Sheffield Wednesday 2-2 Newcastle United - 26/12/09 - post match from page 11

[Guest firetotheworks]

Taylor/Harper > Enrique today easily.

 

His worst game in a long time

 

He was still the most tested defensively, and the most successful too. Not a poor game, just below average. It didn't help that he couldn't get forward very much.

[Yorkie]

Harper - 6. Should have done better for the first; nothing he could do for the second; made some good saves; goal kicks were shite.

 

Simpson - 6. Alright, no more, no less.

Taylor - 6. Generally fairly assured.

Coloccini - 6. Some shaky moments but i don't think he was particularly uncomfortable today.

Enrique - 4. Bit of a mare today, gave possession away very cheaply and offered nowt going forward.

 

Guthrie - 6. Okay in the first half. Disappeared second half, like the entire midfield.

Nolan - 6. Great goal but i wish he'd impose himself more. That said, difficult when the balls flying over your head all day.

Butt - 5. Our outstanding performer.

Jonas - 5. Never in it.

 

Ameobi - 6. It was a good turn and finish, even if he was offside. He was the better of the two strikers.

Harewood - 5. Looked like he did when he first came. Immobile, ineffective, and on the whole looked a bit lazy really.

[Ronaldo]

I like Harper but it's his fault for that second goal, he should be further off his line and coming to snatch that.

[Jayson]

Taylor/Harper > Enrique today easily.

 

His worst game in a long time

 

He was still the most tested defensively, and the most successful too. Not a poor game, just below average. It didn't help that he couldn't get forward very much.

 

True, just got higher standards for him than most.

 

Seems strange that the last two teams have picked his side as the wing to attack, as opposed to simpson. Maybe because theyve noticed he can play himself into trouble or clear it badly.

[Guest firetotheworks]

Dont you just hate it when you write out a big analysis and no one reads it. 

[Yorkie]

Mind, you don't fucking start Harewood and Ameobi if you're just going to hoof it long all game, shocking tactics.

 

I'd never advocate long ball tactics because we're simply playing to other team's strengths in this league. However, IF we're going to employ such negative tactics, we should just play 4-5-1 with Nolan off Carroll. Playing 4-4-2 with those tactics just isolates the 2 front men from the game.

 

Agreed. If you're going to punt it long all game and you're away, then 4-5-1 is what you need to do. We were always a man down by doing it today, it really was the type of tactics you see when you go a man down away from home. It was ridiculous. It's different at home, you can put two big men up there and play it long, cos generally we dictate the tempo of the game at St James' - peope pile forward and there's generally midfielders lingering around waiting to receive the ball. It's much more effective at home.

 

That said... if it's Ameobi and Harewood, you're on a hiding to nothing no matter where you are, cos they're just not collectively good enough in the air.

[The Prophet]

s*** result, s*** performance.

 

Ref should never be allowed near a professional game.

 

 

[Ronaldo]

Dont you just hate it when you write out a big analysis and no one reads it. 

 

Change the username and avatar, you'll have considerably more success.

[Yorkie]

I like Harper but it's his fault for that second goal, he should be further off his line and coming to snatch that.

 

Eh? He was right underneath it. If he'd come any further forward it would have gone over his head.

 

He maybe could have been a bit stronger but the guys jumped in and pulled his arm away. Maybe he was complacent of the protection keepers get in this country... but i don't think you can really have a go at him too much.

[Guest Heneage]

I like Harper but it's his fault for that second goal, he should be further off his line and coming to snatch that.

He's still thinking like a Premier League goalkeeper. Strikers in the top league just don't bother challenging for them as even jumping with a keeper is considered a foul.

[Wullie]

Second half was absolutely diabolical, our inability to hold onto the ball just invites pressure time and time again. The forward partnership is shocking and i don't think we'll miss harewood. Nicky butt can fuck off, he is fucking shite. And god knows why guthrie was shunted wide left. Hughton got it badly wrong today.

[Ronaldo]

If it's too high for him to catch (twasn't imo) then he should be coming out and punching it. He was very slow off his line all game today.

[johnnypd]

Mind you, Hughton was a bit of a joke today. Rubbish line-up, rubbish subs, rubbish timing, rubbish tactics. That really was long ball from start to finish, which is a bit pointless when:

 

/ Our strikers aren't particularly great in the air (but dey're big n blak tho!!)

