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Nice one bob. Great write up.
You’ve said out when you mean our in your second paragraph btw.
I've just gone through it correcting a few things and generally tidying things up, but I'd missed that one - thanks :thumbup:.Quote:
Originally Posted by rudy gestede
Great report Bob. Normally after going into work after a 3-0 midweek win (not that I can remember the occasion) I'd be bouncing with enthusiasm and analysing the league table time after time.
I've made it into work this morning still shaking my head in disbelief as to how we won the match last night let alone by the score line 3-0. Other than Bennett who was run ragged by their lad I didn't think any of the city boys had a bad game, but we were chasing shadows for at least 70 minutes. Don't get me wrong I'm thrilled we picked up 3 points, but if we really do consider ourselves play off contenders we need to improve hugely.
Sign of a good team in many ways.
I thought they were three well constructed goals, and on the whole we defended well. Bennett having a tough time first half but flint covered well.
The possession is a worry when it's low 30s or even high 20s as it were. In the PL we would have had no chance but in this league the defending for our first two wasn't there and we took the chances well. Whether we will be able to do that more often than not, I'm not so sure.
They were very good on the ball (we also are happy to concede so much in less dangerous areas) and the no. 10 far too good for this league but despite that they didn't look very good up top. When they had the ball in the more dangerous areas we generally tightened up well.
On another day they could have beaten us or it could have been 4-4, given we also had further good chances with Glatzel and was it Pack with the late header from the free kick?
My mate on the way out said qpr were unlucky having hit the post twice, an inch inside and they would have scored, but I always think of the mighty ducks film I saw as a kid "well yea but a quarter of an inch the other way and you would have missed completely"
Colin Murray made an interesting point on Quest, when he said of all the starters last night, only Morrison, Peltier, Bennett and Paterson were regulars when we last won promotion and looking at the players brought in, the team isn't as good as it was 2 years ago.
Do they show the mid week highlights? I had no ideaQuote:
Originally Posted by Eric the Half a Bee
Repeated this morning as wellQuote:
Originally Posted by Trigger
And this is why I think there is misplaced optimism from the Warnockball fans.
There’s a lot of luck involved in getting success with this style of play, which is one thing at this level, quite another if we want to get to and stay in the Premier League.
The argument re possession will roll on and on. Like most, I would like to see us control the ball better, take ownership of it and use it to great effect. But it isn’t the Warnock way and whilst we keep picking up points, which I very much want us to do, that will not change.Quote:
Originally Posted by the other bob wilson
More disappointing is what we do when we have the ball. Only 56% of our passes were completed compared with QPR’s 83%. That will be because many of theirs were tippy tippy but also because our passing is often long ball and speculative. We
We played 4-3-3 at Hull and had over 50% possession. Yesterday we reverted to 4-2-3-1 because Ralls was injured and had less than 30% possession. I don't think it's entirely coincidental.
Do agree with your summary .Quote:
Originally Posted by Trigger
You can see the side taking shape now and with Pack in the side it allows a bit of freedom for others to express themselves , we could have scored more .
As Eric points out only Morrison, Peltier, Bennett and Paterson were regulars when we last won promotion so this is a new side in all reality, trying to knit together.
I though QPR were very neat and yes hit the posts ( so have we in other games ) ,we just looked much stronger all over the field .
There were some nice inter passing ( not enough though )
I''m pleasantly optimistic , but aware were not pretty to watch .
Morrison back to his best was a massive plus .
We have not played many above us if nay so lets see what happens in the next few games .
