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Antti's 6 Knee Jerks - QPR 1 Wolves 2 15:58 - Dec 2 with 4535 views

Apologies for the radio silence, missed one or two games due to a combination of illness, travel, work and child-rearing. Great to be back to review Thursday's game. Or so i hoped.

1. PERCH: By many accounts he was lucky to stay on the pitch on Saturday, but if he's trying to get himself suspended so he can have his feet up over the busy Christmas period (and don't think players don't do that), he's timed his run as badly as his idiotic tackle last night. Rare is that a red card to a home player is not greeted with absolute fury by the local faithful, but here was that rare beast. A red card you couldn't argue with.

And yet still, some blame has been placed elsewhere. One fan on here said it was Chery's fault because of a poor flick and Perch had to do 'something'. Well, yes. Stand his ground and not dive in two-footed when a player is closer to the halfway line than the penalty box. Act like you remember the stupid yellow card you got earlier. Newsflash: players give the ball away all the time, especially in this league - most of the time his teammates don't panic and launch themselves dangerously into a mindless challenge. Because that would be stupid.

And then Ian 'you won't catch me shouting at referees' Holloway blames the ref for the first yellow. Well, I'm not going to deny that last night's ref was boring, relied on guesswork, refused to allow the game to flow, was overly officious and generally making sure his face was on TV as much as possible so that he can take screengrabs and impress girls with it on Tinder later, but the rules are pretty clear this season. Abuse to officials is a yellow card. It might have been harsh, but we don't know what was said and the fact remains if Perch had just shut up and concentrated on playing football, he wouldn't have got that card. Blaming the ref is pathetic, I'm afraid, when Perch has no one to blame but himself. Perch cost us the game. That's the end of it.

2. ROUND HOLES: But even if he did cost us the game, there were plenty of others queuing up to do likewise. Starting with our manager. 'At last!' went the cry. 'Round pegs! Round holes!' Apparently no one quite remembered Bignot, Palmer, Santos, Rose etc at CM. Or Santos up front. Or Biggie at left back. Or Gallen at right wing. As with JFH, though, Ollie had his reasons and had to cut his cloth as best he could. But he was up to his old tricks again last night. If JFH had started that formation with that personnel I suspect this board would have exploded at some stage last night.

Firstly, I'd love someone to explain what kind of formation we were playing, because I could not work it out for the life of me. After all the reports about people 'knowing their jobs' against Norwich, I felt possibly only the centre backs really knew what they were supposed to be doing last night. It looked like it would be 3-4-3 again, but Hall, without any doubt, was playing in central midfield. No idea why, when we had at least two actual centre midfielders on the bench. So it was four at the back then? Except on one side Perch had Chery in front of him, while on the other Robinson - pilloried by many - had... well, no one. Mainly because Hall, Sandro and Luongo all seemed to be playing in exactly the same position. Chery was neither a number 10 nor a right winger. It was, even before the red card, a complete and utter lopsided mess with no width at all with which to supply our two strikers. The sending off might make the headlines, but I've no idea what was going on even before that.

It's funny - JFH was fired because the overwhelming belief was that this side should be challenging for the play-offs. Two defeats in and now it's the players who aren't working, who aren't good enough, who aren't leading properly (as if we weren't relegated twice and regularly shat on when Hill, Derry and Barton were at the club). I sorely want Ollie to do well, I love the man, on a personal level the greatest football moments of my life have come from him and, once, in front of him (I happened to score the best goal of my life in a friendly match in which he was on my team a few weeks after our promotion) - at least he might, I hope, get a bit more patience than JFH did - although, I doubt it, as there are already rumblings from some quarters.

3. SANDRO: I won't waste too much time on him, because he clearly wastes very little time getting, you know, fit. If this tosspot had ever played three decent games in a row for us I could understand the frankly idiotic calls for him to be included in the side. But he hasn't. Ever. Had. Three. Decent. Games. Has he even had one? I don't recall it. A couple of 7/10s maybe.

