MATCHWATCH : West Bromwich Albion (h)

[blythspartan]

A disappointing performance but I wasn’t surprised tbh. WBA are in a false position and are more than capable of finishing top 6. I’ll be very happy if we can finish 21st and I am under no illusions about what the season holds. Still a great start all things considered.

[Millsy]

Hendrick back to be shit again.

Rae said afterwards Hendrick was fouled. Any fans there agree? And will the TV replay will support that view?

If he was in a WBA shirt then it would have been given as a foul.

Definitely. Changing shirt mid-game to impersonate the opposition is not tolerated thesedays.

[Royal Rother]

I’m bored of watching Joao.

Yeah, well....

[RoyalBlue]

I’m bored of watching Joao.

Yeah, well....

Even perennial Joao critic Mick Gooding credited him with a good performance in the second half and, in my opinion, it was a good performance. Like too many of our team he was poor for the first 30 minutes but thereafter got better and better. Worked pretty hard, held ball up well, showed some good skills in beating players & bringing team mates into play. WBA clearly regarded him as a threat as they often had two or three players closing on him at times in the second half.

Personally I'm getting bored with the constant blinkered lazy, 'Joao is lazy' criticism.

[YorkshireRoyal99]

It's something Ince himself has alluded to all season, we haven't been clinical enough. Didn't cost us too much really but is starting to cost us now. Granted we didn't have too many "fantastic" opportunities per say, we just aren't clinical enough when the ball is in the box and now we are starting to concede just a few more goals in games, it is beginning to cost us wins/results.

We were poor for most of the first half, then improved, huffed and puffed a bit and kept going but lacked the quality. This has been our toughest spell of the season so far, albeit against strong opposition. Could use a positive result on Tuesday.

[Snowflake Royal]

I’m bored of watching Joao.

Yeah, well....

Even perennial Joao critic Mick Gooding credited him with a good performance in the second half and, in my opinion, it was a good performance. Like too many of our team he was poor for the first 30 minutes but thereafter got better and better. Worked pretty hard, held ball up well, showed some good skills in beating players & bringing team mates into play. WBA clearly regarded him as a threat as they often had two or three players closing on him at times in the second half.

Personally I'm getting bored with the constant blinkered lazy, 'Joao is lazy' criticism.

+1. No coincidence we improved when Meite came on for Carroll, who was fairly poor.

[leon]

I’m bored of watching Joao.

Yeah, well....

Even perennial Joao critic Mick Gooding credited him with a good performance in the second half and, in my opinion, it was a good performance. Like too many of our team he was poor for the first 30 minutes but thereafter got better and better. Worked pretty hard, held ball up well, showed some good skills in beating players & bringing team mates into play. WBA clearly regarded him as a threat as they often had two or three players closing on him at times in the second half.

Personally I'm getting bored with the constant blinkered lazy, 'Joao is lazy' criticism.

Please show me where I said “lazy”?

Classic Team Board bullshit.

[leon]

Yeah, well....

Even perennial Joao critic Mick Gooding credited him with a good performance in the second half and, in my opinion, it was a good performance. Like too many of our team he was poor for the first 30 minutes but thereafter got better and better. Worked pretty hard, held ball up well, showed some good skills in beating players & bringing team mates into play. WBA clearly regarded him as a threat as they often had two or three players closing on him at times in the second half.

Personally I'm getting bored with the constant blinkered lazy, 'Joao is lazy' criticism.

+1. No coincidence we improved when Meite came on for Carroll, who was fairly poor.

And you can fcuk off as well.

[Hound]

Joao was probably our best player last 25 and looked a real threat again. Started running the show up top

He was pretty dire before then as was Carroll

[Hendo]

Joao was probably our best player last 25 and looked a real threat again. Started running the show up top

He was pretty dire before then as was Carroll

Agree, should've scored with a header in the first half though. Did the right thing by trying to glance it across goal, but didn't get enough on it.

[YorkshireRoyal99]

Yeah, well....

Even perennial Joao critic Mick Gooding credited him with a good performance in the second half and, in my opinion, it was a good performance. Like too many of our team he was poor for the first 30 minutes but thereafter got better and better. Worked pretty hard, held ball up well, showed some good skills in beating players & bringing team mates into play. WBA clearly regarded him as a threat as they often had two or three players closing on him at times in the second half.

Personally I'm getting bored with the constant blinkered lazy, 'Joao is lazy' criticism.

+1. No coincidence we improved when Meite came on for Carroll, who was fairly poor.

I do wonder what it takes for us to get Meite into the team at the moment. You'd think with our CB's stretched that we could maybe shift to a 4-3-3 and have Meite out on the right somewhere, or even a 4-2-3-1 with Ince central, to get him and Joao into the team as there is always goals there.

I get the feeling Meite will end pairing with Long up top for the leg work to press defenders and cause problems, I just don't know when that is going to be.

[Orion1871]

As far as I'm concerned, Meite should always start when he's fit.

He has the workrate of Carroll and Long but he's more mobile than both.

[leon]

Joao was probably our best player last 25 and looked a real threat again. Started running the show up top

He was pretty dire before then as was Carroll

Agree, should've scored with a header in the first half though. Did the right thing by trying to glance it across goal, but didn't get enough on it.

A very low bar. I'm not sure he looked "a massive threat" at all.

[YorkshireRoyal99]

Yeah, wouldn't say Joao was a "massive threat", but probably our biggest in the game and he certainly didn't perform poorly by any means.

[Millsy]

We've got a pretty awesome strikeforce, to be fair. Wasn't someone saying here the other day we have the best atttacking quartet in the league or something? I don't think Joao was impressive on Saturday, but then neither was Carroll or any of the team tbf.

The issue is always further back with us - i.e. either we are arsed to battle for it, press hard, win the 50-50s and defend well or we're not. When we are we're unstoppable. When we're not - and especially when we have to rely on the partnership of Holmes + TMac - we're in deep trouble, whoever is up top.

Get our defence solid, win the midfield and you can have your pick of any of Joao, Meite, Carroll, Long or even Ehib/ Clarke and we'll destroy teams.

[Hound]

Yeah, wouldn't say Joao was a "massive threat", but probably our biggest in the game and he certainly didn't perform poorly by any means.

I’m not sure anyone did, did they?

[YorkshireRoyal99]

Yeah, wouldn't say Joao was a "massive threat", but probably our biggest in the game and he certainly didn't perform poorly by any means.

I’m not sure anyone did, did they?

I didn't think NGW looked particularly fantastic personally speaking.

[leon]

Yeah, wouldn't say Joao was a "massive threat", but probably our biggest in the game and he certainly didn't perform poorly by any means.

I’m not sure anyone did, did they?

yeah sorry "real threat" - point still stands tbh

[YorkshireRoyal99]

Yeah, wouldn't say Joao was a "massive threat", but probably our biggest in the game and he certainly didn't perform poorly by any means.

I’m not sure anyone did, did they?

yeah sorry "real threat" - point still stands tbh

Only got another 30 odd games until his contract is up and then you might get your wish, depending on if he stays on with us or not.

[leon]

I’m not sure anyone did, did they?

yeah sorry "real threat" - point still stands tbh

Only got another 30 odd games until his contract is up and then you might get your wish, depending on if he stays on with us or not.

Well that's not my point at all. I don't want to get rid of him I want him to be firing on all cylinders but I'm finding him incredibly frustrating.