Ricardo's report v Doncaster

[ricardo 8,033]

With all the pre-match talk of a big win over an injury hit Donny you could be forgiven for thinking that  you had turned up at the wrong ground tonight. All seemed set fair as Lambert resisted the temptation to tinker and named an unchanged side for once. City began slowly, indeed most of the early play was in our own half and with Donny playing a high line and flooding the midfield it was hard for City to make forward progress. The passing was as poor as it has been for a long time and when City finally broke free the balls into the box were wildly overhit. The crowd were very quiet but honestly, there was bugger all to shout about.We had to wait until half an hour for the first bit of quality and it resulted in a goal. Fox hit a 30 yard pass to Drury who made good ground before delivering to the far post where Holty smacked it high into the net from 6 yards. It should have been the signal for the floodgates to open but apart from a few uptempo minutes the game quickly slipped back into the doldrums. I''ve seen some poor stuff over the years but at at times tonight it almost plumbed the depths of the Grant/Roeder period. A couple of minutes before the break there was another moment of quality as Lansbury set Drury away on the left and his cut back was side footed over by Holt. The were cheers as the halftime whistle went, probably of relief from the utter dross on display.It could only get better we thought and for a time it did. City moved the ball quicker and made some presentable chances. Wheelie scuffed an effort badly from 12 yards and a couple of minutes later was set up again by Whitbreads through ball. As Wheelie made ground into the box whole ice ages waxed and waned before he set up a shot that drifted wide. Then Holty broke down the right and picked Croft out beautifully only for the midfielder to fail to hit the target. Wheelie had a decent game as far as his hold up play went but it was no surprise when he again failed to head a guilt edged chance wide of the keeper. People say he''s unlucky but to my mind someone with his scoring record over 12 years really ought to have had a bit of luck by now.Donny didn''t really look like scoring but when you''ve seen as many games as I have you get that sixth sense that things are not going to turn out as you hoped. With 6 minutes remaining Donny attacked on the left. The ball looked to be going out for a throw but bounced on the line and spun back just enough to go for a corner instead. Ricardo had that sinking feeling and as the corner came over Drury leaned into it and brushed the ball into his own net. I think we all knew that it was all up then.With 5 minutes added it was all long ball but City have been to well so many times this season it was no surprise that this time the bucket came up dry. Such is football and such are the results in games that will make all the difference between a lottery and an auto come May.I have been hesitant to jump on the auto promotion bandwagon because I can''t say Ive seen a really convincing home performance. Yes we have pulled out last minute victorys but over a season it takes more than that. Snowy the cat has given me no clues recently so I guess the agony is set to run for quite a while yet.

[a1canary 0]

I knew long before this game kicked off that this would happen. Lambert has done an amazing job to date of putting NCFC bad habits of old to bed and killing off our hoodoos. He can''t do them all though and you just had that feeling today that this one - fluffing our lines when everything is in our favour and seemingly a walk in the park - was one too many.

We really need a new body up front to give everyone a boost - you just get the feeling that we''re starting to flag just at the point when the season enters its toughest phase. Trouble is, is there anybody out there?

[Smudger 0]

Nice report Ricardo [Y]What do you make of the balance of our current midfield???

[Ruddygore 0]

Good report, well written - far too sensible to create much debate.

[ricardo 8,033]

[quote user="Smudger"]Nice report Ricardo [Y]What do you make of the balance of our current midfield???[/quote]In the first half the midfield seemed overun as Donny swamped that area. It was better second half as space developed.It was good to see Surman back, I thought he made a difference.In truth, there were enough chances created after the break to have won it.

[Rudolph Hucker 0]

Not just a quality summary of the game but also of the mood of supporters and players. This is a bit of therapy for supporters feeling a little demoralised and disapppointed, nice one Ricardo.

[GJP 79]

[quote user="Smudger"]Nice report Ricardo [Y]

What do you make of the balance of our current midfield???
[/quote]

I''m not Ricardo but I''ll give my opinion on it anyway...

 

The balance of the midfield was not good last night. In my opinion this was mainly because Lansbury is not a natural on the left side of midfield. It doesn''t suit him and it doesn''t bring the best out of him. He cut inside a lot and often we had nothing on the left side of the pitch. The knock-on effect of this was that there was little space in midfield and David Fox had his options pretty much halved as the main distributor of the ball. We''ve seen that he can do a very good job of spreading the play to one side or the other but because we rarely had a decent out ball to the left of the pitch we didn''t switch the play as much as we should have and it made it all a bit too easy for Doncaster.

