Stoke have picked up 17 points from their last 8 home games.
It's easy to give a lazy look at the table and think we should be getting something there but Stoke are a very good side at home since November and today was always going to be tough.
We've let Stoke and Huddersfield jump above us. I don't fancy us under pressure. Lets be more attacking as a team and selection as our tactics in League 1 won't work in the Championship.
5 shots all game - 2 on target!!! that's awful. In fact we had as many players booked as we had shots!!! We are in deep trouble, and all the time we keep conceding goals the way we do then we will always need to score at least 2 to try and win a game!! Fearful for Tuesday night!
We are in the brown stuff. We are a poor side and I seriously question our defensive deep lying tactics. Fortunately there is still a good chance that’s there are three even poorer sides in this league.but it is now a perm three from four scenario.
Bowyer set up too defensively and when it was clear it wasn't working and fate allowed us to dodge a bullet at half time, he did absolutely nothing to change it. You can't say that changes would have made a difference, but you can say you need to try them. Has Bowyer lost his balls FFS?
Sarr is a better defender than Pearce btw and he gives us a better attacking flow as well. Not sure why this is not obvious to most people including our manager!
Worry is, that Tuesday seems so unlikely to get a positive result or any points - where as Barnsley are playing Birmingham , and Wigan playing Middlesbrough...
We’ve chucked in a few performances like that this season. Wigan, Preston, Birmingham, Luton, Boro and now today. They’ve been mostly isolated but also against teams around us at the bottom. A slightly worrying trend given our upcoming fixtures.
I blame Bowyer today. From the first minute they looked to have a tactical edge - too much space when they had it and too easy to snuff us out when they didn’t. Bowyer never does it but Curbs would’ve just changed it to match them like for like. Bowyer didn’t and we never really got on top of them as a result. To then gift them that opening goal... well, we have to stop defending like that and very very soon.
No one scores more than a 6 today, they were all off it in one way or another.
Starting 11 made sense to me at the time, but now I’ve seen Davis play I can see he’s almost identical to Pratley. Has to be one or the other from now on.
Poor all round but a chance to correct it on Tuesday. Tough match but playing better teams seems to suit us.
A little off track so forgive me, however today’s result highlights this, as we seemed second best all game.... ESI didn’t buy the club lock stock so they could strengthen the squad in the window, yet they failed miserably on that, only getting in loanee’s, none of who were a striker to score the goals we need, and now we are faced with a uphill challenge to stay in the league. In the famous words of ‘nan’, what a load of old shit.
A defeat against a team in form at home. Sounds like a horrible display but that happens. I still feel our home form will see us through: Wigan Boro Luton Reading QPR Blackburn are all perfectly winnable as are these away games: Hull Huddersfield Sheff Weds
We may pick up a surprise result along the way. I think Luton and Barnsley are gone and others around us will have a bad run or two.
Today is our joint worst defeat of the season, but something must be done about our defensive displays. Needing to score 2 to get a point most games is not a good place to be in.
I have faith in Bowyer and his ability to keep us up, which is all we were hoping for at the start of the season. Our opening run gave us some points credit and some misguided hope.
Sometimes teams play shit. We did today and I’m sure it will be better on Tuesday and next Saturday.
Bowyer set up too defensively and when it was clear it wasn't working and fate allowed us to dodge a bullet at half time, he did absolutely nothing to change it. You can't say that changes would have made a difference, but you can say you need to try them. Has Bowyer lost his balls FFS?
Sarr is a better defender than Pearce btw and he gives us a better attacking flow as well. Not sure why this is not obvious to most people including our manager!
Totally agree, we were set up too defensively from the start, inviting pressure. At half time we had a chance to change it but did not until we were two goals down. Very poor from Bowyer, makes me worry for the rest of the season.
Very poor from start to finish, all over the pitch. The tactic of playing Williams and Green wide and having three very similar players (Pratley, Cullen and Davis) looking to break up the Stoke play and spring forward failed abjectly. And Lee Bowyer was very slow to try to put things right. Stoke looked a league above us and could/should have won by a bigger margin. Notable exceptions to a dismal afternoon:
Tom Lockyer - who had a colossal game. If it wasn’t for him we would have suffered a much heavier defeat.
David Davis - showed a lot of promise. Did more than most to break up the fluid Stoke play.
Alfie Doughty - had a relatively brief cameo but showed he was probably worthy of starting.
We scored a good goal, and came close through Lyle’s shot very late in the game but apart from that there was nothing to reward the brilliant travelling fans.
Comments
That is all.
Fucking Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Bang in trouble.
Midweek at Forest will be even tougher.
At least Wigan lost.
So what we've had one clean sheet in 19 games? When our midfield is back.....
I can't believe anyone expected anything. We went up there today in hope.
Why are our defenders standing on our 18 yard line when we are two down in the 89th minute ?
How many of our starting 11 would make the Stoke team ?
Worrying .
Sarr is a better defender than Pearce btw and he gives us a better attacking flow as well. Not sure why this is not obvious to most people including our manager!
Need to improve massively for Tuesday.
could be very different come Wednesday morning -
charlton 33
wigan 32
barnsley 28
praying Tuesday goes our way!!
Poor all round but a chance to correct it on Tuesday. Tough match but playing better teams seems to suit us.
It's an irrelevant point. 20th or 21st doesn't matter. We're still ahead of 22nd.
Wigan
Boro
Luton
Reading
QPR
Blackburn
are all perfectly winnable as are these away games:
Hull
Huddersfield
Sheff Weds
We may pick up a surprise result along the way. I think Luton and Barnsley are gone and others around us will have a bad run or two.
Today is our joint worst defeat of the season, but something must be done about our defensive displays. Needing to score 2 to get a point most games is not a good place to be in.
Think Bowyer has to take the flack for a lot of that. Played the wrong players and formation IMO.
Pearce not good enough.
Lockyer not good enough.
Purrington not good enough. Good goal though.
Pratley invisible second half.
Cullen not good enough. Poor passing today.
Davis not good enough. Very sloppy on the ball.
Taylor and Green left to fight for scraps in lieu of any decent service.
Very poor from start to finish, all over the pitch. The tactic of playing Williams and Green wide and having three very similar players (Pratley, Cullen and Davis) looking to break up the Stoke play and spring forward failed abjectly. And Lee Bowyer was very slow to try to put things right. Stoke looked a league above us and could/should have won by a bigger margin. Notable exceptions to a dismal afternoon:
Tom Lockyer - who had a colossal game. If it wasn’t for him we would have suffered a much heavier defeat.
David Davis - showed a lot of promise. Did more than most to break up the fluid Stoke play.
Alfie Doughty - had a relatively brief cameo but showed he was probably worthy of starting.
We scored a good goal, and came close through Lyle’s shot very late in the game but apart from that there was nothing to reward the brilliant travelling fans.