MATCHWATCH : Millwall (h)

[Four Of Clubs]

RE the goal ... my view from up in the back of the ED was that we needlessly switched the ball back inside and lost it, for them to break with Dann/Sarr treading water to keep up.

What irked me was that we needn't have come back inside - T.Ince had 2 (or maybe 3) players overloaded on their dodgy LB that he could have passed to but he turned left
- the same FB had committed fouls the previous 3 or 4 times we'd moved it down that flank.
Was astonished he didn't end up with a Yellow - would love to have been able to unleash Meite on him.....

....Sidles back to GF

[blythspartan]

Well that was utter garbage and tbh I can’t be bothered to go to anymore games. Based on that performance we’d struggle in Leagues 1 and 2. Also, it looks like the looming points deduction has dampened the players morale.

I

[PieEater]

Well I have to agree with the chat - to the referee 1-0.

That challenge for the pen looked outside the box to me, and throughout the game the ref was abysmal. If players are going to go down pretending to have head injuries at least have to courtesy to add some injury time, there should have been at least double what he played.

All teams do it but and from the benefit they got today you can see why, the ref was clueless.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Should do as they do in rugby, play around them whilst allowing the physio onto the ‘in-play’ field to make their professional assessment….take it out of the hands of the ref…and the cheats

Yeah, I know it’s the ‘R’ word….but it works

[NathStPaul]

The lack of posts on this match thread shows how bad the game was and how poor we were

Or that Ian was busy this afternoon.

[Snowflake Royal]

Corrected for you.









(Just kidding obviously, don't know you personally but 'know' you well enough here to know you'd take the joke. Couldn't resist. I need a laugh after that horrid performance!)

Was it Dann, Sarr or Holmes who couldn’t keep up with the breakaway for the goal and also failed to make the foul Wdowczykesque?

I got the impression of Dann from bits and pieces I checked in for at the pub.

I think that was actually NGW.

But the fault was Sarr's. Insane pass to one of them on the halfway line which lead to the break.

A bit reminiscent of MBengue losing it high up, but at least he's fast enough to run back. Sarr made at least 3 very dangerous passes which lost us the ball and put us under pressure today.

Sarr's shit.

[Notts Royal]

What is the benefit of playing 3 centre backs if they’re all slow? You’d at least start Mbengue as 1 of them wouldn’t you.

What irks me is we played well against Blackpool in a 4-3-3 - it suits the personnel a lot better than this dire formation. So why change it? I get playing defensively away at Boro, but not the last 2 games.

Granted Meite is injured, but Azeez & ince can play as your inside forwards.

How does he manage to balls up the subs too? Again Azeez should’ve been the go-to sub, with Joao replacing Carroll. It’s not rocket science yet he makes such a meal out of it every oxf*rd time.

Ince Out (in the summer)

[72 bus]

If we can get a performance similar to last night, I'd imagine we'd get something. Zian Flemming is obviously their key player and they've got a few other quality players about, but nothing we can't beat on our day.

Be interesting to see what team we go for considering both Loum and Meite were out of the squad yesterday so they could both come back in assuming they aren't injured (or suspended).

Meite out till April at the earliest - not sure what has happened with Loum.

Gone to the glue factory, hopefully

[ILoveMoonPig]

It's frustrating that we went 1-0 down in the 11th minute, at home and still finished the game (according to the BBC) without a single shot on target.

It would be easier to accept not scoring much, if we weren't conceding. Likewise, I could accept the occasional concession of 4 goals in a game, if we were scoring lots.

We seem to build lots of pressure late on in games, but we just don't create chances. So many times we get a break down the wing and we just stop and roll the ball backwards to a player who gets closed down and the opposition breaks.

[Snowflake Royal]

What is the benefit of playing 3 centre backs if they’re all slow? You’d at least start Mbengue as 1 of them wouldn’t you.

What irks me is we played well against Blackpool in a 4-3-3 - it suits the personnel a lot better than this dire formation. So why change it? I get playing defensively away at Boro, but not the last 2 games.

Granted Meite is injured, but Azeez & ince can play as your inside forwards.

How does he manage to balls up the subs too? Again Azeez should’ve been the go-to sub, with Joao replacing Carroll. It’s not rocket science yet he makes such a meal out of it every oxf*rd time.

Ince Out (in the summer)

Basically, Ince played 4-3-3 at Boro to be able to say it didn't work so he could go back to 5.

The thing that pisses me off the most is when you are a manager, surely you have to look at your players and pick teams where there are complimentary skill set combinations and the whole is most important. But time and time again we have managers picking individuals over teams and fielding sides that are less than the sum of their parts, not more.

Dann is glacial. Sarr, Holmes and McIntyre are slow. Moore is maybe average. Mbengue is quick. Mbengue may be young and raw, but he simply has to play 4 or 5, because he brings some pace to our lumbering central defence.

We've actually won a game playing 4-3-3. Our defence might get smashed some times, and we'll certainly concede goals. But we'll actually score a few too. And if we can score first, we might get some points, or if not maybe manage an equaliser. If we start with 5-3-2 we'll create basically nothing and the second we concede we're basically finished already against all but the worst sides.

