BFTG Huddersfield (H)

[paultheroyal]

To many players underperforming.

We will look back at October and this week and regret this is where the play off push was lost.

Good night.

[biff]

Lots already said, but i thought Fernandez completely changed the game for us. To use a rugby term, he instigated "quick ball", where Williams would usually run the ball half way there, (and invariably turn inside and pass it slightly behind whoever he was aiming at). Too many average players/performances tonight, but im glad to see someone lower down the pecking order show his quality.

Al habsi is slowly gaining the confidence of the crowd, but that drop didnt help matters.


I wish we had Nakhi Wells.

[sandman]

They'll be teams around us who go through runs worse than this between now and May.

[Pepe the Horseman]

To many players underperforming.

We will look back at October and this week and regret this is where the play off push was lost.

Good night.

Night x

[Extended-Phenotype]

Missed the game but skimming through the media is it true we lined up 4-1-3-2? Seems that would be an obvious eyebrow raiser. Lacking the right players I know, but that even looks decidedly lightweight on paper.

At the very least have Williams and Norwood sat deep, don't leave poor old Ollie on his own back there.

I'd be happier if we stuck to a winning system and plugged holes as best we can rather than mixing it up all the time. Players sound like they are gettin lost out there.

Surely we have someone who can add a bit of protection in midfield? Get that solid foundation back in place and build from there.

[paultheroyal]

Night mate - sweet dreams x

[SCIAG]

Clarke and Obita cost us what should have been a straightforward three points.

Obita was, as far as I could tell, at fault for both goals. Certainly the first was embarrassing. He made up for it to an extent with his best offensive performance for a long time, but we'd have been better off with Taylor in the side and never crossing the halfway line.

Credit to Clarke for building a great side, playing good stuff in a 4-3-3. Once you've done that, why would you keep messing about with a 4-4-2? McShane and Gunter shouldn't have to spend so long waiting for someone to become available, we shouldn't always have to look for Norwood, we need players between the lines and making forward runs. If Fernandez starts ahead of Piazon or McCleary then we probably win that match.

I think the referee will be pretty embarrassed by the drop ball fiasco, which was inexcusable. He made the right decision once he'd blown the whistle, but he should never have blown. If he was saying that the player couldn't come on, then he should have booked him. He also allowed Huddersfield to get away with a lot of off-the-ball fouls, and let some reckless challenges by both sides go unpunished.

Two random thoughts: can't we teach John to dribble properly? And when was the last time we had a centre back as weak in the air as McShane - maybe early Sonko? Else Khumalo or Sodje (neither of whom started more than a few matches)?

Taylor and Fernandez to start the next match, please.

[P!ssed Off]

Clarke and Obita cost us what should have been a straightforward three points.

Obita was, as far as I could tell, at fault for both goals. Certainly the first was embarrassing. He made up for it to an extent with his best offensive performance for a long time, but we'd have been better off with Taylor in the side and never crossing the halfway line.

Credit to Clarke for building a great side, playing good stuff in a 4-3-3. Once you've done that, why would you keep messing about with a 4-4-2? McShane and Gunter shouldn't have to spend so long waiting for someone to become available, we shouldn't always have to look for Norwood, we need players between the lines and making forward runs. If Fernandez starts ahead of Piazon or McCleary then we probably win that match.

I think the referee will be pretty embarrassed by the drop ball fiasco, which was inexcusable. He made the right decision once he'd blown the whistle, but he should never have blown. If he was saying that the player couldn't come on, then he should have booked him. He also allowed Huddersfield to get away with a lot of off-the-ball fouls, and let some reckless challenges by both sides go unpunished.

Two random thoughts: can't we teach John to dribble properly? And when was the last time we had a centre back as weak in the air as McShane - maybe early Sonko? Else Khumalo or Sodje (neither of whom started more than a few matches)?

Taylor and Fernandez to start the next match, please.

Taylor LB, Obita LW and Piazon in a taxi back to West London would be the obvious move.

That's if Clarke persist with wingers, as you say.
If we switch back to three CMs as we per ought to, then wingbacks are necessary: Obita > Taylor.

