2022/23 Matchday Thread

[Kenneth E End]

Anyone want a new arsehole... Tatith Chong has just torn Luton one. Its the first time an opposition player has been applauded by the home fans since Ricky Lambert scored from 40 yards out.

But Luton were absolutely inept all over the park. The worst home performance we lost v Reading 5-0 in July 2020. But we have a tendency of coming back from those sort of games with a positive one. Played 4 and in 11th place is probably "where we are at" right now, but that was a worrying defensive performance. They just gave up.

Doesn't get any easier with Sheffield United next week.

 

[djs]

I've just read the quotes from NJ about the players. At the risk of upsetting any antivaxxers on here, I'm bloody angry. He doesn't know how many players have had the first jab, and says that only a few have had the second.
Firstly WHY NOT? He is the manager for crying out loud. Secondly, what on earth goes through the players mind when they decide not to get jabbed, especially given the close contact they are in with each other all week? And given that some caught covid, wouldn't that persuade the others to get jabbed. It's not as if Bradley for example has an aversion to needles is it?
Colin was saying similar at Middlesbrough this week. I must say that if I was a manager I would tell all of my players to get jabbed or stay away from the club full stop. They are no use to anyone sat at home with covid.

(Mind you, anyone watching Pelly today would say that his best position would be at home. The worst, by a distance, of a bad bunch today)

Rant over.

 

[CCFC_Charlie]

We've had a very kind start to the season so I won't get carried away but we've been brilliant so far. If only we were a bit better in front of goal we'd be looking a lot more comfortable.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Im still really confused as to why we felt we needed to go so direct today. We spent all pre-season playing 433 and brought in a couple of wingers to enable us to play that formation, then go into a home game against Birmingham with 3 at the back and looking to smash it long to Adebayo because we think we cant control the midfield i assume? Worked midweek i guess but felt like that was an approach for a specific game, not something we would want to continue, especially at home where you would think you would want to impose your "Plan A".

Some absolutely stinking performances in there, obviously the centre halves primary among them but others didnt cover themselves in glory. Thought Bree was absolutely shocking, Bell couldnt cope with Chong, Pelly had one of his really bad games and Adebayo worked hard but struggled to win anything, Muskwe was totally out of the game and im not sure that is his position at all.

Total system failure, hopefully an anomaly - we do have some injuries you can point too but some concerning things there for us to chew on.

 

[SF_]

We were pretty good today but it highlights our inability to convert chances, their keeper was kept busy when a good striker would have just buried some of these chances. Whiteman hit the bar too in his best pefrormance for the club.

Iversen showing his worth later on when Peterborough went for it. DJ back on his game. Bauer made a massive difference at the back.

Nice to get our first win and a clean sheet but we were up against the worst manager in the league.

 

[CCFC_Charlie]

Reading were really, really bad today btw. They’ll be right in the mix to go down.

 

[Super_horns]

I've just read the quotes from NJ about the players. At the risk of upsetting any antivaxxers on here, I'm bloody angry. He doesn't know how many players have had the first jab, and says that only a few have had the second.
Firstly WHY NOT? He is the manager for crying out loud. Secondly, what on earth goes through the players mind when they decide not to get jabbed, especially given the close contact they are in with each other all week? And given that some caught covid, wouldn't that persuade the others to get jabbed. It's not as if Bradley for example has an aversion to needles is it?
Colin was saying similar at Middlesbrough this week. I must say that if I was a manager I would tell all of my players to get jabbed or stay away from the club full stop. They are no use to anyone sat at home with covid.

Steve Bruce was saying he thinks many players believe the conspiracy theorists.

He himself thought it was important that players got the jab.

Newcastle were one club badly hit by the virus.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Without wishing to cast aspersions, and it is a rather sweeping generalisation on my part, but it’s a demographic who probably aren’t highly educated and for who education when they were in it probably wasn’t a huge part of there lives. Could easily see it being a demographic who is far more susceptible to believing conspiracy theories than the rest of the population as a result of that as we have seen a correlation to education and believing of some of the more wacky conspiracy theories out there.

If there are players unwilling you have to question the judgment really. It’s a virus that can have big impacts on lung capapctiy which you would think a footballer would probably quite like to avoid given the nature of the job! Even if the chances of you being badly impacted are relatively small you surely don’t want to take the risk if there is an option there that means if you do get it you are much better protected.

