MATCHWATCH : Preston North End (h)

[Hound]

Yep good game, enjoyed it

Should have been a really comfortable win. Like Stoke we tired in the last 10 (disrupted pre-season?)

Bossed the game for the first 80. Far better than PNE. Their pen from their first shot anywhere near the goal. We should have had 5 by then

Swift outstanding again. He is such a good player. Please stay fit.

Azeez looks really good - if he could finish he’d have had a hat trick and could genuinely be a 20 a season man. Joao much better and not far off his best again. Real threat, great assist and almost scored.

Bristow, Laurent, Rino, Yiadom all good.

Thought we were generally ok from set pieces tbh. They didn’t really threaten from them until we’d blown our load in the last 10.

Negatives - Moore wasn’t great. Morro - looked a poor handball to give away. Rafael kicking not great but happy to forgive him for those saves at the end

Add a solid LB, get TDB fit + a bit more depth and we’ll be fine I’m sure. Well as long as Swifty stays fit that is

[Jagermesiter1871]

Expecting something like this:

Rafael

Yiadom
Holmes
Morrison
Moore
Bristow

Laurent
Rino
Swift

Puscas
Joao

Would love joao and puscas up top but don't see it happening.

You're in for a treat.

Where was this treat?

[Pepe the Horseman]

Would love joao and puscas up top but don't see it happening.

You're in for a treat.

Where was this treat?

I was lied to by a man I trusted.

[72 bus]

Anyone seen Kingsley today?

Paid him off, wages were a problem

[Mr Optimist]

Anyone seen Kingsley today?

Paid him off, wages were a problem

Slight groin strain officially but apparently Forest and Bournemouth are interested.

[SouthDownsRoyal]

Did he take a VR package? Sill furloughed?

[Singing Defective]

Great day, some nice songs from the Club which may reduce our family club of the year ranking.

Special mention of the ref, who decided to make a game of it by giving the boys in red every decision of the last ten minutes of regular time. And a couple more in the 8 minutes of the 5 minutes extra time. Wonder which betting company his alleged bribes were from?

[Forbury Lion]

Is this also the back from the game thread?
:

Yees, they don`t happen anymore.

What was the crowd today?

Didn't look that packed, most people came in at the last minute. Pretty much nobody wearing a mask now it's a personal choice. I didn't put mine on as there wasn't anyone sat next to me and not many around me, might have work it if it had been a packed sell out game though.

[morganb]

On Saturday, in the 7th minute of the 5 added on, Rafael had a goal kick and everyone congregated in front of the dugout waiting for him to boot it in that direction/into touch over there. There was nobody on the other side of the pitch. As we were hanging on for a victory, why didn't Rafael boot the ball in the other direction, away from the crowd of players, as it would have eaten up some more time and may have encouraged the ref to blow for full time. Guess there is some tactic I'm missing...

[Hound]

On Saturday, in the 7th minute of the 5 added on, Rafael had a goal kick and everyone congregated in front of the dugout waiting for him to boot it in that direction/into touch over there. There was nobody on the other side of the pitch. As we were hanging on for a victory, why didn't Rafael boot the ball in the other direction, away from the crowd of players, as it would have eaten up some more time and may have encouraged the ref to blow for full time. Guess there is some tactic I'm missing...

we actually chatted about exactly the same thing. Huge gap on the pitch yet the kick was straight on the head of the PNE CB's head on the crowded side of the pitch. Did look and feel a bit strange, when more chance of us picking up possession and wasting time had it gone the other side

[Nameless]

On Saturday, in the 7th minute of the 5 added on, Rafael had a goal kick and everyone congregated in front of the dugout waiting for him to boot it in that direction/into touch over there. There was nobody on the other side of the pitch. As we were hanging on for a victory, why didn't Rafael boot the ball in the other direction, away from the crowd of players, as it would have eaten up some more time and may have encouraged the ref to blow for full time. Guess there is some tactic I'm missing...

we actually chatted about exactly the same thing. Huge gap on the pitch yet the kick was straight on the head of the PNE CB's head on the crowded side of the pitch. Did look and feel a bit strange, when more chance of us picking up possession and wasting time had it gone the other side

How would we have had more chance if he’d kicked it the other way ?

