BFTG Stoke

[URZZZZ]

Seeing as no-one else has started one yet

Wasn't the best stream I've ever seen, but from what I could tell we weren't great. The final pass on a number of times let us down and we continuously messed around on the edge of their box (I suppose its better than our own box)

Martinez 7 - didn't have too much to do but did what he had to

Yiadom 7 - played well, looked surprisingly accomplished in the centre of midfield
Moore 7 - solid at the back, few sloppy passes aside
Miazga 7 - another solid display
Blackett 6 - oxf*rd run man, show some sort of desire, couple of decent bits of play ruined by bits of awful play

Baker 8 - controlled the game, really impressed
Swift 5 - if anything sums up John Swift, it was him getting the ball from a throw in, beating three players and then failing a simple three yard pass. Underwhelming again

Harriott 5 - lost it too often, perhaps this is why he's been used sporadically
Olise 5 - poor start, but grew into it, including one mazy run in the second half. However, wasn't the time or the place to give someone their first league start
McCleary 6 - a few nice runs and passes from the wing, should have done better at the end

Meite 4 - didn't notice him too much but seemed to bounce off him every time he had the ball. Just not a striker

Gunter 6 - steady
Barrow 4 - limited impact but came on at the time the game was fizzling out

Stoke - must be embarrassed to have spent all that money and play as poorly as they did. One of the worst teams I've seen this season, and James McClean is a right knob, as well as being useless

Corners - having thought short corners were a waste, we then proceed to take one of the worst corners I've ever seen when Swift passed on the floor straight to a Stoke player. Also, one gripe I've got is when we have 11 people back when the opposition have a corner. Can you tell me that Swift/Barrow etc will contribute anything from a defensive corner. Surely we need someone forward for the counter if we clear it?

Gomes - weird call putting Olise in and it didn't really work. The Gunter sub was good however, we looked better with Yiadom in the middle

Injuries - big shame to see Oli out for so long, three goals in 6 games isn't a shabby record. Bod being out isn't good either, leaves us desparately short up front. Perhaps try a false 9 with Swift there and push Ejaria into Swift's position? Ludicrous decision but Meite and Loader really aren't of the required standard

[Hound]

Not a bad shout re: Swift and Ejaria up top

Let’s see who is fit for the Preston game...

[parky]

Just got back in, terrible conditions and a terrible game. They hit the bar and post in the first half and not a lot more happened than that. G-Mac should've done better with a chance at the end. Substitutions were baffling.

The fact that both teams got a point from that game is more than either of them deserved.

[Crowbar6753]

Seeing as no-one else has started one yet

Wasn't the best stream I've ever seen, but from what I could tell we weren't great. The final pass on a number of times let us down and we continuously messed around on the edge of their box (I suppose its better than our own box)

Martinez 7 - didn't have too much to do but did what he had to

Yiadom 7 - played well, looked surprisingly accomplished in the centre of midfield
Moore 7 - solid at the back, few sloppy passes aside
Miazga 7 - another solid display
Blackett 6 - oxf*rd run man, show some sort of desire, couple of decent bits of play ruined by bits of awful play

Baker 8 - controlled the game, really impressed
Swift 5 - if anything sums up John Swift, it was him getting the ball from a throw in, beating three players and then failing a simple three yard pass. Underwhelming again

Harriott 5 - lost it too often, perhaps this is why he's been used sporadically
Olise 5 - poor start, but grew into it, including one mazy run in the second half. However, wasn't the time or the place to give someone their first league start
McCleary 6 - a few nice runs and passes from the wing, should have done better at the end

Meite 4 - didn't notice him too much but seemed to bounce off him every time he had the ball. Just not a striker

Gunter 6 - steady
Barrow 4 - limited impact but came on at the time the game was fizzling out

Stoke - must be embarrassed to have spent all that money and play as poorly as they did. One of the worst teams I've seen this season, and James McClean is a right knob, as well as being useless

Corners - having thought short corners were a waste, we then proceed to take one of the worst corners I've ever seen when Swift passed on the floor straight to a Stoke player. Also, one gripe I've got is when we have 11 people back when the opposition have a corner. Can you tell me that Swift/Barrow etc will contribute anything from a defensive corner. Surely we need someone forward for the counter if we clear it?

