Stoke 1 United 0 - report

[Deadbat_DB]

Have to be honest, I cannot muster up the energy to write a full report from yesterday. My drunken and angry ramblings can be heard on the pod if anyone can make any sense of it and/or want a laugh!



Anyway, in summary it was a terrible match. Absolutely nothing seemed to happen. I can only remember (due to drink as well as nothing happening) the ref getting knocked down, Gibbs White having one run and another shot pulled wide and that was it in the first half. There was not a save made I can recall from either team. 2nd half they started better and had 2 or 3 half chances with balls going across the box. We got a few last-ditch tackles in and suddenly they looked the better team and at least were dangerous. We got worse as the game went on and did not have a meaningful effort or attack at all. We did not show any urgency and no one take any responsibility at all. We had nothing up front and no one tried to penetrate or get behind them at all. It was a nothing game. Stoke were not bothered and equally abject. It looked a 0-0 but we did have a stonewell penalty somehow not given when they clattered into RND as he finally tried to run at a man for once but it seemed to be drifting to a deserved stalemate. However, bad defending saw Davies and Baldock both go to the same man and Tymon put in a cross that Egan deflected into his own net. That was it.



We had a shot wide from Osborn but the keeper might as well have not worn gloves. He did not touch the ball in any meaningful way with his hands. Stoke probably just about deserved the win if anyone did deserve to win a dreadful game. If we had played anything like then we win that game 2 or 3-0. Stoke were not bothered at all but then amazingly we played it like an end of season game that did not matter too. There was nobody driving with the ball and the passing was safe and sideways/backwards. The threat from us was non existent and the inability to just show some purpose as an attacking side was not there. We looked like a team with no belief. Sadly, other than Boro, we have mostly seen that now for the last few months. Even the wins against Barnsley, Blackburn etc you could argue we were 2nd best for long spells.



We look a side that is dead on its feet and even after a break, we had no energy. We have gone from having 6 strikers to 0. Mostly bad luck (injuries) of course but Jebbison is nowhere near ready at this level. We just have to hope Sharp is back. With time running out we may have to gamble and play him in the week. If he does not play not sure where the goals or chances are coming from and feel this time next week, we could be looking at us being 5 or 6 points off and the season pretty much slipping away. We face two crucial home games now and must now start playing each game like it is our last one of the seasons. Worryingly other teams have found form again and are smashing teams by big margins. That Boro win seems a long time ago now and you just get the sense we are not going to have enough now. Injuries have not helped but then today we had probably our strongest defence and midfield out save for Basham/Bogle. Sharp would play of course but it’s 3 of 11 missing – not half or three quarters of a team missing as some have said in terms of our best players.



The rest of the day was good. Met Roy (from Roy’s view from) for a few beers with his mate Eggy and then also met Hal and Nick from SheffUnitedWay. All seem a great set of lads (as I said on the pod many times). Realised again what shitholes some of these towns are (trips to Blackburn, Huddersfield and now Stoke) reminded me that in 10-15 years since I visited these places before, they have not changed at all. Saw Traveling Blade too in the ground as he was subjected to a torrent of abuse from me at the players during the final stages for the shambolic play. That will be my last away game of the season and maybe for the best considering the number of ales I supped and how bad they have been in every game. My son’s record of going away now reads played around 15, won 1. I think the only time he has seen us win is under Adkins at Chesterfield going back some 6 or 7 years! So, he is not a good luck charm at all.

 

[Deadbat_DB]

Anyway, brief ratings….



Foderingham 6/10 – Not a lot to do at all really. Barely had a touch – same as their keeper too. The goal was unlucky but maybe he did commit a bit to the cross and could not readjust but certainly not his fault.



Baldock 4/10 – Defensively ok until the moment 2nd half when he goes to the ball and him and Davies leave their man completely and led to the goal. Dreadful attacking wise as he never beat his man and every cross was woeful hitting the first man or going over the bar like the one at the end.



Norrington Davies 5/10 – I thought he at least tried and had our best moment with the run for the penalty shout but outside of this he never went at his man and his crossing was awful. Most of the time he just seems unable or not willing to try and run forward. Defensively makes errors still and seems to get caught in bad positions. A very average player that does not do enough at either end. It’s saying something when I would put Stevens back in as bad as he has been for 2 seasons. He at least might get one good cross in.



Robinson 5/10 – Very ordinary really. He kicked and headed a few away but then 2nd half he seemed to have a bad spell where he and the others got caught out. His long throws never seemed to find any of the targets. After a good run of form, he has started to make errors again and get caught out but we have not noticed as much due to the ineptitude of so many around him.



