A home win is a home win. Three points are three points. Three wins on the spin and we are up to 11th. Ten points clear of Morecombe in the drop zone and 13 behind sixth placed Wycombe Wanderers. Seventeen games to go but the season now is really about finding our best eleven to play Jackson's preferred formation, playing to our strengths and removing as many mistakes from our game as we can. If we can do that, we should finish the season close to top ten and give Johnnie Jackson, Steve Gallen and Thomas Sandgaard a clear view on what's needed this Summer to begin next season with renewed confidence, a fresh purpose and a winning mentality.
I am not sure today's performance helped that much. We started with the same eleven that began at Frattan Park on Tuesday but we were all over the place in another generally poor quality showing. MacGillivray fumbled a couple of balls he should have had, the first one gifted Wimbledon a three minute lead. Albie Morgan couldn't maintain the recent recovery and we had to watch him take successive corners which he drifted over the bar and overplay when in really good positions a couple of times, although he was busy enough. Jaiyesimi, who replaced Blackett-Taylor after 12 minutes, was also guilty of failing to control a breakout ball on the touchline and a ridiculous air-shot when well placed. Gilbey, once again, managed to appear in the match for only about fifteen minutes in the second-half after a pathetic booking when he tried to prevent the opposition from taking a throw-in. Matthews is no wing-back and he was exposed a few times on our right. Those were just the main ones I can remember but Johnnie Jackson and his coaching team must be pulling their hair out.
I really think a controlled and more disciplined performance this afternoon would have seen us win this game 4-0 and at a canter.. Instead our marking at set-pieces was woeful - Wimbledon's equaliser at 2-2 before the break was a simple deep cross to the back of the box. A host of red shirts watched it sail over and fall for Heneghan's diving header which gave MacGillivray no chance.
We were still good enough in spells to score three - Inniss powered a header down from a corner and it was turned past Tzanev doe an own goal; a fantastic ball from Jaiyesimi with the outside of his right foot beat the retreating Dons backline and rolled into the path of the steaming Conor Washington who had the relatively straight-forward task of touching it on before sliding in past the advancing Tzanev; Akin Famewo netted the winner on the hour with a thumping back-post header which he steered into the top corner.
Chuks Aneke had another frustrating game where he struggled to create any real space or get on the end of anything. He had one decent opportunity blocked but it was no surprise when Burstow came on for him after 69 minutes. We also got to see twenty minutes of Scott Fraser but he didn't really get into the game either.
So I was left a bit disappointed if I am honest. Wimbledon are not a good side and we allowed them far more of the ball than they should have had and too many chances. We simply have to play much better than this in the next four at Bolton and Wigan before entertaining Oxford and MK Dons if we are to learn anything from the rest of this season.
What is clear is that the side we had out today only includes a few of players whose contracts are up this Summer. Blackett-Taylor will be disappointed to go off injured so early after a much better showing than of late at Portsmouth. He will hope he's not badly injured or that could be his lot. Matthews too needs to knuckle down to some performances and Albie Morgan needs to secure a new deal. If these players can settle down and cut out the basic mistakes, it will make Jackson's job easier in the Summer when he decides who's leaving. If they can't then Jackson needs to drop them and give others their chance.
Not too many "keepers" on the current roster!! This is a mediocre level three team at best.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree Bob. When I think about teams being promoted nowadays I think of the displays that Burnley and Bournemouth put on at the Valley on the last days of their ascension when they pinged the ball round flawlessly for 90 minutes and made us look like amateurs. They were Premier teams in waiting of course but that was the sort of teamwork you have to get close to maintain a successful promotion campaign. We are still so far away from it, even in League One and I think we have to change the culture by being tough on who goes and by bringing in demonstrably better players and a few more Winners.
ReplyDeleteAn even easier comparison can be made. Who in the current team would get into the 18/19 team that went up through the play-offs?
DeleteWashington instead of Parker (but not ahead of Karlan Grant at start of the season). Other than that, I don't think a single player would get in that team.
It is a very mediocre team. Defence looks like it has too many mistakes in them. The wing backs aren't wing backs, they're either full backs or (not very good) wingers. The midfield is just plain average. The strikers are reasonable without any of them being elite for this level.
Also slightly concerned that JJ only wants to play one formation and it doesn't seem to be working in terms of regular creativity. We rely on set pieces too much because our counter attack isn't sharp enough, we lack genuine width and the central midfield aren't very creative. The team fights quite hard and scrape wins/draws but they're short on quality to sustain a promotion push.
Regarding Aneke. I do wonder whether last season, it wasn't that he couldn0't play 90 minutes, but that he is most effective when coming on late against tired defenders. I think he looks very immobile and it must be a doddle to defend against for a fresh legged defence. Perhaps Burstow should be starting while Stockley is out, to try and run the defence ragged before the big fella steps in.
ReplyDeleteJackson heard you Pete, and Chuks duly delivered even if it wasn't enough.
ReplyDeleteI don't think anyone would take strong exception to the idea that we aren't great across the side. However, we can't change the whole squad and it would be akin to changing all your letters in Scrabble - unlikely to draw a seven letter word. There are some decent players in the squad even if they are currently playing as poorly as the genuinely poorer players...
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