Bournemouth 1-1 Newcastle United (11/02/2023)

[SUPERTOON]

Just now, Lush Vlad said:

Playoff round for the Conference League. 
 

Let’s win it and finish top 5, eh?  
 

Is that what it is ? 😂 I thought it was europa league.

[gbandit]

It has to be said that whilst Bournemouth were a bunch of pathetic slugs playing to the referee, they did a great job of closing out space to us and defending with a good shape. We got in behind them once or twice but they forced us away from the penalty area everytime. Defensively, they were really solid even though we were also awful at moving the ball 

[Sima]

1 hour ago, mikejaxer said:

Gonna be great watching this in the documentary.

 

We're 4th, challenging for CL, have a cup final, looked fantastic for once and the best we've been in over 15 years and then they show highlights of games and it's just all draws.

Might be why it’s only four episodes.

 

End it suddenly like when the animator keels over in Holy Grail.

[Lush Vlad]

3 minutes ago, gbandit said:

It has to be said that whilst Bournemouth were a bunch of pathetic slugs playing to the referee, they did a great job of closing out space to us and defending with a good shape. We got in behind them once or twice but they forced us away from the penalty area everytime. Defensively, they were really solid even though we were also awful at moving the ball 

True enough. But I feel like teams have managed that against us a good few times this season. They did it to us in all three games. Palace were the same in all three, bar the first half at their place. West Ham managed it for most of the time. 
 

Howe is top quality and showed he is versatile during his time here and how he has evolved his style since Bournemouth. So I’m sure as we get a better quality of player over the next season or two. Our attacks won’t be so slow and wasteful. 

[joeyt]

Fed up with our unthreatening we are from set pieces

[Klaus]

Our service hasn't been great, but even when it is decent, we certainly don't make the most of our height as a squad.

 

 

Edited February 11, 2023 by Klaus

[PauloGeordio]

Just now, joeyt said:

Fed up with our unthreatening we are from set pieces

If Tripps is out who takes them? Somebody else needs a go. Miss Targett’s corners (love Tripps btw) 

[greydos]

2 hours ago, et tu brute said:

One thing that is really pissing me off is the lack of threat we are at set pieces and the fact we look totally vulnerable with set pieces at our end. That shouldn't be happening with the size and physicality of our team. Seems to be even getting worse lately also.

Yeah teams seem to have worked out that you can’t play traditional crosses against us, I.E above head height for players to attack on the penalty spot as our giants win the first contact. So they’re going for low shoulder-height crosses to win the near post flick and it’s working time and again against us.

 

 

[greydos]

It was a lovely stadium reaction to Howe, and Tindall who left the stadium on foot out the front door and signed loads of autographs.

 

We played really poorly. We’re a bit like England at the EUROs in style in that we’re solid and competitive in midfield but we don’t have the technical quality and control of Italy’s midfielders where we can progress the ball upfield through the midfielders. We always have to go round the side through the full back or play a channel ball. Someone like Jorginho at DM would’ve massively improve us in the short term.

 

Burn’s 3rd centre back role means it’s so hard for Maxi compared to Almiron. Maxi always receives the ball from the 30/40 yard pass on the deck fizzed into him, with his marker close buy and he’s back to goal. Almiron gets nice short passes from Trippier’s with Longstaff an option nearby. So you can’t really compare the output of the two players as the system is completely different for them both. We really need the LCM (Willock today, Gordon nominally after, though he played as a 10) to get much closer to Maxi when he’s going to receive the ball. Just my perspective that it’s not his fault he isn’t creating much or contributing much as the system’s letting him down badly

[Yorkie]

10 minutes ago, joeyt said:

Fed up with our unthreatening we are from set pieces

 

It's incredible how ineffective they've been post-WC. Easily one of the most annoying things about basically every game atm; they're absolutely useless and at least a quarter of the time actively present more of an opportunity to the other team. 

 

Clearly issues at the other end too, given the last two goals conceded. Need to get Anita's not-relative back.

[samptime29]

The zestless set pieces are so wild when you consider the height we have in the team 😆 

[BonesJones]

How many set pieces we scored from as percentage must be horrible. Even just the amount trippier crosses in without a finish must be a crazy stat.