Davies 4/10 – He was not pressured first half at all but took too long to come out with the ball and our slow build up continued to be a feature. Made one good block 2nd half to stop a dangerous cross but he is dreadful on the goal. You can tell by his reaction he knows he has made a terrible decision to go to the ball when the danger was his man running through and just leaves him – it is then compounded as Baldock goes too. No communication and schoolboy defending really. I would not sign him at all even if offered for a nominal fee – he is an average Champ defender and lacks aggression and decision making to be able to anything more. If we dip out the next few games, we may as well play Gordon and/or the other lad and see if they can offer anything with next season in mind. I expect him to go back to someone like Preston in a year or so.



Egan 5/10 – Actually better than the others really in terms of general defensive play but then gets in a nothing positions on the goal and diverts it into his own net. A lot say it is unlucky when it is an own goal which I always find off as surely a player kicking or deflecting a ball into their own net is bad play? Whether he meant to do it or not, his job is not to deflect it there! Maybe I am being harsh but he has done this before and gets his body into odd positions that leads to such occurrences (so many hand balls – this might have been one anyway!) He never keeps his body upright on such moments and then is in danger.



Norwood 4/10 – Did not affect the game at all. Saw little of it and I thought we never got any proper control of the ball for a prolonged spell. Stoke were no better but you would think he would get on it and drive us forward but our passivity was so evident in the midfield.



Fleck 5.5/10 – Thought he was the best of the midfield players and he was only very, very average. He at least looked for the ball and tried some forward passes, threaded balls and runs. He did not create anything or really have any moments where you thought, ‘that was good.’ It was more I just saw him more than the others in midfield.



Berge 4/10 – Another insipid showing where he just seemed to be walking around and going through the motions. He never broke into a run all game and his passing when he had it was safe. Him hitting the ref with a wayward pass summed him up. The stupid free kick at the end was another maddening moment from him. I think it will be best for all if he moves on in the summer but we would only get around half of what we paid – if we are lucky. He has about 1 good game in 4 and that is being kind really. Top players do it consistently and make others raise their games too. He clearly has a lot of talent but sadly what is the point of this if he only does it occasionally?



Gibbs White 5.5/10 – Quiet game where he flitted in and out. Once again at least he tried to get on the ball and have a few efforts but these were poor ones – shot dragged wide or he got crowded out. He seemed to get frustrated 2nd half and then was taken off – apparently, he had been ill?



Jebbison 3/10 – His mark may seem harsh but I genuinely cannot think of anything he did well today? He was non existent and never in the game. Had one shot where he took forever to get it away but outside of this? Nothing. Yes, he had little service but he had to move and make runs, to show for the ball and be a nuisance. Jagielka and co won’t have an easier game all season. Seemed to hide behind his man and just got brushed aside when it came to him. Looked out of his depth I felt and nowhere near ready to play at this level. Sadly, we have seen now why Hecky was not playing him and think he only came back as we had no one else left. I thought he looked quick, mobile and made good runs in those few games we saw at the end of last season but now having seen a bit of him in person, I worry whether those games have hugely inflated people’s opinions of him.



Subs –



Ndiaye – Not sure he saw anything of it at all. Since Fulham he has been a complete non factor which is surprising as seemed to be growing and developing. In nearly every game since he has not contributed much at all and not done anywhere near enough when he has played. Needs to step up if he wants to get regular minutes.



Osborn – Tried to get on the ball and at least was busy. One shot that was always going wide but at least he had a shot – no one else had one I do not think – apart from the MGW one dragged wide?



Osula – Did more in 5 minutes than Jebbison did in nearly 80. At least put his body into the defender, made a run and showed some energy.



Manager:



Heckingbottom 4/10 – Another flat, energy devoid performance with no urgency and nothing changed from the first half to the second. He did not change things and then ironically when he did, we conceded (not saying that contributed). The belief and hunger we had around Xmas seems to have evaporated and other than the Boro game we have kind of regressed back to the side we saw last season and the first half of this. Maybe that is where we are now. I think it is clear we need to make a number of changes this summer and need some running, legs and aggression in the side. We have started to resemble a toothless soft touch again. I thought the break would give us freshness and energy but we looked exactly the same as before the two weeks off and we had 4 or 5 players back too. Yes, we missed strikers but that is no excuse for the bulk of a very experienced side to put in such a nothing performance.



Stoke – Looked disinterested. Had a number of key players out and still were better than us (just). They will have been surprised to meet another side who looked like they wanted the season to finish.



Referee/Officials – Got hit by the ball and then missed an obvious penalty.

 

[Chips1889]

Thanks DB, scores as I expected mate.