Millwall v Swans | Vital Football

Millwall v Swans

keith margam

Vital Football Legend
Today’s referee James Linington, as with most refs it seems, has some history with the Swans. He once sent off three Swans players in a Cup game. Another Swan had to go off injured, we’d used all our subs by then, and yet another tried to go off injured but was stopped by Linington and made to play on as otherwise we would have had only six men on the field and he would have been forced to abandon the game.
Here’s the match report:


http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/league_cup/8205360.stm
 
In this mini season within a season Millwall have recently lost 2-3 at home to Derby and drawn 0-0 away to Barnsley. They sit one point and one place behind us in the table on 55 points, so are as desperate for points as we are.
Millwall manager Gary Rowett after the Barnsley draw:
"We should have won the game but lacked a bit of quality in that final action, it doesn't seem to be quite there at the moment.
We are at a point where we need to find momentum. We need a big week, we certainly need to go and win (against Swansea) on Tuesday.
If we win on Tuesday we at least give ourselves an opportunity, if we don't win on Tuesday I think it is going to be tough.
My mindset is we wanted to give ourselves a chance, we were always going to be an outside bet (for the play-offs)."
 
The Swans have the second worst scoring record, ironically behind Millwall, of the teams in the top half of the table, and the pressure is on tonight to improve that return.
 
Three changes from Saturday:
Swansea City: Freddie Woodman; Kyle Naughton, Ben Cabango, Ben Wilmot, Jake Bidwell; George Byers, Matt Grimes (captain); Andre Ayew, Conor Gallagher, Yan Dhanda; Rhian Brewster.
Substitutes: Erwin Mulder, Marc Guehi, Connor Roberts, Nathan Dyer, Wayne Routledge, Jay Fulton, Aldo Kalulu, Bersant Celina, Liam Cullen.
Referee: James Linington
 
Pathetic showing, we look like a League 2 relegation side. What’s happened to them? We pass it sideways, then back, lob it in the air and lose it.
Another manager out-thinking our managers poor and predictable tactics.
Our defence looks shaky, our midfield is disjointed, our forwards have nothing to feed off.
I can see Millwall, the lowest scorers out of the teams in the top half the table, scoring again second half.
 
A bit better in the second half when Celina came on but we were not good enough against their giant players and their close marking and that’s our chance gone for this season I think. Too many young players and not enough experience, including the manager.
 
None so blind that cannot see!
After another weak display and a lucky draw, here’s the managers comments:
“We needed a response to the Luton defeat where we let ourselves down and I felt the boys did stand up today.
It may take five or six wins now, anything can happen still and we are going to have to win more games than we don't, a lot more.

It is going to be a tense run-in and I think there are going to be plenty more twists and turns to come.
I've told the players, we will never give up. We will be fighting until the end. We are going for it, we are absolutely going for it and I thought we did show that today."
Millwall had 12 corners, dominated in the air, they hit the post, had a good penalty shout turned down and several chances went begging.

Millwall’s goalkeeper was their apparent weakness but this was never exploited. He looked nervous throughout and fumbled Brewster’s free kick for the goal.
 
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Defence is a big worry with Rodon having a fresh ankle injury in training over the weekend and is now out for the season.
Wilmot limped off last night with a knee injury and Hoorn is still not ready after his long term injury.
Which leaves us with Cabango and Guehi as the only fit centre backs.
 
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Millwall - Swans
Possession: 43% - 57%
Shots: 16 - 9
On target: 2 - 4
Corners: 12 - 5
Fouls: 15 - 8
Cards: 2Y - 1Y
Ref: James Linington 5/10
 
I was surprised to hear that the team flew up and back for the Middlesborough match, considering the well publicised financial difficulties at the club, and there I was feeling sorry for them having to make that long journey by bus.
On another subject, Montero and Baker-Richardson contracts not being renewed.
 
Disappointing performance and result when we wanted to bounce back and go for 3 points to get near the top 6.

Nothing on display inspires me at all. Only decent chance we had was from a corner when Brewster's header was cleared off the line, other than that we created nothing. Same vs Luton too. We have Ayew & Gallagher yet can't create anything. God knows why he started Dhanda wide left either.