Season Over?

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Dr Bob
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Re: Season Over?

Post by Dr Bob »

I agree with everything KY says. With that defeat, there are now too many teams needing to drop too many points for the play-offs to be a realistic target. It was an open and entertaining (for the neutral) game from the off and, after the sending off and penalty, as Eddie Odhiambo said, we lacked the experience to respond in the right way. As has already been said more than once since the Crewe game - it's the hope that kills you.
Shoobedoo
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Re: Season Over?

Post by Shoobedoo »

What a great feeling it is to be wrong. :lol:
Dr Bob
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Re: Season Over?

Post by Dr Bob »

Dr Bob wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 9:18 am I agree with everything KY says. With that defeat, there are now too many teams needing to drop too many points for the play-offs to be a realistic target.
What do I know...
slappy
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Re: Season Over?

Post by slappy »

I still can't believe that Portsmouth bottled it. Well done to Accrington for taking 5 points from them in two weeks.
With Pompey having another extra long minute's silence to delay their kick-off, I was expecting our game to finish and then have another ten minutes of holding onto our seats praying for the right set of results. That relatively early Accrington goal calmed the nerves a lot, and as the games progressed, our 3-0 lead had our job done, and despite reports of Pompey chances, switches to Steve Kinniburgh never had bad news.

As it panned out, Pompey didn't get an equaliser to make for a nervy last few minutes, and after our game finished, by the time I got my tv and Sky switched on, they were in the last minute of their added time needing to score two and so I never got to see if they had the goalkeeper coming up for a corner or free kick as is the norm in these situations.
Kernow Yellow
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Re: Season Over?

Post by Kernow Yellow »

Even yesterday morning I had no expectation at all of reaching the play-offs. It was only as half-time neared, and I realised it would need a two-goal swing in either game to deprive Us, that the excitement and nerves kicked in. Well done to KR and the players.

And what a great performance to cap it with! Brannagan deservedly man of the match, and Henry had his best game of the season I thought. Two key players hitting form as we go into the play-offs - could it be? Even Winnall looked half-decent! Having said that, Henry limped off quite badly, and Long's injury looks certain to keep him out. And Stevens looked less confident than usual, and stayed strangely glued to his line at times. Oh well, problems we hardly dreamed of having even a week ago, let alone in November. Thank you Sw*nd*n for giving Us the wake-up call we needed. And for going down of course!

Unlike last season, when failing to beat awful Wycombe was so gutting, play-off success really would be a bonus this year. We're up against three strong teams for a single place, and we still haven't won many games against the top sides at all. But it's nice to prolong the season, even if it means I'm (presumably) going to have to pay Sky some money to see it.

COYY
OtmoorYellow
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Re: Season Over?

Post by OtmoorYellow »

Me 2 movement. I was wrong!

I was sure 74 points wouldn't be enough. Even at half time I expected Pompey to steam roller Accy.

What a great end to the regular league programme.

Shame we'll have to play Blackpool, as they are the only side with anything like our recent form. But hey, who the hell am I to worry about this. Everything now is a bonus and well beyond what we could have reasonably expected pre Christmas.

And apparently I even played for Burton!!!! Lol
slappy
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Re: Season Over?

Post by slappy »

Another annoying thing. On the iFollow commentary after the end of our first half they switched to the Pompey commentary, and then cut-it if off for the ifollow half time adverts. Then at the end of the match there is the mini-game of iFollow switching off and then switching onto Radio Oxford online and waiting for the online ban to drop off.

TT did get another mention on the commentary as apparently a fan by that name once fixed the electrics at a game.
OtmoorYellow
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Re: Season Over?

Post by OtmoorYellow »

slappy wrote: Mon May 10, 2021 3:29 pm Another annoying thing. On the iFollow commentary after the end of our first half they switched to the Pompey commentary, and then cut-it if off for the ifollow half time adverts. Then at the end of the match there is the mini-game of iFollow switching off and then switching onto Radio Oxford online and waiting for the online ban to drop off.

TT did get another mention on the commentary as apparently a fan by that name once fixed the electrics at a game.
Accountant, footballer, electrician, guitarist, programme collector and historian. Is there no end to my talents? Lol
Isaac
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Re: Season Over?

Post by Isaac »

Feels more definitively over now, but you never know, so we should all write the team off again....
Thought generally Blackpool were just better than us, defensively very solid and their 2 strikers were excellent. We played fairly well, but the first goal was a defensive disaster and the biggest disappointment was our set pieces which have been good last few games but nowhere near that on Tuesday.
Assuming that is the end of the season for us, I don't feel as disappointed by it compared to the post-Wycombe malaise last year. I'm more grateful than usual to the club and players for providing some distraction from real life. We play good, attacking football and you never know which version will turn up which makes for interesting watching if nothing else.
Kernow Yellow
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Re: Season Over?

Post by Kernow Yellow »

Bigger picture - I never expected us to still be in with a shout of promotion come mid-May. In November I was happy to settle for avoiding relegation! Two successive L1 play-off campaigns is a very decent return, given where our club was little over a decade ago. The fact that we have (almost) ridden the pandemic too, and fans were able to return to the stadium and watch an important match with excitement riding on it is a massive bonus. This has been a weird, frightening 14 months, and some return to normality is great.

