An exceptionally disciplined performance, another clean sheet and a very well deserved win. Mathews, Cullen and Morgan were the pick of the bunch, I thought, although this was an all-round, well-drilled team effort and a great reflection upon Bowyer, Jacko and the coaching staff. What a tremendous job they've done, with all the crap they've had to contend with.
We defended really well, offering up only one meaningful chance over 90 minutes, which is some going, especially given the amount of possession that QPR had, albeit largely in non-threatening areas.
Pearce and Lockyer were very good in central defence. They read the game extremely well, made several key blocks and interceptions and showed all their experience and know-how. Deji did pretty well against their tricky right winger and Adam Mathews - Mr Consistency - was total class in everything he did, both defensively and offensively. What a player. Dillon had very little to do, save for that one good save from Hugill.
The back four were, in no small part, assisted by the defensive fortitude, hard work and nous of Pratters and Josh Cullen in front of them. Albie Morgan played some beautifully weighted passes and his work rate and tackling was very impressive. Whenever he gets the ball, I feel that something is going to happen and he has emerged as our key creator in the last two games. Playing him as a tucked in wide player is starting to look like a bit of a masterstroke. Rather like last week, McGeady did a few good things but generally blew hot and cold.
Up top, Hemed had a couple of good lay offs in the first half but looked a little sluggish and is unlikely to ever last 90 minutes. Bonne did ok but we know that we are not blessed in the striker department. Green is bound to get the odd run out and I can see Josh Davison getting the odd cameo if we're chasing a game or if one of our strikers has run out of steam.
As to the substitutes, Alfie Doughty did exceptionally well and I imagine that he’ll start on Tuesday. Chuks Aneke was certainly an improvement on Hemed, although he still looks a little immobile at times with that enormous frame. I enjoyed his cameo by the corner flag in injury time and maybe we have a potential successor to Tony Watt (or maybe not).
A pity Luton won but I don’t think they or Barnsley can realistically make up 6 and 7 points respectively, especially coupled with vastly inferior goal differences, in the last 7 games. I'll also be buying Gary Gardner a couple of pints for his brace against Hull if I ever bump into him in a socially distanced beer garden. A long way to go but Lee Bowyer will keep the lads motoring away and we have two important ingredients, namely, momentum and confidence. Happy days.
A tough three games coming up - especially at Brentford - but who's to say that we can't carve out a couple of results and edge our way closer to safety.
What Blucher said. McGeady is the weakest link, so as Blucher says I'd bring in Doughty. If we get 3 points from Cardiff, Millwall & Brentford I'll be very pleased. I'd be quite happy with 2 and even ok with 1. The relegation scrap will go to the final game, so let's hope we can scramble clear, as most bottom teams are playing like top half teams.
Think we'll need at least 52 points to stay up.....probably 53 or even 54. Luton & Barnsley look like they are on a roll & lots of teams at the bottom.are playing each other. I know they can't both win, but Stoke lost today but could win next week & Boro vice versa.
Think I’m think I’m going to give the player marks thread a miss for a while. @lancashire lad does a brilliant job on this and the season long analysis is really insightful.
But people are making a mockery of it by giving ridiculous marks to some players (Bonne has been getting 7s and 8s for the last two week when he is clearly out of his depth). He’s not the only one. This isn’t just a Bonne thing. I know this is all subjective but honestly!!! Some others are giving blanket 10s because we won. I get the sentiment but that is just plain daft. Both of these trends really impact on the worth of the overall stats and is a waste of the bloke’s time who is doing all this for our collective bene
Over and out. Grumpy of Dartford.
lol Sillybilly ........ but some posters will always mark with preconceptions and high emotion straight after a game, rather than realistically assess a player's actual performance.
Perhaps we need to impose a 'no kneejerk response' ruling ....... and not open the Players Marks thread until after a 24hr cooling off period?
I do assume that anyone who just gives everyone 10 is ignored.