As it was you would have expected us to challenge for the original kick, there be a good possibility we would have won the second ball or the cb’s header done in to touch. If we lost the header we had lots of defenders between the ball and the goal.
Kick it into a big random space and we definitely don’t get possession and if they get it first our entire defence is out of position.
Unless it was planned and Azeez drifts wide on the right and is unmarked it just seems like an easy way of setting them up for an attack !

[Hound]

On Saturday, in the 7th minute of the 5 added on, Rafael had a goal kick and everyone congregated in front of the dugout waiting for him to boot it in that direction/into touch over there. There was nobody on the other side of the pitch. As we were hanging on for a victory, why didn't Rafael boot the ball in the other direction, away from the crowd of players, as it would have eaten up some more time and may have encouraged the ref to blow for full time. Guess there is some tactic I'm missing...

we actually chatted about exactly the same thing. Huge gap on the pitch yet the kick was straight on the head of the PNE CB's head on the crowded side of the pitch. Did look and feel a bit strange, when more chance of us picking up possession and wasting time had it gone the other side

How would we have had more chance if he’d kicked it the other way ?

As it was you would have expected us to challenge for the original kick, there be a good possibility we would have won the second ball or the cb’s header done in to touch. If we lost the header we had lots of defenders between the ball and the goal.
Kick it into a big random space and we definitely don’t get possession and if they get it first our entire defence is out of position.
Unless it was planned and Azeez drifts wide on the right and is unmarked it just seems like an easy way of setting them up for an attack !

We kept losing every challenge to their CBs, even worse when Joao went off. And they kept winning second ball, and getting free kicks. And yeah obvs, you plan it to some extent. Azeez would be a good option to chase after it. Worst case Rafa is kicking for touch, which would have been better than it just bouncing straight back for another attack (which happened and led to the FK at the end)

[John Smith]

we actually chatted about exactly the same thing. Huge gap on the pitch yet the kick was straight on the head of the PNE CB's head on the crowded side of the pitch. Did look and feel a bit strange, when more chance of us picking up possession and wasting time had it gone the other side

How would we have had more chance if he’d kicked it the other way ?

As it was you would have expected us to challenge for the original kick, there be a good possibility we would have won the second ball or the cb’s header done in to touch. If we lost the header we had lots of defenders between the ball and the goal.
Kick it into a big random space and we definitely don’t get possession and if they get it first our entire defence is out of position.
Unless it was planned and Azeez drifts wide on the right and is unmarked it just seems like an easy way of setting them up for an attack !

We kept losing every challenge to their CBs, even worse when Joao went off. And they kept winning second ball, and getting free kicks. And yeah obvs, you plan it to some extent. Azeez would be a good option to chase after it. Worst case Rafa is kicking for touch, which would have been better than it just bouncing straight back for another attack (which happened and led to the FK at the end)

Rafael just isn't very good

[Snowflake Royal]

On Saturday, in the 7th minute of the 5 added on, Rafael had a goal kick and everyone congregated in front of the dugout waiting for him to boot it in that direction/into touch over there. There was nobody on the other side of the pitch. As we were hanging on for a victory, why didn't Rafael boot the ball in the other direction, away from the crowd of players, as it would have eaten up some more time and may have encouraged the ref to blow for full time. Guess there is some tactic I'm missing...

we actually chatted about exactly the same thing. Huge gap on the pitch yet the kick was straight on the head of the PNE CB's head on the crowded side of the pitch. Did look and feel a bit strange, when more chance of us picking up possession and wasting time had it gone the other side

How would we have had more chance if he’d kicked it the other way ?

As it was you would have expected us to challenge for the original kick, there be a good possibility we would have won the second ball or the cb’s header done in to touch. If we lost the header we had lots of defenders between the ball and the goal.
Kick it into a big random space and we definitely don’t get possession and if they get it first our entire defence is out of position.
Unless it was planned and Azeez drifts wide on the right and is unmarked it just seems like an easy way of setting them up for an attack !

Agree its a terrible tactic normally. But in the dying moments, hitting touch on the wrong side, where everyone has to run half the width of the pitch minimum just to get in position to take a throw, isn't the worst idea by any stretch. Pretty much guaranteed to eat up 10 - 20 seconds just to get the ball in play let alone attack