[Coffee_Johnny]

A lot of frustration in here tonight. Game looked very winnable on paper. But it’s not played…  well, you know the rest. Lots of results go against the odds, or ‘on paper’ expectations, every season. That’s why nobody gets rich betting on football results. We didn’t lose—like Spurs, or last week Arsenal in a top vs bottom away match, or  Man City at Spurs, or Man Utd at home, or draw at home like Chelsea—it’s disappointing but not unusual or catastrophic. Did anybody really think we were just going to steam roller all comers? Just because we’re decent now? 
We’re doing well. We’ve a good team, a couple of creative options short of being a great team. We might well get there next season, though even then we’re going to have disappointing performances, it’s football/any team sport. Shake it off. Maybe next game we’ll be firing in all cylinders, or, preferably, the one after that. 

 

 

Edited February 11, 2023 by Coffee_Johnny

[elbee909]

Honestly, if I see another 'Drawcastle United' post as if they're some sort of genius for noticing we've drawn, I'll go nuts.

[cubaricho]

25 minutes ago, elbee909 said:

Honestly, if I see another 'Drawcastle United' post as if they're some sort of genius for noticing we've drawn, I'll go nuts.

This is the first time I’ve seen this term.  

[Shak]

Drewcastle if anything, surely?

[HawK]

I've not read any of the match thread before posting this, /tinhat.

 

Thought today we missed Bruno badly. It's very evident without his midfield leadership, that Joelinton and Longstaff are more fearful in coming forward when others in our team have possession or just don't know when to run on. I don't rate Willock too highly at the best of times so I can't say I wasn't too displeased to see Gordon on for him, but he looks like he doesn't know where he's supposed to be yet in certain passages of play. ASM looked a shadow of the player that he has been for us.

 

Isak looked isolated at times and there was a void between attack and midfield that we don't usually have. Almiron didn't seem to receive the ball in areas that allowed him to take anyone on.

 

Today was a definite dip in standards from what we've become accustomed too recently, and Eddie Howe's words at half time were by his own account 'strong'.

 

But, all that aside, we're on our longest winning run, ever. But thought we rode our luck more than a few times today. Gonna have to improve in our next game.

[samptime29]

Point away is never a disaster but we could really do with beating Liverpool. 

 

We didn't play well but it's tough to beat us. Last 31 competitive games. 17 wins, 12 draws 2 losses. 

[keegshields]

Set pieces were predictable and we look constantly knackered which isn't surprising. Our squad depth is wafer thin but .... we are still living the dream. Punching well above our station with huge things on our horizon. Howe is a wizard and we have never lost this season until VAR and the EPL said we did against Liverpool.

 

Could be Ashley.

[Aiston]

We need someone else on set pieces with Trippier, Trippier every single time is too predictable....and at this point I expect nothing wrong them at all.

[Lotus]

To look at that game without the context of the season, we were lucky to get a draw. They found it pretty easy to get at our back 4. Our midfield was not a shield but it was not a creative force and couldn’t control the play either. 
We found it hard to get in dangerous positions except for maybe twice, once was for the goal. 
 

I think the ease of a team like Bournemouth (no disrespect intended but they are down the bottom) getting into channels, forcing one on one situations with out defenders, something we barely managed ourselves, the ease of which they did it was a real concern.

 

We looked both toothless and vulnerable against Bournemouth. Can’t sugar coat it, that’s what it was.

 

I think we’ve been steadily getting worse rather than better over the last few games and today was the worst so far.

 

Hopefully we’ll reverse it. I can’t confidently predict we will, I can certainly wish for it but right now, the trend is going the wrong way.

 

I’m at least hoping the emotion of playing Liverpool at home means we’ll raise the energy and intensity. 

[Billy Warthog]

Would have loved a Sir Les Ferdinand in the side tonight. 

[The Prophet]

It was a poor result and a flat performance.

 

It's becoming evident how reliant we are on Bruno, thankfully we haven't really been punished.

 

Onwards to next week, should be a tasty game.

[DMLeazesender]

Team looked leggy. Nothing wrong with the players, they aren't superhuman and can't be expected to keep up our high press/pace/tempo all season without being rotated and given a rest, it's the depth of the squad that needs improving (and will be in time).

 

The improvement all round since the takeover has been fuckin immense.

 

It was a bad day at the office but still got a result away from home.

 

Fantastic to see the reception Eddie got so for that alone Bournemouth deserved something.

 

Consider 15 months ago...........I'm fuckin delighted!!

 

HTL

 

 

[ShakaHislop]

Yeah, time to put things in some perspective, we are punching waaay above our weight, and eventhough results lately have been somewhat frustrating we need to remember where We’re coming from. Anything better than 11th (if I remember correctly) is progress. The squad needs improvement if top 4 should be realistic, it is still really thin. 
 

Howay the lads!