And last night was just more of the same Sandro. A couple of big flashy hardcore tackles to get the crowd purring, but other than that poor distribution, poor positioning and most of all a total lack of fitness that saw him drop out of the game completely 50 minutes in. How is this even remotely acceptable? Ollie said he had to take him off because he couldn't do 60 minutes. So why play him then? Why? What was he going to do in those 60 minutes that was so special? Especially when we have a young, hungry central midfielder with a fantastic attitude and a great engine doing sweet FA on the bench who very clearly needs a solid run in the side in central midfield.

I get that Ollie is going through a process of giving everyone a chance, but this was a terrible, terrible selection that cost him dear. If you pick him, it means you have effectively lost a sub. You have three, now you have two. And because Perch got sent off, he was left with one unenforced sub with which to try and alter the game. It is madness. And what do we hear? Luongo is too lightweight because he doesn't make one or two bone-crunching tackles per game that get everyone roaring - even though he won the ball four times as often as Sandro last night.

And Ollie's explanation of Henry for Sandro made so little sense to me. I thought the booing was outrageous, but to some degree it was understandable when Cousins was left on the bench. What we needed was legs and dynamism, not yet another player on the pitch who doesn't want the ball and won't take responsibility when he does have it.

4. CHERY: No, it wasn't his best game, but some of the stick he's receiving is getting a little silly now. Partly it's because some people seem to think other people think he's a great hero. I don't think anyone does. He doesn't even have his own song yet. But, in a little over a year, he's managed 14 goals and a lot of assists. And a lot more assists that have not been converted by our less-than-confident strikers. One of the positives towards the end of last season was the partnership between Polti and Chery - the way they linked up, the way Polter made space for Chery, the way Chery could find him, as he did so well v Norwich the other week. Now that relationship is almost as dormant as the Mahrez-Vardy one at Leicester (Mahrez has not found him with a pass since late September) because they play so far apart. Last night, thanks to Perch, Chery had to drop incredibly deep to get the ball and, along with Luongo, was one of the only sparks (apart from Robinson's hopeful throw-ins) that looked like it might start a fire in the Wolves half. Yes, he gave the ball away a fair bit. But he was *trying* to make something happen. Trying to find a decent pass. Trying to unlock their defence. He was taking responsibility, even if it failed more often than not. And he was forced to have to do it from his own half most of the time, partly because of a poor selection and tactics that should have Bosh going mad about 'how to set a team up,' and partly because we were down to 10 men.

At the moment, I think he's trying to carry our team on his back, and he shouldn't be. He should be part of it, part of the threat, but he's trying to do too much, to play the killer pass too often and he's also playing too deep for someone who can be so effective when he has the ball at his feet 20 yards out.

5. SMITHIES: A howler at Ipswich, but one of his very few in his 11 months between the sticks for us. And as against Ipswich he was the difference between a defeat and an absolute shellacking. At least 4 tremendous saves, that might have earned us a point had Lynch been able to sort his feet out in time. At the moment, he seems to be nailed on player of the season. Who else is there? What he does particularly well is stand up and make himself big - three saves came from him not over-committing and simply filling up the space the striker had to aim at. After Tom Heaton was beaten so easily v Spain the other week, I have to ask how long we might hold onto him - he's better than at least a third of the goalies in the Prem.

6. LONERGAN: Oh for a brief moment I thought it was happening all over again! The great Lonergan, how I love him. There was a time where we pretty much put two or three past him every time we played him. More importantly, he was in goal for Preston when we beat them at LR 4-0 in 2009; when Dex scored a late winner to make it 3-2 in 2008; and also earlier that year when we were 2-0 down in the 90th minute and Ainsworth and Dex both scored in injury time to grab us a draw. 'Andy Lonergan, it's happened again!' I was desperate to sing. But then Lynch missed his kick, and Lonners' nightmare was over. It had all looked so perfect when Ikeme got that injury. Lonny must have been bricking it. Oh well.

