20/21 Matchday Thread

[MagpieBee]

I was definitely wrong about Ivan Toney, thought he would struggle to match Watkins' numbers but his return is incredible.

29 games, 23 goals and 9 assists

Only 8th in the shots per game table too, so it's not like he has chance after chance put on the table for him.

Frightening.

It’s hard trying to compare the two, as their styles are so different. We definitely were a lot more fun to watch / played more “beautiful” football last year, but have been more effective this year. That Toney only needs 3 more goals to match Watkins tally is insane (his 9 assists put him top of the assists chart this year too I think) - though Watkins didn’t take pens.

Reckon Watkins will end up the better long term PL player, just has the speed and pressing ability that Toney doesn’t.

Entirely trust the DoFs to find a replacement who’ll do a similar job next year if we don’t go up and Toney goes.

 

[SF_]

Ledson has a knock anyway, Gordon on the bench.

Iversen
Browne, Storey, Lindsay, Hughes
Whiteman, Molumby
Barkhuizen, Johnson, Sinclair
Evans​

The right hand side of that defence worries me greatly.

Barkhuizen as a left wing back is also a possibility, only guy we have who can match Sarr for pace.

 

[SF_]

Happy enough with that, you can see Watford's quality yet we've had the only two chances. Liam Lindsay looking a monster again

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

We are playing both Hylton and Collins tonight, can’t remember that happening too much lately. Would have liked Adebayo to get a go as Hylton hasn’t shown anything in 2 years at this level to be honest. Looking at the team tonight and there isn’t much pace in it at all and if it’s 532 then that means Pearson is at right wing back which is a bit....well I hope that’s not it.

Interested to see how it actually shapes up a

 

[Kenneth E End]

1800 and 2015 KOs are rubbish. I haven't mentioned it much I know.

 

[Super_horns]

Nice to see we have another penalty taker !

 

[SF_]

0-0 all day if it wasn't for another fucking stupid penalty given away, just lazy by Barkhuizen, you don't get into a tangle of legs in the box.

I'd happily sell him in the summer, offering nothing going forward these days and that's his only contribution tonight. Fuck off.

 

[Kenneth E End]

I know we've been generally negative in our play all season, but Luton are stinking the place out this week.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Think we’ve done ok against a difficult to play against opponent really. Never going to be a pretty game with how they play. Playing Pearson as a right wing back is spectacularly negative though I will grant.

Dewsbury hall has pulled some strings a bit, but there’s pretty much 0 quality in attack. Collins should have scored too.

 

[oakroader]

Another shit fest ...
Naismith and Hylton...WTF!!
Waste of space

 

[Super_horns]

0-0 all day if it wasn't for another fucking stupid penalty given away, just lazy by Barkhuizen, you don't get into a tangle of legs in the box.

I'd happily sell him in the summer, offering nothing going forward these days and that's his only contribution tonight. Fuck off.

Wasn't a great game.

Only one shot on goal from either side.

Bog standard for us away from home!

 

[Kenneth E End]

Its like we play 46 games away from home.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Change at half time with Rea going into defence kind of worked against us in the end. Meant that no one was picking up that space in front of the defence that he normally patrols and that’s where the goal comes from. Good strike but he’s got so much time to shape and hit it that I’m not sure he has if Rea is playing there.

Once that went in its goodnight from our perspective as we are unable to come form behind. Dewsbury-Hall aside there is 0 quality in attacking areas from us.

 

[BelizeHatter]

Thought KDH and Pelly were poor tonight considering they are two of our best. Didnt keep the ball, distibute it, or patrol and were overrun in important moments. To be fair they must be so knackered with the schedule and continual games and no rest. Yet to work out why we signed Naismith but have faith theres a reason.

Lost to a decent side. Had more gears to click through but if we take one of our headed chances at nil nil its a different game......the Championship in a nutshell!!!! Good to be here considering where we have recently been so just move on.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Thought KDH and Pelly were poor tonight considering they are two of our best. Didnt keep the ball, distibute it, or patrol and were overrun in important moments. To be fair they must be so knackered with the schedule and continual games and no rest. Yet to work out why we signed Naismith but have faith theres a reason.

