“Hopefully a win for us to take us top of the league but given the other lions have not drawn this season they may break their duck tomorrow night. 😎”
Sadly my pre match comment above proved correct due in part to an inept first half display. Based on the first half I couldn’t see us getting back into the game but the three substitutes injected the urgency, that was badly lacking in the first half, into our second half display.
A deserved draw in the end and nearly a win but unfortunately Sarmiento fluffed his lines when one on one with the keeper.
KH and the coaching team need to put an end to our walking football and lack of defensive nous now or else this season will turn out like so many of late, inconsistent and ultimately ending in disappointment. 😎
Two games and two more get out of jail results.
There are some glaringly obvious issues within the team, that even we on this blog can see. Hellberg has now blamed himself 100% in the post pressers, for the last two performances.
Well I would not go as far as that, BUT, he and the coaching staff have to take a bucketful of the blame. See Blackburn and Burnley.
At this moment in time, we have been lucky with the fixtures list, not playing any of the top teams, apart one could argue Burnley, but look where they are, so two points dropped.
The team was poor at the backend of last season, both in keeping a clean sheet and scoring goals. When may have improved the latter, but we certainly have not improved the former. WHY.
Is Vitek really an upgrade on Sol Brynn at the moment for the money spent.
We all knew that we needed a left back after Targett left. Arfsten looks as though he may have a ot to offer, but does not look like a defender. So we had to keep Borges.
Aylng has been a good acquisition and is still possibly the best passer of the ball, but is getting caught time and again now, best only as a bench player.
OK, we were unlucky last night in that we had two CH’s injured, but would Malander have made any difference to that first half performance.
Midfield is still defensively weak. Morris is the best we have, but wants to carry the ball and is our best player at it. Berhalter cannot really defend. Peart-Harris, time will tell. Pukstas, we have not seen at all yet, but apparently he is a more attacking midfielder, so he won’t help.
The forwards are a big improvement, but can Tommy regain his mojo. Strelec does not look interested and should have been sold if there have been an economical deal. I think I would rather take on young Ibez.
Some will argue we are joint top. True, along with another with another five if Wolves win their game in hand and you add the four deducted points to Southampton.
Hellberg still has a lot to do to improve us from last season under HIS watch. The priority is consistency. As MW pointed out two matches ago, Hellberg has only THREE games to his credit were he has won both halves, now out of forty games.
He has to find a way to improve, especially as we start playing the better teams. West Ham and Southampton are already miles ahead on goal difference. If we don’t improve on that then we won’t be able to maintain our position at the top.
And, please Kim, stop saying, I am 100% at fault for that performance. If that keeps happening and you keep saying that, then Mr Gibson may just agree and sack you.
Tonight’s game was a big disappointment in the first half with some boos as the players leave the pitch ( I don’t go with booing your team )
I don't go with booing your own team either. I've never understood that mindset. Obviously, those people who boo never went to the same school that I did.
Totally agree. I will never boo, not applaud, yes and will verbally express my views but boo no way.
The same as those that leave early, can’t understand it - on Saturday those that left early will have missed the winner, well they will have heard the roar as they either sat in the car waiting to get out of the car park or walking away!
Only ever left a match before the final whistle once and in my defence, it was a freezing cold night in Blackpool, we were losing badly 3 -1 iirc, just missed a penalty and there was about 2 minutes of added time left.
@pedro - well put.
KH comments are similar to Mogga and his “it is what it is” or “it was what it was”.
We need to see changes in the way we defend - I like the comment that Powmill made about walking football. When we have won the ball in our half, we appear to stand still with the ball at feet whilst we decide what to do. The same at goal kicks.
I am not impressed with Viteks distribution either, he appears too slow.
Well we stank the place out in the 1st half, do we practice defending, obviously there were some choice words at half time, different team in 2nd half, vitek made good save to stop what looked a certain goal.
If we can't play more than 45mins a match no way we will go up
Millwall manager Alex Neil told the Echo:I suspect that Kim had a plan B for the second half. And it worked. A great comeback.
Up and onwards. Up the Boro!
"Kim is then really clever. He made his changes really late at half-time so I didn't know what he was doing. I had to wait for five or six minutes to see how it panned out. They went 4-2-4 and made it out a one for one game all over the pitch, the two wide players hogged the line which meant our full-backs had to detach and they got down the side of us a few times. I then reacted, changed it."
So we have a manager who has a plan B if needed. Unlike some saw with Carrick.
As a player, I rather like to keep the changes very small and above all keep it simple. But the plan B got us a point and the unbeaten home run going.
Up the Boro!