A really poor performance and a very disappointing result.
They were very nervy at the start. We pressed them back and they looked very worried. Keeper hitting the ball straight out into touch and defenders did not want the ball near their own goal. We looked quite composed on the ball, pushed it around but never really posed any threat. We had a couple of moments where we had a long throw but it came to nothing. We pressed but nothing seemed to come off. Rab looked really poor up front and Watmore hardly got a touch. You could see that they were thinking they could get something out of this game and sure enough with less than half an hour on the clock they did. Willock looked tricky out on the right and he turned Joe and hit a deep cross to the far post. BNC was waiting for the ball to come to him but Chair just got in front of him and bundled the ball home. They went nuts and we were crestfallen. Against the run of play they had nicked the opener and we just could not believe it. They had confidence and a spring in their step and we just could not keep up with them. It was really disappointing to watch and the harder we tried the worse it got. It took us 43 minutes to have an effort on goal. A decent run but Billy, a one-two down the left and a decent cross met by Rab who skied it into the upper tier. Surely Joe could see that we needed change at the break which finished with them having their noses in front.
I am not sure what Joe said to them at the break but it had little effect in the second half. We huffed and puffed but made little headway. By contrast they knew that they had to play tight for fifteen minutes and keep us out. They really didn’t have to try that hard as we were poor. Whatever we tried they were a yard faster, much crisper into the tackle and much more productive when they had the ball. Change was needed and off went Rab to be replaced by Longman. He ran hard but had little success over their CB’s. We needed more drive in the middle, more invention in our movement and passing and more bite upfront. We did have one bright moment of pressure when a far post cross was knocked back in, passed back to Billy whose shot was cleared off the line.Joe’s master stroke was to take off Bryan and BNC and put on Tan and Murray. I am not sure where Danny would,play as Tan slotted into RB and Danny moved forward with little effect. With Sav and Casper on the bench who surely would have added more in the middle and Lawson who would not have had to try very hard to outplay Rab Joe did nothing. They realised that we were there for the taking and they pressed us back. Chair played a tricky move on the left and hit it inside to Colback on the edge of our box. He hit a firm but speculative shot goalwards which Shark had covered. He didn’t seem to get his hands to the ball, it cannoned off his body and their donkey with 30 on his shirt knocked in the rebound. At 2 down there was no coming back and the 6 added minutes could have been 66 and we would never have scored.
Shark’s mistake gifted them their second and you could even say that maybe he could have done more to save their first. Danny was OK and so was Cooper and Wes but none of them were anything special. Joe looked OK to and it was a mystery why he was subbed. BNC looked a bit rusty and should have done more to prevent their first. Honeyman was tidy and Billy was busy but never a threat. Flem ran around with purpose but rarely looked a threat. Watmore had about three touches in the whole game and Rab was poor. He might be a Scotland international but on that showing he wouldn’t make the Euro’s squad unless they need someone to make the tea. Longman ran hard but rarely looked a threat. Tan was barely adequate but Murray did his best swimming against the tide.
All in all the game had some dire moments for us. I accept we have injuries but that does not account for a poor performance from most of the team. Joe will have to sign somebody upfront quickly, change his tactics and starting eleven if he is to avoid an embarrassing defeat next week and get booed off the park. Things can only get better!
They were very nervy at the start. We pressed them back and they looked very worried. Keeper hitting the ball straight out into touch and defenders did not want the ball near their own goal. We looked quite composed on the ball, pushed it around but never really posed any threat. We had a couple of moments where we had a long throw but it came to nothing. We pressed but nothing seemed to come off. Rab looked really poor up front and Watmore hardly got a touch. You could see that they were thinking they could get something out of this game and sure enough with less than half an hour on the clock they did. Willock looked tricky out on the right and he turned Joe and hit a deep cross to the far post. BNC was waiting for the ball to come to him but Chair just got in front of him and bundled the ball home. They went nuts and we were crestfallen. Against the run of play they had nicked the opener and we just could not believe it. They had confidence and a spring in their step and we just could not keep up with them. It was really disappointing to watch and the harder we tried the worse it got. It took us 43 minutes to have an effort on goal. A decent run but Billy, a one-two down the left and a decent cross met by Rab who skied it into the upper tier. Surely Joe could see that we needed change at the break which finished with them having their noses in front.
I am not sure what Joe said to them at the break but it had little effect in the second half. We huffed and puffed but made little headway. By contrast they knew that they had to play tight for fifteen minutes and keep us out. They really didn’t have to try that hard as we were poor. Whatever we tried they were a yard faster, much crisper into the tackle and much more productive when they had the ball. Change was needed and off went Rab to be replaced by Longman. He ran hard but had little success over their CB’s. We needed more drive in the middle, more invention in our movement and passing and more bite upfront. We did have one bright moment of pressure when a far post cross was knocked back in, passed back to Billy whose shot was cleared off the line.Joe’s master stroke was to take off Bryan and BNC and put on Tan and Murray. I am not sure where Danny would,play as Tan slotted into RB and Danny moved forward with little effect. With Sav and Casper on the bench who surely would have added more in the middle and Lawson who would not have had to try very hard to outplay Rab Joe did nothing. They realised that we were there for the taking and they pressed us back. Chair played a tricky move on the left and hit it inside to Colback on the edge of our box. He hit a firm but speculative shot goalwards which Shark had covered. He didn’t seem to get his hands to the ball, it cannoned off his body and their donkey with 30 on his shirt knocked in the rebound. At 2 down there was no coming back and the 6 added minutes could have been 66 and we would never have scored.
Shark’s mistake gifted them their second and you could even say that maybe he could have done more to save their first. Danny was OK and so was Cooper and Wes but none of them were anything special. Joe looked OK to and it was a mystery why he was subbed. BNC looked a bit rusty and should have done more to prevent their first. Honeyman was tidy and Billy was busy but never a threat. Flem ran around with purpose but rarely looked a threat. Watmore had about three touches in the whole game and Rab was poor. He might be a Scotland international but on that showing he wouldn’t make the Euro’s squad unless they need someone to make the tea. Longman ran hard but rarely looked a threat. Tan was barely adequate but Murray did his best swimming against the tide.
All in all the game had some dire moments for us. I accept we have injuries but that does not account for a poor performance from most of the team. Joe will have to sign somebody upfront quickly, change his tactics and starting eleven if he is to avoid an embarrassing defeat next week and get booed off the park. Things can only get better!
