Agree with both of you to some extent, more on Nicks side as regards my enjoyment and level of happinessI sent two texts to my wife which sum it up for me - at half time "0 0 more intriguing than exciting but so far so good. Settle now for 0 0 at the end"and then from the bus at the end - "ended 0 0 so content rather than happy.No chances either way - teams cancelled each other out but another hurdle crossed" If I was the supposed 'neutral' watching this on TV I would have switched off at half time and gone and watched the grass grow BUT I was there live and the atmosphere generated by a full house and the tension in the game made it well worth watching and time seemed to fly by. As Rich says it was like playing in the land of the giants, they really are a big team and whether it is 'anti football' or not they were physical niggly and time wasting throughout. They are also up there with the best this Division has to offer and I reckon if you finish above them you will be promoted (or at least 100% guarenteed play off place)
We are still very much a work in progress and still learning how to play against certain opposition. Whilst it is true we did not create a single clear cut chance and never worked the keeper they only hand a couple which BPF did well to save, and whilst I agree that he was MoM (or person of the match for the cricket lovers!!) that was more to do with his catching crosses and general play rather than making spectacular saves. I was a bit surprised at the lack of subs especially given how quickly he made all 3 v Swansea but when discussing it with my mate during the match his theory was that it was so evenly matched that any substitution was almost an admission of failure - a sort of who blinks first type of thing. Whatever the truth of it I would have liked to see Bamford on with time to do something - Roofe was working his socks off but suffered from a total lack of good service and an inability to make things happen himself. Maybe I fall for the ex player always scores agianst his old team cliche but I did think Bamford could have given us the goal we craved Like everyone I was worried, as I have been many games, that we would be vulnerable at corners and long throws / free kicks but once again we stood up to the battering (thanks in no small part to BPF) - in fact apart from Swansea when both Cooper and Pontus were missing, we have not conceded a goal from open play or a corner or long throw in 5 of the 6 games (one pen and one direct free kick) and only conceded 4 goals in 6 a great defensive record for a team that is all about attacking. So a bit of a break and time to get Forshaw and Brown fit, and more importantly time for Bielsa to get stuck into the team (only a few will be off on international duty) and continue to get his ideas across. IT also means we will top of the league for a few more weeks minimum before we face another of the hurdles -Millwall a team that are fairly rubbish week in week out in front of a handful of fans but turn into world beaters in front of a full house when it is us in town So it was a result I would have taken at the start of the game and another challenge faced and just about passed Dave From: Nick <n...@6haroldplace.co.uk> To: Leeds List <leedslist@gn.apc.org> Sent: Saturday, 1 September 2018, 9:03 Subject: Re: [LU] Boro Pretty much agree with that. Don’t know about ‘anti-football’ - there’s no rule that dictates how you have play the game (as long as you stay within the rules of the game of course) - but I do know that I’d rather face the prospect of a season spent playing how we have for the last month than how it looks like Boro will play. They were large, physical and are going to bully most opposition out of any games. To some extent they nullified our attacking down the wings and we did play to their strength by knocking it high into Roofe sometimes…if ever a game was begging for us to get down the wings and fire the crosses in low and fast behind a turning defence, this was the one...on the other hand the ‘only thing’…and I know it is a big one…but the only thing missing from last night for us was a goal. We got tested under their dead ball / long throw game and didn’t buckle…this resilience has been a worry in recent weeks. Allioski is tricky - he does tons of work for the team, tracking up and down the wing, covering his full back, and can be pretty good in the box (even headers) but he can be clueless as well, some of those offsides were unnecessary and stopped us pressing forward, putting them under pressure and relieving the defence. Breradi had an immense first half - agree that our Keeper was our MOTM. It was a disappointment I suppose, but it wasn’t a dull 0-0 draw. It was always tense and there was a lot of incident. It may say more about me, but I kind of enjoyed the game. And I’d have taken 14 points, unbeaten and top of the league after 6 games, if you’d have offered that at the start of the season (including being out of the League Cup). > On 1 Sep 2018, at 08:14, {broken-address} Richard Walker > <richleed...