BFTG Blackpool.

[Zip]

Isn’t this exactly what Baldock was getting criticised for on a weekly basis last season (including yourself)? Running around, movement in behind but not being found and not really contributing overall. That’s now 800 minutes of football this season and 0 goals

Not intending to be a dig either. Defended Baldock last season and will defend Puscas for the poor mismanagement. Just seems like double standards for different players

Difference for me is that Baldock barely scored for us in three seasons whereas
Puscas has up until this season had a decent strike rate.

Frustrating as there’s a player somewhere in there but his confidence must be shot, the constant subbing off after 60 isn’t helping

Major problem is the difference in how the midfield and attack want to play. Midfield is all intricate passes, close control, playing off each other, which really doesn’t align with how Puscas wants to. Ball bounces off him too regularly, he needs a more direct style with the play in behind. Compared to Joao who is able to bring others into play

It’s no coincidence so many strikers struggle here and score regularly elsewhere. Constant misalignment within the team

Yep agree with that. We are also trying to play too much football and it got us into trouble too often tonight,

[URZZZZ]

Strong over the pitch. Well organised, used the width well, good crosses in the box, good use of subs and dangerous throughout. Anyway, enough talking about Blackpool

That was pretty shambolic. Tired or not, we didn’t cover the basics tonight. Same one dimensional stuff we’ve seen for so long under Paunovic. Retreat into our shell too early, little impetus to add to the scoreline and pay the price. We’ve got away with a few times, survived late scares against Preston, Boro and Cardiff when we perhaps shouldn’t have but it isn’t a sustainable way of winning games of football unless you have top class defenders (which we don’t). Sure, there’s the argument that the players are being overworked with little room for rotation but the dropping deep has been a constant theme for a while now under Paunovic. And it just doesn’t work. We never seem to go for the jugular

Southwood did well, made some good saves. Yiadom had a good game but always prone to errors (similar to Blackett in that regard). CB’s were OK but let down by the ineptitude of the midfield (although Dann questionable for goal 2). Baba is doing OK but wish he’d show more going forward, turns back and sideways too quickly

Laurent has had a poor second season and isn’t looking like it’s improving (apart from his stint at CB). We all know what he’s capable of but he isn’t doing it. Drinkwater ran the show first half, woeful second half. Can’t work TDB out, certainly isn’t a RAM. Ejaria offered little. Swift was at the heart of most our best moves but as ever, drops too deep too quick. Causes a lot of danger in the final third, really frustrating when he does that. Puscas did OK but isn’t enough of a goal threat

8 - Southwood
6 - Yiadom Dann Moore Baba Swift
5 - Drinkwater Puscas Azeez TDB
4 - Laurent Ejaria

[JR]

Just seen the pen. Very very soft. Was Yates onside for the equaliser?

Ref got all three Blackpool pen decisions right from just watching Quest. Also looked level for equaliser

[Norfolk Royal]

Massive credit to Blackpool for their performance. They were everything we weren’t, ie high energy, spirit, tenacity, flair. Away teams do play like that in the championship a lot and we just didn’t have the means to combat it.

Disagree a bit with the apologists for Puscas. Yes he’s getting a raw deal re lack of service and support but the ball was bouncing off him too much even with the mitigating factors taken into account, and when he did get a one on one that would have effectively ended the game, he failed. It has to be judged by that yardstick imho.

[Zip]

Late goals conceded v Stoke, Coventry, QPR and Blackpool. Very costly.

[skipper]

If we could win away from home like that, I'd be very happy. So Blackpool fans must be chuffed.

Why can't we see out games??

[Royal_jimmy]

When 2-0 up we really should not be losing to average teams like Blackpool. Got what we deserved though.

Puscas shoild not have come off. Pauno didn't learn from the QPR game that taking off our only striker just invites pressure. He should have taken Swift or Ejaria off for Azeez instead.

Awful ref who lost the plot. Their winner wasn't a penalty and then he books their goalie for time wasting when in fact Blackpool were making a sub

We really do need VAR in the championship as the refereeing standard is appalling for such a quality league.

[Hound]

nice to see a bit of acceptance that Blackpool played very well. Best team to come here this season by a mile. Though in saying that they looked like they'd concede pretty much every time we made a rare venture into their half. I don't think I've ever seen such a one sided half as that second half.

