| What I learned yesterday 09:40 - Aug 7 with 1601 views | GlasgowBlue |
And I’m sure KM learned the same thing.
Attacking subs on 70 minutes when already in the lead, expecting to blow teams away works in league one but not in the Championship.
Think we are going to need to put the likes of Ball, Evans etc on to manage the game if we are winning. |  |
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| What I learned yesterday on 09:41 - Aug 7 with 1558 views | FrimleyBlue |
I thought this was the reason we kept aluko on for another season for games like that.
You can't pop on Harness. Hutchinson and ladapo and expect to the keep the ball. |  |
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| What I learned yesterday on 09:42 - Aug 7 with 1552 views | Ryorry |
Maybe Aluko too, he was superb for us in that role last season - kept cool possession, calmed us down. |  |
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| What I learned yesterday on 09:42 - Aug 7 with 1550 views | Keno |
although if Freddie had taken that chance or passed it and someone else had scored they would have been inspired subs
fine margins I guess |  |
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| What I learned yesterday on 09:43 - Aug 7 with 1534 views | J2BLUE |
I'm genuinely not sure what to make of yesterday.
I think i'm happy to take the points and write it off as the first game of the season where players are likely not fully fit. I can't see us subbing the entire front three many times this season.
There were a lot of positives. There was also a lot to work on. To me that was one of those games you couldn't really complain if it finished 4-2. 3-3, 1-4 etc.
There's not many (any?) harder places to go in this league though so it was an amazing win and great to get over the line. |  |
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| What I learned yesterday on 09:44 - Aug 7 with 1525 views | ElderGrizzly |
I’m not so sure.
Keeping them thinking about us as an attacking force when down to 10 men seems more sensible than trying to sit out what would have turned out to be 30 minutes.
But for better decision making by Hutchison and Ladapo we would have been 3 or 4 up. |  | | |
| What I learned yesterday on 09:50 - Aug 7 with 1474 views | LankHenners |
Not sure yesterday was enough to say it won't work, obviously a step-up in quality and as McKenna said we're going to have to get used to seeing out tight games rather than already being 3 or so up and bringing players on to score 1 or 2 more, but if Hutchinson or Ladapo had made more of the breakaway chances they had we'd be saying great idea to bring on fresh legs to hit them on the counter.
And such is the way of things if he makes defensive subs and we concede he'll get flak for inviting pressure etc.
Don't think Harness is ever the answer if you want some calm on the ball, mind, though appreciate his hard work off the ball may have been a factor in bringing him on.
Think the main issue for everyone to learn is how to manage the game when you could get almost another 15 mins added to the end of the game. |  |
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| Sunderland are plop at home though.... on 09:50 - Aug 7 with 1466 views | Bloots |
| What I learned yesterday on 09:43 - Aug 7 by J2BLUE |
I'm genuinely not sure what to make of yesterday.
I think i'm happy to take the points and write it off as the first game of the season where players are likely not fully fit. I can't see us subbing the entire front three many times this season.
There were a lot of positives. There was also a lot to work on. To me that was one of those games you couldn't really complain if it finished 4-2. 3-3, 1-4 etc.
There's not many (any?) harder places to go in this league though so it was an amazing win and great to get over the line. |
....they only won 7 games there last season.
Which is odd.
Agree with the rest though. I'm not really taking anything from it other than 3 points.
On balance I'd suggest we were quite lucky to get them. |  |
| "The sooner he comes back the better, this place has been a disaster without him" - TWTD User (July 2025) |
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| What I learned yesterday on 09:51 - Aug 7 with 1451 views | Herbivore |
You've got to get the balance right though. If you take all your attacking players off then you have no one to get the ball to up the pitch to relieve the pressure or nick another goal on the break. The bigger issue was the three subs made some poor decisions on the ball, both in the middle of the park to invite pressure back on to us, and in the final third when they all had chances to square it to a team mate for a tap in on the break and all three chose to shoot instead. Hopefully they'll learn from that.
I actually wouldn't have been averse to Taylor coming on for one of Chaplin or Broadhead as he could sit in when needed and make the midfield more compact whilst also breaking forward when in possession, we'd still have had one of Harness/Hutchinson and Ladapo up top, with Burns as another outlet. That might be something McKenna thinks about going forward rather than always going like for like. |  |
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| KM does seem a bit.... on 09:52 - Aug 7 with 1435 views | Bloots |
..."scattergun" with his subs.
Not really sure what the point of bringing Hutch on was, even Jackson would have been a better option.
We definitely seemed to lose a bit of cohesiveness with all the subs.
