Peterborough

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A-Ro
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Peterborough

Post by A-Ro »

Jeez we were so lucky, They seemed to have us contained in every part of the pitch, their no. 15 was an absolute rock in midfield in the first half, a proper midfield general and then he went up front in the second half where he was even more dangerous. Lunny played a lot better than he has been doing recently, Sercs is still not playing as well as he is capable of, Eastwood is probably the best keeper in the league and I still can't believe the massive improvement in Dunkley, we will be lucky to hang on to him for long. We had a fantastic 15 minute spell after half time which left me thinking why couldn't they do this in the first half? However I don't care, a slightly flukey first goal and a late late pen is good enough for me. Onwards and upwards.

ps I'm loving the view from my new seat in the SSU.
OUFC4eva
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Re: Peterborough

Post by OUFC4eva »

Image

I would not say we were lucky to win yesterday.

I felt overall that we edged a decent game and when was the last time
the U's knocked in a pen. to win a game in the last minute anywhere?

Leven at Valley Parade, Bradford January 2013?
At home I have no clue!

The heroes against the Posh included in particular Eastwood (made my day)
Edwards (did not put a foot wrong and looks very solid)
Dunks and the classy Maguire.
John Lunny's best 90 mins this season too.

Did Ruffels' knock back go over the line - looked very close.
Great reactions from Easty.

I said Posh were slow in central defence but up front they have
some excellent players and but for some poor decisions with the final pass
could have got a point or possibly more.
Paul Taylor (no.10) impressed me as did G Edwards.

Their number 8, Forrrester should have been red carded
in the second half after a second bookable offence but somehow stayed on.
McCann hauled him off within minutes after his escape.
Tom Nicholls danced around Skarz after Taylor's pull back
from the byline and finished emphatically, high into the net.
Jack Baldwin did see red for hacking down Maguire
In the area at the death.
Maguire coolly netted to the 'keepers left.

Loved Mag's celebration after Alnwick's kidology and it was telling
that the Peterborough players turned down Maguire's
offer of a handshake at full time.

We still have issues - gaps in midfield, lack of pace up front
but great to get the first three League One points since April 2001.

The referee wanted to be the M.O.T.M
Last edited by OUFC4eva on Mon Aug 22, 2016 5:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
Old Abingdonian
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Re: Peterborough

Post by Old Abingdonian »

We were a little fortunate, but not 'so lucky'. I also thought their No8 was very lucky to stay on.

I thought we were much better in the second half. Taylor looked better than Hemmings, at least in that role. Dunkley was excellent (when has a player improved so much playing for us in 18 months?), and Edwards had a very assured début, although he did lose track of their wide left player once in the first half. Scarz did well in an unaccustomed role. I thought Ruffels was a weakish link, however.

How do we improve? Thomas seems to be on the back foot too much of the time, and so passes don't reach him comfortably. He and Hemmings did not have the Hylton work rate, certainly in the first half, and it was noticeable that when we started closing them down higher up the pitch, they started making mistakes. Maguire looked out of sorts in the first half, but certainly made up for it in the second.
GodalmingYellow
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Re: Peterborough

Post by GodalmingYellow »

Very even first half. We were slightly the better side in the second half and overall deserved the points (just), but could have had few complaints had the game ended level.

Apart from the very obvious and significant increase in quality in League 1 oppositions over League 2, there does seem to be a frequently recurring theme of opponents avoiding staying on their feet when tackled, for the purposes of getting a free kick and stopping us play. I really don't like it and it is literally nothing more than cheating, but the referees are falling for it time after time. I don't know if it is taught behaviour on the training ground to gain advantage or not but we need to be able to counter it. We ended up with several players booked yesterday as a result, including a frustrated Skarz for approaching the referee. After having seemingly given Posh a free kick for nothing more than a tackle every couple of minutes, the ref eventually spotted the dive from the Posh right winger/forward and booked him for simulation, which the player did not complain about at all. It maybe a little rose tinted of me, but I really don't think Appleton uses this cheating tactic, often described by offending players as "I felt something touch me so I went down", which is basically an admission of the crime. I wouldn't want to see OUFC playing that way, but it might take one or two well timed falls near the opponents box, to discourage our opponents from doing the same thing. Its frustrating as for the Chesterfield and Birmingham games, the refs were much improved on last season, but for our more recent matches, the refs have reverted to type. Surely it cannot be beyond the wit of man to train those who are essentially in the top 66 refs in the country (assuming the top 66 officiate the Prem, Champ and L1 each week) to actually understand the game and spot simulation. Maybe enough is not being spent by the FA and EFL in training the refs, or maybe it is time for video replays and post match corrections of cards and potential cards, and club punishments as well, to eradicate the unwelcome aspect of the game.