Gomes - weird call putting Olise in and it didn't really work. The Gunter sub was good however, we looked better with Yiadom in the middle

Injuries - big shame to see Oli out for so long, three goals in 6 games isn't a shabby record. Bod being out isn't good either, leaves us desparately short up front. Perhaps try a false 9 with Swift there and push Ejaria into Swift's position? Ludicrous decision but Meite and Loader really aren't of the required standard

The false 9 is an idea which could work and worked well with Spain, but lets face it, we ain't no Spain lol . That would require Swift playing the deep striker role so we would have to play everything out from the back as we have no target for the keeper to pick out and that scares the hell out of me. Totally agree regarding Miete, and that he really isn't a striker, but we are so soft in the midfield that we really need at least one player who can put his body around and rough the opponent up a bit and he does score the odd header a la Wigan.

[SCIAG]

Defending corners - Gomes said at the fans' forum that he thinks you need everyone back in order to have every zone marked, and sending one player forward usually doesn't make them leave extra players back.

Swift is a tall guy and Barrow is better at defending than the air is.

[Royal Rother]

[URZZZZ]

Defending corners - Gomes said at the fans' forum that he thinks you need everyone back in order to have every zone marked, and sending one player forward usually doesn't make them leave extra players back.

Swift is a tall guy and Barrow is better at defending than the air is.

Yeah but it's counter productive, if we do manage to clear the ball, then it'll come straight back at us. If we have no-one forward, there's a 0% chance we'll be able to launch a counter attack. Let's say, we leave Barrow up front by himself, even if the chances of creating an opportunity are low, it's better than nothing

Remember the old Federici kicks etc...

[Snowflake Royal]

I thought we were, unsurprisingly, distinctly average. And so were Stoke after their stronger start. Neither team really looked like ever scoring after the first 15 minutes.

Martinez - 7 didn't do a lot, but made one good save and didn't put anyone under too much pressure. Kicking wasn't great, but ultimately he did his job
Yiadom - 6 like most of the team seems to take an extra touch or a heavy touch too often, but does get forward. Quite a lot of stupid fouling today. Didn't really notice him do a lot in midfield... has potential there, but I think the game will overwhelm him there
Blackett - 6 the usual mix, some bad, some casual, some good
Miazgo - 6 solid
Moore - 6 ok
Baker - 7 growing on me slowly... probably the pick of our players
Swift - 5 typical performance IMO... he's working harder on his defensive duties, but he still tries to do too much that's clever or flash and it's just unnecessary. Often leads to him taking one or two too many touches and not getting the ball out from under his feet, or walking into a triangle of opposition and losing the ball. Awful set pieces and shooting
Olise - 6 enthusiastic and some good skill on display, but he looked like a kid in a man's game. Way too easily pushed off the ball, tried to do too much too often
McCleary - 5 I like him, but he was quite sloppy today, is on the wan and he should have done a bit better with his not easy chance at the end
Harriott - 6 lacks a little in quality, but I love his attitude
Meite - 6 didn't get a lot of service, one shin he should have done better with, lacks a bit in quality but I like his attitude. Did better under Clement when we were more direct and he was trusted with a run of games upfront

Gunter - 5 fairly meh
Barrow - 5 fairly meh
Loader - not on long enough to rate

Gomes - 5 fairly meh - not a lot of options and a decent if slightly underwhelming point

[Snowflake Royal]

Defending corners - Gomes said at the fans' forum that he thinks you need everyone back in order to have every zone marked, and sending one player forward usually doesn't make them leave extra players back.

Swift is a tall guy and Barrow is better at defending than the air is.

Yeah but it's counter productive, if we do manage to clear the ball, then it'll come straight back at us. If we have no-one forward, there's a 0% chance we'll be able to launch a counter attack. Let's say, we leave Barrow up front by himself, even if the chances of creating an opportunity are low, it's better than nothing

Remember the old Federici kicks etc...

Yeah, I'm filing that one in the 'signs Gomes doesn't have a clue' folder

[sandman]

Could come to regret the McCleary miss at the end. Dire game, not helped by the weather.

Martinez - One great save. Rooted to the spot for Vokes looping header but it was one of those that all keepers usually have to watch and hope for the best. Nothing much to do other than that. Kicking bad due to weather. 6

Yiadom - Everywhere as usual. Got up the pitch with a couple of barnstorming runs and defended well when he had to. Moved into central midfield late on and showed he may be a decent option there in an emergency. Worrying to see him limp off. If we had 11 Andy Yiadom's we wouldn't be in this mess. 8 MotM
Moore and Miazga - Kept Vokes at bay eventually after he made a good start. 6
Blackett - Typical Blackett performance. Gets forward well at times but doesn't have the final bit, I wish he would try and cross more because he is very capable of hitting a good one. Loses concentration and gets turned easily defensively. At one point he was in central midfield as Stoke were breaking. Don't know how he managed to let the Stoke player who was on the floor have the ball for their chance that hit the post. 5

