MATCHWATCH : Bournemouth (h)

[URZZZZ]

Paunovic has literally just said he has no intention of playing the youth players who “will not help the team”. So why put them on the bench?

Also it’s not always about the players, change the oxf*rd shape, change something. Broken oxf*rd record. Awful manager.

Awful manager who got us to seventh last season and has us comfortable this season, much better than his three previous predecessors. Hmm.

Ashcroft vs Yiadom is a no-brainer. Ashcroft vs nobody is also a no-brainer. Likewise Osorio vs Swift, Camara vs Ejaria, Ehibhationham vs Puscas. Most of them aren’t even our first choice U23 in their position. They’d still be better than playing with ten men.

Feels a bit unfair singling you out when so many other people have given equally laughable responses (presumably the alcohol is talking for most), but I’d be here all night.

In what way is this season better than what Bowen achieved? We are 16th.

Bit of a condescending and arrogant post again from him. Clearly we’re underachieving at this moment in time (as we’ve been doing since February). Awful manager may be a bit of a stretch but the constant refusal to change things that aren’t working is unacceptable

Agreed with most of your other post. Wouldn’t go as heavy on Drinkwater who was poor but I still think the midfield has improved since his integration into the team, was a shambles earlier on in the season

Yiadom got into some good positions tonight, carried the ball forward well. As you say, crossing isn’t up to scratch but refreshing to see him have a go at the fullback for once. Araruna a possible there if he returns fully - seem to recall him having an OK cross on him but hard to tell if he’s up to it given he’s been out for so long (and barely played when he was fit)

[Millsy]

Paunovic has literally just said he has no intention of playing the youth players who “will not help the team”. So why put them on the bench?

Also it’s not always about the players, change the oxf*rd shape, change something. Broken oxf*rd record. Awful manager.

Awful manager who got us to seventh last season and has us comfortable this season, much better than his three previous predecessors. Hmm.

Ashcroft vs Yiadom is a no-brainer. Ashcroft vs nobody is also a no-brainer. Likewise Osorio vs Swift, Camara vs Ejaria, Ehibhationham vs Puscas. Most of them aren’t even our first choice U23 in their position. They’d still be better than playing with ten men.

Feels a bit unfair singling you out when so many other people have given equally laughable responses (presumably the alcohol is talking for most), but I’d be here all night.

Guided us to 7th doesn’t tell the whole story. How about, oversaw an absolutely calamitous collapse of a promotion charge and failed to secure a playoff spot when we were in the top 6 almost all season, having headed the division for some time as well!

He oversaw the most ridiculous capitulation within one season from 7 points clear of 2nd to 7 points below playoffs. Unforgivable. To say we were guided to 7th is, with respect, overly simplistic when you look at how it occured. A string of honeymoon games followed by total incompetence is a world apart from a consistent season of fairly good football.

HOWEVER the reason I've flipped from my Pauno Out stance is (as I predicted might be the case for many) that annoyingly good or bad as he may be we just can't be judging the guy with the awful hand he's been dealt with a sub-par fitness/health/science setup (or 'freakish bad luck') and the transfer embargo and losing key players. First few games of this season, awful, but I'm finding it hard to recall a time that we've brought in a bunch of signings who have made such a strong impact - EVEN with the severe limitations he has had he has managed to cherry pick the generally the exact players he needed to take us from horrific form to very respectable form and get them to play his way in a very short space of time. That gives me a lot of hope and isn't to be overlooked. Just imagine if the poor chap had managed to bring in Carroll too? We'd definitely be in a different situation now.

That may not be enough though, as his deficiencies that saw us catastrophically collapse last season are still evident today as he seems to have learnt nothing.

So will his attacking mentality and eye for a player outdo his stubbornness with having no plan B and zonal marking and inability to affect a game positively mid-game? I don't know. Let's watch this space.

All I can say is rightly or wrongly I actually enjoy watching his sides play so for that reason alone it's an IN from me for now especially as it would be harsh to get rid of the lad in these circumstances. But you can be sure that a few more defeats and it doesn't matter what we think, he'll be gone.

[leon]

You lads can argue all you like but we’re just not very good.

And when we make the same tactical mistakes over and over again that screams shit management.

I’m so utterly unconvinced with our set up.

[CountryRoyal]

We’ve had two bad games all season for crying out loud, get a grip.

Ok I’m done. I can’t even.

[URZZZZ]

You lads can argue all you like but we’re just not very good.

And when we make the same tactical mistakes over and over again that screams shit management.

I’m so utterly unconvinced with our set up.

