FT: WALES 0-0 POLAND. AET. Poland win on penalties.

Pene are Pens can go either way

The subs were on another level, why was Rambo there if you are not going to use him the last 5 mins for pen. Wilson and Moore were gone for the last 20 mins?

Probably best for Page to go

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Originally Posted by CopenhagenBlue

I actually thought Page got it right for once, and we were the better side for most of the game. Poland didn't manage a single shot on target, with one of the best striker in the world.
I'm gutted but ultimately optimistic about this side going forward. The core of this team has huge experience together and loads of them are 23 and younger. The future is definitely bright.

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Felt the momentum from Finland was lost by having Moore and we seemed to go long too early - personally feel brooks would have helped us move around and create space against what seemed a fairly imobile central defence that did pretty well to contain Moore

The rest I agree with re the future - it's a youngish side with quite a lot of experience already

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Originally Posted by LA Bluebird

It’s far from the first time Page has forgotten to use his subs in a key situation. Sorry, he’s done a passable job but not the manager to take us forward in my book. How you look at that last performance and decide to do the total opposite a few days later is totally beyond me.

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This.

Thing is the lineup against Finland is versatile because you have multiple ways to change players around and you can insert Kiefer against a tired defense and have him take advantage.

Starting with him is fine, and I agree that for the first 70 we played well and it was working, but then you have to have a plan that when he tires to change things around. By bringing Johnson off he massively limits his options there when he was one of our more dangerous players, and then when we are obviously knackered all over the field he just does… nothing. Like we have one tactic to start the game and there’s no option to change it after that.

Oh well, if Davies is two inches further back he’s a hero again but he’s very tactically limited for me.

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Originally Posted by Tuerto

So, it's the fault of Page. Nothing to do with the outfield players who created not very much for 2 hours? I'm not being critical of anyone. Decent enough performance from Wales. Both teams pretty ordinary. We didn't really trouble Poland, we were at home, it's our job to trouble them.

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No. I think he picked the wrong keeper for pens.

But overall I don’t think there is much more he could have done tactically. I thought first half was very good, and second half decent. I did prefer Johnson up the middle though the other night, because it gives the “ball down the middle” option v Poland’s less quicker defenders.

Kiefer did all right tonight but the pace ball was always wide. I do suspect that Johnson might have troubled them a little more but that is speculation.

We lost by slender margins. Such is life.

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Originally Posted by Eric Cartman

I am never really sure how this works, goalie guessed the right way or the plays that scored knocking it down the middle waited/tricked the goalie into moving.

If the goalie goes the other way James' penalty looks as good as some of the others.

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The Polish players really put their boot the ball though. James penalty was totally reliant on the keeper going the wrong way. It was the perfect height for a keeper and not struck well enough. Just a bad pen , pressure told. Shit happens.

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Originally Posted by Keyser Soze

No. I think he picked the wrong keeper for pens.

But overall I don’t think there is much more he could have done tactically. I thought first half was very good, and second half decent. I did prefer Johnson up the middle though the other night, because it gives the “ball down the middle” option v Poland’s less quicker defenders.

Kiefer did all right tonight but the pace ball was always wide. I do suspect that Johnson might have troubled them a little more but that is speculation.

We lost by slender margins. Such is life.

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Fair shout :thumbup:

Page says Brooks has been ill and hadnt trained so thats why he came off.

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Originally Posted by Tuerto

And me, people on here always looking for someone to blame. Sometimes nobody is at fault.

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Agree can't wait until 5pm Friday when we can legitimately blame the manager and any other cannon fodder in a blue shirt 👍👍

We shaded it for 105 minutes; were hanging on for 15 minutes; and their penalties were better.

Could have gone either way over the whole evening.

I expected Poland to win before kick off, and although it is frustrating and disappointing, Wales matched them.

A young(ish) team in transition that gives a lot of hope for the future.

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Originally Posted by CopenhagenBlue

I actually thought Page got it right for once, and we were the better side for most of the game. Poland didn't manage a single shot on target, with one of the best striker in the world.
I'm gutted but ultimately optimistic about this side going forward. The core of this team has huge experience together and loads of them are 23 and younger. The future is definitely bright.

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Absolutely.

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Originally Posted by Nobody's Rep

Agree can't wait until 5pm Friday when we can legitimately blame the manager and any other cannon fodder in a blue shirt 👍👍

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Anyway let's put this to bed and go crazy when the Blooooobirds beat Sunderland on Friday. A win and the play off dream is still on 👍

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Originally Posted by Hilts

Page says Brooks has been ill and hadnt trained so thats why he came off.