Onto our players, I thought Eastwood was again magnificent and it is clear that any pre-season anxiety, following his first spell at the club, was completely unnecessary. I would say he has been Appleton's best signing this season.

I'm not convinced about Ruffels at left back. He did OK yesterday, but he is very much a stay in position player perhaps to compensate for his lack of pace and technical expertise in the position, and that means we lose the overlap that Skarz gives.

Skarz does quite well as a replacement CB, especially with Dunks chivvying the back line to press forward, but he is a very good LB and I would obviously prefer him in position.

Dunks had an excellent game (again) and was my MoM. If he continues to develop at this rate, the club could well see yet more cash in the bank and a further search for a replacement.

Edwards settled in really quickly and looks a solid right back. Good acquisition, especially on a season long loan, which gives less commitment from us and possibly more choice come next summer.

Lunny was still off the pace for me. Improved but still some way short of last season's form.

Sercombe good again. He's not far from being back to his best and it was telling that the majority of Posh attacks were more successful going over the top than through the middle.

Maguire had a very good game as well, Including that penalty and the great celebration that the Posh keeper fully deserved. Macca looked equally good.

Personally I thought Wes had his best game so far, with a lot more effort into defending from the front and getting into better positions. Hemmings was involved less than I would have liked, but at least he got quite a few shots away, even if they were all ballooned over the top. We've got to give a forward partnership a chance to gel. Its been chopped and changed too much.

Of the subs, Taylor did well when he came on and for hold up play, he is the best we have at present. Its just a shame he can't find his shooting boots and I'm not sure I've even ever see him really let rip (cue the toilet humour).

I'm becoming less and less convinced by Crowley. As I've said previously, there is no point having mazy runs with no end product, especially when he inevitably ends up dispossessed. He needs coaching on when to release the ball, rapido.

Roberts didn't add too much this time when he came on.

At least we've got the first win under our belts and we played in a much more positive style than the previous two games, and we've scored twice in the same game. A few clean sheets would not go amiss now.

As for flag day, I dutifully got my flag with my programme, but there weren't that many being waved by the home fans. And again the supposedly vocal Ultras were too often quiet. Its all very well singing your hearts out for the lads on away trips, but it is at home we need to make a fortress to avoid an uncomfortable season. With the increased crowds this season, we should have more noise.

Overall I would give us a 7/10 for this game.
Hog
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Re: Peterborough

Post by Hog »

Werthers Original
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Re: Peterborough

Post by Werthers Original »

Much better writing than the Oxford Mail!
Kernow Yellow
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Re: Peterborough

Post by Kernow Yellow »

GodalmingYellow wrote: It maybe a little rose tinted of me, but I really don't think Appleton uses this cheating tactic
Maguire is not averse to a bit of 'simulation', from my own observations (and I'm not talking about Saturday's goal celebration). But you're right that we don't seem to use it as a planned strategy in the way that some teams do.
slappy
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Re: Peterborough

Post by slappy »

Kernow Yellow wrote:
GodalmingYellow wrote: It maybe a little rose tinted of me, but I really don't think Appleton uses this cheating tactic
Maguire is not averse to a bit of 'simulation', from my own observations (and I'm not talking about Saturday's goal celebration). But you're right that we don't seem to use it as a planned strategy in the way that some teams do.
I don't think we do "simulation", but in the game against Birmingham I noted that we did seem to use every foul tackle as an excuse to go down for thirty seconds for the team to regroup. Not simulating a foul, or making it look like a potential leg-breaker, but it did seem that we weren't jumping straight back up and into the game.
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