Yep. Injuries don’t explain the constant tactical mishaps. Conceding the same goals every time. Inviting unnecessary pressure

At least the agenda and excuses have changed from last season. Aside from a couple of players, we ended the season with a fully fit squad. Yet we won one in the last 11. Had a perfectly adequate bench at times last season yet didn’t use it. Injury excuse doesn’t wash

[Zip]

Awful manager who got us to seventh last season and has us comfortable this season, much better than his three previous predecessors. Hmm.

Ashcroft vs Yiadom is a no-brainer. Ashcroft vs nobody is also a no-brainer. Likewise Osorio vs Swift, Camara vs Ejaria, Ehibhationham vs Puscas. Most of them aren’t even our first choice U23 in their position. They’d still be better than playing with ten men.

Feels a bit unfair singling you out when so many other people have given equally laughable responses (presumably the alcohol is talking for most), but I’d be here all night.

In what way is this season better than what Bowen achieved? We are 16th.

Bit of a condescending and arrogant post again from him. Clearly we’re underachieving at this moment in time (as we’ve been doing since February). Awful manager may be a bit of a stretch but the constant refusal to change things that aren’t working is unacceptable

Agreed with most of your other post. Wouldn’t go as heavy on Drinkwater who was poor but I still think the midfield has improved since his integration into the team, was a shambles earlier on in the season

Yiadom got into some good positions tonight, carried the ball forward well. As you say, crossing isn’t up to scratch but refreshing to see him have a go at the fullback for once. Araruna a possible there if he returns fully - seem to recall him having an OK cross on him but hard to tell if he’s up to it given he’s been out for so long (and barely played when he was fit)

The thing with Yids is that he does the hard work of beating players well then puts in a terrible cross. It never changes.
Pauno is so set in his ways. So inflexible.

[Millsy]

I think tonight is the first time I have to be unimpressed with Puscas.

Missed a sitter (that might have ended up offside anyway, can't remember, but it doesn't matter), a brilliant chance gifted to him by Swift, and IIRC one other chance.

Perhaps I just want to believe he's good enough and he's just not. I dunno. At least he's getting on the end of them though.

[Mr Angry]

Bournemouth are a Premier League team playing in the Championship; never nice losing at home, but even with a fully fit squad I am not sure we would have won last night.

That having been said, we matched them for most of the first half.

[Snowflake Royal]

Awful manager who got us to seventh last season and has us comfortable this season, much better than his three previous predecessors. Hmm.

Ashcroft vs Yiadom is a no-brainer. Ashcroft vs nobody is also a no-brainer. Likewise Osorio vs Swift, Camara vs Ejaria, Ehibhationham vs Puscas. Most of them aren’t even our first choice U23 in their position. They’d still be better than playing with ten men.

Feels a bit unfair singling you out when so many other people have given equally laughable responses (presumably the alcohol is talking for most), but I’d be here all night.

In what way is this season better than what Bowen achieved? We are 16th.

Erm… results and performances? We might be 16th right now, but points deduction to one side (a points deduction largely stemming from decisions made while Bowen was in a senior role at the club) we’re looking a lot like a top-half team this season.

I honestly wonder sometimes if some of you lot actually go to games, or if you just wait until we lose so you can lose all sense of reality. We’ve had two bad games all season for crying out loud, get a grip.

Fyi, top half sides don't lose greater than 50% of their games. We've had one short good run. We're 16th. Without a points deduction. With one we could be 20th or lower.

We look nothing like a top half side. We concede goals galore, are looking increasingly blunt and have a manager with no ideas on how to do anything about our weaknesses or to stop the rot.

2 bad games all season? Does your memory only last a fortnight?

This is a side that started the season losing 4 in 5 and has just lost 3 in 3.

[Hound]

Yesterday felt inevitable really. I thought we actually played well for an hour, far better than Blackpool for example. The first half we looked pretty comfortable, Southwood untroubled, whilst making a few good opportunities ourselves. Also a good enjoyable game with some good football from both sides.

My main issue with Pauno is just how often we seem beat the minute we concede, and it happened again last night. Poor goal to concede, and despite a brief flicker at the start of the second half, the dreadful second goal killed the game.

I have a lot of sympathy for Pauno though. We have 11 fit outfield players of professional level - 5 of them CMs and 3 of them CBs. Laurent and DD are woefully out of form, Ejaria and TDB not far behind. He has no option to change them - putting up someone like Osaria against the big lump Billing would have been laughable. Clarke sounds like he is the best of the bunch and is miles off the level.

No real formation change is going make much difference. We have no wide players, 1 striker having a stinker of a run. We can't switch to going more direct, 3 at the back might push Yiadom and Baba further forward, but they are getting forward quite well anyway. I know we think we are all experts, and if only Pauno put on xxxx for xxxx and switched it would all be better, but it'd make very little difference in reality.

