No Match Thread? Well...

[kick it off 1,948]

Was behind the goal. The shot was clever. Krul followed GK protocol as the shot was expected to go the other way. He did well to recover and get down to it as he was wrongfooted. Krul did the right things for me. It was saveable but it would have been an incredible save if he'd made it. Would have beaten most keepers imo.

The defending however, first from tettey twatting about with it and giving it away, then from about 4 of them who let the bristol player run through unimpeded...

[Ian 1,129]

For the first time I felt we looked like a patched up team today, and Tettey really struggled.

That said, a good and resilient point away from home. As others have said, to play well below par but still take a point at an in-form team (and unquestionably the stronger team in the latter stages) is a good trait to have.

My big concern is whether we have the squad depth and may run out of steam in the second half of the season. The next 8 games will tell us a great deal.

Special mention for Max Aarons - he is some player.

[hogesar 9,618]

Good point in the end. Didn't find our passing rhythm till the final 15. But picking up points when you're not at your best is a requirement for promotion.

Ref was poor and inconsistent. Again, as always in the championship.

[Branston Pickle 3,635]

You can never be too disappointed with a point away from home - we weren't on top form but stuck at it and could have had all three. It's astonishing that we've lost just the once away all season.

Maybe a bit harsh but I imagine there may be a couple of changes next week - perhaps Onel and Mo to start, Timm and Grant at the back if Zimm isn't fit?  

[daly 500]

Just as well the ref was poor

 

Tettey should have been sent off

[Branston Pickle 3,635]

Ffs, Krul saved us several times today - what is it with some people?  I guess it is having to have a scapegoat even when things are good.

[Making Plans 936]

You can tell how far we've come when people are criticising a 2-2 away draw and have started looking for scapegoats

Edited December 15, 2018 by Making Plans

[Surfer 1,547]

Was Zimmermann injured when withdrawn or was it because he was playing sub-par? I suspect that Zimm needs Klose playing alongside him, when It's Hanley, Godfrey may be the better option for a CB pairing. Hanley and Klose on paper sounds our best pairing but maybe it's either Klose and Zimmermann or Hanley and Godfrey - thoughts on that? 

Valuable point away from home, just goes to show how our expectations have risen that we can be disappointed with a draw.

[lake district canary 4,531]

10 minutes ago, Surfer said:

Was Zimmermann injured when withdrawn or was it because he was playing sub-par? I suspect that Zimm needs Klose playing alongside him, when It's Hanley, Godfrey may be the better option for a CB pairing. Hanley and Klose on paper sounds our best pairing but maybe it's either Klose and Zimmermann or Hanley and Godfrey - thoughts on that? 

Valuable point away from home, just goes to show how our expectations have risen that we can be disappointed with a draw.

Commentator said it was a hamstring problem.  Would be interesting to see how Hanley and Klose play together again, because last time our results weren't that good and improved when Zimmermann came in.  Godfrey did well today imo and I suspect that all options are open and we can play well whichever pair is used....that would be the ideal scenario.

[Il Pirata 249]

42 minutes ago, Making Plans said:

You can tell how far we've come when people are criticising a 2-2 away draw and have started looking for scapegoats

If that is aimed towards me then I can tell you I’m not intending to make Krul a scapegoat.

Can you even have a scapegoat after a good result? 

 

 

 

 

[Otis62 6]

Apparently some of the players were suffering with the flu so were not 100% today, which is understandable.

[Il Pirata 249]

I’d make a few changes for Blackburn. 

Hernandez in for Cantwell, Klose and Hanley in for Zim and Godfrey. 

With a more experienced centre back pairing, I think you could drop Tettey for Leitner, and have him next to Vrancic. May sound a little expansive, but If it clicked it could be delightful to watch. 

[ricardo 7,345]

We don't look solid without Tim. I'd also have Hanley in ASAP. We can't keep giving up two goals a game.

[rock bus 850]

Wow.....I’d love a leitner and vrancic midfield. Not sure I can see it happening though.

Maybe last game of the season after promotion has already been secured 😉

Edited December 15, 2018 by rock bus

[Pyro Pete 1,889]

Decent point in the end. Maintains our 2 points per game average.

Lots of below par performances. Lost count of the amount of occasions we gave away possession cheaply. Just one of those days.

As with the draw at Hull, if we follow this up with a win, it will soon be forgotten.

[Surfer 1,547]

1 hour ago, Otis62 said:

Apparently some of the players were suffering with the flu so were not 100% today, which is understandable.

That would explain the the lack of energy from Zimm and Cantwell. All in all, a good point. Hurry back Leitner. 

[westcoastcanary 173]

53 minutes ago, ricardo said:

We don't look solid without Tim. I'd also have Hanley in ASAP. We can't keep giving up two goals a game.

Have you forgotten our opening six league games ricardo? The CB pairing in all six was Hanley & Klose, and we conceded twelve goals. Since then, with Hanley absent, we've played 16 games and conceded only 14 goals.