 

Moreover, cutting in all the time meant that Lansbury offered little protection for Drury who appears to be coming up short of his best form.

 

In general I think there have been signs that we have lost a bit of our sparkle in recent weeks, it''s becoming a bit predictable. I''d be surprised if the manager doesn''t shuffle the midfield pack a little bit at the weekend. I think I''d like to see Surman come in on the left, Lansbury moved to the right, keep Wes at the tip and then probably move Crofts back to the base. Fox has played some very good stuff in midfield but I just think that we might benefit from Crofts'' better pace and energy in there to give us back some of the "omph" that has gone a bit missing.

 

[GMF 1,010]

[quote user="Smudger"]Nice report Ricardo [Y]

What do you make of the balance of our current midfield???
[/quote]

Good report Ricardo and an interesting question Smudger.

 

To my simple way of thinking, the diamond is the perfect solution to get the best out of Hoolahan, who should always be at the tip. Lansbury just doesn''t cut it for me there and should always be played wide right or wide left. I would, however, question the latter option for Lansbury after last night, as he doesn''t seem to link up that well with Drury down the left. It''s good to have Surman back, although he''s lacking match fitness at the moment and clearly needs more game time.

 

Although I think Fox has improved as the season has progressed, to me he''s always a poor man''s version of Crofts, who I would always have at the base.

 

One problem we encounter with the diamond is that it needs the full backs to push on and be creative and my concern is that Russell Martin, for all his improvements this season, is just too poor in possession. The number of times his passes go astray, or he either under hits or over hits croses just beggers belief. His ratio of decent crosses is just too poor.

 

I also think, as we''ve seen in the last two home games, that away teams have sussed out that we like to play it out from the back. Both Millwall and Doncaster have pushed a high line in front and, as a consequence, the central defender or full back bringing the ball out often has little option but to play the ball sideways or backwards. This builds frustration amoungst the supporteres.

 

Anyway, that''s my personal view, for what it''s worth.

[GJP 79]

[quote user="GMF"]

Although I think Fox has improved as the season has progressed, to me he''s always a poor man''s version of Crofts, [/quote]

 

Which is a bit like saying Russell Martin is a poor man''s Wes Hoolahan.

 

They''re not the same kind of player.

[GMF 1,010]

[quote user="GJP"][quote user="GMF"]

Although I think Fox has improved as the season has progressed, to me he''s always a poor man''s version of Crofts, [/quote]

 

Which is a bit like saying Russell Martin is a poor man''s Wes Hoolahan.

 

They''re not the same kind of player.

[/quote]

 

I''m not sure I follow the point your making here? Both Fox and Crofts are being picked to play at the base and, IMHO, Crofts is by far the better option there.

 

No one is suggesting that Russell Martin is the same type of player as Hoolahan, I''m just making the point that he (Martin) is poor in possession and moves down the right often breakdown when he has the ball.

[GJP 79]

[quote user="GMF"][quote user="GJP"][quote user="GMF"]

Although I think Fox has improved as the season has progressed, to me he''s always a poor man''s version of Crofts, [/quote]

 

Which is a bit like saying Russell Martin is a poor man''s Wes Hoolahan.

 

They''re not the same kind of player.

[/quote]

 

I''m not sure I follow the point your making here? Both Fox and Crofts are being picked to play at the base and, IMHO, Crofts is by far the better option there.

 

No one is suggesting that Russell Martin is the same type of player as Hoolahan, I''m just making the point that he (Martin) is poor in possession and moves down the right often breakdown when he has the ball.

[/quote]

The point I was making was that you wouldn''t compare R Martin and Hoolahan because they''re not the same type of player.

 

Similarly, Fox and Crofts are not the same type of player. Fox is a much better passer of the ball but Crofts is a bit more of an "all action" player.

 

So to say Fox is a poor man''s Crofts isn''t a great comparison to make because they have different playing styles and bring different things to the team. One is not a like-for-like replacement for the other.

[GMF 1,010]

[quote user="GJP"][quote user="GMF"][quote user="GJP"][quote user="GMF"]

Although I think Fox has improved as the season has progressed, to me he''s always a poor man''s version of Crofts, [/quote]

 

Which is a bit like saying Russell Martin is a poor man''s Wes Hoolahan.

 

They''re not the same kind of player.

