Well, that finished up OK, but all that nonsense on RadOx about who people want in the next round, and where, I just found tiresome.
I got a very similar feeling here as against Vale - that there are rather a lot of mediocre teams in League 1 and that as we rise up the table we are getting closer to our par position. In both games, a team that could score could have made things very difficult for us. But these mid-table teams, placed near us, were not they. Yes our results are getting better, but the next few games will give us a clearer sense of how far off the upper reaches of the division we are. A few thoughts on individuals.
McGinty still worries me. A couple of poor decisions and some dodgy handling does not instil much confidence. TBH he was not tested that much, which worries me even more. If he is our cup keeper and we draw a good side, well, that will be interesting.
Not sure why, but our defence collectively seemed quite skittish at times, especially in the first half. Given what I have seen at other times and with other teams, it can sometimes be a consequence of limited confidence in the keeper. I hope I am wrong about McGinty and that he comes good in the limited game-time he is likely to get.
Anderson is great going forwards and he has the pace to get back defensively. What worries me is how others fill in when he goes forward. Against Vale, Bate and Henry did a good job there. Yesterday, Jones did not do that much, leaving us rather exposed at times. A marauding full back is exciting, but it requires a disciplined group of right sided players, plus defensive midfielder, with the awareness to fill in as necessary.
Jones - to me he looked exactly like a good player who has not had much game time - inconsistent, but with flashes of quality. Not sure how he can command a regular place in the starting 11 though. A real Catch-22.
DO'D has the physical attributes, but he is still very raw. One thing that puzzles me is how incapable he appears to be of jumping for high balls when they are played with his back to the goal. He also seemed a bit flat footed yesterday. Not sure that the ball that found its way through to Bodin for his second was intended for him, but GO'D was not prepared to receive a pass. He does not yet have the skill of anticipation. Hopefully that will come soon as he could develop into a real handful.
Bate and Goodrham really provide energy going forwards. The substitutions gave us new impetus and exposed the limitations of Exeter's back line. But one thing I saw yesterday also made me laugh in the Vale game - a two-man wall consisting of those two players. I really cannot see how they provide any obstacle at all to the player taking the free kick. Mind you, they would not be much use in the penalty area either, and being outside of the penalty-area scrum means that they can provide a very effective outlet if we can get our clearances to them. The energy they have, their skill on the ball, and their low centres of gravity mean that they present a very different challenge to opposition players than many in this division, and they are really starting to exploit that.
All Four One
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Kernow Yellow
- Grumpy old git
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Re: All Four One
Fairly trouble-free progression to the third round, which is nice to see. That's where it gets interesting, and we've got lucky with the draw.
The Exeter match seemed a bit scrappier and lower in quality than the league game at their place a month ago, even if the outcome was broadly similar, but maybe that was just the lack of atmosphere in a mostly empty stadium giving that impression. Anderson was a bit of a revelation - he's looked a bit dodgy when I've seen him before, but the way he carried the ball past their midfielders time and again was really exciting. The ability to break opposition lines is what we've been lacking for much of the season.
Interesting to see Jones in the starting line-up. He didn't do much to impress but you can't expect him to be up to speed having been (apparently) frozen out for so long, and he didn't look awful.
My first view of McGinty up close - wasn't really at fault for anything, but didn't do enough to show he should replace Eastwood, who has been very good recently. He looks too small to be a keeper too!
Oh well. Arsenal at home. It will be on telly, guaranteed. I'm just hoping that doesn't mean it's played on the Friday or Monday, which would make it a massive pain to get to from down here and fit it around work. I'd have preferred a weekend away day somewhere decent but shouldn't grumble I guess.
The Exeter match seemed a bit scrappier and lower in quality than the league game at their place a month ago, even if the outcome was broadly similar, but maybe that was just the lack of atmosphere in a mostly empty stadium giving that impression. Anderson was a bit of a revelation - he's looked a bit dodgy when I've seen him before, but the way he carried the ball past their midfielders time and again was really exciting. The ability to break opposition lines is what we've been lacking for much of the season.
Interesting to see Jones in the starting line-up. He didn't do much to impress but you can't expect him to be up to speed having been (apparently) frozen out for so long, and he didn't look awful.
My first view of McGinty up close - wasn't really at fault for anything, but didn't do enough to show he should replace Eastwood, who has been very good recently. He looks too small to be a keeper too!
Oh well. Arsenal at home. It will be on telly, guaranteed. I'm just hoping that doesn't mean it's played on the Friday or Monday, which would make it a massive pain to get to from down here and fit it around work. I'd have preferred a weekend away day somewhere decent but shouldn't grumble I guess.
Re: All Four One
Well it's another train strike on the Friday and Saturday of FAC3R weekend.
Arsenal are playing on Tuesday 3rd vs Newcastle, but this shouldn't affect the 2 day rule so we could be playing Friday night.
Rumours are we could be picked for a Monday night 8pm on tv.
Arsenal are likely to rest some of their WC players, and/or use some fringe players. Whilst they are top of the league, I'm sure they'll want to win everything they can, but my guess is we'll see a weaker team but with a strong bench of up to 9 players (for the Cup) compared to 7 in the league.
The 5 subs rule now means that if they are looking at a defeat or a replay they could make some very strong changes.
Arsenal are playing on Tuesday 3rd vs Newcastle, but this shouldn't affect the 2 day rule so we could be playing Friday night.
Rumours are we could be picked for a Monday night 8pm on tv.
Arsenal are likely to rest some of their WC players, and/or use some fringe players. Whilst they are top of the league, I'm sure they'll want to win everything they can, but my guess is we'll see a weaker team but with a strong bench of up to 9 players (for the Cup) compared to 7 in the league.
The 5 subs rule now means that if they are looking at a defeat or a replay they could make some very strong changes.