rjdgull
TFF member
Admin
Posts: 12,227 
|
Post by rjdgull on Feb 27, 2022 19:47:19 GMT
Nice day out in the sunshine and watch the live stream (just like the good old days) which finishes just in time for a nice meal and a bottle of wine. Sounds good to me ..... provided we win. Just off for a bite to eat at a nice country pub twix Cardiff and Newport 🍺 Ha, I was in Cardiff yesterday and must have driven past you on the way back for a lamb curry with relatives in Somerset! |
|
rjdgull
TFF member
Admin
Posts: 12,227
|
Post by rjdgull on Feb 27, 2022 19:53:22 GMT
|
|
rjdgull
TFF member
Admin
Posts: 12,227
|
Post by rjdgull on Feb 27, 2022 19:55:57 GMT
Only saw the end of the game so cannot really comment on how we played but saw the equaliser and what I thought was the winner…….
|
|
rjdgull
TFF member
Admin
Posts: 12,227
|
Post by rjdgull on Feb 28, 2022 20:23:04 GMT
|
|
Rags
TFF member
Posts: 1,210
|
Post by Rags on Mar 1, 2022 11:36:24 GMT
At the time, I felt that the ball was out for the winning goal but studying the highlights, I'm now convinced the ball was still in play. More importantly, at the point CLE passes the ball (10:03 in the video), the assistant is about 1 metre away from the goal-line. Contrary to what has been written on other sites, he is NOT in line with the ball when it is kicked. He swiftly arrives at the goal-line and has flagged before OConnell has received the pass to shoot into the vacant goal. However, I seriously doubt that he has a clear sight of the ball being in or out of play, especially as Wickens appears to be completely blocking his line of sight. Unless has has been to SpecSavers and can see between the goalie's legs!  It is, of course, immaterial: another two point won't get us into the play offs, and if we do it won't get us to victory in the final. However, that level of officiating could very well cost a club promotion and it needs to be tightening up going forward. The other point is that if CLE himself hadn't made a bigger mistake when through on goal in the first half (1:44 - that last touch was far too heavy), we wouldn't have needed a ref's assistant's decision to go our way. I'm getting highly irritated by managers of all clubs blaming the officials for dropped points when their own players are making more mistakes leading to a draw/defeat than the officials. We should have been out of sight by half-time, not blaming a lino for a possible mistake on 88 mins. As stig123 says: please can we sign a striker anyone capable of billowing the rigging! |
|
petef
Match Room Manager
Posts: 4,626
|
Post by petef on Mar 1, 2022 13:08:17 GMT
That game totally highlighted our strengths and weaknesses. CLE, a prime example, one on one after a slick passing move unable to finish - but he's a midfielder that scores a few goals being played as a forward. It's been more than a whole season where we have had to rely on his ability playing a support role to a main forward of which we still have nobody of merit other than Danny Wright who has slowed down and struggled all season with injury.
If that goal had stood we would have little of the crazy comments I've read from the Johnston out brigade such are the fine lines of success and failure. The performance wasn't as bad as many have made out either I saw it as hard working and committed but lacking where we all know it was lacking.
We all know how poor the officials at this level can be. The ref on Saturday looked like he was refereeing a Sunday pub match for fun but pointless going over poor decisions like the disallowed goal which wasn't the core reason we only managed to draw the game. A 2-1 sneaky win would once again have papered over the cracks of our shortcoming in attack. Hopefully the manager will be thinking hard about those obvious shortcomings and acting on it if not for this campaign which is now as good as dead and buried then for next season and when we will have hopefully made room for a decent CF.
Since the pre season rushed signings I have sensed a more cautious and considered approach from the manager. With a tight budget he hasn't got the financial clout many of the bigger clubs in the division and has surely been biding his time to pounce.
More loans again perhaps - why not? its the only way for us you only have to look at at he contracts compared to success rate handed out blindly at the start of the season to understand that one.
30%/40% success rate for permanent signings we simply cannot afford that level of failure again.
|
|
Rags
TFF member
Posts: 1,210
|
Post by Rags on Mar 1, 2022 17:22:53 GMT
Since the pre season rushed signings I have sensed a more cautious and considered approach from the manager. With a tight budget he hasn't got the financial clout many of the bigger clubs in the division and has surely been biding his time to pounce. More loans again perhaps - why not? its the only way for us you only have to look at at he contracts compared to success rate handed out blindly at the start of the season to understand that one. 30%/40% success rate for permanent signings we simply cannot afford that level of failure again. I agree. There was an article published on The Athletic last September talking to a number of experienced managers about how Wayne Rooney could guide Derby through the quagmire of a transfer embargo. It's behind a paywall but this is the URL: theathletic.com/2809836/2021/09/06/lee-clark-gary-johnson-wayne-rooney-derby-county-football/In it, Gary Johnson is quoted as saying: " “It is what it is — you have to accept it, otherwise you beat yourself up,” Johnson, now manager of Torquay United, tells The Athletic. “You cannot disrespect the players you have by saying how terrible it is and, ‘We haven’t got a team’. It’s ultimately down to your recruitment.”" Indeed, it is all down to recruitment. Gary Johnson shouldn't be trying to suggest that his hands were tied when it came to recruitment: he chose and championed all the payers he signed. If he made mistakes, then admit it and correct them this May. This may be a lost season, or it may be a chance to rebuild from a good foundation that would see us challenging for promotion again next season. Only time will tell. While we're on the subject of budgets, Luton Town have, by general consensus, a playing budget in the bottom three of the Championship. I know of a couple of fairly well-informed people who believe it to be in the bottom one of the Championship. They are currently 6th, in the playoff places. Budget is important, more so for us than many clubs because of relocation costs we would need to pay to attract players. But it shouldn't be a shield for managers to hide behind. Boreham Wood are 3rd. Yes they have a fair bit of funding from Arsenal but is it really enough for their recruitment to be so much better than ours? FC Halifax Town are 5th, Solihull Moors are 6th, Bromley 8th; only 5 points separating 3rd to 8th. I don't believe any of them have a bigger budget than us. Only one of the Big 4 by financial standards (Stockport, Chesterfield, Wrexham, Notts County) can go up automatically, the other three will have to battle each other for the one remaining spot so at least two of those four and potentially all of them will be playing us again next season. Money doesn't always buy success at this level. But a quality striker or two usually does. |
|
