Sat Aug 16, 2008 7:12 pm
Good result, but we were woefully undercooked for what was the third game of the season and the early sending off saved us from inevitable defeat (quite possibly a heavy one). However, there's not much that can be done about that at this stage and I saw enough today to suggest that we'll be much closer to the right end of the table than the relegation zone.
Defence was ropy, but given that neither Smith or Boertien got enough games under their belts in pre-season (and both were much better in the second half as they adjusted). The problem won't get better quickly as when Weston comes back in with no pre-season behind him (as he surely will, since Palmer isn't a League 1 player in a million years) he'll take a game or two to settle. Admittedly there's little to be done about Boertien and Weston, but Smith wasn't given enough game time in the friendlies against proper sides (and alongside Gerrard or Roberts) so that's entirely self-inflicted. Also, Gerrard didn't look bothered. He needs to accept that while he's a very good League 1 player, no Championship side is going to pay a fee for him (they might take him on a Bosman but I can't see them paying cash), so he needs to accept that he's stuck here and knuckle down to play properly for the duration of his contract in order to ensure he's still marketable when he is out of contract.
Midfield was poor too, partly because Hughes is also under-prepared but largely because Taundry and Nicholls are being played out of position. Nicholls doesn't know where to stand or run as a winger, so consequently it's difficult to get the ball to him in dangerous positions. Since Reich (a winger) was playing up front the problem could have been solved by swapping them around. Taundry's still nowhere near mobile enough to be a central midfielder and also doesn't know how to look for space to receive the ball in such a congested area of the pitch - so he only had about ten touches all game. The movement's not really his fault: he's a full back. However, his weight is. It was forgivable as a first year pro breaking through last season, but as a more established player he ought to have been working in the gym all summer to get himself back in the right shape for a professional footballer. What worries me most, however, is that the manager thinks that Taundry is a better option than Bradley. That makes no sense to me at all.
Up front Ibehre was the clear man of the match. An absolute revelation. He looks like he'll need a lot of chances to score a single goal, but he's so awkward and worked so hard chasing things down that he'll never have to wait long for another chance. He'll score his share of goals this season and make plenty of chances for his partner. Which brings me to another problem with our tactics today: he didn't have a partner. Reich seemed to be playing much deeper - and was lost as he didn't get anywhere near enough of the ball there. Whether that was down to him or to his team mates not being used to looking there I don't know, but either way it wasn't working and should have been changed - especially after the sending off. Playing 75 minutes against ten men with only one out-and-out striker was ludicrous.
Once our players get match fit (and the four key players who were out today - Roberts, Weston, Mattis, Ricketts - return) then I can see us doing very well - assuming that the manager shows a bit more tactical awareness. Most of our problems today were self-inflicted (out of position players, not playing two up top against ten men, not preparing properly in pre-season, letting the game drift by not making subs early enough) but if we can avoid harming ourselves then there really should be enough quality in that side to compete with anyone in this division.