[/quote]

 

I''m not sure I follow the point your making here? Both Fox and Crofts are being picked to play at the base and, IMHO, Crofts is by far the better option there.

 

No one is suggesting that Russell Martin is the same type of player as Hoolahan, I''m just making the point that he (Martin) is poor in possession and moves down the right often breakdown when he has the ball.

[/quote]

The point I was making was that you wouldn''t compare R Martin and Hoolahan because they''re not the same type of player.

 

Similarly, Fox and Crofts are not the same type of player. Fox is a much better passer of the ball but Crofts is a bit more of an "all action" player.

 

So to say Fox is a poor man''s Crofts isn''t a great comparison to make because they have different playing styles and bring different things to the team. One is not a like-for-like replacement for the other.

[/quote]

 

GJP - Given that we''ve played the diamond formation for the majority of the season, surely it is approprate to make comparisions between the various players who have played within each part of the formation?

 

It goes without saying that they''re not all the same type of player, but I was comparing Crofts and Fox as both have played at the base, indeed, Crofts went there after Fox came off, rather than some tenuous comparison of a right back to a left footed attacking player.

 

IMHO, even having regard to their differing playing styles, I''d pick Crofts over Fox everytime.

[GJP 79]

[quote user="GMF"][quote user="GJP"][quote user="GMF"][quote user="GJP"][quote user="GMF"]

Although I think Fox has improved as the season has progressed, to me he''s always a poor man''s version of Crofts, [/quote]

 

Which is a bit like saying Russell Martin is a poor man''s Wes Hoolahan.

 

They''re not the same kind of player.

[/quote]

 

I''m not sure I follow the point your making here? Both Fox and Crofts are being picked to play at the base and, IMHO, Crofts is by far the better option there.

 

No one is suggesting that Russell Martin is the same type of player as Hoolahan, I''m just making the point that he (Martin) is poor in possession and moves down the right often breakdown when he has the ball.

[/quote]

The point I was making was that you wouldn''t compare R Martin and Hoolahan because they''re not the same type of player.

 

Similarly, Fox and Crofts are not the same type of player. Fox is a much better passer of the ball but Crofts is a bit more of an "all action" player.

 

So to say Fox is a poor man''s Crofts isn''t a great comparison to make because they have different playing styles and bring different things to the team. One is not a like-for-like replacement for the other.

[/quote]

 

GJP - Given that we''ve played the diamond formation for the majority of the season, surely it is approprate to make comparisions between the various players who have played within each part of the formation?

 

It goes without saying that they''re not all the same type of player, but I was comparing Crofts and Fox as both have played at the base, indeed, Crofts went there after Fox came off, rather than some tenuous comparison of a right back to a left footed attacking player.

 

IMHO, even having regard to their differing playing styles, I''d pick Crofts over Fox everytime.

[/quote]

I''m not sure I''d pick Crofts over Fox everytime. Look at the Reading game, Fox played very well and switch the ball from side to side brilliantly. You couldn''t see Crofts doing the same because he doesn''t have that same range of passing in his locker.

 

Infact you could argue that Fox is more disciplined at the base of the midfield because he is less likely to off and get involved in the action in other areas of the pitch.

 

But there are going to be times when we benefit from Crofts'' more industrious approach, he can get around the pitch with better pace and he''s a more forceful competitor.

 

They''re both good players and I''m happy to see either/both in the team but to label Fox a "poor man''s" Crofts is inaccurate and unfair, in my opinion.

[GMF 1,010]

GJP - One of the beauties of the game, is it''s all about opinions. Let''s leave it there.

[Smudger 0]

[quote user="ricardo"][quote user="Smudger"]Nice report Ricardo [Y]What do you make of the balance of our current midfield???[/quote]In the first half the midfield seemed overun as Donny swamped that area. It was better second half as space developed.It was good to see Surman back, I thought he made a difference.In truth, there were enough chances created after the break to have won it.[/quote]Do you believe that playing somebody like Korey as well as Crofts during the first half would be beneficial for the team?I think we need to sign another ball winning midfielder too.I think that we have plenty of creativity in our midfield, but it is unbalanced badly towards attack at the moment.  I think that we have been getting over-run in the midfield for the majority of the first half of matches this season.Starting with a more balanced midfield would hopefully help.  We can always bring more creative players on as the game develops and more space becomes available.  Hopefully then the fresh legs of our more creative individuals can do maximum damage.How many times have we been outplayed first half and been a goal down before we have started playing this season?

