Bournemouth V Boro 0-0

[TeaCider24 6,036]

2 minutes ago, SouthernSmoggie said:

It's a shame because in isolation this is not a bad point. Losing to Hull makes this a bad point.

Crooks out for 3 games is maybe not a bad thing. But we have zero physicality now. 

Failed to score in 3 games and haven't played well for some time... The dream isn't over but it's on its deathbed. Got lucky with other results.

Huddersfield won't be that passive and poor - they'll turn us over if we play like that, and that will be curtains. 

It's a great point.

We've went from 8th to 7th, and from 3 points off 6th to 2 points off 6th, with a game in hand.

We were playing 2nd in the league away, in what world would you be more worried about playing a worse team at home because we got a fully deserved point?

[GrimsbyBoro 1,438]

Feels like a mixed bag today. On paper a point is a good result made better by other results going our way but it also feels like a missed opportunity.

They were there for the taking and we were clueless going forward and stopped playing with about 20 minutes to go.

We only have plan A and that seems to be give it Jones and hope.

Wilder persistence in playing Connolly is bewildering he offers nothing. I would love to be a centre back up against him. You just have to wait long enough for him to fall over or foul you. Not that any of the others are particularly brilliant but they all offer more.

Bamba did excellent and strangely if we are to loose one of the three cb’s through injury it would be Fry you would choose.

Jones again showed flashes but seems to have gone into himself a bit. 

Crooks looks finished and lost.

[Downsouth 3,535]

14 minutes ago, DurhamRed said:

Sheffield United losing to Reading and Peterborough beating Blackburn means a point was helpful today. We have got to start scoring again though. As another blank 

From where though, however Crooks not available might help and forgetting to include Connolly

[Redcar Rioja 2,965]

With a little more adventurous flair and ability we could have won that or if we were going to hoof it long having a big lad to win headers and knock it down would have been better than Watmore/Connolly or Balogun/Sporar (who were both even more anonymous than Connolly). Surely Coburn for one of them would have made more sense?

I suspect the hoofed balls were in response to Bournemouth doing their homework and preventing us from playing it out from the back but that's why a Manager needs to adapt. There wasn't much action in the game to get excited about but I thought Bamba looked class in his cameos.

I'm beginning to think something has gone on behind the scenes with Crooks. He looks nothing like that ebullient goal scoring midfielder from earlier in the season.

[Smokedsalmon 835]

I don't rate Connolly at all, but I have to say, I don't know what people expect him to do.

He'd have had to literally pick the ball up in our half and beat the whole Bournemouth team to score today.

You can see how annoyed he gets after the 4-5th time when he's made a run, called for it, and we've passed it backwards. He probably snatches at chances because he's genuinely lucky to get the ball in a shooting position once per game.

Our awful attacking play is not his (or any of the other 3 striker's) fault because they're doing what they're instructed to do.

People can't seriously believe all 4 of our strikers are this bad, right? You could genuinely put Lewandowski up top in this side and he'd struggle exactly the same way.

[BoroJake 1,826]

 

[Redcar Rioja 2,965]

2 minutes ago, BoroSmoggie said:

Unfortunately we’ve just got a group of shockingly bang average strikers. 

They're not even that good!

[GrimsbyBoro 1,438]

2 minutes ago, BoroJake said:

 

Sign him up.

[Redcar Rioja 2,965]

Just now, GrimsbyBoro said:

Sign him up.

Definite starter!

[Smokedsalmon 835]

5 minutes ago, BoroJake said:

 

I'd love to see the statistics on the play around & towards him.

Not being a Connolly-apologist at all, but seriously, how many passes were made into him that weren't long balls from Daniels?

[Foogle 1,640]

Draw keeps us right in it! Huddersfield is the 6 pointer. 

[Skinemrippers 493]

I really hope Kieran Scott has some strikers in mind for summer. I think Connolly is most definitely a Wilder signing and he’s now become stubborn about it. How many starts has Sporar had since Connolly came in? 

[Neverbefore 4,909]

1 minute ago, Smokedsalmon said:

I'd love to see the statistics on the play around & towards him.

Not being a Connolly-apologist at all, but seriously, how many passes were made into him that weren't long balls from Daniels?

The fact that balogun and sporar didnt touch the ball backs this up. That's why I always defend him, he gets far worse than any of the others but they're all much of the same - at some point you have to ask if that's a tactics issue or do we really just have 4 crap strikers?

[AnglianRed 4,112]

8 minutes ago, Redcar Rioja said:

They're not even that good!

I think as @Smokedsalmon said it not just that our strikers aren't very good - Boro are simply poor as a team going forward. Our midfield simply cannot create chances which play to their strengths.

I think with a properly functioning team they would start to look like strikers and start returning a decent amount of goals.

As others have commented, we could have Mitrovic or Lewandowski, or Messi in our team and they'd all struggle to get a sniff, simply because of the way our team is set up and the general lack of quality.

 

[Smokedsalmon 835]

Just now, Neverbefore said:

The fact that balogun and sporar didnt touch the ball backs this up. That's why I always defend him, he gets far worse than any of the others but they're all much of the same - at some point you have to ask if that's a tactics issue or do we really just have 4 crap strikers?

Connolly gets it worse because of the reputation he's come with off the pitch, I reckon. He looks like a "lad" with his Love Island girlfriend and history of a bad attitude.

Balogun doesn't bring that, and Sporar has a catchy song, so neither get pelters as much as him.