MATCHWATCH : Millwall (a) sponsored by first half goal search

[tidus_mi2]

Considering at the start of the month I felt we could win most of the games, this has been frankly a oxf*rd awful September.

[Snowflake Royal]

So last season's mental fragility (as exemplified by our inability to turn around going behind and those big spankings) is in full force with the team now failing to do the simple things.

Whilst last season we didn't create much, we did create something and were quite clinical. We were good at getting our noses in front and once there we could hold on.

Now we can do neither. We're conceding almost every game and we're yet to score a first half goal.

Stam has got to change this bullshit line up. It's no surprise we created nothing with that front three and no creativity in midfield.

He simply has to bring back Kelly, Bod, Bacuna and probably Evans. They've all scored for a start.

[Oilroyal]

Had Edwards 1st goal scorer @11/1 but apart from that a crap night.

[holsgrove breaks a leg]

Back from the game compounded by missing earlier south Bermondsey train urghh. Christ make no mistake we are regressing and at a depressing rate. I thought the summer would have been productive in terms of tactics and looking at how better to blend our total football,but not a bit of it.

A largely forgettable affair until Edwards brought some cheer but both teams were really sluggish up till then. Where I am most angry with Stam is our piss poor concentration and defending. This from a supposed top class defender. Clean sheets appear a thing of the past and the fragile and weak nature when the opposition attacks is unforgivable. A lot of it comes with the pressure to keep possession until we lose it as we simply don't have the defenders/midfielders who can maintain a successful passing rate and other times it's just down right sloppy(set pieces).

We have got ourselves in a right mess with our recruitment in all honesty,way too many wingers and midfielders/attackers that have not got an impressive scoring cv(bodvarsson,berens,mcleary,joey etc). Completely style over substance.blackett was utter garbage again so I really hope obita is fit soon. Shame to say but mcleary is past it-the back injuries have caught up with him. At least aluko wasn't stuck at centre mid like v hull but again ineffective and I think neither the outside forwards or wing backs made one move to beat a man.

As refreshingly honest as jaap is, he needs to realise he is a novice as a manager, to admit defeat and start to play players where they are comfortable and begin to play a settled side. Ok I admit injuries haven't helped but he has rotated constantly. I think ilori was ok, I really like mcshane a proper defenders defender but in this system I fear he shows far more weaknesses.

Not a great atmosphere either,on the concourses a really muted resigned belief. I can see particularly low attendance v Norwich as its a sky game(minus the Norwich fans!). A huge October now for jaap, if he continues the way he has been it surely could be curtains. Only thing that amused me was millwalls goal music, a chas and Dave time warp!

[strap]

strap, go and have a lie down

Ok, sorry. Just so oxf*rd wound up - grrrrrr - but of course you're right. The sun will always rise tomorrow morning.

In my drunken haze, (you did realise I got pissed during this game didn't you?), I have stumbled onto a stat I really didn't appreciate.

Since we joined the football league in 1920, we have played 4572 games in League, LC, FAC, AMC and FMC competitions. I just found out I have been "supporting", (obviously in the loosest possible terms given my outbursts over the years), RFC for 2507 games.

Shit I am OLD!! Haha, bet the Dutch oxf*rd doesn't hang around for as long!

[windermereROYAL]

Defeats are obviously very hard to take, but the manner of them is getting disturbing. wondering if it`s any coincidence that results and performances have got worse since Reid left the coaching staff.
With the upcoming games it would be very easy to see us in the bottom 3 at the end of October.

[strap]

Apropos nothing at all, Stam has presided over 66 League and Cup games, the same number as Tommy Burns before he was sacked.

But then again, his win % is exactly 50%, only bettered by Billy Butler and Joe Smith with 56% and 53% respectively in their first 68 games!!

So WTF do I know?!



How on earth did that happen playing such shit "football"????

No more from me tonight - promise.

[stevewall22]

I'm really surprised by some of the comments on here. Millwall are dreadful - will probably get relegated, and are not as good as us. We will thrash them.

Support the team, support the manager and stop taking him for granted.

fair play reading fans decent effort by you , dreadful or not we haven't had a break this season and even a neutral watching our games would probably say we are worth at least 7 possibly 10 points more than ee have , we looked jaded tonight but just about deserved to win as for reading they were so negative it must have driven you nuts watching it , oddly you had a few players out there that were better than the performance but couldn't help thinking your in for a long season . as for us we can't compete at the top of this league wolves spend 20 million we spend half a million but we will be top half , I hope things improve for you your support tonight deserves more good luck

[Diablo Diablo]

Interesting stats - but for me it is McDermott's - I liked Brian, never thought he should have been sacked when he was but also thought it was a big mistake to get him to come back the second time.

Always felt our football under him was far more attacking but more open to defeat - the stats show we scored a lot more, conceded less and win/draws were better than most modern day managers so at first sight even better than I thought.

Key thing under Brian - we got entertainment - attack minded and goal scoring is exciting. Never mind the bad things. In his promotion season the support got carried with the momentum and the crowds picked up very noticeably.

Last year as we pushed towards promotion/play offs the crowd numbers hardly moved in size and this year the place is like a library.

For far too long now we have been served up the most boring football possible - the only advance I have seen is we do not pass back to the goalkeeper as much because the back 4/5 make triangles to play out these days around themselves ......

No idea how they will ever score any goals this year and possession does not make results - Stam got lucky last year and now as teams have wised up to how we play we are clueless (and without the luck). If anyone thinks the return of Kermogant will magically change things I think they will be in for a shock as slim pickings for any striker how we are playing currently.

Give me more entertainment, goals, attempts, something to shout and cheer about any day - don't care if we lose if we seem to try and win ...

I think we have the players to achieve this - but they need a radical change in tactics.

Maybe the crowd should use the Man U chant attack, attack, attack which was required after their flirtation with a dutch manager to get a reaction. Wonder what Stam would say post game to that (well, think I know).

[Top Flight]

I think Stam thinks that we do attack attack attack. He thinks we play attacking football.

[Bunny1885]

we have only lost 12 home league games in the 56 home games he has been in charge of.

That's not hugely impressive, Stam has been in charge of 31 home games and only lost 3 home league games.

It is when you consider he had to take over from that lunatic Holloway & the mess he left us in, bombing out of the Championship with a squad of disinterested has beens and never weres.

Another way of looking at it, is it is 5 defeats in 35 home matches ever since he started to mould the team in his own image (as a similar comparison to Stam's time in charge). Those other 7 defeats coming in a period where we were fighting relegation and Harris was then trying to completely rebuild the squad.

I actually made a mistake here - it was 4 defeats in 35 home games.

Now, you'll thank me for saying, it is 4 defeats in 36 home games.

Like I said to John Smith, we are not dreadful, we look exactly what the table suggests we are - a battling mid-table side. Reading, conversely, looked like a side caught at a cross-roads. Obviously last season you proved you could play a bit, but it seems you are unwilling to go back to basics. Passing it across the defence is not a tactic that will reap any rewards in the Championship imo.