Meh, who cares, we won. | |
| "The sooner he comes back the better, this place has been a disaster without him" - TWTD User (July 2025) |
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| KM does seem a bit.... on 09:55 - Aug 7 with 1384 views | FrimleyBlue |
| KM does seem a bit.... on 09:52 - Aug 7 by Bloots |
..."scattergun" with his subs.
Not really sure what the point of bringing Hutch on was, even Jackson would have been a better option.
We definitely seemed to lose a bit of cohesiveness with all the subs.
Meh, who cares, we won. |
Nah hutch instead of Jackson made sense as he was a 10.
However.. I'd personally have gone for Jackson for Burns as an outlet
Taylor for Chaplin
Hutchinson I think will be a great player. But even in the game at times he was standing next to ladapo. We weren't playing with 2 strikers. He doesn't imo understand the 10 role and imo it's dangerous to be developing someone else's player in an important position for our style. | |
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| What I learned yesterday on 09:59 - Aug 7 with 1304 views | JammyDodgerrr |
| What I learned yesterday on 09:44 - Aug 7 by ElderGrizzly |
I’m not so sure.
Keeping them thinking about us as an attacking force when down to 10 men seems more sensible than trying to sit out what would have turned out to be 30 minutes.
But for better decision making by Hutchison and Ladapo we would have been 3 or 4 up. |
Agree, plus this idea that attacking players don't know how to keep the ball doesn't quite fit for me. Sometimes attacking players are better of holding the ball - and they tend to hold it higher up. |  |
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| KM does seem a bit.... on 10:00 - Aug 7 with 1293 views | SheffordBlue |
| KM does seem a bit.... on 09:55 - Aug 7 by FrimleyBlue |
Nah hutch instead of Jackson made sense as he was a 10.
However.. I'd personally have gone for Jackson for Burns as an outlet
Taylor for Chaplin
Hutchinson I think will be a great player. But even in the game at times he was standing next to ladapo. We weren't playing with 2 strikers. He doesn't imo understand the 10 role and imo it's dangerous to be developing someone else's player in an important position for our style. |
Jackson was stripped off ready to go at one point. I think it was the JD cramp issue that made KMc change his mind.
I think one of the reasons for rotating the attacking players even with the game state as it was it that our attacking players do so much defensive work with the press that defensively we become worse when they begin to run out of steam. |  |
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| What I learned yesterday on 10:01 - Aug 7 with 1283 views | FrimleyBlue |
| What I learned yesterday on 09:59 - Aug 7 by JammyDodgerrr |
Agree, plus this idea that attacking players don't know how to keep the ball doesn't quite fit for me. Sometimes attacking players are better of holding the ball - and they tend to hold it higher up. |
I don't think it's people saying attacking players don't hold the ball
We apart from Broadhead and Chaplin don't have any attacking players than can keep hold of the ball. | |
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| What I learned yesterday on 10:07 - Aug 7 with 1222 views | Vaughan8 |
I thought the attacking players did OK when they came on. Its not their fault the whole team started to retreat and hang on.
As someone else said, if Hutchinson and Ladapo make better decisions we are kill the game off.
I think i'm going to trust McKenna more than people on here. It is the first game (and playing one of the toughest games potentially) for goodness sake! haha | | | |
| What I learned yesterday on 10:11 - Aug 7 with 1180 views | Cheltenham_Blue |
If we aren't going to sub off the front three plus 1/2 of the full backs in each game, then we are going to have to play with a much lower attacking intensity.
Thats KMc's whole MO. run, run, run, press, press, press until you are spent on 60-70.
He's not going to change his ethos. |  |
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| What I learned yesterday on 10:16 - Aug 7 with 1155 views | BiGDonnie |
It's one game, each will be different. We won the game so it clearly worked.
COYBs |  |
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| What I learned yesterday on 11:00 - Aug 7 with 1016 views | GlasgowBlue |
| What I learned yesterday on 09:43 - Aug 7 by J2BLUE |
I'm genuinely not sure what to make of yesterday.
I think i'm happy to take the points and write it off as the first game of the season where players are likely not fully fit. I can't see us subbing the entire front three many times this season.
There were a lot of positives. There was also a lot to work on. To me that was one of those games you couldn't really complain if it finished 4-2. 3-3, 1-4 etc.
There's not many (any?) harder places to go in this league though so it was an amazing win and great to get over the line. |
There was so much positivity to take away from yesterday. But I did have flashbacks to Hillsborough. As did just about everybody around me.
Also, game management is going to be so hard when we are getting 13 minutes added on rather than two or three. | |
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