were far more culpable IMO.

Edited April 8, 20251 yr by DazBob

2 minutes ago, DazBob said:

Johnston definitely does struggle when a pacy player is running at him, but to say he's a huge weak link is going a bit far.

I agree he was poor for the goal, but Jones and Sheehan were far more culpable IMO.

I think he's been poor for a while. I wish we had the Toal from 18 months ago, both in terms of fitness and form

Can't do nowt but laugh about that really

Cogley was superb tonight, apart from the rush of blood and awful shot in the first half. 

Tutu is an odd one. Looked like a world beater against Brum, but has looked every bit a L1 player since.

Forino is exactly what you want from a CB at this level. Should be our captain next season.

1 minute ago, Kane57 said:

I think he's been poor for a while. I wish we had the Toal from 18 months ago, both in terms of fitness and form

Toal at RCB, yes. Not at LCB.

Re Johnston, can't help but think that since his injury he's struggled a bit when he has to turn his body at pace. Maybe his knee just can't do it.

Regardless, we've not lost tonight because of him. 

 

Can’t believe we didn’t win it. A draw would have felt an injustice!