BFTG - Leeds

[paultheroyal]

[West Stand Man]

It was clearly not a great performance but those who are describing it as the worst for a long time are simply wrong. Even as bad as it was it wasn't, overall, as bad as some of the performances earlier this season. For the first 1/4 it looked as if we were building a solid foundation on which a victory would be constructed. It all went wrong and the confidence visibly ebbed away as we watched. I can't put a finger on the precise moment when we began to go backwards but it was around the time that Norwood put that pass into empty space on the halfway line and let the Leeds player in behind the defence. After that the flow of poorly placed passes increased and the shortage of penetration up front worsened.

Singling out individual poor performance from last night is pretty hard. Almost everyone had their moment of haplessness. It was no real surprise to see Norwood relieved of his duties as his game fell apart in a way not seen before (while he has been here). The rest had moments of normality (by which I mean they played up to expectation) and a lot of moments of sub-normal performance. All we can hope is that they have removed that from the system now and we can get back to the recovery of this season asap.

The most worrying aspect for me was the return of on-pitch arguments being visible to us all. In particular Jamie Mackie having a pop at a few of his team mates. That is a sign of deeper issues that need to be resolved and are probably a hangover from the previous regime.

As to the Yak, it is pretty clear to me that he made an instant positive impact and that he is ready to be the go to man up front. Talent is enduring and that showed. He has the strength to hold up the ball and to get it behind the defence; it was a pity that his early chance fell wrongly and he scuffed the shot badly or he could being lauded as the new saviour this morning.

[Jano]

I don't understand the formation, tactics, team selection or substitutions as others have mentioned previously. It was suicidal. Yakubu looked ridiculously unfit, although he did have some lovely hold up play and lay off a few nice balls. Could someone please explain to me the point in Jamie Mackie as a footballer? He is dreadful, runs about like a headless chicken!

[wingnut]

As to the Yak, it is pretty clear to me that he made an instant positive impact and that he is ready to be the go to man up front. Talent is enduring and that showed. He has the strength to hold up the ball and to get it behind the defence; it was a pity that his early chance fell wrongly and he scuffed the shot badly or he could being lauded as the new saviour this morning.

Yeah and if my auntie had bollocks she'd be my uncle.

We all see what we want to see.

[SapperBRoyal]

For 20 mins, I don't think Yakubu looked abject at all. Didn't have much to do, scuffed a shot having turned nicely to make space for it, laid a decent ball off to Mackie (I think), jogged about a bit. Did ok. Not as if he is on big money, and can't go in the summer eh? He's not great at aerial challenges and doesn't sprint like Andros Townsend - that's not a shock is it?

[Westwood52]

BFTG-or at least after a kip & days work.
Did'nt really want to go last night - but thought I ought to.

Apart from a brilliant twenty minutes in 1st half pretty bad.

Feds : 4 Not quite a howler for the 1st goal;but should have saved it.
Kelly: 4 Skanked a few in the 1st half-but reasonably solid.
Obita : 6 Started poorly but got better.
Pierce : 6 Couple of horror moments but reasonable.
Hector : 6 Don't blame him for the 2nd goal-forwards had chucked it in & he was just trying to create something to lift the team.
Norwood : 4 Worst game I have seen him play-3-4 mis placed passes which created chances.
WilliaMS : 6 Kept on running out of puff.
Chalaboa: 5 Reasonable 1st half then almost totally disappeared.
Blackman : 4 Once again flattered to deceive.
Mc Cleary : 6 Our only dangerous player
Pog : 6 Couple of nice dribbles but too slow to get on the end of things.

Cox : 4 Nothing !
Mackie : 6 Couple of chances & has got to start.
Yak : 6 Not all bad -play it to his feet & he is capable of holding it up-good 1st touch. But just don't expect him to run.

SC: Shades of Adkins.

Ref: OK 1st half but totally unable to deal with Leeds time wasting in 2nd half.

Leeds very average - no strikers could just as easily have lost 2 nil.

Leeds fans-brilliant support for a Tuesday night in February.

Still don't think we will go down-but we have to be better than last night.

[jazz]

Don't often feel this way, but for once I place a good part of the blame for this performance on the Manager, especially after the Wolves game. Poor changes, poor substitutions....not the decisions to be expected of someone with the experience of Mr Clarke.

