Please log in or register. Registered visitors get fewer ads.
“Nearly Men Tend to Never Achieve Owt” — Notes for Barnsley
Friday, 1st Nov 2013 13:30

HarryfromBath assesses the mood in the opposition camp ahead of Friday’s game by delving into their forums.

“There are no teams with 10-point deductions to save us this season. It is up to us, and sadly I don’t think we’re good enough to survive. I have been watching Barnsley Football Club for over 50 years, and I can’t think of a season when we have been so bad.”

After surviving relegation on the last day of the season in May, many Tykes are disappointed to see their team right back in the same position, despite having had what many considered at the time to be a good summer transfer window.

David Flitcroft

Manager David Flitcroft has been most heavily criticised for his poor tactical judgement during games and for failing to get the best out of a competitive squad. Many supporters accuse him of favouritism.

“Flitcroft’s biggest flaw, and unfortunately it’s a pretty crucial one, is that he cannot fix in-game problems. He’s a bit like a joiner who cannot measure correctly. It’s fine with him if we hit the opposition early and grab a two goal lead.”

“Learning on the job is one thing. Repeating tactical and player selection errors time and time again is quite another”, “This is a results based job, and picking favourites is not a good thing”, “If you’re not in the clique at Oakwell, then forget it”.

“There won’t be any more signings in January. He has had enough players brought in over the last 10 months”, “I think we’ve got one of the best squads we’ve had in years. We have players like Noble-Lazarus, Hassell and Nyatanga not getting a sniff, and nothing seems to be changing”.

Struggling in the Second Half

“Flitcroft needs to work on fitness and concentration. Every game follows the same pattern. In the first half, we are bright, effervescent and up for it, but you know what’s coming in the second half. We have to play 90 minutes and put games to bed. It’s getting rather predictable.”

“Do they have a pint or summat at half-time or what? I give great credit to the team against Boro for their first half performance. If they can do that against every team, I predict a mid-table finish, but we need to do it in the second half.”

“We were 3-0 against Boro at half-time, and I said to the bloke next to me: ‘Does tha think we’ll win?’. We both thought we needed a fourth early on to kill it off. Do other fans think like that?”, “I was delighted with our (3-2) win over Boro, but the self-destruct button was nearly there again”.

Defence

“Our defence this season has been utterly shocking. It’s terrible, with not one clean sheet. It’s really piss poor, that. If we can sort out the shocking defending and keep away from negative tactics, we’ll be okay”, “Collectively they have been darn muck”.

Tykes’ condemnations of their back four have been relentless: “This hapless defence is going to cost us a place in the league if it isn’t sorted”, “We really need to sort our defence out fast as we cannot defend a lead”.

“We defend poorly, giving the opposition far too much time, and concede far too many chances. We defend as individuals and not as a team. Far too often players are left one on one, and the ball is allowed into our box far too easily.”

In goal, 20-year-old England international Jack Butland has replaced Luke Steele, who is out with a back injury. Signed on loan from Stoke “he does his job well, without any drama. Butland had another good game on Saturday”.

“I have been particularly impressed with Butland. It’s good to have confidence that a keeper will claim crosses or corners every time, and I was also impressed with his kicking.”

The same cannot be said for their wide defenders: “Our full-backs let us down time and time again. We have needed replacements but nothing has happened. Kennedy and Wiseman are not good enough in these positions.”

“What on earth has happened to Tom Kennedy this season?”, “Kennedy is not a Championship full-back”, “He needs replacing. He has not been good enough for a while now”, “We are restricted on our left flank going forward, especially with Kennedy at full-back”.

“Flitcroft has his favourites. He plays Kennedy week in, week out when he doesn’t even perform, and he’s getting complacent.” Former Leicester left-back Tom Kennedy has been regularly accused of coasting by Tykes.

“Where is Reuben Noble-Lazarus? Flitcroft said he might play 35 games at left-back this season, but it is Kennedy there week in, week out.” Many Tykes want to see the left-sided 20-year-old former youth player sto tart.

“RNL has bags of talent and potential. He has pace, fitness and the ability to go past players. He has needed to work on tracking back and reading the game. He did brilliantly when he got his chance and how has been dropped. The lad did nowt wrong. Sometimes Flitcroft talks toilet.”


At right-back, ”Scott Wiseman is only in the team on favouritism. His positional play is terrible and a good winger takes him to pieces. He is a League One player at best.”

“Wiseman went to sleep near the end of the game by just sauntering out of defence for Wednesday’s equalising goal.”

The former Hull and Rochdale player has replaced long time club servant Bobby Hassell as right-back this season. “Hassell has been past it for a few years now. I’d be worried is he was in our starting XI.”

“Jean-Yves Mvoto was pulling shirts all afternoon in the penalty box and gave a cast iron handball that the referee missed. He simply can’t play”, “Mvoto is good in the air, but do not give it to his feet. He is a liability”.

The 25-year-old former Oldham centre-back has replaced injured Crystal Palace loan signing Peter Ramage.

