Positives and negatives v Stockport

[Thracian]

Positives:

======

1) Back to back wins.

2) Second successive clean sheet.

3) Our commitment to regaining possession was excellent.

4) Gradel was a joy to watch.

5) Howard got off the mark for the season

6). Martin made a successful debut

Negatives:

======

a) We didn't defend high enough up the park to begin with, put ourselves under unnecessary pressure and could/should have conceded within moments of the kick off.

b) We gave possession away far too easily even when we had an extra man.

c) Weso and Kishishev never controlled midfield

d) DJ never threatened as a striker.

e) The injury to Mattock was a major blow. We badly need a replacement or even two.

f) Adams moved inside far too much contracting the play and restricting our passing opportunities. Gradel rarely did that and consequently play generally flowed much more smoothly down the right than the left until Porter came on.

g) Our free-kicks were kindergarten.

[Mikey]

I agree with all of this.

[Bert]

Positives:

======

1) Back to back wins.

2) Second successive clean sheet.

3) Our commitment to regaining possession was excellent.

4) Gradel was a joy to watch.

5) Howard got off the mark for the season

6). Martin made a successful debut

Negatives:

======

a) We didn't defend high enough up the park to begin with, put ourselves under unnecessary pressure and could/should have conceded within moments of the kick off.

b) We gave possession away far too easily even when we had an extra man.

c) Weso and Kishishev never controlled midfield

d) DJ never threatened as a striker.

e) The injury to Mattock was a major blow. We badly need a replacement or even two.

f) Adams moved inside far too much contracting the play and restricting our passing opportunities. Gradel rarely did that and consequently play generally flowed much more smoothly down the right than the left until Porter came on.

Very well put.

The thing with Adams was that he was always looking to go onto his right foot.

The biggest positives i think tonight, was definetly Howard and an assured performance from Hobbs, which certainly claimed a stake for a first team place.

[Mark]

The thing with Adams was that he was always looking to go onto his right foot.

Can't for the life of me understand why Gradel wasn't switched to left mid for this game so Adams was on the right where he's more suited? Gradel has proven he's as if not more effective cutting in on his right.

Suppose the more games Gilbert/Gradel play together the better that combination gets.

[Bert]

Can't for the life of me understand why Gradel wasn't switched to left mid so Adams was on the right where he's more suited? Gradel has proven he's as if not more effective cutting in on his right.

Yes. Gradel was having a good time on the right though, so maybe NP wanted him to keep there and see how Adams handled left wing.

[demon_dog]

Once again Thracian you seem to pick out the points I would have mentioned!

My main concern however is once again the lack of goalscoring.

I felt that we tended to dominate the game.

However once again we seemed to struggle with that final killer ball into the back of the net.

I noted that after as little as ten minutes of play, that Pearson was berating DJ for his lack of effort.

I feel that if Fryatt had played alongside Dickov we could well have scored more goals.

Especially against ten men.

I thought Howard played very well tonight.

Hopefully in the not too distant future we will turn all of our chances into goals.

I noted that Stockports manager was making notes, probably not regarding tonights game, but ready for the game on Saturday.

I fully expect Gradel to be marked out of the game.

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

Positives:

-Howard for having a peach of a game and shutting up the boo boys for a bit.

-Morrison and Hobbs showing maturity beyond their years.

-Gradel.

Negatives:

-Mattock. Looked like a nasty injury.

-Finally coming to the conclusion that DJ may well be, in fact, useless.

-Slight lack of discipline in some periods of the game.

[Flynny]

From what I've heard of tonights game and from seeing him last season, Campbell's problem seems to be always looking to pass the ball instead of taking responsibility as a striker.

[ozleicester]

Thanks Thracian and the other posters here for this kind of informative post, makes supporting from 12000 mles away a whole lot easier and more interesting.

[teblin]

Positives:

======

1) Back to back wins.

2) Second successive clean sheet.

3) Our commitment to regaining possession was excellent.

4) Gradel was a joy to watch.

5) Howard got off the mark for the season

6). Martin made a successful debut

Negatives:

======

a) We didn't defend high enough up the park to begin with, put ourselves under unnecessary pressure and could/should have conceded within moments of the kick off.

b) We gave possession away far too easily even when we had an extra man.

c) Weso and Kishishev never controlled midfield

d) DJ never threatened as a striker.

e) The injury to Mattock was a major blow. We badly need a replacement or even two.

f) Adams moved inside far too much contracting the play and restricting our passing opportunities. Gradel rarely did that and consequently play generally flowed much more smoothly down the right than the left until Porter came on.

g) Our free-kicks were kindergarten.

Got to say i was unimpressed with adams in general.

He kept drifting as you said, held on to the ball too long, final ball was poor and quite often chose the wrong option.

[l444ry]

It's unfortunate that Campbell continues to spurn his opportunities when selected. He's the only striker in the squad with any pace. The opposition will soon recognise this as a problem area for City and probably make things harder than they already are. I suspect Fryatt was a bit flattered by saturday's two goal haul.

[stez]

Positives:

-Howard for having a peach of a game and shutting up the boo boys for a bit.

-Morrison and Hobbs showing maturity beyond their years.

-Gradel.

Negatives:

-Mattock. Looked like a nasty injury.

-Finally coming to the conclusion that DJ may well be, in fact, useless.