We need players back, simple as. Until that happens, we can't drop the starting 11 (bar maybe Holmes coming in which I'd be ok with, but won't change a lot, and the CBs themselves have been ok recently). Players will continue to tire, underperform, and lack options. Training will be massively compromised. Any points are a bonus tbh until we have at least 14 or 15 fit.

Bournemouth were ok. Seen an awful lot better. Obviously didn't really push them but they looked pretty average first half. Can see them losing a few pretty soon, surprised they are doing as well as they are.

[karbota]

Let's be fair we lost to a far better side, we had a few good spells especially in the first half. But the real positives from tonight's games is the fact that a majority of the players on the pitch are now ignoring the kowtow knee gesture.

Fair play to Puscas for not joining in

Yep let's hope the others get the message soon. We must be one of the only Championship sides to continue with this gesture rubbish.
The players look embarrassed and we know the fans don't want it, thousands are now voting with their absence.

[Hound]

just another thing on our fit 11 outfield players

1 of them is in his first season to all intents - TDB
DD and Baba - barely played for 2 years.
Dann - think he'd basically retired before being lured back for one last go.

Its also Southwood's first season in the champ - though obvs Rafael is an option

Its a real mishmash of misfits, freebies, and players only playing because we have no other option. To actually give big spending Bournemouth, with players the quality of Pearson on the bench - a decent game for an hour - isn't a bad effort. Honestly, unless we get people back quickly, just being better than the toss at the bottom - Hull, barnsley, Derby and Peterborough - is probably the best we can hope for.

[blythspartan]

Similar to an earlier message on here I don’t think we are a very good team. We have some decent individual players but they’re not a good TEAM.

The problem for me is given our current predicament we are having to put plasters on the squad each season and we have a constant conveyor belt of players in and out on short term contracts or on loan. I think this is the way many teams are having to operate these days certainly in the lower leagues. You need to be very lucky with this approach as I believe it takes a long time for players to gel together and form that almost telepathic relationship all across the pitch.

I think in 05/06 we added Sonko, Lita, Doyle, Hunt and Long to Kitson, Sidwell, Convey and Harper, plus others, and in Coppell, we had a manager with a clear vision of how he wanted to play the game.

I appreciate that’s very hard to repeat but Brentford, Coventry and Blackpool for me are a good examples of how this can be achievable again.

I am not expecting miracles or promotion to the Premiership but a team I’d be proud to support where I knew the majority of players from the previous season with a couple of quality additions/introduction of academy players year on year to help improve the squad.

I can’t remember many games at home in recent years where we have thrown the kitchen sink at the opposition and it’s all been one way traffic. I mean like Coventry did to us earlier this season. I go to games these days with absolutely no idea of what to expect and even if we win it’s never a comfortable victory or well deserved.

[Zip]

Awful manager who got us to seventh last season and has us comfortable this season, much better than his three previous predecessors. Hmm.

Ashcroft vs Yiadom is a no-brainer. Ashcroft vs nobody is also a no-brainer. Likewise Osorio vs Swift, Camara vs Ejaria, Ehibhationham vs Puscas. Most of them aren’t even our first choice U23 in their position. They’d still be better than playing with ten men.

Feels a bit unfair singling you out when so many other people have given equally laughable responses (presumably the alcohol is talking for most), but I’d be here all night.

In what way is this season better than what Bowen achieved? We are 16th.

Erm… results and performances? We might be 16th right now, but points deduction to one side (a points deduction largely stemming from decisions made while Bowen was in a senior role at the club) we’re looking a lot like a top-half team this season.

I honestly wonder sometimes if some of you lot actually go to games, or if you just wait until we lose so you can lose all sense of reality. We’ve had two bad games all season for crying out loud, get a grip.

As a STH yes I go to games. Haven’t missed a home game this season. In those home games we were very poor v Bristol City, dire v Blackpool, very poor for the first 60 v Posh, average and at times under the cosh against a poor Barnsley side, average last night, decent v Preston, ok v QPR, good v Boro.
We are 16th. This is worse than achieved under Bowen.

[oldebiscuit]

So many of you are not seeing the obvious here! We had 3 or 4 good chances in the first half hour, and we didn’t take one. They had one chance just before half-time, and took it. That’s why they’re top and we’re struggling.

The obvious point, that you've completely missed, is that they have the best defence in the league and we have the third worst.

Irrelevant, we cut through their defence and had chances.

[Zip]

just another thing on our fit 11 outfield players

1 of them is in his first season to all intents - TDB
DD and Baba - barely played for 2 years.
Dann - think he'd basically retired before being lured back for one last go.

