Ricardo's report v Luton

[ricardo 7,347]

Another lovely autumn day here in the Fine City but it got chilly really quickly as the sun went down and by the time I got down to the ground I was glad I'd made the decision to wear my nice woolly NCFC gloves. I have had a bit of a cold lately and what with the recent spate of poor results I can't say I was overly enthusiastic about tonights match. Indeed, by the large number of empty seats near me it seems some are already in two minds about turning out when you can watch it in the comfort of your front room. Old habits are hard to break however but I did give a sigh when I noted that the team selection had been given the Tombola machine treatment again.

From the off it seemed that the visitors were quite happy getting everyone behind the ball as City bossed possession with lots of to and frow and sideways and backwards stuff. Perhaps I am being over critical and of course I do like to see us retain possession but much of it lately seems to be without purpose and even on the rare occasions we got behind them the ball was more often than not recycled to the halfway line.

Individually Luton looked a class below us but they did keep their shape and were very direct when the opportunity presented itself. We were nearly at ten minutes when they broke down the right and a shot came in that went well wide of Gunn's far post. At the other end there still hadn't been a shot of any kind and we had to wait until the twentyfirst minute before Sara smacked a shot a foot or two over the bar.

There was lots of nice build up and some deft one touch stuff between Ramsey, Pukki and Sargent but it continually broke down on the edge of the eighteen yard box. Sargent had to receive lengthy treatment mid way through the half and never really looked comfortable after it although he did produce the nearest thing to a goal, with a snap shot through a crowd of players that the Luton keeper did well to turn away.

City continued to press but it all felt really low key and there was little to rouse the spirits until a defensive mistake allowed Pukki to get a run on goal just before the half ended. He turned inside a defender but could only scoup the ball well over the bar. There were a few boo's when Mr Langford finally brought the half to an end.

My son was not impressed and when he said he couldn't see where a goal would come from, and that he could see Luton getting a chance. I tried to dismiss it but a little voice in my head kept saying "He's right, you know what is going to happen here because over the years you've seen this game many times before haven't you?".

Sargent did not appear for the second half and was replaced by Cantwell and The way the second half began almost dispelled my fears as City moved the ball faster and Sara seemed to lay the ball on a plate for Sinani, only for the chance to be snatched at when there was more time to steady things and his shot sailed well over. Then Cantwell made himself space on the corner of the box but could not keep his shot down and minutes later Ramsey had a similar result from a similar position.

Just after the hour mark City broke from defence with some quick passing and just beyond the halfway line I though Sara was fouled but the ref waved play on. City were caught flat footed as some players hesitated and Luton broke quickly. Gibson couldn't clear and Carlton Morris managed to bamboozle Hanley before beating Gunn to his left. That little voice in my head said "told ya".

The City players were clearly unhappy with the ref but he dealt out more pain when City won a corner from Horvaths save of Sara's stinging shot five minutes later. There had been pulling and tugging all night long that Mr Langford failed to deal with, but it appears that Kenny took his own action and paid the penalty for it.

With ten men it was probably a hopeless task but to their credit the stuck to it well and sill bossed proceedings. Hernandez, Nunez, Giannoulis and Hayden all eventually got a run out but they could only manufacture one really good chance before the end. With ten minutes left Pukki turned inside two defenders and had time and space to measure his shot but even the City Talisman couldn't put things right as his shot beat Horvath but went well wide. On another day perhaps but my son was right at halftime and you could see it coming as clear as day if you bothered to look.

Please don't ask me what the answer is because I just report what I see in front of me and at the moment it is obvious to me that much more of this stuff will ensure that we aren't promoted come May 2023.

MOM?  only God knows.

Edited October 18, 2022 by ricardo

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

Is God available to coach us?

You saw exactly what most of us did. A powder puff midfield and attack playing the wromg system and a defence that will concede.

[TheRock 158]

The club completely lacks identity, why did we hire a coach days after he had been sacked by Aston Villa. 

It hasn't been this bad since the Roeder days. 

[ricardo 7,347]

1 minute ago, TheRock said:

The club completely lacks identity, why did we hire a coach days after he had been sacked by Aston Villa. 

It hasn't been this bad since the Roeder days. 

Look at the positives, I am sure we edged this one on Xg.

[TheRock 158]

Just now, ricardo said:

Look at the positives, I am sure we edged this one on Xg.

xG is for show, wins are for dough. 😶

[AJ 1,218]

MOTM was Carlton Morris. Took his 7th goal of the season very well after beating Hanley which is no mean feat. Looks every bit the player we're hoping Idah could be. Good to see him doing well at this level!

[ricardo 7,347]

4 minutes ago, AJ said:

MOTM was Carlton Morris. Took his 7th goal of the season very well after beating Hanley which is no mean feat. Looks every bit the player we're hoping Idah could be. Good to see him doing well at this level!

Yes, despite the disappointment, both Morris and Jerome got decent applause.

Edited October 18, 2022 by ricardo

[chicken 2,604]

19 minutes ago, AJ said:

MOTM was Carlton Morris. Took his 7th goal of the season very well after beating Hanley which is no mean feat. Looks every bit the player we're hoping Idah could be. Good to see him doing well at this level!

Yup, dreadfully unlucky it didn't work out for him here... yet, scary to think Morris is 26 and Idah is 21, similarities there, sadly one of them is injuries, though Idah has played more for us so far. I agree, I hope Idah can become as good, though it is worth noting that it took loans and more regular football for Morris to get a chance to prove himself. 

[Mr Tea 105]

Tbh your report is my first read when back from a game and for once I think your report makes  a way better read then what I watched.

For me we just looked void of any real ideas or plans. We started ok but it just seemed to fizzle out at 20 mins and apart from a few minutes after half time it was one of the poorer games I’ve been to .

And how the heck does aarons get booked after having his boot ripped off him ?

 

[Rottingdean canary 117]

Thanks Ricardo - as always an excellent, balanced view of the game - I was going to say an enjoyable read but that's a bit of a stretch when there's so little positive to report.

One thing that struck me was how far down the list of topics this report has gone - I can't remember when so many new posts were made in a short space of time - I guess a reflection of the mood among supporters on this forum.  

[ricardo 7,347]

9 hours ago, Mr Tea said:

 

And how the heck does aarons get booked after having his boot ripped off him ?

 

The ref was poor and never got on top of all the manhandling stuff.

[ricardo 7,347]

5 minutes ago, Rottingdean canary said:

Thanks Ricardo - as always an excellent, balanced view of the game - I was going to say an enjoyable read but that's a bit of a stretch when there's so little positive to report.

One thing that struck me was how far down the list of topics this report has gone - I can't remember when so many new posts were made in a short space of time - I guess a reflection of the mood among supporters on this forum.  

I think the first thing people look for at times like this is a thread to vent their anger and we were spoilt for choice last night.

[Yellow Wal 314]

Yes, it seems quite obvious to me that Norwich have, overall, the better players.

But Luton were by far the better team, and that is what it is all about.