[72 bus]

Every time we get a chance to break forward the ball is passed sideways or backwards,
Lump the ball forward to Carroll who bizarrely is out on the left wing with no reading player near him so the ball comes straight back at us.
I sit in the upper west and have a good overview of how we are set up, I struggle now to work out exactly how Ince has set up the team.
Tince plays wherever he wants and the rest of them seen to think is ok to play the same.
Shambles, the only saving grace is next season my season ticket is half price which is what it's is really worth in honesty.
I will then probably only go to the midweek evening games as it's not fair to mess up the wife's Saturday to go and to watch that rubbish.

[Royal Ginger]

I’d be starting Moore for the next game if he’s fit, the back line made a bit more sense with him leading it and his tits don’t bounce around when he jumps like Dann’s do.

[AthleticoSpizz]

I’d be starting him up-front and in-goal for all the difference it would make right now

[Royal_jimmy]

I saw the highlights back and have no complaints on the penalty, it was a good decision. It was either a penalty or Lumley was sent off and a free kick outside the box. I think it was just inside

[Snowflake Royal]

I thought it looked inside, but was a genuine attempt to play the ball.

[Royal_jimmy]

What is the benefit of playing 3 centre backs if they’re all slow? You’d at least start Mbengue as 1 of them wouldn’t you.

What irks me is we played well against Blackpool in a 4-3-3 - it suits the personnel a lot better than this dire formation. So why change it? I get playing defensively away at Boro, but not the last 2 games.

Granted Meite is injured, but Azeez & ince can play as your inside forwards.

How does he manage to balls up the subs too? Again Azeez should’ve been the go-to sub, with Joao replacing Carroll. It’s not rocket science yet he makes such a meal out of it every oxf*rd time.

Ince Out (in the summer)

I disagree that we played well v Blackpool. I thought we played quite poor but were clinical. Easy to look good against shit teams.

[Notts Royal]

What is the benefit of playing 3 centre backs if they’re all slow? You’d at least start Mbengue as 1 of them wouldn’t you.

What irks me is we played well against Blackpool in a 4-3-3 - it suits the personnel a lot better than this dire formation. So why change it? I get playing defensively away at Boro, but not the last 2 games.

Granted Meite is injured, but Azeez & ince can play as your inside forwards.

How does he manage to balls up the subs too? Again Azeez should’ve been the go-to sub, with Joao replacing Carroll. It’s not rocket science yet he makes such a meal out of it every oxf*rd time.

Ince Out (in the summer)

Basically, Ince played 4-3-3 at Boro to be able to say it didn't work so he could go back to 5.

The thing that pisses me off the most is when you are a manager, surely you have to look at your players and pick teams where there are complimentary skill set combinations and the whole is most important. But time and time again we have managers picking individuals over teams and fielding sides that are less than the sum of their parts, not more.

Dann is glacial. Sarr, Holmes and McIntyre are slow. Moore is maybe average. Mbengue is quick. Mbengue may be young and raw, but he simply has to play 4 or 5, because he brings some pace to our lumbering central defence.

We've actually won a game playing 4-3-3. Our defence might get smashed some times, and we'll certainly concede goals. But we'll actually score a few too. And if we can score first, we might get some points, or if not maybe manage an equaliser. If we start with 5-3-2 we'll create basically nothing and the second we concede we're basically finished already against all but the worst sides.

Precisely. The defence isn’t strong enough to hold out for clean sheets, so we have to focus on going forwards.

It’s a sad state of affairs when we have no confidence in the manager’s team selections, that we get excited when his hand is forced to make changes due to injuries, eg. Rahman injured last month & now Dann.

I’d base the defence on Holmes…he’s been the most consistent performer over the season. What’s his big weakness? Pace. Put Mbengue next to him. Yiadom back to his natural position, then NGW the other side.

We looked better against Blackpool playing 2 more attacking central mids, with Hendrick sitting deeper. Carroll looked more of a threat as he had players closer to him & we actually crossed the ball to him. You can also play Joao and get the ball to his feet.

What have our best managers done? Started by working out the right formation for the personnel available to them. Then when the transfer windows came, they could then tinker. Brian started with the 4–5-1 when we had the Sig. Then moved to 4-4-2.

Ince is clueless. End of

[windermereROYAL]

Only Wigan have conceded more than us, so much for tightening up the defence, granted we let in 87 last season, but it looks likely we will be pushing 70 this time around.

[Hound]

I saw the highlights back and have no complaints on the penalty, it was a good decision. It was either a penalty or Lumley was sent off and a free kick outside the box. I think it was just inside

Ssn highlights were comical. Spent about a minute of it showing us passing the ball around near the edge of the box

Says it all about the game

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

Only Wigan have conceded more than us, so much for tightening up the defence, granted we let in 87 last season, but it looks likely we will be pushing 70 this time around.

McIntyre, Holmes, Yiadom and Sarr are all contracted for next seasons campaign whatever division we are in unless the club can move them on.