Baker - Good job in midfield for the most part although there was a period in the first half for about 5 minutes where he kept losing the ball every time he touched it. Other than that, a very solid display. 7
Swift - Played better than recently. A few mistakes, including the awful daisy cutter of a corner in the second half, but you have to expect that from him. Even put a slide tackle in. 6
Olise - Very poor first half. Lightweight and knocked off the ball easily. Grew into the game in the second half with a couple of decent runs. 4

McCleary - Should have got us the winner late on. Pretty decent other than that. Probably time to part ways in the summer unless we are relegated. Although his wages might have something to say about that. 6
Harriott - Some nice touches but didn't really get at the Stoke full back. 6

Meite - Not much service but made nuisance of himself. 6

Subs:

Gunter - Decent return. One good block and another good drive upfield. Turned too easily a couple of times and did his usual turn back and pass backwards when there was a chance to go forward. 6
Barrow - So memorable that I had to look up who our other sub was. 5
Loader - A few nice touches. Not enough time to make an impact. He just needs that goal. N/A

[Snowflake Royal]

Oh yes, and LOL @ Swift trying to be all Mr Tough at their midfielder who would have walked all over him if he wanted to.

[URZZZZ]

Seeing as no-one else has started one yet

Wasn't the best stream I've ever seen, but from what I could tell we weren't great. The final pass on a number of times let us down and we continuously messed around on the edge of their box (I suppose its better than our own box)

Martinez 7 - didn't have too much to do but did what he had to

Yiadom 7 - played well, looked surprisingly accomplished in the centre of midfield
Moore 7 - solid at the back, few sloppy passes aside
Miazga 7 - another solid display
Blackett 6 - oxf*rd run man, show some sort of desire, couple of decent bits of play ruined by bits of awful play

Baker 8 - controlled the game, really impressed
Swift 5 - if anything sums up John Swift, it was him getting the ball from a throw in, beating three players and then failing a simple three yard pass. Underwhelming again

Harriott 5 - lost it too often, perhaps this is why he's been used sporadically
Olise 5 - poor start, but grew into it, including one mazy run in the second half. However, wasn't the time or the place to give someone their first league start
McCleary 6 - a few nice runs and passes from the wing, should have done better at the end

Meite 4 - didn't notice him too much but seemed to bounce off him every time he had the ball. Just not a striker

Gunter 6 - steady
Barrow 4 - limited impact but came on at the time the game was fizzling out

Stoke - must be embarrassed to have spent all that money and play as poorly as they did. One of the worst teams I've seen this season, and James McClean is a right knob, as well as being useless

Corners - having thought short corners were a waste, we then proceed to take one of the worst corners I've ever seen when Swift passed on the floor straight to a Stoke player. Also, one gripe I've got is when we have 11 people back when the opposition have a corner. Can you tell me that Swift/Barrow etc will contribute anything from a defensive corner. Surely we need someone forward for the counter if we clear it?

Gomes - weird call putting Olise in and it didn't really work. The Gunter sub was good however, we looked better with Yiadom in the middle

Injuries - big shame to see Oli out for so long, three goals in 6 games isn't a shabby record. Bod being out isn't good either, leaves us desparately short up front. Perhaps try a false 9 with Swift there and push Ejaria into Swift's position? Ludicrous decision but Meite and Loader really aren't of the required standard

The false 9 is an idea which could work and worked well with Spain, but lets face it, we ain't no Spain lol . That would require Swift playing the deep striker role so we would have to play everything out from the back as we have no target for the keeper to pick out and that scares the hell out of me. Totally agree regarding Miete, and that he really isn't a striker, but we are so soft in the midfield that we really need at least one player who can put his body around and rough the opponent up a bit and he does score the odd header a la Wigan.

None of our four wingers at the moment are cutting the mustard, so perhaps give Meite an extended run there, that way he keep his height/physicality without really weakening the squad

Something like this

Martinez

Yiadom
Moore
Miazga
Blackett

Rino
Baker

Meite
Ejaria
McCleary

Swift

[Snowflake Royal]

Hasnt Barrow scored a couple of goals and McCleary got a couple of assists recently?

[URZZZZ]

Hasnt Barrow scored a couple of goals and McCleary got a couple of assists recently?

Yeah, I've been impressed with McCleary recently and I thought he was one of the bright sparks today - which people don't really seem to agree with

Barrow's three goals have come in the 94th, 91st and 89th minute so far this season. To me, that screams of a player that plays best against tired legs which is why I always suggested he'd be a good impact sub, rather than play from the start. Add to that, his weak defensive play, then I think Meite and McCleary are the best options, with Harriott and Barrow fresh off the bench

[windermereROYAL]

Could come to regret the McCleary miss at the end. Dire game, not helped by the weather.

