Match Day Thread versus Blackpool

Just seen the Sky highlights.....was it Sawyer who was badly skinned for their winger to fly down the wing and cross for the first goal....to an unmarked player.

The second goal was from the other wing.....no marking at all this time......even sensible could have scored that one.......he had time to nip down the cellar for some pork scratchings first......how can they turn from the best defence in the division to that mess that was on display last night.

The third goal was always going to happen......it could have been more......we do seem to like giving away three goals at home.....even from the first game of the season.

There manager said.... that they played to our weaknesses.....down the flanks......good job that they hadn't notice our poor dead ball problems as well.

 

The kit thing is a distraction. It's not the first time managers have had problems with kit colours: I think SAF made ManU change at half time once. He's quite right to have done it.

The problem is the players who CAN perform but don't always do it for some reason.

 

Going back to the Liverpool replay some of my mates thought their home strip was awful and how the hell they see each other. Let's face it when you have control of the ball you should pick up players through the corner of your eyes and not waste seconds having to look around the pitch for someone. Take it that the strip is voted by the fans pre-season?

 

Ok lets start with the easy one which is the kit. There is a choice but only out of x number of choices not designed by the fans. It is the colour of green that seems to be the issue. It is not a traditional green it is darker. My view is forget it just being green, go back to the proper colour of green and it won't be an issue. But, do not change from green or you start to lose the identity.

The crowd. They were as expected notdistant. For a great deal of the game I felt they were quite patient but there were boo's that rang out. Given how poor we were that isn't exactly a shock. As the game went on and we got even worse and the boo's were louder and more often. There was a shot on goal by Fox which was a comfortable save for their keeper but was on target. The song then began about that recording the irony of it being the first one and it was around 88 minutes. Accompanied by a round of applause. Some of the players looked a bit bemused by it but guess the irony was lost. A lot of people left early. Some with around 20/25 minutes to go. As the end got shorter the more walked out. In some respects I don't blame them. How else can they show their disapproval. By the time the final whistle actually went I was walking out of the entrance door and there were loads of people already on the concourse. Don't think anyone bothered to stay to clap them off.

The players. What's wrong with them at home. Not much when you look at Saturday. A whole load when you look at Tuesday. They were the same players but two completely different teams. I have a theory that Adams is obsessed with fitness and he does tend to over train the squad. Said previously that I believe they were in on Sunday. Why? They had just run about for a couple of hours so they couldn't possibly be unfit could they. Why not meet, have a meal, watch a video or two, short 5 A Side and a rub down with a soggy towel. That should be enough. Monday a bit more and Tuesday a light run about. Why do the whole monty as if you had a triple triathalon to compete in. The next issue is confidence. They do get a lot more stick at home but then the expectation is greater. The pitch is fantastic for this league which actually might do more for the visitors than ourselves perhaps. It's too good and they can play much better on it than they normally would. But they are basically good players themselves so it shouldn't be like that.

Last night. The whole team looked tired and not up for the match. They are sitting second and on the cusp of promotion. Tired???? Tired is when you have been pressed and kicked about for a while and your spirits are down. Try doing 9 to 5 for years for little reward. Success breeds freshness or it should do so you have to look at their mental state. All of our top players were pants. Carey missing, Fox missing, Bradley ok(ish) but not commanding, Songo'o very poor. Donaldson very poor, Jervis given nothing to work with, Taylor given nothing to work with. Kennedy poor. Sawyer beaten hands down. Threkeld beaten hands down but always tries. McCormick not given much cover and not particularly at fault for anything except not talking as the Captain. He should not be the Captain on the pitch it doesn't work. Tactics playing one up front from the start and not going all out until it is too late does not work. Blackpool played our away game. They broke at pace and we couldn't live with it. They looked well up for it and ended up playing the ball around with us chasing shaddows. We just looked beaten. This Tuesday night thing is just a red herring. There is little difference when you play so Saturday excellent Tuesday night crap is not something you can dismiss that simply. More it is the attitude of the players that is suspect and the tactics of the manager. Best he doesn't try to blame this on the crowd again for not cheering every failure.