“Mvoto deserves a bit of praise (against Boro). He was a rock today.” “He was a rock all right. He stood still with his arm up when runners passed him by.” “In pre-season, I thought ‘we have a monster here’. He scared the s*** out of me when he has the ball on the floor looking for a pass.”

“At least Martin Crainie has been consistent and solid both in the air and on the deck.” The 27-year-old former Coventry and Pompey centre-back is the one defender who has managed to maintain his form this season.

Midfield

“I felt our midfield went missing in the second half against Wednesday”, “We make too many wrong passes, or there is nobody available in the right place in the final third”, “Our lack of creativity is our biggest problem without a doubt”.

“Flitcroft needs to drop one of the two defensive midfielders, Perkins or Fox, and put the more creative Mellis in the centre, because this two holding midfielders plan simply isn’t working. I lost count of the number of crosses we fizzed across the six-yard box and we had nobody there.”

“I used to like David Perkins, but he seems to have changed his game and lost a yard of pace. He is always playing risky passes across the back four and is just a mistake waiting to happen”, “He has become so negative this season it’s unreal. Hardly any passes forward when there is an opening”.

The 31-year-old ex-Colchester player “invites too much pressure by holding on to the ball too long and attacking opportunities end up passing”, “He does dwell on the ball, but he is always looking to drive us forward”.

“If we dig ourselves out of this hole, it will be the likes of Perkins who will do it”, “Perkins also won us more tackles today than Jacob Mellis will if he plays until he is 50”.

“Now tell me what effect Mellis had on the game and I’ll tell you. Zip. It’s plain to see he can’t be arsed and his attitude stinks.“ The 22-year old former Chelsea youth player has filled in on the left side of midfield, and has been blasted for his poor work rate.

“It is a waste of time playing Mellis wide left, especially when one of our main tactics is hoofing the ball down the left channel for Chris O’Grady to flick on”, “Kennedy got not help from Mellis, and laid into him on more than one occasion for giving him no cover”.

Many Tykes believe that left-back Tom Kennedy is reduced to using this tactic due to the ineffectiveness of his left-sided partner. “Mellis had another of his can’t be arsed days. He is out of position, but his attitude is not right and he was a passenger today”.

“Fox is a decent player who has been underused by Chris Hughton. He’s a really honest defensive midfielder who can mix it as well.” There has been little comment either way about 29-year-old Norwich loan signing David Fox, who partners Perkins in the centre.

“How bad was Dale Jennings when he came on?”, “I couldn’t agree more. Every time I see the lad, he’s poor. I’d like to believe he’s got potential, but I just can’t see it.”

Fans have been brutal in their criticism of the 20-year-old wide midfielder, signed for £250,000 this summer from Bayern Munich.

“He was shocking when he came on (against Wednesday). He’s bloody terrible.” “If Jennings is match fit, then Mvoto is the new Franco Baresi. He needs to go out on loan for sure”, “I’m 51 with a hernia and arthritis in my knee, and I could have affected the game better”.

“I was buzzing when we signed him, but it looks like we’ve signed a dobber. His pace seems to have gone and his touch is terrible He never takes anyone on and his passing his poor”, “He’s not much cop and he’s chubby as well. I can’t understand him coming on before Tommy Poland anyway”.

Polish attacking midfielder Tomasz Cywka joined the Tykes from Reading in the summer of 2012, and is seen as a decent impact substitute and set piece specialist. “I would have Tommy in before Mellis. He would cover the full-back better and does more running off the ball.”

Paddy McCourt

“Give credit to Flitcroft. He did get someone in to light up Oakwell in the end. Step forward Paddy McCourt — what a player!”

“Creativity is only coming from Paddy. He has the confidence an ability to take people on”, “He looks like he’s got Velcro on his boots with a foam ball”.

Tykes cannot praise right winger Paddy McCourt highly enough for his creative play. The former Celtic man scored a “sublime” goal reminiscent of Ricardo Villa’s in the 1981 FA Cup final for Tottenham in the recent home against Middlesbrough.

“I know he’s not in the George Best league, but I love the anticipation and excitement when Paddy has the ball. It’s all about memories, and ‘Paddy’s Goal’ will be remembered by fans for many a year”, “In all my years watching the Reds, there hasn’t been another here to touch it”.

The only area which the ‘Derry Pele’ needs to improve is his inability to last 90 minutes. “With Paddy running out of steam, we didn’t have enough to get the second goal and kill the game.”

Set Piece Problems

“We’re certainly not practicing free kicks”, “There’s no whip and pace on corner kicks. Everything’s just drifted in like in Sunday league football, hoping for the best.”

“For our freekicks, we had Kennedy and Fox over the ball. Fox is looking for his first goal and Kennedy has not scored in 42 games.”

“We have people standing over freekicks that have never scored, and we have a man that fires Exocet missiles sat on a bench watching poor effort after poor effort”, “Cywka can’t half hit a ball. Start playing him and there won’t be a problem”.

Attack

“This team is good enough to score goals, and we have the quality going forward to cause other teams problems. I don’t think that there is much wrong with our strikers. We look like we can score”, “There is some quality to our play going forward. We are creative in nothing else”.

