An ultimately unsatisfactory draw for both home and adopted countries that ends ones remote hopes of a 6 Nations title and hands the other the Wooden Spoon. Still, it was a cracking day in Edinburgh yesterday, if deceptively cold in the wind, and one spent with friends. The match was a kicking contest and neither side looked remotely capable of scoring of a try. I honestly think we could have played for another 80 minutes without one.
Internet access on your mobile is nigh on impossible at Murrayfield. Once the crowds build around the ground you simply can't get a signal and the mobile networks were so overloaded that I didn't receive any text messages until after the game. That was the game at Murrayfield, not at the New Den.
The news was broken in a short and stabbing way. "Lost 4-0, Dailly scored another o.g" (from an Hammer). The texts then piled in confirming the grim news and giving me a view of another gutless display against them. We got nothing of what I hoped for on Friday. We didn't match up man-to-man. We didn't play with any belief that we were a better side (although I understand we controlled much of the first half without coming close to scoring). And, we certainly didn't put in anything like a performance we could be proud of.
Shame on you Charlton. Three thousand supporters humiliated and you watched it happen. Phil Parkinson has apologised of course, but so what? Words are free. What else could he say? All this after a week of being ready for the fight and all the players knowing exactly what it meant to the fans etc etc. Hard to know where to go next. We are still third and with Leeds losing it still looks possible, although anyone with a modicum of knowledge about the game and about our club will know that the table is deceiving us and as the play-off pack bunch on our shoulders, we look likely to finally be overtaken by all of them. The only saving grace is that the seventh club, Huddersfield, look to be falling away.
No doubt we will hear about the players wanting to respond by beating Gillingham, but they can stuff all the talk this week. We will amble out at the Valley on Saturday in front of an embarrassed and angry home crowd who will be light in numbers and ready to show their disapproval of a squad of over-paid League One footballers who are dreaming of thinking they can play as a side at a higher level. Questions too about the inability to motivate our side must also be asked. Frankly, I can wait.
Parkinson may have apologised for the performance but did not take any responsibility for putting out such a poor formation and combination of players.
ReplyDeleteLLera, Dailey and Semedo, all slow in a 442 against decent strikers is asking for trouble.
No blame should be attached to Dailey for the own goal.
I blame Parkinson for putting together, a slow central defensive pairing of Llera, Dailey with the equally slow Semedo in front of them in a 442.
At a push, 451 may accomodate them but 442 with quick attackers never.
Surely, the day was begging for a 451. Keeping players in their natural positions and keeping it tight.
Three of 4 millwall's goals were from defensive mistakes.
Goal conceded from a set piece at the near post, with no defender on the near post yet again. How many goals do we have to concede like this before we put a defender on the near post at set pieces ?
I would have dealt with a battling defeat. The gutless surrender created by a putting out such a poorly structured team, I blame on Parkinson.
VFF
Everyone has their view on tactics and player selection and there is usually a bit of an argument to be taken for any viewpoint. I have to say, however, that some of ours are so basic as to be worrying and more concerningly, as you say, we repeat them.
ReplyDeleteDave, just back from Franklin's Gardens where Saints overcame a Saracens team intent on kicking everything. Drop goal attempts from the off from around the halfway line even!
ReplyDeleteCards with " TRY " on them were handed out prior to the game, they were in pristine condition, were they flown down from Murrayfield I wonder ! A poor game yesterday ( rugby I mean ) and to be fair if England had sneaked a late win it would have glossed over their shortcoomings.
Phil - sounds like Dan Parks. I have been saying for ages that the Scottish version should say "Try Harder." Maybe there's a demand for these at the Valley too?
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