Not too much to add other than whats been said. We were terrible, thought we were poor first half as well. The midfield were especially awful. looked so lethargic, off the pace and kept giving the ball away against some impressive Blackpool pressing. They hunted in packs and forced Drinkwater and co into mistake after mistake. Thought the defence, and esp Southwood did pretty well until the pressure finally told for their first and we crumbled. I don't think any changes Pauno could make would have made a difference with what was available.

Not that we'd have deserved it, but not seen a lot about our penalty shout at the end. Was clear and blatant wasn't it? Arm out, blocked an on target header. Seemed they gave a foul against us - what was that about? Didn't think theirs was a penalty, but slowing it right down, he was impeded. Pretty poor defending as it was 5 against 1 and he was going nowhere much.

[Hound]

Massive credit to Blackpool for their performance. They were everything we weren’t, ie high energy, spirit, tenacity, flair. Away teams do play like that in the championship a lot and we just didn’t have the means to combat it.

Disagree a bit with the apologists for Puscas. Yes he’s getting a raw deal re lack of service and support but the ball was bouncing off him too much even with the mitigating factors taken into account, and when he did get a one on one that would have effectively ended the game, he failed. It has to be judged by that yardstick imho.

One thing I can't understand with Puscas - he never seems to win a foul, but constantly gets them called against him. Its every game so it can't be just one ref. There were times last night when the defender was all over him and nothing given, yet the merest push from him seems to go the other way

Its a major problem because so many times you see those fouls called and it allows the pressure to be relieved. But if it goes against him, it just means there is another free kick going into our area. We generally seem to concede a massive amount of fouls in our own half.

[Lydia Dustbin]

[quote="Royal_jimmy"]When 2-0 up we really should not be losing to average teams like Blackpool. Got what we deserved though.

Puscas shoild not have come off. Pauno didn't learn from the QPR game that taking off our only striker just invites pressure. He should have taken Swift or Ejaria off for Azeez instead.

Awful ref who lost the plot. Their winner wasn't a penalty and then he books their goalie for time wasting when in fact Blackpool were making a sub

We really do need VAR in the championship as the refereeing standard is appalling for such a quality league.

Yes i do

[Stranded]

If we could win away from home like that, I'd be very happy. So Blackpool fans must be chuffed.

Why can't we see out games??

We have been - game management has been a strength of late but that all vanished last night.

From the moment we scored the second, we played like a side who wanted to get the hell out of there as quickly as possible. It just seemed like we thought the game was won and that we could see it out but forgot all the important bits of how to see out a game i.e. just keep the ball a bit.

I have no problem with playing out from the back but there were multiple occasions where it just made sense to just get the ball away and reset but we tried to play in tight spaces when, even in more attacking areas that just wasn't coming off last night - given the level of experience out there it was incredible that no-one grabbed the team and shook them up a bit but then as good as he was first half, Drinkwater was the worst on the pitch for me in the second.

Key moment was unfortunately the Puscas miss in the 47th minute. Finally his run was found and he did everything right but the keeper made himself big and made a decent stop. Bit more confidence and he may have tried to touch it past the keeper, or dink it, but he got on target and keeper did well. That let off seemed to act as a catalyst for Blackpool and it was attack v defence after that. As soon as they scored, they were going to win.

The only way to stop that would have been to take the sting out of the game after their opener and for about 2 mins, it looked like the goal had been a reset but then we lost the ball upfield and that lead to their equaliser.

Very strange game and I hope it doesn't have the same impact on this side as that defeat at Fulham a few years back did where a 2-0 lead turned into a defeat pretty quickly and the season never recovered - result needed on Saturday - doesn't need to be a win, but we can't lose going into Bournemouth the following weekend.

[paultheroyal]

When 2-0 up we really should not be losing to average teams like Blackpool. Got what we deserved though.

Puscas shoild not have come off. Pauno didn't learn from the QPR game that taking off our only striker just invites pressure. He should have taken Swift or Ejaria off for Azeez instead.

Awful ref who lost the plot. Their winner wasn't a penalty and then he books their goalie for time wasting when in fact Blackpool were making a sub

We really do need VAR in the championship as the refereeing standard is appalling for such a quality league.

VAR will never happen in the championship, and whilst referee's are being abused up and down the country at grassroots level and nothing gets done about it, the standard of refereeing will only get worse (to some fans).

We lost last night, not because of the referee, but to the shambolic performance of a number of players and setup.