/ We're up against two chunky centre-backs who are good in the air

/ No one is supporting from centre-midfield

 

We didn't deserve to win today and we didn't. I've missed some of our defeats but that's as bad as i've seen us this season. A centre-midfield of Butt and Nolan, with two near static strikers upfront incites virtually no pass and move whatsoever.

 

i think you got it right with your criticism of harewood and shola. both like to receive the ball in the box and go straight for goal. if you play it long and high and expect them to bring it down they'll disappoint, likewise if you want them to pull wide and create space or drop deep to bring team-mates into play. loven, carroll and ranger to an extent to some of this, so you'd think one of them would've started away from home, where you need to ask a bit more from your forward men.

 

Yep, absolutely. Everything was wrong with the selection and the tactics that followed. For a start off - i know they've only played two games, but they look like the worst partnership. They're just far too similar and were playing games independently of each other. There was an incident where Harewood bumbled his way to the by-line and cut it back; Shola was nowhere to be seen. Similarly with every single ball forward, whether or not one of them won it, neither of them had the pace or sheer awareness to know where the other was and it came to absolutely nothing.

 

We've gone away from home and punted it long all game and come away with victories; but that's when we've had Ranger or Carroll up there - people who can win it in the air and subsequently retain possession. Obviously, i can see why Hughton kept both of them in the side, cos they both scored in the last game, but it was absolutely pointless if he was gonna use those sort of tactics. Of our four big strikers, he picked the two that are worst at holding the ball up... and also picked no one to receive the fucking thing even if a striker won it.

 

Proper headscratcher today like. Don't know what he was thinking. What's doubly frustrating is that he's generally been okay for changing things when it's blatantly obvious it's not working. But he didn't today and it's very disappointing.

 

they can do a job together if we're dominating, pushed really high up and all that is left to do is letting jonas, guthrie, enrique etc putting the ball in the box. they'll both score a decent amount in those games. but today wasn't like that. especially if we have butt and nolan in the middle. either you get the likes of guthrie in the centre, pass it around and dominate possession or you don't play shola-harewood up front. as others have pointed out you have to mix and match depending on which players work well together, who is suited to certain games, styles of play etc. this doesn't seem to be a huge consideration for hughton, he doesn't tailor the players or tactics for different situations as much as he should.

 

i don't want to be too harsh - we didnt lose and we're still top of the division, but i continue to think that's down to the talent in the squad rather than the nous of the manager.

[Guest Wally_McFool]

Harper 3

Simpson 5

Taylor 5

Coloccini 4

Enrique 4

Guthrie 5

Butt 3

Nolan 5

Jonas 5

Ameobi 4

Harewood 2

 

Pancrate 3

Carroll 3

Lovenkrands 2

 

You are joking, right! 

[Jayson]

Did Guthrie get another assist today then?

 

What more does the lad need to do, get him in the middle. He'd be cutting through defences easily

[ElDiablo]

Guthrie should start in the middle, easily our most creative player. Not bad, didn't get see anything bar the final 15, but it's not the end of the world. Defence went to sleep for their first. Harewood and Shola is fail for me. Shola's our top boy up front and we've got decent enough options to supplement with Carroll, Ranger, Lovely and Nolan. Don't think we'll miss Harewood if he goes.

[Guest Alan Shearer 9]

Mind you, Hughton was a bit of a joke today. Rubbish line-up, rubbish subs, rubbish timing, rubbish tactics. That really was long ball from start to finish, which is a bit pointless when:

 

/ Our strikers aren't particularly great in the air (but dey're big n blak tho!!)

/ We're up against two chunky centre-backs who are good in the air

/ No one is supporting from centre-midfield

 

We didn't deserve to win today and we didn't. I've missed some of our defeats but that's as bad as i've seen us this season. A centre-midfield of Butt and Nolan, with two near static strikers upfront incites virtually no pass and move whatsoever.

 

i think you got it right with your criticism of harewood and shola. both like to receive the ball in the box and go straight for goal. if you play it long and high and expect them to bring it down they'll disappoint, likewise if you want them to pull wide and create space or drop deep to bring team-mates into play. loven, carroll and ranger to an extent to some of this, so you'd think one of them would've started away from home, where you need to ask a bit more from your forward men.