Bare bones.

Antti's 6 Knee Jerks - QPR 1 Wolves 2 on 15:48 - Dec 3 with 1733 views

Antti_Heinola

Antti's 6 Knee Jerks - QPR 1 Wolves 2 on 20:05 - Dec 2 by Burnleyhoop

No, he couldn't mange more than 60 minutes and probably wouldn't be able to play beyond that until he got, you guessed it, match fit. To do so, he needs to be selected on a regular basis. I would strongly suspect a few of the other squad players would be blowing out of their arses because they aren't getting match fit either.

Thing is, they aren't getting selected. Why is that? Probably because they're a bit shit. A bit shitter than the ones currently being selected that can barely string a pass together and go hiding when conceding a goal or two.

We need men on the pitch, at the moment it looks like sheep. I'd rather see a capable one legged man out there, than clueless pussies.

I remember Derry and Hill often being ignored by previous managers for weeks and weeks at a time. but when they finally called them back, they could - and did - play 90 minutes immediately, with no problem. Because they were proper professional footballers. It's not about match fitness with Sandro - it's about fitness full stop. He's playing as a DM, it's not like we need him to run box to box all day. And he can;t even manage that. It's an utter joke.

We'll have to disagree on the rest - I have Sandro as marginally - *marginally* - better than Henry, but below Cousins, Luongo, Borysiuk or even Doughty.

Just for funzies, here are League results when he's played since the start of last season.

Wolves - started. Lost 2-1. (off after 60)
Ipswich - as sub, 2-0 down when he came on, lost 3-0.
Norwich - as sub, 2-0 up when came on, won 2-1.
Huddersfield (H) - started. 1-1 draw. (off after 65)
Ipswich (A) - On as sub. 1-0 up when he came on, lost 2-1.
Brighton (H) - Started. 2-0 down when he went off after 55. Drew 2-2.
Burnley (H) - Started, lasted 90! Drew 0-0.
Reading (A) - Started, lasted 90! Won 1-0!
Leeds (H) - Started, lasted 90! Won 1-0!
Boro (A) - Started, lost 1-0 (off after 82, they scored after he went off)
Preston (H) - Started (off after 65). Drew 0-0.
Sheff Wed (H) - Started, lasted 90. Drew 0-0.
Brum (A) - Started (off after 72). Lost 2-1.
Bolton (H) - On as sub after 76 mins, when winning 3-2. Won 4-3.

So, we've had some decent performances with him in the side. Mainly under Warnock, when we didn't play any strikers and were just trying to keep a clean sheet, but still. Regardless, 4 wins in 14, 2 of which he came on as a sub when we were already winning, suggests he may not quite be the 'man' that is going to make the difference to this side. And, seeing as he'll be gone in 2 months or in 7, it seems mad to me that we bother starting him when we have other options.

As for 'pussies' - a man who has managed to complete 90 minutes just 5 times in 18 months is hardly a Brownlee brother himself, is he?

Bare bones.

Antti's 6 Knee Jerks - QPR 1 Wolves 2 on 17:42 - Dec 3 with 1674 views

vegasranger

Excellent report as always Antti. From my TV in Las Vegas it looked like we were playing 4-4-2. Hall was in central midfield and Luongo was wide left. JFH would have got destroyed putting that line up out there. Football was still bad against a Wolves team devoid of any confidence or clue how to string two passes together.

Perch has been a very poor signing. We paid a million for him and he is never better than average. He is 31 now and should show some leadership out there but instead he makes stupid tackles and is just an all round liability.

How can Sandro be so unfit in December? He had pre - season and has played a few under 23 games. Another very bad buy by Redknapp , I don't think many of us on here were over enamored by the move from day one. He was known as sick note with dodgy knees.