 

[Kenneth E End]

I've just read the quotes from NJ about the players. At the risk of upsetting any antivaxxers on here, I'm bloody angry. He doesn't know how many players have had the first jab, and says that only a few have had the second.
Firstly WHY NOT? He is the manager for crying out loud. Secondly, what on earth goes through the players mind when they decide not to get jabbed, especially given the close contact they are in with each other all week? And given that some caught covid, wouldn't that persuade the others to get jabbed. It's not as if Bradley for example has an aversion to needles is it?
Colin was saying similar at Middlesbrough this week. I must say that if I was a manager I would tell all of my players to get jabbed or stay away from the club full stop. They are no use to anyone sat at home with covid.

(Mind you, anyone watching Pelly today would say that his best position would be at home. The worst, by a distance, of a bad bunch today)

Rant over.

As I mentioned on here a few weeks ago. The Daily Mail was reporting that one Championship club had a player refusing the vaccine, brings Covid into the club and then takes three players with him. Considering at the same time as that article, we had lost Burke, Lockyer and Bradley...

It sounds like Sonny Bradley has long Covid - that probably means he won't be back before the international break. And for a change, I can't wait for it to arrive, giving us the opportunity to get everyone back. Considering at the end of last year he had a very good reason to understand the dangers of this virus, to get long Covid probably means he's refused the vaccine up until now. I dearly hope I a wrong.

It sounds like Jones is trying to cover for his players - he definitely "knows". What we do know is that because of it, all of our pre-season work has now gone up in smoke.

 

[Kenneth E End]

Without wishing to cast aspersions, and it is a rather sweeping generalisation on my part, but it’s a demographic who probably aren’t highly educated and for who education when they were in it probably wasn’t a huge part of there lives.

Whereas I am going to cast aspersions - footballers by and large are thick. And they are too stupid to realise that their actions are putting people in increasing danger. Those who are refusing it should remember that many of the supporters who have financed their wages are no longer here. And that the country, government included, worked exceptionally hard to get their careers back on track before most others.

 

[SF_]

Meh, there's no Carabao Cup thread.

orecambe away tonight, wanted to go but this sold out stupidly quick and I wasn't paying attention.

Not sure how much i'd change as we could do with building up confidence and getting another win under our belts. That said, we also need to give players minutes and maybe put a few in the shop window.

Unsure whether Bauer is ready to play twice in a week at this stage.

I'd maybe go with something like this:

Rudd
Rafferty, Storey, Lindsay, Cunningham
Leigh
Ledson, Bayliss
Thomas
Riis, Sinclair​

 

[SF_]

2-1 up at HT.

Riis with both, nice finish from a good through ball by DJ for the first then a gift after their defender ran into their keeper for the second.

They pulled one back just before half time, with us not dealing with a set piece.

Sounds like a 2 goal lead would have flattered us.

 

[SF_]

Finished 4-2, seemed a really good game, Morecambe seem a decent outfit.

Ledson's goal was an absolute screamer, Sepp Van Den Berg with the 4th, first of his career I think.

 

[SF_]

Swansea at home on Saturday, they haven't started well but we've played the division's shite and have only managed 3 measly points.

Was a big improvement on Saturday and we actually got it down and played football but who knows if we can do that against an established Championship side. Swansea's first 11 is still decent on paper despite losing Ayew, Jamal Lowe worries me.

Maguire deserves to keep his place, alongside Riis who bagged his 4th of the season last night.
If Barkhuizen is back from Covid then i'd play him at wingback, moving VDB into the centre to replace Storey.

Iversen
VDB - Bauer - Hughes
Barkhuizen - Ledson - Whiteman - Earl
Johnson
Riis - Maguire​

Not confident.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

We’ve Sheffield United at home. They have not had the best of starts at all, but still have quality in there especially in areas that will likely hurt us - any long ball into McBurnie is going to be a good option given the centre half situation!

Sneaky “important” game I think. Not season defining or anything like that but we lose this, then we go into the international break with some negativity and concerns given the last 2 results and that can hang over things for a little while and begin some negative momentum. A win or draw and things don’t seem that bad and the Birmingham game can begin to be written off as a bad day at the office rather than anything fundamental

 

[BelizeHatter]

Plus we normally bounce back next game after a tactical meltdown/ horror show....... Have a nasty feeling we could get more of the same as last week

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

We’ve gone 3 at the back again, with back 3 being Burke Osho Naismith I think. So Burke comes in for his debut. Looking light in midfield with Pelly/Campbell though in my view but good to actually have some centre halves to choose from with him back in and Osho, Lockyer available

Honestly don’t remember us playing in a back 3 at home and it being successful despite many attempts.

 

[BelizeHatter]

It just doesnt seem a natural formation for us. Seems a bit desperate, lump bodies in the middle because your favoured and trusted back four isnt available.