 

Yep, absolutely. Everything was wrong with the selection and the tactics that followed. For a start off - i know they've only played two games, but they look like the worst partnership. They're just far too similar and were playing games independently of each other. There was an incident where Harewood bumbled his way to the by-line and cut it back; Shola was nowhere to be seen. Similarly with every single ball forward, whether or not one of them won it, neither of them had the pace or sheer awareness to know where the other was and it came to absolutely nothing.

 

We've gone away from home and punted it long all game and come away with victories; but that's when we've had Ranger or Carroll up there - people who can win it in the air and subsequently retain possession. Obviously, i can see why Hughton kept both of them in the side, cos they both scored in the last game, but it was absolutely pointless if he was gonna use those sort of tactics. Of our four big strikers, he picked the two that are worst at holding the ball up... and also picked no one to receive the fucking thing even if a striker won it.

 

Proper headscratcher today like. Don't know what he was thinking. What's doubly frustrating is that he's generally been okay for changing things when it's blatantly obvious it's not working. But he didn't today and it's very disappointing.

 

:nod: they can do a job together if we're dominating, pushed really high up and all that is left to do is letting jonas, guthrie, enrique etc putting the ball in the box. they'll both score a decent amount in those games. but today wasn't like that. especially if we have butt and nolan in the middle. either you get the likes of guthrie in the centre, pass it around and dominate possession or you don't play shola-harewood up front. as others have pointed out you have to mix and match depending on which players work well together, who is suited to certain games, styles of play etc. this doesn't seem to be a huge consideration for hughton, he doesn't tailor the players or tactics for different situations as much as he should.

 

i don't want to be too harsh - we didnt lose and we're still top of the division, but i continue to think that's down to the talent in the squad rather than the nous of the manager.

 

we were shit init

[Yorkie]

Taylor 5

Coloccini 4

Enrique 4

 

You are joking, right! 

 

Taylor and Colo were alright but Jose was gash today. I think we can allow him that, mind.

[Thespence]

Did Guthrie get another assist today then?

 

What more does the lad need to do, get him in the middle. He'd be cutting through defences easily

 

He creates them playing out wide as they are crosses, we would lose that if he played in the middle.

[Geordie Ahmed]

Shite performance so a point isnt the worst result - atleast Forest and Cardiff dropped points as well

 

Nicky Butt is just shite - if he kept things simple, he wouldnt be so bad BUT when he starts thinking he is Zidane it just goes wrong

 

Harewood is a poor man's Shola, their partnership doesnt work - i hope the loan does not get extended, we have better options

[Guest Wally_McFool]

Taylor 5

Coloccini 4

Enrique 4

 

You are joking, right! 

 

Taylor and Colo were alright but Jose was gash today. I think we can allow him that, mind.

 

I thought Jose did well defensively.

He was definitely back to last seasons form as far as making short passes to a team mate was concerned.

[Yorkie]

Guthrie should have been our most effective from the first kick of the season, but he hasn't. Now that he's finally becoming very useful, people are advocating changing it? I'd keep him out wide; he drifts in out and out of games too easily when he's in the middle (i know, Nolan does too, but he's a massive goal threat). When Guthrie's up for it, he can impose himself on a game and cause havoc for the opposition simply down to his intelligence and delivery of the football - and it's easier for him to do it down the right than it is in the middle. Just keep it as Guthrie-Nolan-Smith-Jonas. That's our best line-up imo.

[Dave]

Second half was an absolute carbon copy of the Barnsley second half. Fucking dismal, never woke up. Fuck knows what Hughton tells them when we're a goal up away at a shite team.

 

Oh, and Nicky Butt is terrible. Not the only one who's shit but he just manages to bugger things up time and time again. It's embarrassing that he's still starting games.

[Mag in Aberdeen]

Harper 6

Simpson 6

Taylor 6

Coloccini 5

Enrique 5

Guthrie 4

Butt 5

Nolan 5

Jonas 4

Ameobi 6

Harewood 6

 

Carroll 6

Pancrate 4

Lovenkrands 5

 

 

What's up with the hoofball, the whole game? Thought the forwards didn't do too badly, even though they weren't given much of a chance by our midfield. Jonas is a winger but he didn't try to beat a man or cross once. Enrique and Coloccini were guilty of giving away utterly stupid corners. There wasn't any urgency in the final minutes.  

[Ronaldo]

Coloccini gave away one corner so you give him the same as Butt?