An interesting night in the stands by StokieBlue 22 Jan 8:09
Yet with this "faffing" we have conceded the least goals in the league and are the second highest scorers.

Given that I'm happy to stick with the "faffing" rather than booting it long 80% of the time.

Occasional mistakes will happen but it clearly works far more than it fails.

SB

An interesting night in the stands by homer_123 21 Jan 9:09
I've posted before about the group in front of me that spend the entire match on their phones betting - well, they were not there last night.

However, a fair few fans around where we sit were quite vocal last night and what they were talking about I overheard two or three groups bemoaning on the way out after the game.

Now, this comes with the caveat that we could have gifted a goal to Brizzle last night quite easily, so in some regard I 'can' understand their thinking.

In short, a lot of talk/ moaning about 'playing out from the back'. Slow, pedestrian, fraught with danger. Kipre in particular was coming in for some scathing criticism. As was O'Shea - now that's obvious because when we play out - it's these two.

A fair few were just wanting us to hit it long, get the ball up the pitch ASAP. In addition, one chap was almost losing his marbles over the fact that we attack down the wing (left or right), can't progress so we come back and recycle - he was going apoplectic.

The final comment, and this was the comment I heard two other groups mention on the way out, in addition to the above, was this: "I'm here to be entertained, that's not entertainment!".

I understand we all views things differently but it does amaze me, still, that people seem to not understand how and why we play the way we do.

I was sat there hearing the chap behind me shout at Kipre to 'hit it long' (like Kipre is going to hear it or follow his advice) - and I'm wondering if he's watching the same game. We have Clarke hugging one touchline, Burns the other - both with chalk on their boots. Azon in the middle (ie nowhere near each other) against a back 5 (first half this was). Add to that both Matsi and Jens were deeper (as we are looking to play through the line) - so, again, not near the front three at the time Kipre has the ball.

What, exactly, would the point be to hit it long at that point. Burns nor Clarke were running in behind and if we played to Azon, who's he going to bring into play?

Now, I've got nothing against a nice long ball (see Burns to Azon cross field ball, lovely and Azon unlucky with his shot) and it's important to be able to mix our play up and I think we have got better at this.

I posted the other day about expectations and how we, as fans, need to temper them. We aren't going to roll everyone over every week, we aren't always going to play great football (first 15 last night, I thought we were sloppy with our passing for example).

But how could anyone come away from PR last night and not be entertained. Two really well worked and taken goals, could easily had a couple more. Decent opposition who didn't make it easy but we also didn't give them too much of a sniff.

Maybe I'm being harsh or just focusing on the negative (these were a minority of fans I will say) but if you can't go and enjoy that at PR last night, I'm not sure what the point is?

[Post edited 23 Jan 9:36]

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