 

[BelizeHatter]

Seems it is a back four at the start with Osho playing DM

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

First 10 mins I was a bit concerned as we seemed to be getting passed around very easily, but we’ve grown into it and ended with the ascendancy really. It’s not 3 at the back but with Osho as the DM and has to be said he’s doing it very well so far. Burke has been steady and done the basics which we didn’t last week. As usual quality in attacking areas a bit lacking though. Only reallly 1 decent ball for Adebayo and unfortunately he planted the header well over. Got into some good areas only for that final bit piece of the puzzle to be lacking.

We are more than matching them though which is good to see and much better than last week.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Real strong performance that by us. Second half we pressed the life out of them, they never really had a moments peace on the ball and we generated a decent amount of opportunities from that. Unfortunate the best of those fell to Cornick who to be fair did pretty well with the shot that hit the bar.

Few moments of calm headedness in the final third and I think we create even more. Had them, recently ex premier league and all, resorting to wycombesque tactical injury timeouts to break the momentum.

Osho man of the match for me, Burke was very good to on debut so all in feeling a lot better than this time last week!

 

[BelizeHatter]

As above. Bell came back with a strong performance and Kal was much better and dominant. Fred is an exciting addition. Something tends to happen when he has the ball.

 

[Super_horns]

What a crowd at Huddersfield!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58289216

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

When I saw there summer signings I thought they were cruising for a real shit show but they’ve done well in the first few games so far. Still might go the wrong way but maybe corberan is doing something there.

Has to be said good time to play reading, seems they will be adding to the squad a fair bit

 

[oakroader]

What a crowd at Huddersfield!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58289216

Blimey..did they top and tale them?

 

[Kenneth E End]

Anyone else this season notice a real drop in the standard of match officials this season so far. I had feared this considering the four best referees were promoted this summer to go and hold a fourth official’s board or sit in the VAR box. And I don’t like to criticise officials as a qualified official in another sport myself.

Yesterday it was no exception. Luton got zero out of the officials and I include the assistants too… the one next to the Main Stand in particular gave absolutely nothing Luton’s way. He was on the end of a Jones tirade at the end of the game, of which he reacted

I really want to see the Onyedinma disallowed goal again as I thought he was played on by a defender and the linesman panicked. He also missed countless handballs and fouls in our direction and especially second half, Utd had to just throw themselves to the floor and they’d get a foul. In the whole od the first half we were the recipients of just two. He then didn’t allow an obvious advantage through on goal.

Since, it’s been pointed out that this was the referee who guessed the Collins double touch penalty from last year after protestations from Warnock up at Middlesbrough.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

I’ve noticed they are very very willing to give cheap free kicks to centre halves who are under pressure in the press. Feels like that’s a legit tactic at the moment for dealing with a well organised press at the moment - look up, see no options and 3 orange shirts bearing down on you, await Adebayo to breathe on you, fall over = free kick. Some of those they clearly initiate contact themselves or simply await it and fall over and they blow up. Pretty obvious they just don’t want to deal with a manager at the end of the game saying “we should have had a free kick in the build up to the goal”.

They are very happy to give those but seem to be letting some blatant stuff go, Pelly got body checked yesterday when going past a defender, 10x more contact than any of those cheap ones above and ref sees nothing doing because it’s in midfield and probably won’t lead to anything but if that happens in a dangerous area you can bet he’s blowing up. You can’t have that inconsistency. If ones a foul then the other should be, or neither should be but you need to call the game consistently.

The Lino on the main stand side yesterday was poor but my first thought was Onyedinma was off to be fair to him and I’m more or less in line. That lino was also getting distracted by talking back to people in the stand at times, which most seem able to ignore so he seemed a particularly prickly character

 

[Super_horns]

I know in the PL refs have been told to not be less fussy with giving free kicks for soft touches but not sure if that message has been the same in the Championship- seems not.

Mind you now Klopp and OGS have moaned about officials being too lenient that will probably change !

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

I know in the PL refs have been told to not be less fussy with giving free kicks for soft touches but not sure if that message has been the same in the Championship- seems not.

Mind you now Klopp and OGS have moaned about officials being too lenient that will probably change !

They are I think but not applied consistently in my view which is the problem with those “directives” as they are very open to interpretation.

Feels like centre halves are still getting those cheap fouls but the midfield area they are letting things go a bit more

 

[SF_]

Very good performance.

Riis is going to be a top player at this level, 5 goals in August, pace, skill, height, strength, two-footed. Give him stuff to run onto and he'll take the piss. Should have had a penalty too.

Nice goal by VDB too, looking good in that right wingback role.