Martinez - One great save. Nothing much to do other than that. Kicking bad due to weather. 6

Yiadom - Everywhere as usual. Worrying to see him limp off. If we had 11 Andy Yiadom's we wouldn't be in this mess. 8 MotM
Moore and Miazga - Kept Vokes at bay eventually after he made a good start. 6
Blackett - Typical Blackett performance. Gets forward well at times but doesn't have the final bit. Loses concentration and gets turned easily defensively. At one point he was in central midfield as Stoke were breaking. Don't know how he managed to let the Stoke player who was on the floor have the ball for their chance that hit the post. 5

Baker - Good job in midfield for the most part although there was a period in the first half for about 5 minutes where he kept losing the ball every time he touched it. Other than that, a very solid display. 7
Swift - Played better than recently. A few mistakes but you have to expect that from him. Even put a slide tackle in. 6
Olise - Very poor first half. Lightweight and knocked off the ball easily. Grew into the game in the second half with a couple of decent runs. 4

McCleary - Should have got us the winner late on. Pretty decent other than that. Probably time to part ways in the summer. 6
Harriott - Some nice touches but didn't really get at the Stoke full back. 6

Meite - Not much service but made nuisance of himself. 6

Subs:

Gunter - Decent return. One good block. Turned too easily a couple of times and did his usual turn back and pass backwards. 6
Barrow - So memorable that I had to look him up. 5
Loader - A few nice touches. Not enough time to make an impact. N/A

Yiadom limped off, oh fcuking goody , that`s him done for the eason then,

[Denver Royal]

Could come to regret the McCleary miss at the end. Dire game, not helped by the weather.

Martinez - One great save. Nothing much to do other than that. Kicking bad due to weather. 6

Yiadom - Everywhere as usual. Worrying to see him limp off. If we had 11 Andy Yiadom's we wouldn't be in this mess. 8 MotM
Moore and Miazga - Kept Vokes at bay eventually after he made a good start. 6
Blackett - Typical Blackett performance. Gets forward well at times but doesn't have the final bit. Loses concentration and gets turned easily defensively. At one point he was in central midfield as Stoke were breaking. Don't know how he managed to let the Stoke player who was on the floor have the ball for their chance that hit the post. 5

Baker - Good job in midfield for the most part although there was a period in the first half for about 5 minutes where he kept losing the ball every time he touched it. Other than that, a very solid display. 7
Swift - Played better than recently. A few mistakes but you have to expect that from him. Even put a slide tackle in. 6
Olise - Very poor first half. Lightweight and knocked off the ball easily. Grew into the game in the second half with a couple of decent runs. 4

McCleary - Should have got us the winner late on. Pretty decent other than that. Probably time to part ways in the summer. 6
Harriott - Some nice touches but didn't really get at the Stoke full back. 6

Meite - Not much service but made nuisance of himself. 6

Subs:

Gunter - Decent return. One good block. Turned too easily a couple of times and did his usual turn back and pass backwards. 6
Barrow - So memorable that I had to look him up. 5
Loader - A few nice touches. Not enough time to make an impact. N/A

sandman, thx for the summary, good insight.

[Cripple Creek]

Yes, thanks for all the BFG reports, which are by far the best way I get a handle on performances given that I can't make matches.

[leon]

Defending corners - Gomes said at the fans' forum that he thinks you need everyone back in order to have every zone marked, and sending one player forward usually doesn't make them leave extra players back.

Swift is a tall guy and Barrow is better at defending than the air is.

Yeah but it's counter productive, if we do manage to clear the ball, then it'll come straight back at us. If we have no-one forward, there's a 0% chance we'll be able to launch a counter attack. Let's say, we leave Barrow up front by himself, even if the chances of creating an opportunity are low, it's better than nothing

Remember the old Federici kicks etc...

Yeah, I'm filing that one in the 'signs Gomes doesn't have a clue' folder

Hardly. There are two schools of thought when it comes to corners. Everyone back or an outlet. You see managers do both.

[Snowflake Royal]

There are times for everyone back. Seeing out the last 5-10 minutes, injuries or red cards... etc

It's not a sound strategy as a default and Ive almost never seen it used as such in over 20 years.

[leon]

There are times for everyone back. Seeing out the last 5-10 minutes, injuries or red cards... etc

It's not a sound strategy as a default and Ive almost never seen it used as such in over 20 years.

I’m not saying I agree with it. However it is definitely a thing. I even recall a match day pundit questioning why managers do it.