Vics @ home

Big test this afternoon...I'm looking forward to seeing first-hand how we measure up against a top four side. Have our recent improved results been deserved,or are they masking underlying problems? Has our defence improved? Can we score enough goals to be competitive?
What do you think?

Those are real testers Lash. Has DP been in touch yet?

Well....... our underlying problem(s) seem to be that a) we dont create enough clear-cut chances & b) we are unable to convert what chances we do make. That would seem to answer one of questions, no we are not able to score enough goals to be really competitive. Has our defence improved? Well for a start I would never have imagined the two fullbacks that started yesterday being our first-choice left & right backs. Having said that, I thought that we defended relatively competently & that Sam is improving game by game as a fullback, although that isnt where I would want him to be playing. Ben defends well enough, but is too right-footed to play on the left. I thought that when we moved forward on the left, the fact that he naturally prefers to use his right slowed progress down. This is not a criticism of the lad, there are many players playing at higher levels & earning a lot more money who prefer one foot over the other, it is more a criticism of the squad. Having said that we defended "competently" Mike Hale made a couple of excellent saves, although he surely should've been sent of for the penalty challenge? Have recent results been deserved? Well Vics certainly werent any better than we were, so judgement on that question will have to be reserved.

Mr South.... DP seems to have mislaid my contact details

We are certainly defending better than we did before Xmas, but it was a bad goal to concede as we appeared to go missing at a crucial time and their forward had all the time in the world to score. I agree we didn't create much in the way of clear cut chances, but I thought we deserved at least a draw. I take DP's point that we are capable of beating the top sides, but results so far haven't been that good. 12 defeats (7 at home) isn't playoff-chasing form.

alasher wrote:a) we dont create enough clear-cut chances & b) we are unable to convert what chances we do make

What a shame about the fall out with "one of our own", who scored a 15 minute hat trick against the best team in the league

Shrimpsmakemeill wrote:

alasher wrote:a) we dont create enough clear-cut chances & b) we are unable to convert what chances we do make

What a shame about the fall out with "one of our own", who scored a 15 minute hat trick against the best team in the league

If you find he highlights from the game you'll find he was very much assisted by Darlo being far from the best team in the league for the first 15 minutes.