[windermereROYAL]

When we saw the sub taking his top off it didn`t take a mastermind to work out who was coming on for who, you can read the boss like a book, we were pinned in our own half for long periods so lets replace a forward with a forward. 2 minutes later it was 2-1, 10 minutes later it was 2-2.

[Zip]

When we saw the sub taking his top off it didn`t take a mastermind to work out who was coming on for who, you can read the boss like a book, we were pinned in our own half for long periods so lets replace a forward with a forward. 2 minutes later it was 2-1, 10 minutes later it was 2-2.

It was almost pre scripted that Azeez would come on for Puscas just after the hour mark. Puscas would have known that too pre match. He badly needs a goal.

[paultheroyal]

Be interesting to know peoples thoughts on what could Pauno of done different. Strangest 2-0 lead at half time and then absolutely battered 2nd half.

With what we all knew was coming, what could of been done to prevent that?

[Zip]

Be interesting to know peoples thoughts on what could Pauno of done different. Strangest 2-0 lead at half time and then absolutely battered 2nd half.

With what we all knew was coming, what could of been done to prevent that?

I would have preferred Puscas to have stayed on and taken off TDB for Azeez. Also think given the dreadful energy levels he needed to bring on one of the Academy boys. We were being over run. We desperately needed fresh legs.

[Hound]

Be interesting to know peoples thoughts on what could Pauno of done different. Strangest 2-0 lead at half time and then absolutely battered 2nd half.

With what we all knew was coming, what could of been done to prevent that?

Not a lot

Guess options could have been to bring on Holmes and play 3 at the back. Push Baba and Yiadom out as wing backs
Bring on Azeez/Clarke alongside Puscas and go some sort of 4-4-2 (which we never do)
Bring on Azeez for someone like Drinkwater who was having a shocker and move in TDB more central
Through on a kid and hope for the best

none of which would have made the slightest bit of difference imo. Of any of those, moving TDB central would have prob been the one I'd have tried.

[Zammo]

Also agree with others about Puscas. The amount of times he was making a run tonight which was totally wasted as our players refused to play the ball early.

In the first half, Swift, Drinkwater and then unbelievably, Laurent all had chances to knock the ball over the top for Puscas who was making a run. They all turned inside and passed the ball sideways/behind. Puscas threw his arms up in the air when Laurent failed to pass.

If this is a conscious decision by the players then they need a f**kin rocket up their ar$es. If this is a managerial tactic, then just don't play Puscas and use a false number 9, or some other alternative. Utterly wasted up front otherwise. I was absolutely willing him to score when he ran through at the start of the second half, just to see the other player's reactions.

[Stranded]

Also agree with others about Puscas. The amount of times he was making a run tonight which was totally wasted as our players refused to play the ball early.

In the first half, Swift, Drinkwater and then unbelievably, Laurent all had chances to knock the ball over the top for Puscas who was making a run. They all turned inside and passed the ball sideways/behind. Puscas threw his arms up in the air when Laurent failed to pass.

If this is a conscious decision by the players then they need a f**kin rocket up their ar$es. If this is a managerial tactic, then just don't play Puscas and use a false number 9, or some other alternative. Utterly wasted up front otherwise. I was absolutely willing him to score when he ran through at the start of the second half, just to see the other player's reactions.

There was a telling moment after the 2nd, Dann ran over to join in the celebrations but went straight to Puscas grabbed and was clearly pumping him up and telling him he had done some great work.

[hughsies no.1]

Also agree with others about Puscas. The amount of times he was making a run tonight which was totally wasted as our players refused to play the ball early.

In the first half, Swift, Drinkwater and then unbelievably, Laurent all had chances to knock the ball over the top for Puscas who was making a run. They all turned inside and passed the ball sideways/behind. Puscas threw his arms up in the air when Laurent failed to pass.

If this is a conscious decision by the players then they need a f**kin rocket up their ar$es. If this is a managerial tactic, then just don't play Puscas and use a false number 9, or some other alternative. Utterly wasted up front otherwise. I was absolutely willing him to score when he ran through at the start of the second half, just to see the other player's reactions.

It really did start to feel like there was a conspiracy amongst the players not to play him through in that first half. The Laurent one was the most obvious ball going - would hope that when they watch the game back together that Pauno highlights this because EVERYONE in the stadium saw it.