[Nuff Said 5,089]

19 minutes ago, westcoastcanary said:

Have you forgotten our opening six league games ricardo? The CB pairing in all six was Hanley & Klose, and we conceded twelve goals. Since then, with Hanley absent, we've played 16 games and conceded only 14 goals.

I've been thinking it, but you said it out. But I like Hanley, he's decent. And Timm is quality, no-one can deny that. Surely it's not that simple?

[westcoastcanary 173]

15 hours ago, Nuff Said said:

I've been thinking it, but you said it out. But I like Hanley, he's decent. And Timm is quality, no-one can deny that. Surely it's not that simple?

No, it's not that simple; for example, since Hanley was injured, Aarons has established himself, Leitner has flourished, with added defensive busyness to his game, and Buendia has been providing solid defensive cover on the right. But, apart from his heading ability at set pieces, I really don't think that Hanley contributes more defensively than Zimmermann when paired with Klose, while, at the same time, IMO, he certainly doesn't improve on Zimmermann when it comes to our playing out from the back. 

Edited December 16, 2018 by westcoastcanary

[Ian 1,129]

Has to be Zimmerman Klose if everyone is fit, surely? 

[GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary 1,735]

....just dont think we're going to be quite good enough to sustain a top 2 finish...yes we look very good on the attack but we just cant seem to eradicate really soft goals.....however with a 10 point gap on 7th , I will concede that from a starting point of expecting a mud table finish , I'd be dissappointed if we couldnt secure a playoff place from this position

[The Bristol Nest 513]

Conditions were not good, Bristol played the best game for weeks, Krul had a very good game and imo the goal looked onside. I haven't watched the tv coverage yet but we struggled to impose our game for much of the contest yet got an away point. 

[PurpleCanary 5,554]

17 hours ago, Il Pirata said:

Good point that. 

Think we’ve been riding our luck a little recently, and we’ve been relying on a lot of young, inexperienced players. We were due a defeat, but saved a draw.

We’ve got Hanley, Klose and Leitner ready to come back, I expect Hernandez to be restored to the line up too. We’re in good shape. 

Krul played well, but should have stopped the first goal.

 

Or at least given himself a better chance of saving it. His positioning is slightly wrong. As the pass goes across from his left to his right he adjusts that way but then makes a half-move back left, so he rather wrong-foots himself. Plus he arguably he should be a couple of feet further from his goalline. If so he might have been parrying the ball round the post instead of just into the corner of the goal.

[dylanisabaddog 4,867]

Zimmerman v Hanley probably deserves a thread of its own. Hanley is undoubtedly a good player but for whatever reason we seem to get better results when Zimmerman plays. From memory it was the same last season. 

As for the last 2 games, it's probably a good job they weren't against better teams. We struggle without Leitner. I'm hoping we've had a little blip and got away with it. 

[Essjayess 307]

14 hours ago, GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary said:

....just dont think we're going to be quite good enough to sustain a top 2 finish...yes we look very good on the attack but we just cant seem to eradicate really soft goals.....however with a 10 point gap on 7th , I will concede that from a starting point of expecting a mud table finish , I'd be dissappointed if we couldnt secure a playoff place from this position

Oh yes we are...but much will be dependent on injuries etc. Much has been made recently of Leeds long injury list but City played against Bristol almost down to the bare bones. Just check our 4 CBs as a reference...Klose out injured, Hanley on bench after 3 months out and nursing an eye infection, Zimbo playing with the flu and Godfrey only in his 2nd proper match start of the season. Yet we are still picking up points, still well in the top two despite all the above. Im just hoping more of the lads get back to full fitness before the xmas period, they will be needed for sure.

So no doubts in my mind we are good enough, but to sustain it we will need a mostly fit squad for that to happen.

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

A day after reflection says it was perhaps our worst 90 minutes for a while. But if the flu bug is correct then that would explain why we allowed Brizzle to dictate for the majority of the game. We never really pressed like we have recently and never got to grips with their intensity.

We do miss Klose and Leitner of course, but that happens from time to time and we have still won matches without them. But Klose's class on the ball allows us to press higher against the opposition and Zimmerman to play higher up the pitch. Godfrey never ventured into their half to support midfield. And that was understandable.

I too think Hernandez needs to give Cantwell a rest. He may have had the flu because he looked slow and cumbersome. Buendia wasn't great with his passing but I don't think a wet rugby pitch suits his style.

Overall, no-one can moan at the performance as it got a result. And we have kept our form for so long that a poor performance was bound to happen and luckily it came against a team 14th and not 4th.

Well done again chaps.

[ricardo 7,345]

If Klose is back Saturday and Zimmerman has really tweaked a hamstring then it can only be Klose and Hanley IMO.

[Grando 260]

I like what Hanley gives us in the air against big forwards. I was going to say the downside is that his distribution and work going forwards is not as good as the alternatives, though his late shot yesterday sort of dispelled that. I think we miss Tim though - for sure as Farke would say.