Lost to a decent side. Had more gears to click through but if we take one of our headed chances at nil nil its a different game......the Championship in a nutshell!!!! Good to be here considering where we have recently been so just move on.

I thought KDH did alright tbh especially first half, second half less so granted but felt that was because he was asked to do a job he isn't great at out of possession because Rea had to move back. He was the only one trying to do something positive at 0-0 i felt.

I feel for him a bit as he has no one to play off in attack, feel like if he isnt creating something then who will because no one else does anything. Our lack of ability in attack is pathetic to be honest. I doubt anyone will even remember the passage of play now but it infuriated me and was indicative of what has happened this season with KDH. About the 40 minute mark where he played a couple of one twos to release himself in the middle of the park, really nice clever bit of midfield play from him. He drove forward and played to Hylton in the box who took too many touches and lost the ball when what was needed was one touch and shot off. Might not have scored, might have been blocked before working the keeper but to not generate a shooting chance off that bit of play was appalling. Think they said on the Sky commentary only Wycombe have less shots per game than us and I can believe it.

If he isn't doing something no one else does. At 2-0 Pelly woke up and decided that he was able to carry the ball forward, which has always been a major strength of his but where is that at 0-0?

 

[CCFC_Charlie]

Having seen our team Norwich should be very disappointed if they don’t get at least 5 tonight.

 

[CCFC_Charlie]

Well, as anticipated that was utterly pathetic. Norwich won’t play an easier game of football all season. We are utter shit.

 

[Atavistic]

Well, there's two just before half-time, and it sounds like it could be more if not for some excellent saves from the keeper. We do usually drop off in pace and intensity for the first 15-20 minutes of the second half, so would expect us to focus more on seeing this out than going for too many more (especially with games coming thick and fast again with another match to play at the weekend).

Though, with Swansea and Brentford's goal difference so much better than ours, I would like to see us properly go for this and properly put a team to the sword for once.

 

[Super_horns]

Brentford the big losers.

Others win whilst they slip up.

 

[Atavistic]

As I expected, we ended up taking the foot off in the second half and just opted to see things out instead. Would have liked to see Farke use subs earlier when we're so comfortable and with another game fast approaching on Saturday, but oh well.

Good to see Brentford slip up again, but mildly frustrating that Forest couldn't keep Swansea at bay for a few minutes more.

Onto Rotherham at home on Saturday.

 

[CCFC_Charlie]

Yawn, 7 goals in 13 games. Gifted Norwich two of the easiest goals they’ll score all season and then were kind enough to let them have a rest for the next 45 minutes.

 

[Craig]

Shite

 

[Kenneth E End]

Thought KDH and Pelly were poor tonight considering they are two of our best. Didn't keep the ball, distribute it, or patrol and were overrun in important moments. To be fair they must be so knackered with the schedule and continual games and no rest. Yet to work out why we signed Naismith but have faith there's a reason.

Lost to a decent side. Had more gears to click through but if we take one of our headed chances at nil nil its a different game......the Championship in a nutshell!!!! Good to be here considering where we have recently been so just move on.

I can't disagree with this and Cardiff indeed are a well drilled side under McCarthy who gave us zero time on the ball.

This season is different from previous because of the pandemic and the absolute need to stay up at all costs, but next year we do need to get on the front foot more. I look at where Barnsley currently sit and their own style of football - it's like chalk and cheese compared to us, despite having very similar squads.

We took on the role of spoilers in this game and at no point did it look like we are actually trying to win the game. In previous years, managers would've been castigated for that.

 

[SF_]

Shite

Hey come on, even we beat Blackburn

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Seems like we will be without Tom Lockyer for a little bit after he picked up an ankle injury in midweek. Could be a big blow as he’s been superb since coming in and playing regularly. A big part of our defensive solidity that has been the basis of us being mid table so far.

