funkyrobot

It’s not though is it. It’s pretty much all monstrous ‘Hyde’ football, with very little ‘Jekyll’ good stuff

Rowett is averaging a point a match. That’s worse than Cifuentes. Whilst we have seen some positive signs under his leadership, today was one of the worst matches we have seen at the KP this season, if not the worst. We were playing a bang average and out of form opponent who out fought, out thought and outplayed us. Very few opportunities were created by Rowett’s team. We saw slow lethargic play, the worst defensive horror show of the season and substitutions made far too late.

Maybe only Spurs could pay his £50k pw wage next season in The Championship.

He was our best player. He often isn’t, but he was today.

The masterplan of not starting your best players and having some of those as subs has failed in its second game. Going forward he needs to start Lascelles and Winks. Ricardo despite his flaws is better than Hamza, Daka is better than Ayew. No idea about what he does at number 10 as Reidy is a ghost and Mukasa lacks urgency.

He was very much part of the problem today. His side was attacked at will, we were dominated on our right . He showed no urgency with the ball, slowed the game down. Hamza plays football like it’s netball. When he gets the ball he literally stops like you aren’t allowed to move with the ball anymore. At one point in the first half he was presented with the ball in space and unmarked with Fatawu ahead of him and he literally stopped dead, turned backwards and passed it back. The crowd moaned and he turned round as captain and mouthed back to them. Fair enough if he had a point but he didn’t, there was absolutely no reason not to progress the ball. Really poor for me today and never a captain.

Tbf that description could be used for all of the starting 11 except for James and Mavididi.

Mavididi was our best player. James was ok, Skipp anonymous.

Bigged him up on Tuesday, back to anonymity today 🤷🏻‍♂️

I have to come on here and admit that Ollie Skipp was outstanding today. I’ve been a big critic of him but today as a single pivot he was excellent. MOTM. Took the ball on the half turn, played it forward, stole the ball, moved into space and wanted the ball. I was amazed that Bristol City didn’t change their game to nullify him 2nd half after he had such joy in the 1st half. Maybe that’s where he’s at his best, playing the single pivot role. I don’t know but I thought I should come on here and big him up. It’s only one game but if he can continue to contribute so positively then he’ll finally be the asset the club hope when they spent big on him. Well done Skippy 👏

Rowett going in to a must win game and not playing his best team. Winks, Mukasa and even Daka should be starting.

Glad to see no Winks wtf??

Not entirely true. Cooper was called out as a crap manager simply because that’s what he is.

Stolly Riccy Jams Nello Lukey Winsky JJ Muksy Mavs Pat Fats

The Ghost of Bobby Reid™️ in over Mukasa as a 10 and Skipp selected over James in midfield suggests Rowett is not expecting much from this game. Why else play two men down from the start?

We’ve only got one more year of parachute payments - and as already pointed out - it goes straight to the Aussie bank.

Stolly Riccy Jams Nello Lukey Winksy JJ Aribo’s Jezzer Divi Fats Ipswich 2 (Hirsty 4mins, K-Mac 90+5mins - deflected in) Leicester 1 (Divi 87 mins)

Skipp will look very much at home as a mid table League 1 meat and potatoes midfielder next season. An average League 1 player on a premier league wage. Hamza will also look comfortable as a League 1 utility player (on a premier league wage) and Luke Thomas perfect as a League 1 back up left back (on a premier league wage.)

Not a problem for a player winding down his career. Just wish we’d stop signing players winding down their careers! There’s the relevance. A club in a mess and now bringing in players who are past their best and moving on to new careers.

Beggo on TNT 4 tonight covering the Bournemouth v Brentford match. Wearing a plastic boot so presumably he’s going to be out for a bit. He’s a bit Podcast Coady eh? Always on the telly covering the premier league…..

Winks probably wouldn’t be a signing many of us would make but the fact is, he’s here and he’s far more effective as a footballer than Skipp. The ability to play on the half turn is crucial whether we are dominating the ball or not dominating the ball and Skipp simply can’t do that. Skipp wall passing back to Okoli is not going to alleviate pressure or win us games.

Amartey played as a midfielder before he signed for us. He was error prone at centre back but was a better footballer than Okoli. The only player I’ve seen in a LCFC shirt with worst ability on the ball than Okoli in recent years is Patson Daka. How either player managed to become top league professional footballers in a system where only a very tiny percentage of very capable footballers even make the professional grade is mind boggling.

You genuinely think we lose games because of one player? That’s bizarre and clearly not true. Winks is quite clearly the superior footballer compared to the guy next to him in Skipp. He retains possession, plays on the half turn, actually plays the ball forwards. Skipp just doesn’t/can’t do that. Winks hasn’t had the extended chance to play with JJ alongside him like Skipp has. He now needs to be deployed alongside JJ for the next few games or if not him Aribo next to JJ assuming he can also play on the half turn. When Winks played earlier in the season JJ was employed as a 10. James carried Skipp through the vast majority of those usually lucky wins. You have to try and dominate the midfield battle in The Championship. The best way our midfield can do that is by having the ball. We can’t keep hiding the fact that one of our central midfielders doesn’t impact the game with the ball and doesn’t do anywhere near enough ‘successful’ off the ball work to justify the praise he gets for being ‘busy.’

I don’t think the stats thing is entirely a fair criticism and it’s certainly not for a significant period of time. Almost all of our wins are outliers this season. Most won games are ones that statistically we should’ve lost and we’ve won them through wonder goals from James and Fatawu and occasionally from The Ghost of Bobby Reid. If you want to go with stats then we’ve had a higher XG against us in most games including those games that Winks didn’t play. We’ve just been lucky. We are more likely to create opportunities if we play those players that are likely to be able to take the ball on the half turn and actually progress the ball up the pitch & that’s why Winks should play and not Skipp. I don’t care what has happened in the past. I don’t care if Winks is suddenly motivated by maximising his potential for a good move in the summer I just think we are better playing our better footballers and in midfield I think that’s JJ, Winks and Mukasa. If Skipp was an effective CDM then things might be different but he isn’t.

I don’t agree Winks was poor no. I thought he was overrun 2nd half after they changed their system because he had nothing next to him. I thought him and Ricardo came out with some credit but that’s about it for the outfield players.