v WBA (h) - 23/10/2024

[wilsdenrover]

Since we were relegated from the PL this is our best championship points total after 11 matches.

[Torgeir]

2 minutes ago, Exiled in Toronto Mk2 said:

Worrying how Carter limped off. I’m not sure how much of watching Baa’th, Hyam and Pears pathetic efforts at playing out from the back I can take.

Tonight was as good as I've seen Hyam play for a long while. They're not the best on the ball, but thought they moved it around quicker than usual at least. 

[Silas]

16 minutes ago, Andy said:

Yes, it went to shit towards the end, but he'd mentally signed off long before that point

Not a line that makes me want to laud him.

I understand the surrounding circumstances, but still, not a ringing endorsement is it.

[BankEnd Rover]

3 minutes ago, Torgeir said:

Tonight was as good as I've seen Hyam play for a long while. They're not the best on the ball, but thought they moved it around quicker than usual at least. 

Out of our whole back line, Hyam still makes me most nervous.

 

[tomphil]

Good point, hard earned it would be easy to lose a game like that but in the end a bit disappointed not to nick it.

Still think we are shoehorning in too many naturally left sided players that means we lack balance we are still crying out for a simple out and out right winger.

Pears again proving competent.

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

Find it odd people are choosing to criticise Eustace for his style of play despite the points tally. Birmingham thought the same last season and that panned out well..

We look well organised and hard to beat. It’s dull and attritional but we’re better at it than what we were trying to do under JDT.

[chaddyrovers]

Good performance. Well organised against a strong team in the Championship. 2 very well organised teams. A draw is a fair result and I'm happy with clean sheet and 4 in a row. 

Eustace is doing a very good team and building a good squad with team ethos in our club badge. Arte Et Labore. 

[philipl]

Solid performance.

Baggies one of the best outfits in the Championship so to be level pegging without too many alarms matching them all over the park is very encouraging.

[simongarnerisgod]

the way eustace sets up is a reminder of the kendal era,well organised defence the key to everything

it will only get us so far because pears is no jim arnold and hyam certainly is no faz

i can understand his approach though,with a little improvement on the attacking transition and better set pieces we could be quite a dangerous proposition

[arbitro]

4 hours ago, simongarnerisgod said:

i don`t think he`s quite ready for the step up,especially against a side as good as west brom

But he was good enough to come on in the cauldron of Turf Moor.

[booth]

20 minutes ago, martonrover said:

Maybe edit the post then, because it reads exactly the opposite way around?

I did, at the exact moment it was brought up.

[Old Codger]

12 minutes ago, martonrover said:

Maybe edit the post then, because it reads exactly the opposite way around? 

We won’t finish sixth  but, blimey, we probably still have the best home record in the Division and we can keep clean sheets these days, too.

We got verrrryyy lucky in front of our goal this evening, with WBA having at least three efforts go narrowly wide that on another evening might well have seen us dead and buried before half time.

Positives for me were Cantwell's performance - he is definitely growing in confidence and influence on the pitch. Tronstadt is a real hardworker, putting himself about and adding some steel to the side.

Travis works hard for the team, and Yuki too - Sammy was the epitome of a never say die chaser on and off the ball for us, so it is good to see someone taking up that role, as it definitely unsettles defenders.

Pears had a decent enough game and made some competent saves, but someone needs to put an end to the nonsensical tippy tappy out from the back for every goal kick. It isn't entertaining, it is predictable to the extent we all know that the opposition will be gifted at least one chance, and as someone pointed out after Swansea, we end up hoofing the ball down field indiscriminately and aimlessly in most cases anyway., At least if Pears was kicking straight up the pitch we'd have a chance of one of ours trapping or knocking on, and perhaps creating a chance from route one, for US rather than the opposition.

We are unlikely to be relegated on current form. Question is whether there is enough in the tank to carry on grinding out decent results. We shall see at Watford on Saturday lunchtime, no doubt.

COYB!

[Lancaster Rover]

Two very well organised teams who will both be relatively happy with a point I reckon. I was convinced we were going to chuck it away last 5 minutes due to having Siggy and Gueye on the pitch reducing us to 9 men. Neither pressed nor tackled and got popped off with ease. 3 dangerous attacks came down the left of as a resulting of their incompetence, lucky that the decision making was poor with fatigue setting in. 

[simongarnerisgod]

4 minutes ago, magicalmortensleftpeg said:

Find it odd people are choosing to criticise Eustace for his style of play despite the points tally. Birmingham thought the same last season and that panned out well..

