Match Day Thread Hull City v QPR

We won 3-0 , if you can't be positive after that when can you be positive ?

First win at home since October 5th last year isn't it ? I'm just going to enjoy it

 

I thought it was a strange game today. We started brilliantly but dropped off a bit after scoring. Then scored two goals out of absolutely nothing when they were just getting on top. For long sections of the game nothing was happening, but we were brutally clinical, which is always so important, and we defended brilliantly too. I didn't expect Connelly to have such a good touch, he was really classy today.

We played a strange shape in the first half, Elder was staying inside almost like a central midfielder when we were building up, and Slater was hugging the touchline in his place. I think that's something Man City do with their full backs a lot, particularly Cancelo. I've not seen it before but heard about them doing it in the last couple of season. Couldn't say what difference it made to us but it was a notably unusual tactic.

 

Connolly looks a brilliant pick up and should only get better with the confidence two goals bring.

As I was reading this I was just going to reply saying it's something Man City do lol, I guess that's who we're trying to emulate. Not a bad team to try to copy. You'd have to think it's a structural tactic, so when Ebiowei is fit it'd be him not Slater on the touchline.

 

Seen a few people pointing out that Tufan starts and we win. Don't want to be negative after a great win, but I thought he was one of the weakest players today, along with Slater on the opposite side. Maybe our chosen shape for this game made it hard for the wingers to impress, but I thought he made a real mess of that break in the first half where his pass to Oscar ended up going out for a goal kick, we should've been in there but he seemed to get in a complete muddle and then messed up the pass. At the time I was starting to worry that we were failing to kill them off after having started so well and having them on the ropes. Luckily we were much more clinical later on. Again I don't want to be negative at all here, but I think if you were to change anyone for the next game it'd be Tufan going to the bench.

 

Yeah think there's going to be a lot of causation = correlation logic around Tufan.

 

Have we scrapped attacking the north stand in the 2nd half idea?

 

If we keep playing him and keep winning that sounds nice

 

I agree, I thought he played well in very short Bursts and when he played well it was great to see, but just to anonymous for 85% of the game. I thought it showed exactly why he's not been starting..... hopefully the 15% of top quality can get to 60/70% of the game and then we really have a player

 

Well that'd be the confusing causation with correlation thing.

 

Funny how we see things isn't it? If anyone messed up that situation I thought it was Oscar. Initially he was offside so Tufan had to delay any pass to allow the situation to change, Oscar then couldn't increase his pace to take the pass. Doesn't matter who did what really but just goes to show how people view the same situation differently. If I was Tufan I'd have had a shot anyway. Maybe why I am in the stand watching.

 

I was in north so could well have missed the offside thing which maybe changes everything.

 

Then again maybe I'm right. Just saying

 

Tufan and Slater aren’t wingers. It’s no surprise they look ****e. Can tell Rosey has been heavily influenced by Steve Bruce, it’s just the kind of trapezoidal shaft in elliptical bore that Brucey loved doing.

Surely with a glutton of central players and no wide players really available it would make much more sense to play a more central system like a 5-3-2.

Yes I know we won 3-0 but still think we looked very poor for long periods.

Edit: reading this back sounds a far more negative tone than it was written with, just making some talking points.

 

Is that an acute or obtuse trapezoidal?

 

That's by and large midtable championship games to be honest. I do get your point for large parts they were pretty cagey with one another but I didn't feel at any point QPR posed a huge threat.

You look back to our game against Reading. We go 1-0 up and we didn't capitalise. Today we did and that shows improvement

 

He pops up with goals, assists and clear cut chances all the time. Needs to have as much time on the pitch as possible rather than 20 minutes when we're chasing a game and they're compact. He essentially got us the second goal and took the pressure off today.

I honestly think this initial stigma when we signed him and shortly after about his fitness, attitude, desire, commitment, lack of defending, a luxury we can't afford etc subconsciously effects how people see him because these points still come up now. I think he's proved every one of those accusations wrong in half a season. He wants to be here too. He might not end up involved in every play and he might make the odd pass in the attack that ends the phase, but he's our most consistent midfielder at popping up and playing a key part in many of our key moments that lead to goals.

 

I hope so, it's just hard to judge many of them as we either not seen much of them or nothing at all

 

Opposition view

 

He does actually defend sometimes. But he hasn't been doing this since academy days and it's still a very different culture. He oozes technical class but the strides he's made since turning up overweight and unfit have been huge.

Long may it continue and maybe he's one our patience will pay off with.