Familiar faults contribute to drab stalemate as Play Off hopes dwindle.

[the other bob wilson]

Poor passing to the fore yet again and yet successive managers appear to be happy to let it continue!

https://mauveandyellowarmy.net/

[A Quiet Monkfish]

Poor passing to the fore yet again and yet successive managers appear to be happy to let it continue!

https://mauveandyellowarmy.net/

McCarthy has made the team better, not the players. They played out of their skins for 9/10 games, but collectively they just aren't in the same league as the top 6 - and a lot of others. Modern footballers pass the ball first time, play clever flicks, dummies, feints, can find another player with a quick pass, receive the ball without having to play it three times. Our normal back 3 can't even find a City player with all the time in the world to do so. We could just as easily be 5 points off relegation without a shrewd experienced manager playing to our [limited] strengths.

[Don Corleone]

McCarthy has made the team better, not the players. They played out of their skins for 9/10 games, but collectively they just aren't in the same league as the top 6 - and a lot of others. Modern footballers pass the ball first time, play clever flicks, dummies, feints, can find another player with a quick pass, receive the ball without having to play it three times. Our normal back 3 can't even find a City player with all the time in the world to do so. We could just as easily be 5 points off relegation without a shrewd experienced manager playing to our [limited] strengths.

I can’t believe that we don’t have the players to pass the ball a little better, Flint excepted, anywhere in our own half they are just putting their foot through the ball. That’s surely an instruction, problem is it seems to be becoming ingrained once again and we’re not playing any football at the top end of the pitch either

[WJ99mobile]

I would argue fatigue is setting in and it makes for loose passing.

The tactics seem to suit the players we have but I would like us to mix up the squad a little better to keep it fresher

[Shrewsbury Blue]

I would argue fatigue is setting in and it makes for loose passing.

The tactics seem to suit the players we have but I would like us to mix up the squad a little better to keep it fresher

Why should fatigue be setting in for us and not other teams? As we went out in the first rounds of both the FA cup and League cup we have played less games than probably every other team in the division. Plus McCarthy has rotated the squad a fair bit.Granted Keifer Moore could complain he is being flogged like a dead horse but we should not be more tired than anyone else. As for loose passing we have been doing that since the opening match of the season indeed being able to pass the ball has not been a requirement of outperform last three managers.

[the other bob wilson]

Why should fatigue be setting in for us and not other teams? As we went out in the first rounds of both the FA cup and League cup we have played less games than probably every other team in the division. Plus McCarthy has rotated the squad a fair bit.Granted Keifer Moore could complain he is being flogged like a dead horse but we should not be more tired than anyone else. As for loose passing we have been doing that since the opening match of the season indeed being able to pass the ball has not been a requirement of outperform last three managers.

I agree entirely, the poor passing has become ingrained into this first team squad over a number of years. I get we have a style of play where ball retention becomes slightly less important, but, as I’ve mentioned before, I can’t think of any circumstances whereby striving to improve your passing can be viewed as a bad thing.

[City123]

What isn't helping is McCarthy's refusal to make subs. A big part of Barnsley's form is that they're making multiple subs in games to keep the energy going whereas McCarthy doesn't seem to realise you can make multiple subs. 2 subs last night in a clearly poor tired performance, with one coming in the 83rd minute!

[the other bob wilson]

What isn't helping is McCarthy's refusal to make subs. A big part of Barnsley's form is that they're making multiple subs in games to keep the energy going whereas McCarthy doesn't seem to realise you can make multiple subs. 2 subs last night in a clearly poor tired performance, with one coming in the 83rd minute!

Did you see his reason for keeping Moore on? It makes sense up to a point, but just strikes me as a very Cardiff City way of looking at things - even allowing for that though, the lack of other substitutions was a hard one to understand.

[surge]

What isn't helping is McCarthy's refusal to make subs. A big part of Barnsley's form is that they're making multiple subs in games to keep the energy going whereas McCarthy doesn't seem to realise you can make multiple subs. 2 subs last night in a clearly poor tired performance, with one coming in the 83rd minute!

Completely agree. Barnsley have used the 5 sub rule better than anyone else (didn't I say they were 16th after 11 games this year before it kicked back in?) but McCarthy didn't change things even though you could see how the game was going from 60 minutes onwards.

If we were serious about play-offs this year we would have tried to beat a Stoke team with four defeats in past six games and who had to make an early and unplanned change to their striker. I can only imagine that McCarthy's desire not to lose the game was about avoiding two defeats on bounce going into weekend's game (taking pressure off and increasing odds of winning the derby) or the negativity that would follow potentially losing three games on bounce going into international window (fearing how bad that would look) rather than genuinely thinking it was a point gained. Another theory being he's eyeing summer window and wants a bit of money to have proper back-up to Moore, or he didn't want too much change from his starting XI with Sang and Brown already involved and NG on wrong side.

Harris lost a lot of support with an extremely tired performance against Swansea after pushing too much to win the Stoke game before it. It feels as if that's something MM has seen and wants to avoid even if it significantly reduces our chances at play-offs this year.

[the other bob wilson]

Completely agree. Barnsley have used the 5 sub rule better than anyone else (didn't I say they were 16th after 11 games this year before it kicked back in?) but McCarthy didn't change things even though you could see how the game was going from 60 minutes onwards.

If we were serious about play-offs this year we would have tried to beat a Stoke team with four defeats in past six games and who had to make an early and unplanned change to their striker. I can only imagine that McCarthy's desire not to lose the game was about avoiding two defeats on bounce going into weekend's game (taking pressure off and increasing odds of winning the derby) or the negativity that would follow potentially losing three games on bounce going into international window (fearing how bad that would look) rather than genuinely thinking it was a point gained. Another theory being he's eyeing summer window and wants a bit of money to have proper back-up to Moore, or he didn't want too much change from his starting XI with Sang and Brown already involved and NG on wrong side.

Harris lost a lot of support with an extremely tired performance against Swansea after pushing too much to win the Stoke game before it. It feels as if that's something MM has seen and wants to avoid even if it significantly reduces our chances at play-offs this year.

I truly hope no one at the club thinks that trying to make sure we don’t lose to Swansea twice in a season takes priority over trying to get promoted.

[Stanmore Bluebird]

Scumsea can hammer the City for all I care on Saturday, PROVIDED we win promotion and the Jacks remain in the Championship!