We look well organised and hard to beat. It’s dull and attritional but we’re better at it than what we were trying to do under JDT.

jdt`s side was reliant on getting investment for players who could play his style of football,when it was clear he was a danger to venkys plan to keep us going nowhere they soon cut his legs off,it was never going to work for him after that

[arbitro]

A really hard earned point which many would have taken at 7.45. It was a game that Eustace set us up not to lose which I completely understand. At times we were like the away team as we sat in and played on the break. I thought some of the changes we made should have happened sooner as it appeared a few were struggling. Hopefully Carter isn't going to be missing for too long but I fear the worst having seen him being helped around the pitch. With McFadzean out all of a sudden we are struggling for centre halves. The clean sheet is a big plus tonight and that's five for the season now. Keeping clean sheets in the Championship is one way to success. With the games coming thick and fast now I really think Eustace has to rotate his squad a bit more.

 

[martonrover]

6 minutes ago, simongarnerisgod said:

jdt`s side was reliant on getting investment for players who could play his style of football,when it was clear he was a danger to venkys plan to keep us going nowhere they soon cut his legs off,it was never going to work for him after that

Partly true, but JDT was also stubborn and one dimensional in his approach.

Blimey, at times it’s like a religious fervour how his legend is exaggerated.

[Exiled_Rover]

37 minutes ago, Torgeir said:

Looked very sharp last night. He's got more potential than both Ohashi and Gueye.

I like Leonard, but no he doesn't.

He's not big or fast enough to lead the line. I'd like to see him playing wide - I'd like to see Ohashi given a game out wide too with Gueye playing #9.

[Lancaster Rover]

I think we will find out Carter has done serious knee ligament damage. Looked.as though he twisted as he rolled through the challenge and when he tried to bear any weight it looked to be giving way. 

[roversinmyblood]

20 minutes ago, simongarnerisgod said:

the way eustace sets up is a reminder of the kendal era,well organised defence the key to everything

it will only get us so far because pears is no jim arnold and hyam certainly is no faz

i can understand his approach though,with a little improvement on the attacking transition and better set pieces we could be quite a dangerous proposition

Yes I agree. If you struggle to score you have make sure that you don’t concede ala Kendall. 

Edited October 23 by roversinmyblood

[booth]

3 minutes ago, martonrover said:

Partly true, but JDT was also stubborn and one dimensional in his approach.

Blimey, at times it’s like a religious fervour how his legend is exaggerated.

Not sure if it's religious fervour or the fact that he took us to our highest league position since relegation from the PL, and that was after the January sabotage. I can appreciate both managers, especially when both are saddled with incompetents.

Two tough games coming up. If Eustace can better last years tally after the same amount of games it'll be some achievement.

[Colt Seavers]

21 minutes ago, simongarnerisgod said:

the way eustace sets up is a reminder of the kendal era,well organised defence the key to everything

it will only get us so far because pears is no jim arnold and hyam certainly is no faz

Good point. Also, and more worryingly, where are the Brotherstons, Crawfords and Garners?

[AllRoverAsia]

1 hour ago, Exiled_Rover said:

That #2 is a diving cunt. Was on his arse all game. Embarrassing player.

Furlong has been like that in all the WBA games I've ever watched and there's been quite a few.

The refs fall for his dives all the time.

Annoying.

[simongarnerisgod]

2 minutes ago, Colt Seavers said:

Good point. Also, and more worryingly, where are the Brotherstons, Crawfords and Garners?

that is a worry,especially in away games,can we dig in????

[Waggy76]

3 minutes ago, Colt Seavers said:

Good point. Also, and more worryingly, where are the Brotherstons, Crawfords and Garners?

Plus Kendal himself! 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Not the most exciting game unless you think passing the ball around the back four with a West Brom player breathing down your neck is exciting. Having said that we gave a very good West Brom team a problem or two. They’ll be up there in the play off zone at the end of the season. Our defence was a bit harum scarum at times but the scoreboard said West Brom 0 at the end so I’ll take that.  

We did look toothless in attack, too many players are taking the ball either facing our goal or stood still. We rarely get a run on the opposition back four. When we do we look dangerous but we don’t do it often enough. When they attacked there were occasions when they’d 7 players in or around out box, we usually have 3 or 4 at the most.

I won’t bother with the scores tonight. Nobody played really badly or really well. The pick of our lot was - Pears for once, Cantwell, a class act wasted out wide,  Tronstad, his usual performance.

Why he brought Siggy on is a mystery. Did he actually touch the ball ? He won’t be needing a shower that’s for sure.

Edited October 23 by Tyrone Shoelaces