[bcubed]

PS Pogrebnyak and Williams get a pass from the slating, both worked hard

This is the Williams that bottled the tackle that led to their first goal

Haven't seen it back but at the time this is exactly as I saw it, despite the protestations of others

[West Stand Man]

As to the Yak, it is pretty clear to me that he made an instant positive impact and that he is ready to be the go to man up front. Talent is enduring and that showed. He has the strength to hold up the ball and to get it behind the defence; it was a pity that his early chance fell wrongly and he scuffed the shot badly or he could being lauded as the new saviour this morning.

Yeah and if my auntie had bollocks she'd be my uncle.

We all see what we want to see.

No, she'd be your deformed auntie. Sorry.

[Whore Jackie]

PS Pogrebnyak and Williams get a pass from the slating, both worked hard

This is the Williams that bottled the tackle that led to their first goal

Haven't seen it back but at the time this is exactly as I saw it, despite the protestations of others

Yep, same here. Pearce was pretty quick to apportion blame to Williams too, when normally it's the other way round.

FWIW, I thought all three centre midfielders had pretty poor games. Norwood's passing generally and set-pieces in particular where poor, Williams does drive the game well, but he runs into trouble and he's not quite as tough in the tackle as he was pre-injury. Not really sure where Chabolah's preferred position is, there's been glimpses of some quality, but he doesn't influence the game yet.

[urz13]

BFTG-or at least after a kip & days work.
Did'nt really want to go last night - but thought I ought to.

Apart from a brilliant twenty minutes in 1st half pretty bad.

Feds : 4 Not quite a howler for the 1st goal;but should have saved it.
Kelly: 4 Skanked a few in the 1st half-but reasonably solid.
Obita : 6 Started poorly but got better.
Pierce : 6 Couple of horror moments but reasonable.
Hector : 6 Don't blame him for the 2nd goal-forwards had chucked it in & he was just trying to create something to lift the team.
Norwood : 4 Worst game I have seen him play-3-4 mis placed passes which created chances.
WilliaMS : 6 Kept on running out of puff.
Chalaboa: 5 Reasonable 1st half then almost totally disappeared.
Blackman : 4 Once again flattered to deceive.
Mc Cleary : 6 Our only dangerous player
Pog : 6 Couple of nice dribbles but too slow to get on the end of things.

Cox : 4 Nothing !
Mackie : 6 Couple of chances & has got to start.
Yak : 6 Not all bad -play it to his feet & he is capable of holding it up-good 1st touch. But just don't expect him to run.

SC: Shades of Adkins.

Ref: OK 1st half but totally unable to deal with Leeds time wasting in 2nd half.

Leeds very average - no strikers could just as easily have lost 2 nil.

Leeds fans-brilliant support for a Tuesday night in February.

Still don't think we will go down-but we have to be better than last night.

Are we rating everything nowadays?

[floyd__streete]

As to the Yak, it is pretty clear to me that he made an instant positive impact and that he is ready to be the go to man up front.

I had to re-read this to make sure I hadn't misunderstood what you said. I still have to query it....are you saying you'd have Yak starting in place of Pog right now?

[wiggso]

BFTG-or at least after a kip & days work.
Did'nt really want to go last night - but thought I ought to.

Apart from a brilliant twenty minutes in 1st half pretty bad.

Feds : 4 Not quite a howler for the 1st goal;but should have saved it.
Kelly: 4 Skanked a few in the 1st half-but reasonably solid.
Obita : 6 Started poorly but got better.
Pierce : 6 Couple of horror moments but reasonable.
Hector : 6 Don't blame him for the 2nd goal-forwards had chucked it in & he was just trying to create something to lift the team.
Norwood : 4 Worst game I have seen him play-3-4 mis placed passes which created chances.
WilliaMS : 6 Kept on running out of puff.
Chalaboa: 5 Reasonable 1st half then almost totally disappeared.
Blackman : 4 Once again flattered to deceive.
Mc Cleary : 6 Our only dangerous player
Pog : 6 Couple of nice dribbles but too slow to get on the end of things.