@yahoo.co.uk.is-broken.gn.apc.org> wrote: > > Lots of comments on the bus back into town after the game the Pulis is > 'anti-football' and he is 'destroying the game' with his turgid style which > sets his teams up not to lose first and foremost with the hope they can nick > a goal from a long throwing, corner or a set piece. Boro also blatantly time > wasted from the off which is horrible to watch but you have to say that I > never thought we would win this game. It's a shame that Boro play like this > because they do have good players in the team (Clayton, Howson, Downing) and > we saw glimpses of them in the first half, especially when Howson danced > around KIich, left him for dead and made Peacock make a good save. Can we buy > him back please? I've always been a big fan. > As soon as the teams came out I said they looked like a big team whereas we > had no height. Bielsa dropped Jansson to bring back Cooper and so we lost our > best defender from set pieces (and long throws). Also we played Roofe, on his > own up front, against some 6ft plus horrible, cheating, ugly bastards > (Ayala). He was never going to get a sniff and when you consider we lost > Hernandes and Saiz was having another off day it was always going to be tough > for us. I don't think their keeper had to make a decent save all night. > Having said that we battled hard and deserved a point but I think it was more > down to poor Boro play than anything. I don't think we won many headers in > our box and they had chance after chance from free headers in the first half > that they either sailed over or on one occassion from another long throw > Peacock excellently saved. > We tried to play the way we have done so far and at times we did manage to > create space and openings it's just there was no end product or Boro just > snuffed the attack out. When we did get space, it usually fell to Allioski > who more than often was off-side. He really is a brainless footballer at > times. Look along the line you numbskull. I was watching him making his runs > in the first half and he was always at least a yard off side. Frustrating. So > lots of possession but very little end product. > Is Saiz injured ? because he doesn't look the same player as he did for the > opening games. He didn't have the pace or the acceleration to get the ball > and go on those runs where he always seems to be a yard ahead of the > opposition. He seems to be stuggling and doesn't have the legs to do what he > wants to do, leaving him totally ineffective as he was last night. Worrying. > The highlight for me though was our keeper's perfromance last night. Against > the Boro bombardment he commanded his area brilliantly and also made a couple > of great saves to keep us in it. When you couple that with great distribution > it was definitely a man of the match performance for me. > Another learning game for Bielsa against a team who won't get beaten much > this season. > Scores: > Peacock - 9. He convinced me last night he is the future for us in goals. > Ayling - 5. I thought he really struggled last night defensively and coming > forward where he never looked convincing. > Beradi - 7. I thought he was immense first half in the way he man marked > Assombolonga on their left first half. Not sure how bad his injury is but it > would take a bad one to prevent him from continuing although he did try. > Stuggled in the air but that's not surprising. > Cooper - 6. Same old Cooper. 90% decent and 10% reckless. Neither him or > Beradi won much in the air but Cooper's tackling or should I say fouling > nearly cost us in terms of the free kicks they got and also I think they had > claims for a pen. > Douglas - 6. Did ok but totally ineffective going forward which was probably > more down to Boro. Yet to see why he is given all free-kicks. > Siaz - 5. Saw a lot of the ball and tried first half to make things happen > but truth is that the Boro midfield were just too lively for him. He hasn't > got the legs. > Klich - 5. On the ball, he played some nice stuff but again off the ball I > think he struggled. > Allioski - 2. Brain dead. Also don't like his constant whinging, play acting, > fouling .... I thought Bielsa might change this but he hasn't. I'd get rid > today. > Harrison - 7. I thought he had a quiet first half however he came alive > second and I thought he looked our most dangerous player. He also worked hard > in defence but was obviously out on his feet later on. I think he will get > better and I'd like to see him play in Allioski's role. > Roofe - 6. He's clearly a better and fitter player than last season. He is > also stronger and is winning 50:50s that he would never have done last > season. His effort and work rate is high and he's busy all the time. Having > said that, as a striker I thought he was totally ineffective in the lone role > last night. This is mainly down to Boro not allowing our full backs to play > as extra wingers which meant he had no service. For me I would have started > with Bamford tonight but at very least put Bamford on for the last 30 > minutes. Why put him on with in injury time ? Ridiculous. > Subs: > Jansson - actually won a header ! Bamford and Dallas not on long enough. > Overall disappointing but top of the league even after tomorrow's game is > nothing to complain about. > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Leedslist mailing list > Info and options: https://mailman.gn.apc.org/mailman/listinfo/leedslist > To unsubscribe, email leedslist-unsubscr...@gn.apc.org > > Find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/leedslist/ > > RIP Jimmy WAC-COE _______________________________________________ Leedslist mailing list Info and options: https://mailman.gn.apc.org/mailman/listinfo/leedslist To unsubscribe, email leedslist-unsubscr...@gn.apc.org Find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/leedslist/ RIP Jimmy WAC-COE _______________________________________________ Leedslist mailing list Info and options: https://mailman.gn.apc.org/mailman/listinfo/leedslist To unsubscribe, email leedslist-unsubscr...@gn.apc.org Find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/leedslist/ RIP Jimmy WAC-COE