“O’Grady and Pedersen work their socks off with little support and for an hour they carried the team against Wednesday, but they were forced to tire and it showed.”

Norway International Marcus Pedersen, who is on loan from Vitesse Arnhem, has been joined this summer by former Wednesday striker Chris O’Grady in a new strike partnership, and they have been regularly praised by fans.

Pedersen scored a spectacular goal last Saturday, hitting a second wonder strike after his first rebounded off the Owls crossbar.

“I just watched Pedersen’s goal again. It really is a corker”, “His control on the tricky pass from Fox was excellent”, “Aye, it was a fantastic goal”.

“I couldn’t understand why Pedersen and O’Grady were not gambling more on the two or three very decent balls flashed across the box. Pedersen’s goal was sheer class, but Vaz Te would have had a double hat-trick against Wednesday at the weekend.”

Former Ipswich striker Jason Scotland, whose goals played a huge part in Barnsley’s survival last season, has been substituted or come on from the bench in recent games. “Scotland is now showing his age. He has a fat back and a fat front and looks more like Mr Blobby than a footballer.”

Barnsley Supporters’ Views on ITFC and the Game

“Summat is wrong and the spirit is clearly not the same. Unity was one of our major strengths last season and it needs to come back otherwise I expect another negative, defensive powder puff defeat on Friday. Prediction- 3-0 Ipswich, I'm sorry to say.”

“We've lost all six and nobody can argue that we haven't deserved it maybe bar the Blackpool game. If we're going to get beaten anyway, at least try and impose some serious attacking threat and have a go, just for the sanity of the diehards that always follow the team away.”

With six straight away league defeats, most Tykes fear the worst on Friday. They hold our manager in high regard, but prophets are not always welcomed back in their own country.

“I like Mick Mac. He speaks his mind. He’s down to earth, has bags of experience and is a thoroughly decent fella. He’s not a Barnsley manager for me, though. You show me a team with a budget like ours that he’s been a success at. Just because he’s a tarn lad dunt mean owt.”

Websites

Barnsley message boards are not notably busy, but the biggest forum was Tykes Mad.


Photo: Action Images



Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.



theblueginger added 13:55 - Nov 1
Yay was wondering where this was Harry:)
0

gri06906 added 13:59 - Nov 1
There confident then, still a dangerous opponent form has to pick up somewhere
0

oscarwhiting added 14:19 - Nov 1
This is incouraging on our part, but they won't be a push over. I think this is a game we would win comftably if we take our chances. But if we don't like most games this season I'm scared we could struggle. COYB
0

NoCanariesAllowed added 14:23 - Nov 1
If there was anyone out there who would argue that Town have been knocking on the door of Championship relegation for the last few years, Barnsley must've been nearly smashing the damn thing down. I don't know how on earth they are still in this league when it seems they go through this perpetual cycle every season, just about scraping survival with good form when it matters. They've become like Wigan were in the Premier League - and we all know what ultimately happened there.

Fear this is a potential banana skin in front of the Sky cameras, but the last time I remember us playing a team this poor at Portman Road on TV, it was Coventry, and we almost won that one in the first half alone. We honestly should be scoring three here, and that really should be enough.
0

JimmyJazz added 14:28 - Nov 1
Show me a team with no budget that MM has been successful at? Err, don't need to look too hard
0

ericclacton added 15:04 - Nov 1
Good effort that.
0

Hiltzkooler added 15:05 - Nov 1
Thanks Harry, as always.....perhaps your headline "Nearly men tend never to achieve'owt" could refer to Taylor.....a nearly man tonight or someone who is going to bring a bit of light to our side?.....I really would like to see a bit of guile tonight from Town...
0

Ole_Pablo_Ole added 15:46 - Nov 1
Great stuff as always Harry
0

BillBlue added 16:24 - Nov 1
Thanks Harry. I think we will need to pressurise them tonight or it might be a more difficult game than many think.
0

BillBlue added 16:24 - Nov 1
ps. I like Jason Scotland.
0

HarryfromBath added 17:05 - Nov 1
Thanks everyone for joining in. I really hope we can win tonight, but as BillBlue says, we will need to put them under pressure, as this may help isolate their front men. As Oscar says, they will not be a pushover, having taken points at home from Boro and the Owls.

Hiltzkooler, I think that tonight is a perfect night for players like Taylor and Anderson to show what they are capable of, as the Barnsley left flank really does look fragile with Mellis underutilised.

There seems to be a link with several of their players running out of steam, most notably McCourt and their strikers, and their falling away in matches. I cannot help thinking of the Yeovil game. If we keep working away on their defence, goals will hopefully come.

JimmyJazz, to be fair, a few of them commented on how well Mick did at Millwall, which is a team similar in size to Barnsley. It was just amusing to see the grudging praise they gave to someone who is one of their most famous sons.

I really would love to see us win convincingly tonight. It would be a terrific first year anniversary present from the players for Mick.
0


You need to login in order to post your comments

Blogs 295 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls

About Us Contact Us Terms & Conditions Privacy Cookies Advertising
© TWTD 1995-2024