[Yellow Rider 0]

[quote user="ricardo"]With all the pre-match talk of a big win over an injury hit Donny you could be forgiven for thinking that  you had turned up at the wrong ground tonight. All seemed set fair as Lambert resisted the temptation to tinker and named an unchanged side for once. City began slowly, indeed most of the early play was in our own half and with Donny playing a high line and flooding the midfield it was hard for City to make forward progress. The passing was as poor as it has been for a long time and when City finally broke free the balls into the box were wildly overhit. The crowd were very quiet but honestly, there was bugger all to shout about.

We had to wait until half an hour for the first bit of quality and it resulted in a goal. Fox hit a 30 yard pass to Drury who made good ground before delivering to the far post where Holty smacked it high into the net from 6 yards. It should have been the signal for the floodgates to open but apart from a few uptempo minutes the game quickly slipped back into the doldrums. I''ve seen some poor stuff over the years but at at times tonight it almost plumbed the depths of the Grant/Roeder period. A couple of minutes before the break there was another moment of quality as Lansbury set Drury away on the left and his cut back was side footed over by Holt. The were cheers as the halftime whistle went, probably of relief from the utter dross on display.

It could only get better we thought and for a time it did. City moved the ball quicker and made some presentable chances. Wheelie scuffed an effort badly from 12 yards and a couple of minutes later was set up again by Whitbreads through ball. As Wheelie made ground into the box whole ice ages waxed and waned before he set up a shot that drifted wide. Then Holty broke down the right and picked Croft out beautifully only for the midfielder to fail to hit the target. Wheelie had a decent game as far as his hold up play went but it was no surprise when he again failed to head a guilt edged chance wide of the keeper. People say he''s unlucky but to my mind someone with his scoring record over 12 years really ought to have had a bit of luck by now.

Donny didn''t really look like scoring but when you''ve seen as many games as I have you get that sixth sense that things are not going to turn out as you hoped. With 6 minutes remaining Donny attacked on the left. The ball looked to be going out for a throw but bounced on the line and spun back just enough to go for a corner instead. Ricardo had that sinking feeling and as the corner came over Drury leaned into it and brushed the ball into his own net. I think we all knew that it was all up then.

With 5 minutes added it was all long ball but City have been to well so many times this season it was no surprise that this time the bucket came up dry. Such is football and such are the results in games that will make all the difference between a lottery and an auto come May.

I have been hesitant to jump on the auto promotion bandwagon because I can''t say Ive seen a really convincing home performance. Yes we have pulled out last minute victorys but over a season it takes more than that. Snowy the cat has given me no clues recently so I guess the agony is set to run for quite a while yet.


[/quote]

Spot on Ricardo and I agree 100% with items highlighted.

Having been massively proud and impressed at Elland Road Saturday, last night was a crushing disappointment. Nothing to do with the result but everything to do with the attitude and performance.

I''ll try and be brief.

For my c£450 season ticket + all other expenses I have three priorities (in decending order):

1. the team must have a nailed on mental attitude to give of their very best and be set up to try and win every game

2. Then (hopefully) we will see some entertaining attacking football 

3. If we win the game that''s a bonus and the icing on the cake. Provided I have items 1 and 2 I''ll take whatever comes as a result.

Last night - the team''s heads were still stuck in the Elland Road clouds and had totally underestimated Donny. No way were the players ''up'' (mentally) for last night and it showed from the first until 85th minute. Why did some fans boo? Simple - they were hacked off with the sluggish attitude and woeful performance NOT the result. Want proof? go back to the home defeats to Hull and Pompey - the team were applauded off the pitch becuase they had approached the game properly and played as well as they could and had worked the opposition keeper.

Up front impotence -  sorry, but our strikers (other than Holt) are about as virile as a serious case of brewers droop! I have been seriously underwhelmed by Wilbraham in his two league starts this week. He simply does not display the appetite that a 31 year old given this amazing opportunity from the lower divisions would (you would assume) show. Did he actually break into any kind of sweat last night? PL said ...''he was excellent'' - joking are''nt you mate!  If that was ''excellent'' then I''m defo gonna get over with Holly Willoughby at the weekend! That ain''t gonna happen (unfortunately) but you get my drift.     

Jackson tries his heart out but his touch and control is poor and does not get the service he needs.

If Holt gets injured we''re finished such is his influence on things on the pitch. It would be a mortal blow - PL knows it and what''s more the players know it as well.