Cox : 4 Nothing !
Mackie : 6 Couple of chances & has got to start.
Yak : 6 Not all bad -play it to his feet & he is capable of holding it up-good 1st touch. But just don't expect him to run.

SC: Shades of Adkins.

Ref: OK 1st half but totally unable to deal with Leeds time wasting in 2nd half.

Leeds very average - no strikers could just as easily have lost 2 nil.

Leeds fans-brilliant support for a Tuesday night in February.

Still don't think we will go down-but we have to be better than last night.

Though Norwood gave it away more than normal, he fought a lot to win the ball in centre midfield. I thought his substitution for Mackie was baffling, Williams pretty much left on his own to be overrun in midfield and the creativity we had from there was replaced by a headless chicken running about and offering very little.

To rate Norwood 4, Kelly 4 and then Mackie and Yak 6 ...
If Mackie starts against Derby or Wigan my positivity and confidence in SC will take a kick in the pants

[East Grinstead Royal]

At half time I noticed I'd had 3 texts from my son, which said something along the lines of: 1. Mum's fallen down the stairs. 2. She's in a lot of pain. 3. If you want to stay at the football and pretend you didn't read these texts until after the game, that's fine. So I rang home, spoke to son and wife and said, OK, I'm on my way. "Drive carefully!" said the wife. So I stayed and watched the start of the second half, but left after around ten minutes. I was walking past the Megastore when Leeds scored and I knew I was doing the right thing. By the time I got home, the wife had been taken off in an ambulance, so I had to go to East Surrey Hospital. Eventually got home just before 4. An even longer night than the time I put petrol in the diesel on my way home from a match.

She's broken a bone in her foot, is in plaster, will need an operation and can't drive for up to 2 months. Nightmare!

Disappointing game, I thought.

[janesdaddy]

... She's broken a bone in her foot, is in plaster, ...

Sad when the story about EGR's wife's foot is more entertaining than the football. I hope she gets better soon.

[RoyalBlue]

BFTG-or at least after a kip & days work.
Did'nt really want to go last night - but thought I ought to.

Apart from a brilliant twenty minutes in 1st half pretty bad.

Feds : 4 Not quite a howler for the 1st goal;but should have saved it.
Kelly: 4 Skanked a few in the 1st half-but reasonably solid.
Obita : 6 Started poorly but got better.
Pierce : 6 Couple of horror moments but reasonable.
Hector : 6 Don't blame him for the 2nd goal-forwards had chucked it in & he was just trying to create something to lift the team.
Norwood : 4 Worst game I have seen him play-3-4 mis placed passes which created chances.
WilliaMS : 6 Kept on running out of puff.
Chalaboa: 5 Reasonable 1st half then almost totally disappeared.
Blackman : 4 Once again flattered to deceive.
Mc Cleary : 6 Our only dangerous player
Pog : 6 Couple of nice dribbles but too slow to get on the end of things.

Cox : 4 Nothing !
Mackie : 6 Couple of chances & has got to start.
Yak : 6 Not all bad -play it to his feet & he is capable of holding it up-good 1st touch. But just don't expect him to run.

SC: Shades of Adkins.

Ref: OK 1st half but totally unable to deal with Leeds time wasting in 2nd half.

Leeds very average - no strikers could just as easily have lost 2 nil.

Leeds fans-brilliant support for a Tuesday night in February.

.

'Cos it's a long way from Wokingham and other areas of the Home Counties!

This was probably a home game for the majority of the Leeds fans. Not criticising them for it but they are another club who built up a strong Southern supporter base on the back of their past achievements + supporters who moved South.

[Muskrat]

Their fans summed it up for me with their - "How sh1t must you be, we're winning away" chant.

Tactics completely wrong on the night and too many players having off days. Thought Chalobah was the pick of the worst. Should have subbed him off and brought on Cox at half time and gone 4-4-1-1 as usual. Thought Clarke had more about him than this kind of tactical naivety but it seems not

[Blackbag]

Am I the only one who thought Blackman had a good first half ?

[windermere_royal]

Am I the only one who thought Blackman had a good first half ?

Yes

[3points]

No. Thought he was quite lively in the first half. Mackie, in the other hand, was dire. Worst ga,e for Norwood in a Reading shirt. Surprised he came out for the second half tbh