[fred sharpes nose]

AAH - feel comfortable with him there of the two we have. Did ok

Gunter - did ok
Ferdinand - invisible 1st half grew into the game, but looked lost at times. Rusty
McShane - should have got the physio on just before their 2nd - he struggled and they scored. Form is dropping off sadly
Obita - dubious defensive performance, goes forward ok but nothing comes if it - hardly ever. Needs an extended spell on the subs bench.

Norwood - kept going and trying. Lucky goal from my view. My MOM
Williams - off night. Needs to get back to what he is good at, or some bench warming is due
McCleary - sadly a shadow of last seasons player. May have to settle for an active substitute role for a lot of the season
Piazon - to be fair to the guy he is just a boy and its not his fault he gets picked. He's a lightweight pampered kid with some skill but definitely not good enough in a mans game and has cost us points through complete lack of determination to press, tackle, defend. Maybe contract issues with Jose force Clarke to play him - he is an astute football manager and no fool - how else he can justify starting this kid is beyond me. Good at waving his arms around saying its everyone else' fault. Heartless - sooner he goes to Canada the better.

Blackman - good performance often with 3 defenders on him, nice passes trying to make it happen. Feel Clarke is overindulging him a bit too much now though after an explosive start to the season. The "play where you feel like it" approach loses team structure and shape.
Vydra - so so. Has pace and runs around a lot. Can't have him and Piazon in the side. Will get better in a settled line up

Subs
Sa - did ok when he came on. Starting on the bench probably a good jolt for him. Needs to be the guy who leads the line
John - has power and guts. Head and shoulders over Piazon. Pushing hard for a start.
Alex - very good, like him a lot. With Quinn/Tish out he needs to start in a 3 man midfield

Manager
Not good - I think Clarke got his team selection wrong again. Is making too many changes of personnel and style. Hindsight a wonderful thing but should have made subs immediately we went 2-0 up at Fulham to slow the game down and shut up shop. Infatuated with his luxury stars I fear and trying to keep everyone involved - a noble ideal, but its not working. Stick with the 4-3-3 that worked well before and settle on the best 11 to make it work. Needs to earn his corn in the next 4 games otherwise its going to get very stressful

3 points from 4 games- should have been 10 - those 7 points lost in the last few weeks may have cost us automatic promotion

Next week
AAH, Gunter, Taylor, McShane, Ferdinand, Norwood, Williams, Alex, Sa, Vydra, Blackman
subs; Bond Obita Hector, John, Hurtado, McCleary, Liburd

Definitely missing Quinn, HRK, Tish - at least 2 of those would have been shoe-ins to start tonght

[Royal Ginger]

Other than the rocket Clarke clearly shot up their collective arses at half time, i thought Sa was the big difference.

Obita, Piazon and the ref were woeful.

Vydra wasn't particularly effective, but how he managed to charge round at that pace all game is beyond me. If it could be pointed in the right direction it'd be something special.

I thought that speedy mountain of a kid playing for Huddersfield in the middle (29, Billing?) was excellent.

Fair mention to the tiny away contingent, they made a decent effort at making a bit of noise.

[RoyalX]

Did anyone think Al-Habsi could have done better for the first?

Yes, and the second. I don't recall seeing a worse attempt at one-on-one goalkeeping than Al-Habsi tonight. I realise we have been blessed with Feds & Marcus who were very good at this.

Race off your line, make yourself look big, do SOMETHING.

He made one decent save, dropped one routine cross and another less routine cross that nearly resulted in a goal.

I don't think he should continue to start over Bond.

[RG7Fan]

Ughhh - what a night ...

2 mins in and WTF? That was pure defensive cock up.

Checked Twitter during the match and BBCRB were waxing lyrical about Obita. Not me - I thought he had a shocker. Very often out of position - constantly in the left/middle and not out covering the long ball. Plus he got rinsed numerous times.

Either way I dont think we played well tonight (at least in the 1st half). Too slow on the ball allowing them to close us down preventing what we needed to do. Woeful passing compared to what we are capable of. Where's the urgency???

The last 15-20 mins were awesome - why the hell cant we play longer like that.

Frustrating ...