Antti's 6 Knee Jerks - QPR 1 Wolves 2 on 17:48 - Dec 3 with 1665 views

Northernr

Antti's 6 Knee Jerks - QPR 1 Wolves 2 on 10:27 - Dec 3 by Burnleyhoop

"Unable to walk the next day", a typical Olly comment not to be taken too literally. Every player is stiff and sore after a game, and it only gets worse the older you get. Sandro is no spring chicken. On the injury front, how many other players have been injured this season? I could do a list, but don't feel the need ....it's a long one.

I, like most, was hoping to see Luongo, Borysuik and Cousins dominate the midfield spots and become the base from which we build. It hasn't and still doesn't look anywhere near happening. We look bereft of confidence, belief and ability. We are in the shit and need every ounce of ability and experience we can get, even if it is only for a few months and 60 mins per game. Sandro is by no means the future. He might give us something whilst we are struggling to find ourselves.

"Sandro is no spring chicken". Sandro reckons he's 27. Know many 27 year old professional athletes who get stiff and sore if they play more than an hour of sport?

A nonsense of course because he's no more 27 than Sir David fcking Attenborough but if he's going to keep up the pretence I'm not having the fan club telling me a 27 year old is getting on in years.

Antti's 6 Knee Jerks - QPR 1 Wolves 2 on 20:09 - Dec 3 with 1595 views

Burnleyhoop

Antti's 6 Knee Jerks - QPR 1 Wolves 2 on 15:48 - Dec 3 by Antti_Heinola

Derry & Clint both stalwarts and quite rightly highly regarded by all, but not sure they broke any records for putting in the hard yards. Used sparingly if I recall.

How many starts for Cousins and Borysuik so far. 5 or 6 and then dropped or injured? Jury still well out on them. Luongo looks good Occasionally, but has missed a fair few games due to his globetrotting requirements. Needs consistency and form to shine.

Ok, we'll ignore the two cup goals Sandro scored if it suits. That's two more than Luongo's fat zilch and equal to Washington's haul so far. At least Wahington runs about a lot for 90 mins. Usually to the wrong place at the wrong time, but hey ho.

On a lighter note, thought the demented chest thumping by Olly quite amusing, that's certainly one way to get a reaction from the team that had clearly given up the ghost. Again. At least he got a glimmer of a response. Hope burns eternal.

I'm no fanboy of Sandro, but Christ, we need to use every option available to us. Olly obviously thinks so. He must be wrong though.

Antti's 6 Knee Jerks - QPR 1 Wolves 2 on 09:03 - Dec 4 with 1512 views

jonno

If Sandro has been training and playing in reserve games, not to mention a few first team games, since the start of the season then there is no way he should not be fit enough to complete 90 minutes. All he may lack is a bit of sharpness but he should definitely be able to complete a full 90 minutes - he is not in any different position to any other pro footballer who is on the fringe of the first choice 11, and you don't see other players in that position being "unfit" enough to complete 90 minutes when called upon. The whole business is total nonsense, there is clearly something else going on. I wouldn't be surprised if the contract he signed under Redknapp excuses him attending training a few days every week!

Antti's 6 Knee Jerks - QPR 1 Wolves 2 on 09:32 - Dec 4 with 1498 views

stuabd

Antti's 6 Knee Jerks - QPR 1 Wolves 2 on 09:03 - Dec 4 by jonno

Like the one he apparently gave Paul Merson years ago. I think he only came in once mid-week.

I suppose the difference there is that Merson was a cut above nearly everyone in that division and was worth the special treatment. Probably lasted the whole game as well.

It is bizarre that he can't play more than an hour.

Antti's 6 Knee Jerks - QPR 1 Wolves 2 on 10:57 - Dec 4 with 1455 views

Burnleyhoop

Ok, let's stick with Henry and his defence splitting passes through to.........Smithies.

Seems Birysuik and Cousins aren't good enough to displace him. Let the boredom continue.

Antti's 6 Knee Jerks - QPR 1 Wolves 2 on 11:50 - Dec 4 with 1428 views

BazzaInTheLoft

Antti's 6 Knee Jerks - QPR 1 Wolves 2 on 10:57 - Dec 4 by Burnleyhoop
Ok, let's stick with Henry and his defence splitting passes through to.........Smithies. Seems Birysuik and Cousins aren't good enough to displace him. Let the boredom continue.

