Up there with the dullest 90mins I have ever witnessed.
Too many players not interested and a manger who thinks 1 up front is going to help our already shot shy forward line.
Can't be bothered to discuss all the players but particularly bad were:
Ambrose, Kandol (someone please explain the offside rule to him) & Butterfield.
As for Proud Preston.......play offs my arse.
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His mobility is questionable, not over impressed with his work rate and his grasp of the offside rule is laughable.
Would 2 upfront have made any difference? I doubt it. Dickson didn't have long but failed to set the world on fire when he did come on.
On the rare occaisions that I glanced up from following other scores on my mobile, Butterfield seemed to do nothing but hoof the ball aimlessly forward.
Ambrose was pathetic. Offered nothing and no surprise that he was subbed at h/t.
Just an awfull awfull game that we never looked like winning.
Elliot - 6 - distribution good, not a save to make
Butterfield - 4 - truley awful
Ward - 7 - hope we can sign him up, good in air and on deck, likes ot hoof it fair to much thou
Hudson - 5 - didn;t no he was on pitch, other than his girly head from another great corner from jonjo
Youga - 7 - Best iv seem him play for us but didn;t have anything to do
Sharon - 3 - pointless, so many great balls out to him poor really really poor
Racon 6 - really awful first half, good second half
bailey 6 - quiet, one great block but nothing else really
JonJo - 7/8 - bar far the best player on the pitch
Zheng - 7/8 - Touch of class, died towards end
Kandol - 5, didn;t run down anything all game, was on completely diff wave length to zheng/jonjo who played some delightfl balls for him
Sam - 6 - why didn;t he start, looked threat but had no one in box to ever aim for
Dicko - 5 - headless chicken
Holland - 5 min, one good deff head out
real real poor game, we were perhaps the better team but played with 1 up front and ddin;t support him atall,
oh one main grip, deffending corners - all 11 back in box WTF??? and we still didn;t win the head to clear any of them??!!
They were also puzzled by the team selection which gave us 5 centre-midfield players strung across the park first half, and arguable the worst back four for many years.
The major (most guests) sponsor MoM was Darren Ward - must've been watching a different game.
Our vote went to Jonjo, but sadly we were out-voted.
I'm flying back for the Norwich game by the way.
Not surprised they know we are down just like we do. A lot of them know they won't be here next season.
I've just booked my flight for the relegation party at home to Birmingham ;-(
Youv'e picked the wrong game for the relegation party it will come much sooner.
Sorry mate how you can say Racon was poor is completely beyond me the geezer is class and was the best player by a mile,in fact I wish i could wat ch him for seasons to come,i fear this will be his last with us.
Elliot - 7 - Distribution good one Deano esque kick, not a save to make
Butterfield - 5 - started well but got worse as the game went on - Clearly scared of Parkin.
Ward - 7 - Good performance againt Parkin
Hudson - 7 - Good performance strong header on target was unlucky and also dealt with Parkin with ease before going off.
Youga - 7 - Good Performance again - Too much back passing to Elliott though
Ambrose - 4 - Not a performance he'll want to remember but Heckler's did nothing to help.
Racon 8 - Great game Fast thinking fast footed and unlucky not to drive shot on target.
Bailey 6 - Fairly quiet game but covered well for the wee pussy Butterfield.
JonJo - 7 - Great game also but not quite as good as Racon
Zheng - 7 - Started well on way back from injury so can forgive his fading towards the end
Kandol - 4 Didn't put anythinginto his game that would make me play him - a couple of good flicked headers at the end but no one to chase them up.
Sam - 7 - Hungry was a real threat but had no one to cross to.
Dickson - 5 - not enough time to get going
Holland - 7 , Did all he needed to while covering the injured Hudson -
Strange how i thought we looked like the playoff side (bar the lack of goal scorers)
So some questions for those who were there :
1. A hard-won point or two dropped?
2. Why just one up-front at home against a team that has struggled to win away all season?
3. Did Shelvey and ZZ complement each other? Two weeks ago, Parky claimed he couldn't play them in the same team as they ''replicate'' each other. Seems he has changed his mind. I've argued that Parky should still be in charge next season. But comments like that, which he then tears up two/three games later, have sown doubts even in my mind as to whether he knows what he's doing. ..
4. Despite Kandol's two goals against Watford, is he really the one we want as first-choice striker in div three ?
5. Were we a better team today without the anonymous Spring?
6. Why Kins rather than Parky at the post-match press conference?
We are now in the middle of another of our disastrous runs - seven games without a win. Pardew got sacked on the back of an eight match winless run. Parky has now won twice in 21 attempts and we've got seven games to go. Can he really be in charge next season on the strength of 2/3 wins in 28? My doubts are growing , I'm afraid.