[Pepe the Horseman]

Ughhh - what a night ...

Check out Bob Gaudio over here.

[Basingstoke Royal]

The formation we are playing doesn't work and we have been found out. Keep all attacking players in the middle of the pitch and boot the ball into Blackman to try and flick or one two with vydra etc. So predictable and team now just swamp the middle of the pitch. The opposition then have loads of space down both sides where we have been exposed last two games - brighton more so than last night.

We have good fullbacks but nothing ahead of them to work with so the ball goes out to Gunter or Obita who have to pass sideways or backwards. This also means we can far less crosses into the box and when we do Blackman or sa aren't usually in there because they have had to come wide. The few occasions Gunter and Obita took it on themselves to get forward cross looked dangerous.

This formation seems to played so we can include 'luxury' players vydra and piazon and it's not working. Both look poor at the moment.

We should play 442 or at least change the formation if it's not working like last night.

Obita and John down the left, Gunter and Mcleary down the right.

Sa and Blackman up front.

[NR_Royal]

I absolutely hated the lack of bodies in midfield ready to receive the ball from the defence. We looked like we were playing a desperate 4-2-4 half of the time.

[wingnut]

Dreadful performance.
Back to the previous two season's ineffective possession play with endless one-paced sideways passing along the half way line, no one providing any movement or pace meaning the opposition have hours to organise themselves and pack the middle of the park which is only direction we seem to want to attack. If we're gonna play 442 at least use the sodding width of the pitch.
Obita directly at fault for the first - I couldn't tell for the second whether their player was onside or not. There seemed to be plenty of occasions in the first where our midfield wasn't tracking players running from deep.

[Forty]

You can get a better Brazillian in my local beauty parlour for £20 ... apparently!

[LWJ]

excellent Ferdinand

Dogshite and clearly off the pace tonight. For those who count Hector's aimless hoofs.. Try 6 for Ferdinand last night

[paddy20]

I think we have some real weak links in the team at the moment.

Williams - can't shoot, not creative, just runs in straight lines with head down - overrated I think

Piazon - Not ready

Macleary - off form

Obita - lost confidence since not being automatic choice. Cant go past his man, NEVER a winger!

Vydra - will soon run out of patience unless he starts becoming effective

In;
John, Taylor, Fernandez, Tish and Quinn when fit.
Confident we will get there with Clarke but losing ground now so play offs probably best we can hope for with a lot of strong teams in division this season.

[LWJ]

AAH - Yet to see the goals but thought he could have done better. He tried his best to cost us the game as well. - 5

Gunter - Worked up and down the wing all night trying to fill in the RM position as well. Nothing he could do for either goal - 7
McShane - tries to jump in and win everything all the time. If he misses we are in trouble. Needs to learn that Norwood/Williams/Fernadez are our ball players, so stop taking so much time giving it to them as they then have less time on the ball. - 6
Ferdinand - Clearly not match fit and so slow at passing out it. See above for passing comments - 5
Obita - our biggest attacking threat in the first half and beat his man quite a few times. Defensively not as solid but not as bad as everyone is saying - 6

Mcleary - Impact player only please - 4
Williams - LEARN TO FCUKING SHOOT - 5
Norwood - When he has the time/space he dictates our play, when he doesn't he is anonymous. Would like to see him do something about that. Good spot for the goal - 7
Piazon - Wasted out wide and needs to be used off the bench as opposed to starting. - 4

Vydra - Wants too long on the ball or doesn't want it at all. Sometimes Matej you don't need a quick offload and go at it yourself. - 6
Blackman - Wasn't a good CF in the first half and cost us by always dropping off. Unlucky hitting the post - 6

Sa- Made the difference IMO as he is made their defenders think and have a physical presence. Without him Fernadez wouldn't have had the time he did. - 7
Fernadez - Good performance but looks awfully 1 footed. Deserves a start - 7
John - Scored the equaliser - 7

Clarke - Good subs for once and made them when we needed them rather than being late all the time. Poor team selection which he held his hands up to on the radio.

Why do Y25/6 insist on singing 'who are ya?' after we score??? Fans were terrible tonight from the off. 14k is also terrible.