 

[Kenneth E End]

Luton are doing the Stokey-cokey today. We have a pretty awful record against them since we regained our Championship place only getting 1 point and 1 last minute penalty goal against them in the 3 previous occasions since 2019.

Luton will be without Tom Ince against his parent club - makes me even more bemused as to why he only featured for 25 minutes on Tuesday. We can't really afford to have him to just 'get fit' now if that's the case.

I do hope we go slightly more on the front foot, albeit being away from home. Somehow I think we're going to be reverting to type by pushing for a tight 1-0 victory. Its going to even more difficult with Lockyer and probably Pearson. Hopefully Bree is OK to start and maybe Cranie will sit at CB rather than Rea.

Also - to a certain person: please stop cluttering my inbox with betting adverts. Thanks.

 

[Atavistic]

Rotherham at home today. As usual at this level, they've struggled to find any real form and find themselves the bottom, while we've started to hit form again after our poor run in January.

From past experience against Warne's Rotherham sides, I know they'll set out to make life difficult for us by being very physical and fighting hard to disrupt our play, so we need to be ready to respond to it. At the very least, playing on our own pitch rather than the quagmire we played on midweek at St. Andrew's will certainly help our cause, as will having Hugill back on the bench for our plan B option.

Only change to the starting XI from midweek I could see being made is Vrancic dropped to the bench and Dowell or someone else slotting in to that number 10 role instead, as Vrancic does not have the legs to start three games in a week anymore.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

I’m not expecting much from us today, going to a place we’ve a pretty poor record with a few injury question marks in our main area of strength - defence.

Hope we don’t end up moving Rea back to centre half to accommodate the injury as I think he is so important at defensive midfield when we dont have the ball, which let’s face it is most of the time. He’s got criticism this season, fairly probably as with the ball he is limited, but at his main job I think he’s been good by and large - as soon as he moved back midweek they score from a position he’d had have been in. So hoping Pearson at least is ok to go and partner Bradley.

Could really do with Bree being available for this otherwise it’s a more complicated picture, especially if Pearson isn’t good to go but given his record this season you can’t count on it.

Further forward think we’ve got to bank on set pieces, mistakes by Stoke as we are totally anaemic. Wouldn’t mind bringing in Moncur who has seemed to drop off the map recently and I’d seriously consider giving Adebayo a start just to see if he can do something a bit different. Not that he had any time to get in the game in midweek just at 6’4 and seemed reasonably quick he’s a bit different.

 

[oakroader]

I’m not expecting much from us today, going to a place we’ve a pretty poor record with a few injury question marks in our main area of strength - defence.

Hope we don’t end up moving Rea back to centre half to accommodate the injury as I think he is so important at defensive midfield when we dont have the ball, which let’s face it is most of the time. He’s got criticism this season, fairly probably as with the ball he is limited, but at his main job I think he’s been good by and large - as soon as he moved back midweek they score from a position he’d had have been in. So hoping Pearson at least is ok to go and partner Bradley.

Could really do with Bree being available for this otherwise it’s a more complicated picture, especially if Pearson isn’t good to go but given his record this season you can’t count on it.

Further forward think we’ve got to bank on set pieces, mistakes by Stoke as we are totally anaemic. Wouldn’t mind bringing in Moncur who has seemed to drop off the map recently and I’d seriously consider giving Adebayo a start just to see if he can do something a bit different. Not that he had any time to get in the game in midweek just at 6’4 and seemed reasonably quick he’s a bit different.

adebayo should start...couldn't be any more impotent than what we've got up front ....

 

[SF_]

Very little interest in today's game, Cardiff seem to be in decent form and we're, well.... not.

Not sure whether we will revert back to the 5-3-2 that saw us win at Blackburn, I probably would but I don't know how Cardiff set up under McCarthy.

I'd go with:

Iversen
Storey, Lindsay, Hughes
Browne, Whiteman, Ledson, Cunningham
Gordon
Evans, Riis​