Its also Southwood's first season in the champ - though obvs Rafael is an option

Its a real mishmash of misfits, freebies, and players only playing because we have no other option. To actually give big spending Bournemouth, with players the quality of Pearson on the bench - a decent game for an hour - isn't a bad effort. Honestly, unless we get people back quickly, just being better than the toss at the bottom - Hull, barnsley, Derby and Peterborough - is probably the best we can hope for.

The big problem is that we concede in the same fashion time and time again. Set piece to the back post. Player unmarked. We know the rest. For Pauno to suggest we didn’t concede from set pieces at all last season is irrelevant. He is not learning from his mistakes this season.

On the players being tired bit they have just had seven days without a game. Yes there are players in the side who have recovered from long term issues but they are, Dann apart, not old. They should be match fit and able to play for a full ninety minutes by now.

I do agree the injuries are hugely problematic and for that reason Pauno deserves a bit more time. However he is not learning from his mistakes and teams are noticing how we defend from set pieces(mentioned by a Muff player last night) so it’s unforgivable to keep conceding in the manner we do.

[bcubed]

we will still win this

In what crack-smoking planet will we win this?

We might huff and puff a bit but we will create sod all and Bournemouth will see this out comfortably.

[Snowflake Royal]

In what way is this season better than what Bowen achieved? We are 16th.

Erm… results and performances? We might be 16th right now, but points deduction to one side (a points deduction largely stemming from decisions made while Bowen was in a senior role at the club) we’re looking a lot like a top-half team this season.

I honestly wonder sometimes if some of you lot actually go to games, or if you just wait until we lose so you can lose all sense of reality. We’ve had two bad games all season for crying out loud, get a grip.

As a STH yes I go to games. Haven’t missed a home game this season. In those home games we were very poor v Bristol City, dire v Blackpool, very poor for the first 60 v Posh, average and at times under the cosh against a poor Barnsley side, average last night, decent v Preston, ok v QPR, good v Boro.
We are 16th. This is worse than achieved under Bowen.

For the record, I've watched every league game this season. Missed a combined total of maybe 80 minutes due to stream issues or running late.

I'm assuming SCIAG thinks we're top half because he's seen fewer games than that.

[Snowflake Royal]

just another thing on our fit 11 outfield players

1 of them is in his first season to all intents - TDB
DD and Baba - barely played for 2 years.
Dann - think he'd basically retired before being lured back for one last go.

Its also Southwood's first season in the champ - though obvs Rafael is an option

Its a real mishmash of misfits, freebies, and players only playing because we have no other option. To actually give big spending Bournemouth, with players the quality of Pearson on the bench - a decent game for an hour - isn't a bad effort. Honestly, unless we get people back quickly, just being better than the toss at the bottom - Hull, barnsley, Derby and Peterborough - is probably the best we can hope for.

The big problem is that we concede in the same fashion time and time again. Set piece to the back post. Player unmarked. We know the rest. For Pauno to suggest we didn’t concede from set pieces at all last season is irrelevant. He is not learning from his mistakes this season.

On the players being tired bit they have just had seven days without a game. Yes there are players in the side who have recovered from long term issues but they are, Dann apart, not old. They should be match fit and able to play for a full ninety minutes by now.

I do agree the injuries are hugely problematic and for that reason Pauno deserves a bit more time. However he is not learning from his mistakes and teams are noticing how we defend from set pieces(mentioned by a Muff player last night) so it’s unforgivable to keep conceding in the manner we do.

He's also talking out his arse. We conceded 11 set piece goals last season.

[Zip]

Erm… results and performances? We might be 16th right now, but points deduction to one side (a points deduction largely stemming from decisions made while Bowen was in a senior role at the club) we’re looking a lot like a top-half team this season.

I honestly wonder sometimes if some of you lot actually go to games, or if you just wait until we lose so you can lose all sense of reality. We’ve had two bad games all season for crying out loud, get a grip.

As a STH yes I go to games. Haven’t missed a home game this season. In those home games we were very poor v Bristol City, dire v Blackpool, very poor for the first 60 v Posh, average and at times under the cosh against a poor Barnsley side, average last night, decent v Preston, ok v QPR, good v Boro.
We are 16th. This is worse than achieved under Bowen.

For the record, I've watched every league game this season. Missed a combined total of maybe 80 minutes due to stream issues or running late.

I'm assuming SCIAG thinks we're top half because he's seen fewer games than that.

I’m baffled by his comments. I would say our results have been better than our performances. One fairly comfortable win in the end v Posh whilst the other five wins could easily have gone the other way.