| More reflections on Saturday - frustratingly close to a very good day 09:48 - Aug 30 with 493 views | Dubtractor |
Appreciate that Saturday is a memory now, and we're all focussed on more transfer dealings now, but thought I'd share some more thoughts.
What was most annoying for me is until they scored we had played really well and I was genuinely thinking that it had finally clicked.
The first half saw lots of good, creative attacking play. The overloads on both flanks were really well executed on numerous occasions and often just lacking a final ball. We saw a few chances created with neat passing in the box. Piggot had his strongest game so far, fielding a variety of balls really well and bringing people into play, he was particularly good at getting in front of his marker to stop them defending longer balls.
I thought that Evans and Harper kept things ticking over really well with a mix of passing, though the only time we looked in danger was when they were caught in possession. This could be a theme this season as we try to balance risk and reward of inviting teams to press us to create space to play in.
I thought Woolf and Burgess did everything that was needed too.
Not saying it was a perfect half by any means, but there was much more good than bad.
Then for the first 15 or so in the second half we blew them away and we're set for a comfortable first win surely?
The way which we fell apart after that was alarming - Bluefunk has touched on an issue with fitness from 60 minutes in all games and I think that was a part of it, but it felt like this fragility which the previous team was constantly accused of is still alive and well. You could see the confidence drain away, the tidy passing was lost, people made poor decisions, everything felt panicked. Even our attempts to time waste and take the sting out of the game seemed to make it worse.
The lack of game management (aside from time wasting attempts) was a bit concerning. We've heard from Wigan and Portsmouth fans in numbers saying that Cook's plan b is to try and do 4-2-3-1 better rather than change formation, and we saw that fail on Saturday. We were crying out for an extra body in the middle of the park to give some help to Evans and Harper, but instead we got different players in the same formation.
Lets hope that the next 2 weeks on the training ground iron out some of the issues we saw in the last 30 minutes, and also has some focus on set pieces at both ends! |  |
| |  |
| More reflections on Saturday - frustratingly close to a very good day on 10:02 - Aug 30 with 429 views | Romeo4 |
At last an excellent, well balanced post.
I’ve not been able to bring myself to post anything until today. That late capitulation felt like a real gut-wrencher. On reflection my anger had more to do with the utter disappointment that that last minute equaliser helps to destabilise the current project which is in my opinion already showing signs of working. Gutted for Cook and the players who despite showing frailty and poor decision making in the final 20 mins of the game did not deserve to only take a point. Gutted for the fans who have suffered a life time of knocks in recent seasons alone.
It is night and day compared to the dross we’ve been served up over the last countless seasons. I’m sure results will come especially if we can add a couple more to improve our current weaknesses. Just hope the manager gets enough time to make it work. How 3 points on Saturday would’ve eased that pressure. Still gutted. |  | | |
| More reflections on Saturday - frustratingly close to a very good day on 10:25 - Aug 30 with 376 views | NthQldITFC |
Why does the confidence drain away? Fifteen years or so of failure has undoubtedly led to a very damaged club, but where do the roots of that fragility lie now? Not in the numerous players who have been shown the door. Not in the former managers, or former owner who have thankfully departed. And not inherently in the widely lauded new signings, just through the door, most of whom have come in on the back of recent success.
Unless we think the stadium or club infrastructure is somehow infected with it, then perhaps the roots of our fragility now lie in us, the fans, and our somewhat understandable anxiety about it all going wrong again. The new squad and the new management are clearly aware of all the history, and obviously understand the tension in the fan-base, but they can't help but feel the pressure already and are struggling with it.
So what we the fans need to do, is to go out of our way to show some traditional patience and support, and allow the new ITFC at least a reasonable chance to take root and eradicate all the negativity of the past. |  |
| |
| More reflections on Saturday - frustratingly close to a very good day on 10:25 - Aug 30 with 373 views | Steve_M |
I think that's broadly how I saw it, but I'm concerned at how little we created from some good bits of attacking play. Yet again, Piggot was far too isolated for the most part.
And then, we collapsed utterly in the last half hour. That's three matches in a row where that has happened and, as you say, all the good stuff just stopped. We would still have won had we done the basics in defending set pieces but the organisational failings we have at the back showed up again.
To follow that this morning with the Celina news is really odd, Cook is stockpiling wide forwards like Magilton did central midfielders and the squad now starts to look unwieldy. Obviously his remarks last season about preferring a small squad are about as consistent as just about everything else that comes out of his mouth.
Louie Barry who has looked promising, if raw, might not not get in the squad EFL Trophy games. Marvelous use of a loan signing that for us and Villa. Lots of options might make sense with five substitutions per game but not with three. Even less so when we are having to change players for fitness reasons so often.
The next month is critical, particularly these two weeks without a game. We need about nine points from the next five matches to get the season alive. Less than that and I think we get a new manager in. |  |
| |
| |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