We are still clear of the pack. There really isn't a need to panick yet anyway. This team could just as easily become the Saturday side for the rest of the season. Nobody else appears to be in a hurry to catch us either. The whole league, including Blackpool are so inconsistent this season it is becoming one of those weird experiences. I can see promotion being with the lowest points for years if it continues.

 

If we compare the last 3 years when there have been accusations of bottling:

Manager: different
Players: different
Fans: the same
Outcome: the same

I'm not saying any more.

 

Still finding it hard to understand how a team second in the league have only ONE shot on target...... and that in the 89 minute....and that was quite a simple shot straight to the goalkeeper.....how can that be so.....what attacking style is that.

 

Only Argyle Plym. ....nice write up Sensible but keeps us on the bog for a while. ..lol.

 

Perhaps, just perhaps, it might be worth considering how the opposition played on the night. That is not to say that we didn't play poorly, we did. Blackpool started brightly and continued to do so throughout the night. I suspect they were geed up before the match, after all they had absolutely nothing to lose; they moved the ball quickly and moved forward as a unit. As with just about every team in this league they have been very inconsistent. Last night they were on top form and capitalized against a team that clearly weren't. Form from game to game is meaningless, only the table provides any indication about the relative ability of any team. We remain 2nd and 7 points clear of 4th with only 11 games left. Of course it is going to be tense and there will be downs, I just hope there will be more ups in the next 7 weeks. If we had romped home without any difficulties then no doubt we would complain that it is all a bit dull.
Just my opinion, obviously.

 

Still cannot believe it but worrying indeed...just think if we end up Champions

 

If we had romped home we would have complained it was dull?????????????????? FFS what are you taking lyndie? I don't think anyone would have complained once. Not even fickle Janners. Blackpool are inconsistent as I said but we made them look brilliant. We were that poor. I read today that Adams can't understand it either. Well he's paid to understand it and paid a damned sight more than I ever was for what I did. It's his job to understand and sort it out if it needs sorting. I'm also not having any of that "it was the crowds fault" crap either. If they performed then nobody would give them stick. They were rubbish nobody else and it wasn't the crowd out there kicking the ball. They are professional footballers and should be able to stand a bit of stick when it's due. I have said above that no other team is being that consistent this season so perhaps it's just this season that's at fault. No need to worry overly just yet as the gap is still there and we are closer to the end of the season than last term with the gap intact. Now though is the time to buckle down and not the time to throw in performances like they did yesterday.

 

I meant if we had romped home in the league and not last night. It must be as dull as anything following Chelsea or Celtic. Still think the team, manager et al have enough about them to see us over the line.

 

I well remember Argyle getting 102 points one year. Was it dull? Was it feck it was wonderful. I'll take romp home anytime they want to provide it as would every Janner in the City.

I keep saying this squad is better than before. I keep pointing out the leagues inconsistency and there is no need to worry unduly yet. I'm not saying we won't make it but if we keep doing what we did last night I'd guess we just might not. No time for rose tints if we are honest. We were pants and we need to improve and soon. Don't care how well the opposition play we need to play better.

 

This game is quite simple really.....all you have to do is score one goal more than the opposition......

 

Just been looking at a photo in the Daily Telegraph Sports section......it's a picture of two Bayern Munich players celebrating as they thrash Arsenal 5-1 (10-2 on agg).

They where wearing what looks to be a grey and black kit......and against the distant terracing they just blended into the darkness of the crowd, the Bayern players in the distance where hardly discernible.....yet the Arsenal players in their red and white could be clearly seen.

Oh dear Mr Adams....back to the drawing board......I don't think the kit is the problem.......maybe the players haven't been to the opticians recently.....I think you need to book them in................

PS.....Maybe they aren't as good as Bayern as well.....where Bayern wearing night time contact lenses.....maybe that's the answer.

......or maybe they've developed a Sat-Nav system for footballers.

 

Over the last 8 home matches (inc Blackpool) we're only 11th of the 24.

Over the same timescale, Blackpool are top of the away form table with 15 points.

Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised.

The REALLY poor results were Orient and Notes County.

 

It's not losing to Blackpool that hurts it's the manner in which we played. Or rather we didn't play is more accurate. There is no excuse for failing to turn up.