Team for saturday amos gunter innes famewo maatsen watson shinnie doughty maddison aneke smyth
That would be my team too. May eventually fit Gilbey in the middle of the park by dropping one of Doughty or Smyth who will perform better when they are able to properly rest.
Got to be happy with that. A clean sheet. A win. Midweek. Away. Grim up north.
I think we are still a work in progress, and I think more team play will develop. Very pleased with Maatsens debut. Innes was a colossus defensively, but judging by the palm spreading he was doing, and the long passes he tries forlornly, he is no Johnny Haynes. If Inness is to play it long it ought to be a clearance, otherwise he needs the 10-15 yard ball option once he wins it. He saw off Madine, and anybody else, well enough, and was unlucky not to score when it looked as if Bogle touched it to me. Probably our best player over the whole 90. The points were sort of vital, and we can now begin to build our team play as we go, because there are a succession of matches coming up. If we are fortunate enough to win against Northampton Town we will be the equivalent of winning every home game and drawing every away game in terms of points. That is what we have to sustain for the rest of the season
I will give Bowyer some credit, actually: with 10 men it could have been easy to not do the needful and take Pratley off for Maatsen, but by god he did it
If Bowyer was seeing what I was seeing, Blackpool's MJ (number 5 I think?) was most definitely a weak link, and as useful as Pratley is - any quick nippy intelligent players would have him on strings and Maatsen did just that when he cut in a little central.
Makes it all the sweeter of a win to know we are just getting into gear, think the strikers may have to put up with a lot of subbing but if it works it works!
No complaints. Thought we totally deserved the three points. Defence looks very solid. Can’t see Purlington replacing Maatsen anytime soon based on his performance tonight.
Chalk and cheese first half to second. The second half was the first time I've really enjoyed watching us since the opening day. Finally we got the ball down and had a midfield which passed and moved with dynamism and creativity. I love Pratters but we looked so much better without him and Purrington.
The introduction of Maatson and Shinnie dropping deeper gave us the guile to work the ball forward which we've lacked all season and we were working the ball consistently into the final 3rd which we've made look extremely difficult up until that second half. We didn't actually create much but we were playing with ten and that might improve when the players gel more. The important thing is we were working the ball into the positions to create chances.
Maatson looked a level above, Watson and Shinnie controlled the game, Chucks would be one of the best strikers in the league if he could stay fit. Famewo and Inniss looked solid once again. Feeling much more positive after that second half where at half time I was really wondering whether I would ever enjoy watching us play again.
Please start with the core of that team now Lee! Looked better with 10 men than 11. The red card has did us a favour and hope Bows has learnt from that 2nd half improvement.
Blackpool were toilet.
Spot on about the effect of Shinnie dropping deeper
Let's face it, it wasn't pretty. Back four looked ok but not surprising against ten men all first half. We struggled to create any clear-cut openings or hold the ball in their half. Pratley was a liability with the extra man advantage and hooking him off for Maatsen was the right call. Pleased Chuks has opened his account and Doughty should get the call for his overall performance and his knock back for the goal. Maddison will make a difference to the midfield and hopefully Williams will shake a leg in training and get back on Bowyer's right side.
After all the slating Ben watson got against Wigan I thought he was man of the match. You could see the relationship with Shinnie developing as the game progressed. Alfie had a good game and the centre half pairing were immense. Maatson showed in the the last 15 mins what a player he could become.
Bowyer post-match "Well earned three points, tough place to come on a Tuesday night" "We deserved to win" "Went three at the back, and it paid off, we were better side" "It was a goal, players celebrated in front of linesman, didn't flag until keeper ran up to him" "Pleased for Chuks, works hard, and is doing really well"
When Purrington went off, I was worried that we might have blown our chances. Playing the ball back and forth between our defence/defensive midfielders might be a good tactic to tire the opposition if they need to chase the game. If they look happy to settle for 0-0, it's a wasted opportunity to take the game by the throat. Other than that tactical negativity and a few wild passes there's not really too much to complain about. Defence was outstanding and at times we played some decent attacking football. Great to get back to back league wins, it's June since we managed that.