Pratley, nailed-on player of the season? There are at least three better candidates
Nabby Sarr, Nabs and Nabster?
But which one?
Phillips then Matthews then Cullen then Lockyer have all had much more impact on us IMO. Pratley always puts in a big effort and makes good aerial contributions but he also can't pass, keeps running into other players' space, isn't quick, can't pass, loves a foul, can't pass and can't pass. I am really, really looking forward to us having a player with similar presence and determination in that position, who can pass.
Still, despite all the above deficiencies, I'd have him fifth behind those other four.
Think I’m think I’m going to give the player marks thread a miss for a while. @lancashire lad does a brilliant job on this and the season long analysis is really insightful. But people are making a mockery of it by giving ridiculous marks to some players (Bonne has been getting 7s and 8s for the last two week when he is clearly out of his depth). He’s not the only one. This isn’t just a Bonne thing. I know this is all subjective but honestly!!! Some others are giving blanket 10s because we won. I get the sentiment but that is just plain daft. Both of these trends really impact on the worth of the overall stats and is a waste of the bloke’s time who is doing all this for our collective benefit. Over and out. Grumpy of Dartford.
Agree with you, SB. The players' marks thread has been farcical for years, with legions of undiscerning folk routinely giving most of the team 7 after a dismal defeat! Not to be taken seriously, though it does undermine all the obvious hard work that Lancashire Lad puts in.
Interesting looking at the games coming up. A lot of our relegation rivals still have to play each other, which is good as they can’t all get 3 points. A fair few (including us) still have a good number of teams chasing playoff positions to play too which in theory should be difficult for them (and us?) to get points from it.
Today was another essential 3 points in our battle to avoid relegation. I think we have a few more wins ahead of us too! And looking at the games around us (as much as we shouldn’t rely on other teams to help us out!) I think we have a very good chance to make it out of this the other side!
Not to mention the number of tackles and interceptions he put in. Back to his best, which is very very good. Can I dare to dream we might somehow find a way to get him permanently? Truth is he’s probably too good for us right now. Best loan signing ever.
Cullen completely wasted two corners today, which is fairly typical. First, early in first half: wildly over-hit and straight out of play. Second, on 83 minutes: misdirected, straight to opposition.
He needs to improve his dead-ball skills before you all get carried away.
Interesting looking at the games coming up. A lot of our relegation rivals still have to play each other, which is good as they can’t all get 3 points. A fair few (including us) still have a good number of teams chasing playoff positions to play too which in theory should be difficult for them (and us?) to get points from it.
Today was another essential 3 points in our battle to avoid relegation. I think we have a few more wins ahead of us too! And looking at the games around us (as much as we shouldn’t rely on other teams to help us out!) I think we have a very good chance to make it out of this the other side!
Like the chart but it is Nottm, not Notts. I am hoping that Leeds have stormed to the title and partied hard just before playing us.
Interesting looking at the games coming up. A lot of our relegation rivals still have to play each other, which is good as they can’t all get 3 points. A fair few (including us) still have a good number of teams chasing playoff positions to play too which in theory should be difficult for them (and us?) to get points from it.
Today was another essential 3 points in our battle to avoid relegation. I think we have a few more wins ahead of us too! And looking at the games around us (as much as we shouldn’t rely on other teams to help us out!) I think we have a very good chance to make it out of this the other side!
I think I’m going to have to leave my fingernails in a grow-bag for the next few weeks and double up (well start if I’m being honest) on the bedside prayers.
Interesting looking at the games coming up. A lot of our relegation rivals still have to play each other, which is good as they can’t all get 3 points. A fair few (including us) still have a good number of teams chasing playoff positions to play too which in theory should be difficult for them (and us?) to get points from it.
Today was another essential 3 points in our battle to avoid relegation. I think we have a few more wins ahead of us too! And looking at the games around us (as much as we shouldn’t rely on other teams to help us out!) I think we have a very good chance to make it out of this the other side!