City forever
It's also worth noting that our long ball accuracy is among the worst in the division, so while it's right that our overall pass completion rate will be lower as a result, we're actually not very good at playing long balls either. Long balls also need two to tango, the passer and having someone getting on the end of it. Man City's long passing success rate is pretty high because it is usually considered. Ours tends to be more lumping it forward in hope than to a target.Quote:
Originally Posted by BLUEAWAY
I think you've centred on an important point. I've quite often heard Neil Warnock criticise our passing after games during his three years at the club and while I accept that he has a philosophy which doesn't place as much importance on retaining possession as most other managers these days, I cannot believe that he would be happy with that figure of 56% you mention. As you say, some of the difference between our figure and most of the opponents we play is down to the type of passes that our players are encouraged to play, we look to hit passes, not hoofs, into the space behind the line of defenders as quickly as possible, so it has to follow that our percentages are going to be lower and the truth is that, almost certainly, our players are better at passing the ball than our figures imply.Quote:
Originally Posted by BLUEAWAY
However, I maintain that, especially late on in games where you're winning or drawing, taking the heat out of things by retaining the ball for a while is one of the most effective ways of ensuring a result for your team, but we're not as good as other sides at doing that based on what I've seen in the last three years - we've been good at grinding out wins by single goal margins under Neil Warnock, but this has usually been because we have defended our lead well, rather than the opposition have struggled to get the ball off us.
Can someone tell me what chances QPR had after a bright opening spell. It wasn’t a 3-0 game but I thought we controlled the last hour of the game perfectly once we got to grips with the way they were playing after a dodgy opening half hour.
I can remember one shot against the post and one decent Smithies save second half. If that had been us chasing the game at Hull I’d be pretty disappointed.
Bennett was shocking and not just last night, Murphy was worse if that's possibleQuote:
Originally Posted by Hot Shot Hamish.
Well put simply … that was a fantastic read.
With one of the best introductions to a match report I have ever read.
I learn more from these home game reports regularly than I would glean if I had been there!
Thank you.
Almost everyone around me were bored last night, and while it was nice to see the three goals go on the game failed to get fans excited at all. As TOBW says it was strange leaving the ground after a 3-0 and feeling so flat! And I watched football on Quest last night, and it's true that we are not as good as two seasons ago, but we are 2 points off the Play-Off placed and undefeated in 5 home games, with 4 of them being wins (don't mention the away stats!). So on a positive note it's better to be playing the way we are and be on 16 points than be where Stoke are are the moment. Probably only Leeds and Swansea are the two much better teams at the moment, as for the others results wise we are pretty much the same as them.
Teams will take point of each other all through this season, it may now take until Christmas for gaps to open up in the League table.
I just hope we can sneak a luck win at WBA at the weekend.
Lazy journalism from plastic Scouser Murray. For a start Patterson was on the bench.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric the Half a Bee
Etheridge Ralls Hoillett Bamba and maybe even NML will all heavily feature this season.
In fact our 2 regular wingers were on the bench as 2 new signings were preferred.
Thanks very much for that, it genuinely means a lot to me :thumbup:.Quote:
Originally Posted by AlwaysAway2
I thought Murphy played like someone whose confidence was absolutely shot - I was predicting that he would be taken off at half time and yet he lasted the whole game!Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe Gillis
I think this squad is a long way off the 'quality' of the promotion squad, and I use italics because we weren't exactly playing attractive, open football then. But I remember us passing the ball around a lot better - the home games against Aston Villa, Sunderland and Leeds in particular. As I've commentated before, then Ralls was our least skillful player in the middle of the pitch - this season he's the most creative. There were times last night when we caught QPR on the counter-attack yet couldn't deliver a shot on goal because of our inability to make a simple pass to a player in space. That's frustrating to watch..Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric the Half a Bee
Quote:
Originally Posted by A Quiet Monkfish
The difficult question to answer is whether our players would be individually better playing another system or for another manager.
Wasn't he subbed at half time in the last home game? Previous to that, against Derby, the only thing that stopped him being subbed at half time in that game was the goal he scored. I cannot understand how he is being picked every weekQuote:
Originally Posted by the other bob wilson
I suspect Bennett was poor because he had Murphy ahead. Bennett always plays better with Hoilett.Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe Gillis
Cunningham should never have been allowed to go on loan, last night he could have played and given Joe a rest :facepalm:Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe Gillis
I'm sure Neil Warnock said a few weeks back that Ciaron Brown is now seen as the left back cover in the squad. It was when he was asked about Brown's debut for Northern Ireland.Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Pontprennau Blues
He may turn out to be a star, but for now a player just out of the u23s who spent most of the last few years as a centre back is the cover and challenge to Joe Bennett. That doesn't shout squad depth!
