Another game, another defeat, another nil to add to the growing collection. But some small green shoots, according to Antti Heinola.
It's established fact that any striker that needs a goal (Amokachi), and any team that needs a win (Swindon) only need to face the Super Hoops, no matter what form we might be in, to overturn their inglorious run. We've seen that in action in recent weeks. three times, in fact. But it's also established fact that any team on a decent run can also guarantee that their run will be not be hindered by a match-up with the Most Giving Team the world has Ever Seen (I think that's what Birch sings while leaning on the subs bench).
And so it was drearily predictable that Derby, whose payback for the play-off final will not be settled until they've had at least 14 more games like this, coming into this game winning and not conceding, would beat us, a team losing and not scoring.
Yet it wasn't quite that simple. Rangers controlled the game for long periods, never looked in trouble at the back, and, while never creating a really good chance, did test the Derby keeper on several occasions with decent efforts. But all of that only prolonged the agony. For the entire game, you just knew a scarcely deserved late winner was coming for McClaren's men. The only surprise was that it didn't come even closer to the final whistle.
Word is it's a hamstring. Again. Painful as it is, this needs to be sorted properly because, finally, last night we saw the player I thought we had signed. All action, full of dynamism, willing to run forward, willing to chase back, passing well, dribbling when he needed to. Easily his best performance of the season and a comfortable man of the match. so of course he'll be out for a month now. That's how it works.
But until he went off, depriving us of the game's dominant player, he was a pleasure to watch. I don't think anyone could really tell me what position he was playing - sometimes it looked to be wide right, but most of the time he was everywhere, popping up at right back and left wing and everywhere in between. Plugging holes, perpetual motion. A big plus from the game.
No one had a bad game last night, but Hall looked the most awkward. Just because a defender is comfortable in possession, does not make him a midfielder. I'd have him there ahead of Sandro, just, but I'm not really sure what he was actually doing. He did break up play sometimes and he did win some important balls in the air. And maybe, if he'd been taken off and replaced with a winger we'd have suddenly seen a massive gap in our midfield and suddenly the previously impotent Derby would have ruthlessly exploited it to the max. I don't know. But a lot of the time he just seemed to be in the way, standing in the same place as other players, and often looking to the bench asking for advice.
I felt he was a waste of a player to be honest - take him off, shift Cousins infield and get Shodipo on the wing for God's sake. Give us some width. I lost count of the number of times players looked for an outlet wide, particularly on the left, and saw either Bidwell double-marked or nothing at all.
You can't not like Connor. He works his arse off every game. He's a willing runner. He's a decent footballer. But he really, really, really can't play that number nine role. He barely touched it last night, and the only balls fed to him were usually two feet above his head. Had no real influence, was no real threat. If Polti is half fit and Sylla is injured and not just being criminally ignored I accept that he is the only choice, but it doesn't work. I'm sort of against signing another forward because i think Sylla and Polter can do the job between them, but on the other hand we are chronically lacking goals and something has to change.
I'll never boo him, I want him to do well. But all I can say he is he must be excellent in training because I can't for the life of me see why else he'd be getting on the pitch before Pawel or Shodipo. Genuinely, I don't think he made a single meaningful contribution when he came on...
In stark contrast to this lad. I'm not one of the people singing his praises and who thinks he's the key to all our woes (if such a person even exists). I though JFH managed him very intelligently - involved in almost every game, not always starting, but learning, and usually on as a sub if he was on the bench. But he's being criminally underused at the moment and last night only highlighted that. He only had 15-odd minutes, but he should have been on much earlier. Suddenly we had a player who was willing to run at them, to cause some doubt, who actually looked confident. He added a dimension we didn't have before and I don't care how well or badly he tracks back at the moment - he can learn that and the fact is we need him more involved in the team - now. Preferably with Pawel on the other wing too.
Ollie was brought in with a brief to play more attacking football and score more goals. So far we may have a marginally - marginally - more attacking outlook, but we're scoring even less goals. And the two players who really could provide danger, and did so when they were fit and playing, are barely getting a look in.
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