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So why wasn't Colwill on the bench? Game was crying out for him. And he takes a good pen

I thought the media and some of the pundits were far too cocky

Poland are an experienced international side

Not what they were but plenty of class and nous

We were at home and ultimately failed to open them up enough

If we had carved out lots of chances then we could have felt hard done by but we were not worthy of an outright win and that's the way it goes sadly

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Originally Posted by jon1959

We shaded it for 105 minutes; were hanging on for 15 minutes; and their penalties were better.

Could have gone either way over the whole evening.

I expected Poland to win before kick off, and although it is frustrating and disappointing, Wales matched them.

A young(ish) team in transition that gives a lot of hope for the future.

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Totally.

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Originally Posted by Tuerto

And me, people on here always looking for someone to blame. Sometimes nobody is at fault.

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Shouldn’t questions be asked as to why we only used three subs in a game which lasted 120 minutes though?

I have a quibble about what Ramsey was doing there as well, but, that apart, I wouldn’t be too critical - that Armenia defeat was what really buggered our chances up not Dan James or what Page did or didn’t do tonight.

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Originally Posted by CopenhagenBlue

I actually thought Page got it right for once, and we were the better side for most of the game. Poland didn't manage a single shot on target, with one of the best striker in the world.
I'm gutted but ultimately optimistic about this side going forward. The core of this team has huge experience together and loads of them are 23 and younger. The future is definitely bright.

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This.

I expected Poland to win fairly comfortably tonight. They didn’t and it literally, by any definition, couldn’t have been closer than to lose 5-4 on penalties.

Many will say it was a mistake that Rambo didn’t come on but it wasn’t long ago it would be inconceivable not starting him, especially now we are without Bale. Now we have other options.

This team has a good future

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Originally Posted by the other bob wilson

Shouldn’t questions be asked as to why we only used three subs in a game which lasted 120 minutes though?

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If you want to ask those questions, crack on. But there has to be balance and fairness. Some people on here use stuff like that as a definitive reason as to why we lost. Which is simply bollocks.

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Originally Posted by the other bob wilson

Shouldn’t questions be asked as to why we only used three subs in a game which lasted 120 minutes though?

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And one of the subs had to be subbed as he wasnt fit due to illness.

Argually our best player was subbed as well.

Why was Ramsey on the bench if he wasnt going to be used as a sub.

It would be a pretty boring forum if we said ah well perhaps no one was at fault.😂😂😂

Theres plenty of positives with some of our young players going forward. We may not have a superstar like Bale but a number of good young players. But the chance of our fans having a tournament away in Germany is gone forever.

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Originally Posted by the other bob wilson

Shouldn’t questions be asked as to why we only used three subs in a game which lasted 120 minutes though?

I have a quibble about what Ramsey was doing there as well, but, that apart, I wouldn’t be too critical - that Armenia defeat was what really buggered our chances up not Dan James or what Page did or didn’t do tonight.

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I missed the 2nd part of your reply for some reason. I would agree, The Armenia game was the killer.

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Originally Posted by Tuerto

I missed the 2nd part of your reply for some reason. I would agree, The Armenia game was the killer.

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I added the second para after posting the message.

I see the team that won our group, Turkey, lost 6-1 to Austria tonight.

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Originally Posted by the other bob wilson

Shouldn’t questions be asked as to why we only used three subs in a game which lasted 120 minutes though?

I have a quibble about what Ramsey was doing there as well, but, that apart, I wouldn’t be too critical - that Armenia defeat was what really buggered our chances up not Dan James or what Page did or didn’t do tonight.

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Yep. We took four points off Croatia. Yet were hammered at home by Armenia in a game where Page got his tactics badly wrong. Armenia loaded down their flanks and Page didn't counter it. Shades of campaign's in the past where we slipped on that banana skin.

I didn't think all of the Poland penalties were great. Lewandowski's was the Fernandez skip and Ward dived past another. Regarding subs why did Page move Johnson to the right at half time when he was so effective on the left first half? Why was Broadhead brought on so late to then not take a penalty? Why was Brooks brought on if he was ill? Why not use more subs especially late on to improve our penalty taking? These are all questions Page needs to answer.

I was surprised at the starting line up but Brooks, as was proved, was not 100%, bringing him on was a gamble that failed to pay off. Thing is though despite the substitution, nothing changed. Perhaps bringing Moore off and moving Johnson inside would have been the plan B that could have thrown the Polish defence. Instead it was, more or less, like for like. I’d have liked to have seen Johnson in a central role with the ball on the deck. I like attacking substitutions to mix things up, to bring a different approach, unsettle defenders, especially central defenders who’ve had a 60 minute aerial, roughhouse battle to be suddenly finding themselves having to turn and chase a whippet.

Im used to Wales falling at the last hurdle, Im old enough to accept thats what we do

Now im not a " page out " bloke, but you have to question why with 1 min to go, he didnt get a recognised team Pen taker on the pitch, really dont know why he didnt get Rambo on