Pattern of play - with the diamond we have no width whatsoever and by excluding MacNamee we have no pace. Yes the boy is an enigma but he HAS been electrifying and changed some games. We must get him back re-energised, re-motivated and back on the pitch and start getting him on. We constantly look like we''re trying to play a five a side game within a thirty yard narrow stretch of pitch from the centre circle to the opposition box. If we are to hold on to the play offs (stand any chance of winning) we must freshen up our pattern of play and get some movement and pace into the side.      

Finally, we all know how well the boy PL has done (and is doing) but Im getting well jarred off with him reminding us every time we struggle in a game. Fact is that he has absolutely no idea what it was really like here between the end days of the Worthy era and August 2009!! Change the record please!

 

  

[spencer 1970 214]

I must start paying more attention and stop this skip reading.

I thought for a good few minutes that GJP and GMF were in fact the same person having a heated debate with themself. ;0)

Great report as ever Ricardo.

[ricardo 8,033]

[quote user="Smudger"][quote user="ricardo"][quote user="Smudger"]Nice report Ricardo [Y]What do you make of the balance of our current midfield???[/quote]In the first half the midfield seemed overun as Donny swamped that area. It was better second half as space developed.It was good to see Surman back, I thought he made a difference.In truth, there were enough chances created after the break to have won it.[/quote]Do you believe that playing somebody like Korey as well as Crofts during the first half would be beneficial for the team?I think we need to sign another ball winning midfielder too.I think that we have plenty of creativity in our midfield, but it is unbalanced badly towards attack at the moment.  I think that we have been getting over-run in the midfield for the majority of the first half of matches this season.Starting with a more balanced midfield would hopefully help.  We can always bring more creative players on as the game develops and more space becomes available.  Hopefully then the fresh legs of our more creative individuals can do maximum damage.How many times have we been outplayed first half and been a goal down before we have started playing this season?[/quote]An interesting thought Smudger. For my part, the absence of Surman for long periods has been a key factor.Its really the reason why I think we aren''t quite good enough for the auto spot. Going a goal down in such a tight league is always going to give you problems. Also on a number of occasions when we have gone a goal up we have failed to see it out. Tuesday was just another example of this.There have been a number of really good away performances this season but as I said earlier, I''ve been waiting to see that dominant home performance that tells you we are going up. To be brutally honest I haven''t seen that yet.

[chicken 0]

The impression I get is that we have lost some of the momentum we had at the begining of the season riding on the crest of the promotion feel good factor.

Teams may not be better at breaking us down than L1 but they are better defencively which we find harder to break down at times.

To me it seems we just lack strength in depth. Fox is a tremendus ball player but not the greatest of ball winners. For me, Gill and Tudor-Jones don''t have enough about them to add to our game and are poor back-ups.

We have missed Surman, but I think we also miss an on form Chris Martin.

Personaly I never thought automatic would be where we end up, and we haven''t really had that long in the top two and were only there due to the benefit of having played more games.

Having said that, it''s not out of our sights and should Lambert manage to refresh the troops for one last push this season you never know what could happen.

[GMF 1,010]

I agree Yellow Rider about the need to change the record, the "History" is what it is and should be left in the past. The most important point to remember is that this season is unique because, with two of the three relegated teams from the Premiership last season being in such a financial mess (and that''s unlikely to happen again in the near future) it''s a great opportunity for two or three of the other Championship teams to get promoted.

 

The diamond is a narrow formation and to work properly, it needs width from the full backs, especially if the opposition have five in midfield. Russell Martin is great at getting forwards, but he''s poor in possession and, if it breaks down from him and we''re out numbered in the middle, as frequently happened on Tuesday, then you''re asking for trouble on the counter attack.

[Smudger 0]

[quote user="GMF"]

I agree Yellow Rider about the need to change the record, the "History" is what it is and should be left in the past. The most important point to remember is that this season is unique because, with two of the three relegated teams from the Premiership last season being in such a financial mess (and that''s unlikely to happen again in the near future) it''s a great opportunity for two or three of the other Championship teams to get promoted.

 

The diamond is a narrow formation and to work properly, it needs width from the full backs, especially if the opposition have five in midfield. Russell Martin is great at getting forwards, but he''s poor in possession and, if it breaks down from him and we''re out numbered in the middle, as frequently happened on Tuesday, then you''re asking for trouble on the counter attack.

[/quote]Leeds played FIVE in midfield on Saturday too and several other teams have packed the midfield agaisnt us recently.