It was a pre-season friendly played in March.
true. but at least some of the kids get given a chance to play and impress during the real pre-season.
It was a surreal atmosphere
More like a pre season game.
Sad thing was Preston are a play off team
How bad is this league !
Shocking. But considerably better than the one we'll be in next season. Gawd help us...
I'm pissed off, to be honest. We were promised by Parky that all we needed was one win to turn our season. Even allowing for the fact that is the sort of thing struggling managers have to say (possibly to try and convince themselves rather than us), our record is shockingly bad since we turned that ruddy corner v Palace - seven points in ten games.
Sorry, but those who claim it's just bad luck, I really don't believe it.
So some questions for those who were there :
1. two dropped?
2. Why just one up-front at home against a team that has struggled to win away all season? - only Parky can answer that
3. Did Shelvey and ZZ complement each other? Two weeks ago, Parky claimed he couldn't play them in the same team as they ''replicate'' each other. Seems he has changed his mind. I've argued that Parky should still be in charge next season. But comments like that, which he then tears up two/three games later, have sown doubts even in my mind as to whether he knows what he's doing. ..
played well all 3 in the middle it was Shelvy ahead of ZiZi and Racon
4. Despite Kandol's two goals against Watford, is he really the one we want as first-choice striker in div three ? NO.
5. Were we a better team today without the anonymous Spring? Yes Much
6. Why Kins rather than Parky at the post-match press conference? Cos he is rose tinted too
6. We are now in the middle of another of our disastrous runs - seven games without a win. Pardew got sacked on the back of an eight match winless run. Parky has now won twice in 21 attempts and we've got seven games to go. Can he really be in charge next season on the strength of 2/3 wins in 28? My doubts are growing , I'm afraid.
That's retorical so i cant answer
Hope that helps ;o)
Frankly, Parky's claim that he couldn't play ZZ and Shelvey together was moronic, worthy of Pardew himself. They're clearly the two most talented players in the entire 38 man squad, or whatever it is ...
!!!
That's what I said to myself yesterday when half of my teaching material went flying off the balcony in the wind.
So some questions for those who were there :
1. A hard-won point or two dropped? ANSWER Two dropped - we were better than them in the second half and there were a few brief moments of excellent football (on the ground!) from our over-flowing midfield. The class of Zizi, Racon and Shelvey merited three points. Pity we haven't got any strikers - Kandol was TERRIBLE.
2. Why just one up-front at home against a team that has struggled to win away all season? ANSWER It was an insane decision. Although it wasn't much of an improvement it was a bit of an improvement when Dickson came on to play with Kandol
3. Did Shelvey and ZZ complement each other? Two weeks ago, Parky claimed he couldn't play them in the same team as they ''replicate'' each other. Seems he has changed his mind. I've argued that Parky should still be in charge next season. But comments like that, which he then tears up two/three games later, have sown doubts even in my mind as to whether he knows what he's doing. .. ANSWER Zizi and Shelvey were class and provided three or four moments in the game that were worth the admission even though the game was generally crap
4. Despite Kandol's two goals against Watford, is he really the one we want as first-choice striker in div three ? ANSWER - No.
5. Were we a better team today without the anonymous Spring? ANSWER - Marginally.
6. Why Kins rather than Parky at the post-match press conference? ANSWER - Don't know
I'd agree with virtually all of that.
I also agree with AFKA that in the sunshine the atmosphere was pre season friendly rather than battling for our lives in a relegation battle.
Burger was good outside the ground
Company was good
Beer was dreadful inside the ground
In total today I watched possibly 30 minutes max of football, Preston looked pretty piss poor however we somehow managed to look a bit more piss poor. I had had enough, so went back to the lib (which I wish I did when me and MCS saw a couple of the other lads leaving at half time when we eventually rocked up) I pissed off early again (call me a plastic go on) back to the liberal and had a right grin, then the oggmeister gave me his own rose tinted glasses and the world looked a much better place. Even the unusually high and stinking amounts of horse shit smelt nice. I had an epiphany and decided instead of going back to Chatham to sulk I went out and had a beer instead and had an enjoyable evening.
picked -up 2nd half and the midfield 3 of Shelvey,Racon & zz was a joy to watch........shamne that at least 1 of them wont be with us next season.
Why no Parkinson at the press conference ? - probably because even he cant keep defending his lone striker strategy any longer, esp as it means bailey is stranded wide left to accomodate the others.
anyway, only 7 more games left and then we can see the back of another disatrous season and (perhaps)) the end of another disastrious manager.
Golfie/Large - Quality effort by your old man today with the "Come on you Reds" and "Come on Charlton" chants in the East. The bloke's a hero.