I don't think that's fair.

Borysuik is on compassionate leave and Cousins is out of form and been getting a slagging from the stands.

Give the man a break. Splitting defenses isn't his job.

Antti's 6 Knee Jerks - QPR 1 Wolves 2 on 12:31 - Dec 4 with 1406 views

terryb

Antti's 6 Knee Jerks - QPR 1 Wolves 2 on 10:57 - Dec 4 by Burnleyhoop
Ok, let's stick with Henry and his defence splitting passes through to.........Smithies. Seems Birysuik and Cousins aren't good enough to displace him. Let the boredom continue.

Or, it would seem that you want to stick with Sandro & his ability to find the opposition full back with his sucession of crossfield passes!

Or, stick with Sandro who lets opposition players wander away from him in our penalty area!

Let the boredom continue? I'm yet to see Sandro having improved our performance in any league match this season. He does suceed though in reducing the tempo even more than Henry does!

Please can we get Doughty back from Swindon?

Antti's 6 Knee Jerks - QPR 1 Wolves 2a on 15:33 - Dec 4 with 1339 views

AGEREPC01

Antti's 6 Knee Jerks - QPR 1 Wolves 2 on 12:31 - Dec 4 by terryb

Sorry: I am on the minority side. I feel based on 3 games Ollie has given himself a set of games to experiment. Also he is either shopping Sandro or he is giving him a trial run.
My biggest concern is coaching where even the gaffer admits he is NOT a coach.
When people talk about players out of position, not following up play etc...where does that root lie? We need some clarity in our coaching staff, a staff which changes every Christmas. And we wonder why lack of confidence comes from. I would love to see Sandro and Luongo or Borysiuk settle. I think Furlong needs to own the RB spot. Shodipo needs to be out there too to provide width. This board was torching Matt Phillips last year, but now he is back in the prem, picking up MOTM and playing offense and defense. Even Fer has been a contributor at that level. I am happy with Ollie, but Ollie needs a team of coaches behind him.

[Post edited 4 Dec 2016 15:48]

stainrod81

Antti's 6 Knee Jerks - QPR 1 Wolves 2 on 14:44 - Dec 5 with 1209 views

TacticalR

4. CHERY

I said something similar after the Ipswich game - it's a bad sign when Chery is coming deeper and deeper to get the ball. Ideally he should be operating around the edge of the box.

It looks like the whole JFH 'Chery as saviour' narrative has backfired. As you say, he is trying to do too much, and not much is coming off. He was shooting from all over the place. One thing that did annoy me was taking exactly the same free kick again (through the wall and into the keeper's hands) when it hadn't worked the first time. This implies that Chery has got into a bit of rut.

Air hostess clique

Antti's 6 Knee Jerks - QPR 1 Wolves 2a on 15:14 - Dec 5 with 1185 views

Antti_Heinola

Antti's 6 Knee Jerks - QPR 1 Wolves 2a on 15:33 - Dec 4 by AGEREPC01

[Post edited 4 Dec 2016 15:48]

Ollie's very much a coach isn't he? When did he say he wasn't?

Agree he needs more staff though, which he has acknowledged.

Bare bones.

Antti's 6 Knee Jerks - QPR 1 Wolves 2 on 15:26 - Dec 5 with 1174 views

BazzaInTheLoft

Antti's 6 Knee Jerks - QPR 1 Wolves 2 on 17:48 - Dec 3 by Northernr
"Sandro is no spring chicken". Sandro reckons he's 27. Know many 27 year old professional athletes who get stiff and sore if they play more than an hour of sport? A nonsense of course because he's no more 27 than Sir David fcking Attenborough but if he's going to keep up the pretence I'm not having the fan club telling me a 27 year old is getting on in years.

Here he is after his school disco...

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