But, if anyone was in any doubt that we are not on the same level with the top clubs in this division, that was completely dispelled last night. It was men against boys - we were second best everywhere. Yes we could have forced our way back into it - the Sykes one on one early in the second half should have been a penalty and red card for a blatant push in the back as he prepared to shoot. But for the most part we were the architects of our own downfall. Where we dithered, turned back and overplayed, Blackpool were strong, clinical, carved out clear chances and hit the back of the net.

And our defending was not up to its usual standards. The first goal was a catalogue of bad play - first Sykes gives away a stupid free kick with a completely ridiculous sliding challenge; then Ruffles turns the free kick back across his own goal; and finally, the three Us players who were marking at the front post stand and ball-watch while two Blackpool players are quick and alert to hungrily gobble up the chance. And for the last two goals our central defenders seemed to have their forwards covered, but couldn't lay a glove on them. Also, as Isaac says, our set piece delivery was criminally bad. Compare Henry's free kicks, which dribbled along the ground 20 yards in front of our players and into or beyond the keeper's hands, to that first Blackpool goal. And every one of his corners was catching practice for the keeper. That is the difference between success and failure.

Winnall's brief cameo summed up his career with us - late introduction to the action, pass the ball straight out of play, shout at someone else as if it's their fault, hobble off injured. Everyone tried last night, but pretty much everyone came up short.

Last season we should have gone up, but bottled it against a very limited Wycombe team. This year, we just aren't quite good enough, and are being regularly shown up by the better sides. No disgrace at all, but we have to improve in a few areas if we want to challenge again next year.
slappy
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Re: Season Over?

Post by slappy »

Seeing as we just scraped into 6th place, it wasn't that surprising that we struggled against a team that finished a decent 3rd place.
Simms is an excellent loanee from Everton for Blackpool.

So I guess it is rebuild for next season now. Ruffels and Brannagan will probably take a move to the Championship. Barker could take the view that regular football in league 1 for another year is a better stepping stone to progression than bench warming in the Championship.

[EDIT] Winnall probably gets released as too injury prone, Shodipo probably goes back to QPR. [/edit]

I think we need a big centre forward. Matt Taylor has been a great poacher, but many of our goals came from the centre backs coming up for set pieces.
Last edited by slappy on Wed May 19, 2021 10:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
Dr Bob
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Re: Season Over?

Post by Dr Bob »

Exactly the same thoughts as KY. That summed up why Blackpool are (and have been since the final play-off positions were confirmed) my favourites for promotion - clearly the best of the rest after Hull and Posh.

My main concern now is how many of our better players will leave this summer - and how many players (such as Winnall) will be left. Maybe they should look at (pre-injury) Shandon Baptiste's record at Brentford - although of course, that means thinking only about playing, and not about wages.

This division is not going to get any easier next season, so what will have to happen over the summer for us to be sufficiently competitive to do better? It is clear that KRs style of play takes time to bed in, so how much will player turnover render us ineffective for part of the season, if we cannot keep key players in the building?
OtmoorYellow
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Re: Season Over?

Post by OtmoorYellow »

KY sums it up pretty well, although I would add a couple of comments.

Simms was excellent for Blackpool, but he showed up two important weaknesses in our back line. Atkinson can be turned quite easily, and Moore has a lack of pace. That’s not being critical of either, as both have had superb seasons, it is just a fact.

That the Blackpool keeper only had one save to make was a telling point as well.

There was no shortage of work rate, but a few players didn’t bring their A game. Henry had just a single side foot shot over the bar from 12 yards out when getting it on target would almost certainly have resulted in a goal, but his crossing was unusually poor. Lee provided insufficient right back cover. Sykes did get a big shove in the back, and it should have been a penalty and at least a yellow card, but his sliding tackle from a long way from the ball was reckless and in a silly position, which led to their first goal largely against the run of play. It’s not the first time he has committed similar challenges. Ruffles left his post for forward forays too often leaving the centre backs exposed. And Barker did very little defending.

I also felt we were a bit static playing out from the back, and this wasn’t helped by Blackpool getting their 3 man forward line position just right to make life difficult for our passing game.

Overall, Blackpool were simply the better team on the night though, and even getting within touching distance of overturning the result last night will be nigh on impossible.
Dr Bob
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Re: Season Over?

Post by Dr Bob »

Not sure where this should go, but after Ruffels' less than stellar performance last night (not alone in that, of course), this seems as good as anywhere. It would appear that at least one journalist at the Nottingham Post seems pretty confident that Ruffs will be coming Trentside:
https://www.nottinghampost.com/sport/fo ... st-5426869
grandpont tom
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Re: Season Over?

Post by grandpont tom »

Just as a footnote I thought Karl Robinson was miles off in all of his post match comments
We got a right good tonking and the fact that the stats seem to point to a close-ish contest just shows that stats are not always a clear indication of what actually happened
They seemed to be in control of the game for vast periods of time and were just better than us.
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