I was reluctant to post before the Wigan game, because I thought we were going to lose.
Maybe I shouldn’t really post this, but I really don’t feel any different for this game. In fact I feel even less optimistic.
If we can’t beat a side that has struggled for weeks, where’s the incentive to bet on us beating a side that’s won six on the trot?
I wouldn’t mind, if we were the sort who can turn things around and reverse the opposition’s runs.
Ooh, correction.
We do. Wigan, after being practically the worst side in the league proved that after whupping us easily.
You might gather that last week royally p*ssed me off.
But it was so poor that I don’t hold a prayer that we’ll win tomorrow.
I’ve thought about this a lot over the last week and d’you know what?
I suspect that it’s exactly as I thought and the players just can’t hack the increased intensity and pace that has been asked of them.
Yet I’ve seen an article today that suggests that the old hands should come straight back in, to shore things up.
You have to laugh.
Squad news, and the OS is useless for this info, as per.
Why does the OS feel like I’m wading through mud? Sackings needed, imo, but I’ve been saying it for ages and the club obviously thinks things are fine, which says a lot to me.
Whatever, the Beeb tell me that Kodjia is fit.
Green is also available.
I don’t give a toss about Hull, but Fraizer Campbell is in contention. I’ve never rated him previously, but he’d probably slice through our awful defence these days.
What to think then?
Well, I have no confidence whatsoever in us winning this one, unless Smith massively changes it up.
Green goes straight in, on the left.
We go two up top, with Kodjia and Abraham.
And we definitely don’t go with Whelan or Jedinak.
Or Taylor or Hause or Bree (unless he’s at CB).
We need pace to play Smith’s game and reverting to the old timers is not the solution.
Which might seem contradictory, seeing as I don’t believe that our kids are our solution in the short term.
But I feel we massively lack pace and something needs to change, given that if we maintain the status quo, we’re going to be on a hiding to nothing and Hull will beat us easily.
Will Smith do it?
No chance.
He’s going to go with “tried and trusted”. Exactly the same as Bruce would have done.
And it’ll see exactly the same result I expect.
Hull to win 2-1, although I’m minded to call it 3-1.
We’ll lack pace and they’ll catch us out all to easily at the back, as we chase the game after going down to an early goal, because we’re quite simply too slow with our defensive game.
I hope I’m wrong.
Pushing and shoving game.
villa got off lightly in that half. we have got to stop playing out from the back, simply are not good enough back there to play that way. keep it simple and play in their half. hull deserved to be two ahead and our goal is a major fillet to us and kick in the groin for them.
at least the players showed battle with handbags flying just before h/t over nothing but hull didnt contest a drop ball and started to cry blaming hourihane for passing forwards to villa paler and not hull goalie
still we are in this if we play hell of alot better
good start again from us
two subs on both wide players off el ghazi and green on
again we play ourselves into trouble elphick 🙁
Desmond Tu Tu…..
2 2 good ball from hutton tammy scores on the second attempt
hull are starting to look rattled miss placing their passes
kodjia on two up front but we stopped playing out and gone longer
Big call taking Bjarnasson off for Kodjia. I admire Smith for going for the win…just hope it doesn’t backfire
elphick will get our winner
hull could have won this right at the death great save thou
2 2 draw much better 2nd half but lost any chances of winning this in 1st half. over playing passing out from the back almost cost us. need new defenders if smith wants to play out cause second half we played much better by cutting out the passing out by going more direct. not talking long ball here just not slow passing side to side and slow ball into hourihane which were all getting cut out
Well I did see almost half the match in second half, what I did see was a team playing together at last, I didn’t see Nath the last minute as someone came to the house. I thought we showed guts and all we have to do is find two backs quickly.
Well at least they showed some resilience and got something out of the game. However, this now puts us seven points behind the play offs.
I’m not worried about that though, let’s get some new young talent in and try and play entertaining football and perhaps next season will be the one.
We have the manager, we have the owners, we even have some money. Now all we need is a little time to make it all come together.
we showed guts, second half we were alot better, cut out the errors mostly. we created loads of trouble ourselves. second half i can only remember elphick over playing deep inside our half and almost got sacked but he found el ghazi.
smith needs to look how he gets his team to distribute the ball from the back into midfield. our defenders are not comfortable on the ball and the ball to hourihane is telegraphed. sometimes instead of goalie always going short maybe bypass the defenders and hit a long one to tammy or into midfield
gutted we didnt win but we could of lost this as hull had a cracking chance right at the death, great save by new goalie to redeem himself for the two errors first half one leading to their goal
Nice that we didn’t fold after going two behind. After losing 3-0 twice on the bounce it would have been easy to feel the same was happening. Maybe Nath is right on this. If we don’t have the personnel at the back to play the ball out then we need to either stop doing it, or switch tactics and go long at least enough times to make the opposition think. That could help reduce the pressure on midfield players receiving the ball. Perhaps playing from the back needs to wait until Smith has his own back four in place.
Hause looks as if he is the kind of player that Smith wants, so it will be interesting to see how he fits in later this season.
A draw is a relief and I can just enjoy the rest of the weekends football.
a busted watch is right twice a day. there are just one too many passengers back there. both chester and elphick can defend taylor got better as the game went on at defending. but distribution they are all poor except hutton who lets be honest is not the greatest but he has his ability to dribble out.
thats not a back line smith would hand pick. his teams start always from the back and we can not do this with or current defence. second half we stopped doing the things smith wants and under his orders iam guessing went more direct into midfield, not all the time we mixed up things better. confidence is also massive when trying to play out, movement also a major factor
we all know we need new players. dm full backs and cb
Nath, I totally agree that we need new defensive players but I’m hoping that we can buy some young talent that Smith can shape and get them playing the way he wants.
I personally don’t want to see any more loanees, we need players we can invest in and who we know will be around when we need them. I doubt that we’ll get all the players we need during the January window as not that many players will be available and that scarcity will push the price up. In that case it might still be make do and mend a bit until the summer.
Hause last game he did look nervous and off the pace i agree with that. i havent seen him before last week. but from that game i saw him keep asking for the ball which is good thing as the current defenders do not want the ball at their feet. he has plenty pace which is also lacking in the current set up. how long will it take us to get him ready ?? and when will tuanzebe be ready because he was that link from defence to mid along with hutton.
i didnt watch the under23 last week but i heard we had some good performers. doyle hayes scored a good free kick, maybe smith gives him a go in the holding midfield. that position for smith is like a usa quarter back how they pass the ball, how they dictate the play. iam sure that hayes has the ability to do that side very well. he also has great movement so he will offer a easy outlet for the poor passes in the backline . maybe smith will blood some kids in second half of season.
just heard smiths response and he says the right things. a few managers would harp on about coming back and getting a point. but not smiths he just disappointed about only drawing. this will pass on down to the players, yes its another draw, he knows we need to win games. hopefully if we do end up with same back four next week. we play it same as the second half today, cut out the silly mistakes overplaying.