Villa had 65% possession that day, Leeds 60% (even though they only had 10 men for the second half) and even Sunderland had 53%. Over the season we recorded the fewest passes in the division, the lowest pass completion rate and the fourth lowest average possession.Quote:
Originally Posted by A Quiet Monkfish
I wish I could remember the passing football we played that season but I can't. I remember Brentford playing us off the pitch (70%) and losing 2-0, Norwich doing the same and losing 3-1. I kept thinking we were being lucky but we kept winning enough games to go up and I never really had a clue how we did it, right to the end.
We had the highest number of set-piece goals that season (21) and if we carry on putting them away like last night then we'll probably be there or thereabouts again this season. It hurts my eyes to watch it and I'd probably be a bit embarrassed to bring friends to a game (if I had any) but the end is in sight now. For better (hopefully) or worse, it'll be a different football club next season.
Great example of Warnockball last night. Wish I could say the OP was a similarly good example of writing.
I expect it really hurt Bob and a few others here to see the team win 3-0 , but he still managed to hate on them
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeremy corbyn
I don't suspect that was the reason why Bennett lacked a yard of pace, or why he didn't get closer to his man or why he was he was so easily turned inside out all the time. You can't lay any of that at Murphy's feet.
Bennett isn't that good.
The depends if Warnock does finish and who his successor is.Quote:
Originally Posted by Loramski
Telling comments from the manager in an interview on the BBC website today:
"We have an Under-23 league and I feel it is an absolute waste of time. I feel sorry for the players because it is all 'pass, pass, pass' and they don't teach players how to win games."
Footballers passing the ball? Perish the thought.
:hehe:
How so? TOBW merely points out that despite barely having the ball, City somehow won 3-0.Quote:
Originally Posted by RonnieBird
It’s a widely held summation of the game and it’s his opinion that it wasn’t entertaining to watch.
You have no right to infer that people such as him are somehow not behind the team and are not entitled to criticise.
Not all of us are Warnock lemmings!
I hate this tippy tappy nonsense
https://twitter.com/KevinKkf2/status...735708672?s=19
"This media may contain sensitive material."Quote:
Originally Posted by thehumblegringo
Yup.
It's not ideal phrasing but when I was at Man Uni, we used to go play 5 a side after Man City's academy sides played their games on Saturdays at Platt Lane. They're taught the fundamentals which is great but there's no intensity to the games and they're glorified training sessions. I enjoyed it because of the talent on show but it was not a competitive game by any measure. I don't think there's a benefit to u23 players playing that type of football.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Lone Gunman
There's obviously a balance to be had, but clubs all around the country seem to be able to produce talented young first team players who have graduated through their academies and Under-23 teams. Meanwhile, the current Cardiff manager apparently believes his club's system has no benefit and he instead prefers to sign a player who came through the Irish system because, and I quote: "It's a man's game there."Quote:
Originally Posted by Pedro de la Rosa
To me, the interview speaks volumes about Warnock and his philosophy.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49927714
That's true but even sensible pundits like Danny Gabbidon and Iwan Roberts moan about u23 football. Warnock has many, many failings, and perhaps (almost certainly) we're miles behind in this country but most senior pros seem to think the reserve football in it's current incarnation is a complete waste of time as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Lone Gunman
And yet both England and Wales currently have squads filled with talented young footballers who are very comfortable on the ball. As I said previously, there's clearly a balance. The current system no doubt has its flaws, but it's producing some excellent players, so it's obviously not a complete waste of time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pedro de la Rosa
How many of those players were playing u23 football though? Brooks, Sterling, Sancho, CHO etc all broke through at an extremely young age. I think the problem is after you've learnt the fundamentals at u18 level and you're into your 20s, there's nowhere to go if you're not in the first team.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Lone Gunman
I've no idea. I couldn't tell you about the development of individual players. However, it appears to me that England and Wales currently have younger squads than has generally been the case throughout my 45 years following football, and most of the players in those squads also appear more comfortable with a football at their feet than has generally been the case.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pedro de la Rosa
Regardless, the main issue (for me at least) is that City currently have a manager who is seemingly opposed to the idea that young players should 'pass, pass, pass' and that philosophy manifests itself very clearly when his team plays.