This enforced break has done us the world of good. We was in freefall and heading for the drop. But Bowyer has worked a miner miracle during the break to bring the lads back totally invigorated. Bloody superb. COYA.
Yep, it's up there with what happened in Chile ten years back, the original miner miracle. 😉
Start of a dogged run.....tough week ahead for the team. Could we catch Millwall? A week from now we will know more. A win at Cardiff would be immense.
We haven't managed three wins in-a-row all season. If we can do that, imagine a fourth!
Sorry for my misspelling guys, I was doing it on my phone while watching a film and just trying to be as quick as possible!
Don’t we traditionally fare better against “better” opposition anyway? I seem to recall thinking that when we lost to eg Boro, Luton, Hudds compared to wins against Nottm and Leeds...plus draws with eg WBA, Fulham
There's a longstanding debate in US sport, particularly Baseball and Basketball, about whether a player can be "clutch," or whether they're just plain good and thus good in difficult circumstances.
Darren Pratley answers that question. Because he is clutch. He is rubbish at football. But he has an incredible knack for coming up with massive goals and massive moments.
He's so rubbish, he's still playing the game for a living in his mid-thirties.
This enforced break has done us the world of good. We was in freefall and heading for the drop. But Bowyer has worked a miner miracle during the break to bring the lads back totally invigorated. Bloody superb. COYA.
The Covid break has totally transformed the season in so many ways and there will be some teams like QPR, Sheffield Wednesday, Birmingham and Reading that will be the victims of that.
Back in March they assumed they were all pretty much safe and the season was done but the 100 day break not only impacted their squads - as it did ours - but it totally removed their momentum.
For those in the bottom three, like us, the restart was a chance to save ourselves but for these other teams that were not in that mindset they suddenly find themselves in danger they never saw coming.
Nobody is safe or doomed yet and it may we’ll be that all three teams declared dead end up saving themselves and a whole new three teams take the plunge.
Great result. 👍🏻👍🏻 Heard a Rangers fan got into our end, but after a bit of paper thin bravado from him, he got no backing from anyone else and he folded pretty easily. And later someone flattened him. 😑 There’s always one eh, who just has to. 😐
I’ll get my coat 🙂🚶♂️
I don't know about anyone else, but I was a bit worried about the lack of spacing between them (to say nothing of how none were wearing masks), and was left wondering if it was legal (or maybe quarto).
We could easily be shredded by such a cavalier approach...
Comments
McGeady is the weakest link, so as Blucher says I'd bring in Doughty.
If we get 3 points from Cardiff, Millwall & Brentford I'll be very pleased.
I'd be quite happy with 2 and even ok with 1.
The relegation scrap will go to the final game, so let's hope we can scramble clear, as most bottom teams are playing like top half teams.
Perhaps we need to impose a 'no kneejerk response' ruling ....... and not open the Players Marks thread until after a 24hr cooling off period?
Pratley, nailed-on player of the season? There are at least three better candidates
But which one?
Still, despite all the above deficiencies, I'd have him fifth behind those other four.
xxxxx
Today was another essential 3 points in our battle to avoid relegation. I think we have a few more wins ahead of us too! And looking at the games around us (as much as we shouldn’t rely on other teams to help us out!) I think we have a very good chance to make it out of this the other side!
He needs to improve his dead-ball skills before you all get carried away.
Yep, it's always Notts County and Nottm Forest.
Back in March they assumed they were all pretty much safe and the season was done but the 100 day break not only impacted their squads - as it did ours - but it totally removed their momentum.
For those in the bottom three, like us, the restart was a chance to save ourselves but for these other teams that were not in that mindset they suddenly find themselves in danger they never saw coming.
Nobody is safe or doomed yet and it may we’ll be that all three teams declared dead end up saving themselves and a whole new three teams take the plunge.
We could easily be shredded by such a cavalier approach...