From the matchday recap video it looks like we should have beaten Forest 3 or 4 nil. Anyone watch the whole game> Is the match recap a fair summary of the game or was it a bit closer? Which players stood out?
Can’t remember Walton being troubled at all , the defence looked solid , Ludwig seemed to be covering both wings at one point , if that’s possible . Hope we can keep him for the full season , if he plays like that week in and out someone will be offering big bucks in January for him
They all played okay except for Ritzmaier who plays like he is a full back and shows little going forward IMO others may see it differently.
I think they've changed the loan rules so that can't happen anymore - but I'm unsure if that's just an English football thing.
That`s why Stroobs persists with him, stronger defensively but weaker as an attacking force, he needs to roll his sleeves up and attempt to beat a man.
No its not a fair reflection. We had more of the play than what’s on the highlights. Forest had the first 15 minutes - Barnsley dominated for the rest. This might become a common theme this season. Opposition teams thinking if they can score in the first 15 minutes then the confidence of our young players will break. The most effective club at doing that to Barnsley last season - was Luton. So let’s see this coming Saturday if anything has changed. So yes, we should have won Forest 4-1 but our finishing was terrible - especially long range shots that went wide of the mark. It would be great to have someone who could put his foot through the ball like a Banks or a Hourihane.
Not the best game. We looked comfortably the better side, even though we didn't really trouble their keeper too much again. All his stops were fairly routine, and there was little he could do about the goal, Woodrow wasn't going to miss from there. Bit similar to when we played them a couple of months ago.
I've not watched the recap, so I can only give you my thoughts on the whole game. We were good value for the win, controlled the game for ~80% and conceded few, if any, chances. I'd say their fullback should have done better in the first 10 minutes with his chance, other than that not much. We missed 2 sitters alongside the goal scored, I'd expect one or both to be taken ordinarily. 2-0 or 3-0 would have been about right, 1-0 does us a disservice. They applied some pressure, without creating for 10-15 minutes on the hour mark. No individuals stood out for me, it was a strong team performance, Mowatt and Styles showed great energy and controlled the game in midfield for us. All three of the defenders looked solid, including Williams, who adds pace and mobility to the back 3. I thought Ritzmaier did ok, he has a happy knack of being in the right place at the right time defensively. I know he gets loads of stick on here, he's not Rahim Sterling and never will be, he's positionally sound and helps our shape and keeps us organised, which is critical for us as a team. I think first and foremost under Struber we're hard to beat. Ritzmaier is an important cog in that machine.
You get players like that during the 2017/18 season Brad Potts got slated and you struggled to find anything great he did during a game but the team picked up points for him being in there. Then 2018/19 it was Mike Bahre. You scratched your head wondering what he'd done but the side was better for having him in it. The back end of 2019/20 and 2021 it's looking like Ritzmaier will be that player.
I can go back to Ray McHale in our great 80s side . He was an important cog into the way we played at the time allowing Banks and Glavin to get forward whilst he covered and could split a defence with intelligent passes . However there were a few who didn’t rate him for one thing or another and others who revered him. Personally I thought he was class .
There were at least two occasions that stood out regarding Ritzmaier. He had time and space to cross the ball - and he ended up knocking one of the floodlights out. Second occasion was when the ball came to him not far outside their 18 yard line - there was acres of space for him to run into their box - but he took the easy option of looking up and firing a long range cross into the box that again didn’t hit one of our players. Odour came on second half and showed Ritzmaier how things should be done.
We have 3 fantastic finishers at the club. Schmidt Woodrow Chaplin What we don’t have is good service from outside of the box - or someone who can score from outside the box. There is only Luke Thomas that fits that category.
Fair enough Nudge. You see more games than I ever can, so I bow to your knowledge. But we do need a couple more.
Great post , I agree entirely with your comments . I loved Ray Mchale , he was a target for the boo boys but they always have to have one , he would never waste a pass , always looking to probe & would never get rid of the ball for the sake of it ,a class act who through his unselfish attitude allowed our flair players to strut their stuff .
I agree with you about the strikers but Thomas is awful in the final third , his decision making is his downfall & you say he can score from outside the box , well his return of one fortunate goal on the opening day season suggests he is not the answer to supplementing our goal tally . I would loan him out or move him on but for me he is certainly not the answer .
I think Luke Thomas is raw but there's something to work with. I think it's his decision making when he embarks on one of his darts forward he needs to make up his mind whether he's going himself or laying it off sooner. Sometimes he ends up doing neither.