Back to the match,............... I think that we're going to be shit hot. We'll be in the top six by the end of October and top two by December. What a reassuring defense: Maatson looks Premier League class. If you put a proven injury free striker in that team, we'd be Champions.
How good does it feel to just be totally focussed on the football?
Just comments about formations, substitutions etc etc.
It’s just like the good old days on here - I love it!
Gunter-Inniss-Famewo-Maatsen is a better back four than Djiksteel-Bauer-Sarr-Purrington.
We have limitations up the pitch but with a defensive unit like that we can grind out results.
No real expectations for this season but it’s just so so good to talk about football, football and football.
Absolutely. Love that the WhatsApp discussion is about normal football related stuff like is a midfield of Pratley and Watson dynamic enough etc, rather than other rubbish in last ten years. Great to have stability in the boardroom.
Good team selection by Bows as I said before we started. Got to keep it tight at the back and hope the attacking players do their job. A goal rather that a red would have been better, the disallowed goal looked fine, Chucks goal was very well taken. A much better goal than I first thought - but then I was on the second lap of my front room. On a good day that would have been a 3-0 stroll. Chucks and Smyth are our first choice strikers. Never seen Chucks win so many headers. He is just wow at the moment. Smyth works so hard and gets his foot in to win balls he really shouldn’t. What a start for a team just starting to get to know each other and with no pre-season. Remarkable. Well done Steve, Bows, Jack, and of course our new owner. Outstanding.
The goals will come, signs are there, our new defence is awesome so far. Happy with another 1-0, I don’t care how they come as long as we get three points.
Comments
A clean sheet.
A win.
Midweek.
Away.
Grim up north.
I think we are still a work in progress, and I think more team play will develop.
Very pleased with Maatsens debut.
Innes was a colossus defensively, but judging by the palm spreading he was doing, and the long passes he tries forlornly, he is no Johnny Haynes. If Inness is to play it long it ought to be a clearance, otherwise he needs the 10-15 yard ball option once he wins it. He saw off Madine, and anybody else, well enough, and was unlucky not to score when it looked as if Bogle touched it to me.
Probably our best player over the whole 90.
The points were sort of vital, and we can now begin to build our team play as we go, because there are a succession of matches coming up.
If we are fortunate enough to win against Northampton Town we will be the equivalent of winning every home game and drawing every away game in terms of points.
That is what we have to sustain for the rest of the season
Just comments about formations, substitutions etc etc.
It’s just like the good old days on here - I love it!
We have limitations up the pitch but with a defensive unit like that we can grind out results.
No real expectations for this season but it’s just so so good to talk about football, football and football.
If Bowyer was seeing what I was seeing, Blackpool's MJ (number 5 I think?) was most definitely a weak link, and as useful as Pratley is - any quick nippy intelligent players would have him on strings and Maatsen did just that when he cut in a little central.
Makes it all the sweeter of a win to know we are just getting into gear, think the strikers may have to put up with a lot of subbing but if it works it works!
It should be Smyth pronounced like sky, sly, sty, scythe, shy but it's probably the player who says it's pronounced otherwise.
Some people can't even spell their own name correctly.
Lovely winning goal.
Both red cards were correct.
"Well earned three points, tough place to come on a Tuesday night"
"We deserved to win"
"Went three at the back, and it paid off, we were better side"
"It was a goal, players celebrated in front of linesman, didn't flag until keeper ran up to him"
"Pleased for Chuks, works hard, and is doing really well"
I think that we're going to be shit hot.
We'll be in the top six by the end of October and top two by December.
What a reassuring defense: Maatson looks Premier League class.
If you put a proven injury free striker in that team, we'd be Champions.
A goal rather that a red would have been better, the disallowed goal looked fine, Chucks goal was very well taken. A much better goal than I first thought - but then I was on the second lap of my front room. On a good day that would have been a 3-0 stroll.
Chucks and Smyth are our first choice strikers. Never seen Chucks win so many headers. He is just wow at the moment. Smyth works so hard and gets his foot in to win balls he really shouldn’t. What a start for a team just starting to get to know each other and with no pre-season. Remarkable.
Well done Steve, Bows, Jack, and of course our new owner. Outstanding.