-Slight lack of discipline in some periods of the game.

i was sat directly behind the dug out, and some of the faces NP was pulling makes me think he's coming to that conclusion too.

i think he was given this game to prove he was worth a place in the howard/fryatt/dickov pecking order, sadly for him he didn't turn up last night

[Lillehamring]

Once again Thracian you seem to pick out the points I would have mentioned!

My main concern however is once again the lack of goalscoring.

I felt that we tended to dominate the game.

However once again we seemed to struggle with that final killer ball into the back of the net.

I noted that after as little as ten minutes of play, that Pearson was berating DJ for his lack of effort.

I feel that if Fryatt had played alongside Dickov we could well have scored more goals.

Especially against ten men.

I thought Howard played very well tonight.

Hopefully in the not too distant future we will turn all of our chances into goals.

I noted that Stockports manager was making notes, probably not regarding tonights game, but ready for the game on Saturday.

I fully expect Gradel to be marked out of the game.

yes, but there is a massive difference between PLANNING to mark him out of the game and actually expediting such a task; would you say that stockport have a player that can man mark gradel? and even if they do manage to do so, he will still contribute, and by being thus marked will effectively reduce his man markers job to that of a spectator as far as stockports attacking threat is concerned.

i think people should take it easy on Adams, he's a young lad and probably just a bit nervous and overawed by his debut - lets not forget that he was one of the stand outs in the pre-season...

[James.]

yes, but there is a massive difference between PLANNING to mark him out of the game and actually expediting such a task; would you say that stockport have a player that can man mark gradel? and even if they do manage to do so, he will still contribute, and by being thus marked will effectively reduce his man markers job to that of a spectator as far as stockports attacking threat is concerned.

i think people should take it easy on Adams, he's a young lad and probably just a bit nervous and overawed by his debut - lets not forget that he was one of the stand outs in the pre-season...

I think a man marker probably could take Gradel out the game but it's the space and time left as a result of the markers commitment to just one player that could work to our advantage.

[teblin]

yes, but there is a massive difference between PLANNING to mark him out of the game and actually expediting such a task; would you say that stockport have a player that can man mark gradel? and even if they do manage to do so, he will still contribute, and by being thus marked will effectively reduce his man markers job to that of a spectator as far as stockports attacking threat is concerned.

i think people should take it easy on Adams, he's a young lad and probably just a bit nervous and overawed by his debut - lets not forget that he was one of the stand outs in the pre-season...

So was Mark De Vries last year.

I think Adams may have been better on the right, i've not made a judgement on him overall just on his performance last night.

[Ric Flair]

The team is still finding it's feet. It's pleasing that we are still doing enough to win matches, something we've not been able to do for several years. I expect us to grow as a team and for the goals to come.

If we keep clean sheets and still score every match, then we'll be a very hard team to compete against.

[Stig the Lawnmower]

who is Thracian, what is he?

[shiv]

although howard played well, i don't think he talked to the players enough considering he was captain

[Legend_in_blue]

although howard played well, i don't think he talked to the players enough considering he was captain

There's always something negative to say about the fella ain't there?

People slate his play, then say he's played well, so what else can we find fault with?

Maybe someone should have thrown him a megaphone so that he could converse more effectively with his defenders!

[teblin]

although howard played well, i don't think he talked to the players enough considering he was captain

I'd have to disagree with. I thought he talked more than alot of captains we've had recently.

He was handing out a few bollockings (not sure thats a word) too.

[shiv]

There's always something negative to say about the fella ain't there?

People slate his play, then say he's played well, so what else can we find fault with?

Maybe someone should have thrown him a megaphone so that he could converse more effectively with his defenders!

fair enough ... he did play well though, don't get me wrong!

[Thracian]

Once again Thracian you seem to pick out the points I would have mentioned!

My main concern however is once again the lack of goalscoring.

I felt that we tended to dominate the game.

However once again we seemed to struggle with that final killer ball into the back of the net.

I noted that after as little as ten minutes of play, that Pearson was berating DJ for his lack of effort.

I feel that if Fryatt had played alongside Dickov we could well have scored more goals.

Especially against ten men.

I thought Howard played very well tonight.

Hopefully in the not too distant future we will turn all of our chances into goals.

I noted that Stockports manager was making notes, probably not regarding tonights game, but ready for the game on Saturday.

I fully expect Gradel to be marked out of the game.

You reckon? It's always possible. City's Alan Woollett used to man mark some pretty special players out of the game in the halcyon days - he was like a limpet and if the guy he was marking had sat down in the centre-circle, Woollett would have stood or even sat beside him.

But Gradel's had a lot of man-marking over the years and a lot of hammer too. If Stockport have got such a gifted man marker then I've no idea what he's doing in Division One. Cos Gradel is not just a talented footballer. He's intelligent, aware and quick and persistent. He'll take it all and test any marker til he cracks.

There was a particular example in the second half last night when he was waiting for a pass from Gilbert with his marker alongside him. Before the pass was made Gradel took off at full speed down the wing then stopped, checked out, hurried back 10 yards and took the pass in three or four yards of space with his marker nowhere.

And if that didn't work Gradel would, I'm sure, take his marker right across the backline alongside other defendes or even in no-man's land thus exposing a great chunk of space for others to exploit - people who are well aware of Gradel's capabilities and alert to such ploys.

I'm not saying it's impossible. But it's not the tactic I'd adopt unless I had the fastest, meanest and most-focused full-back imaginable for the job and I cannot imagine Stockport being so blessed, well organised as they are.

But if I were Pearson I would be making players aware of possible counter-measures if it did happen.

[C-man]

From what I've heard of tonights game and from seeing him last season, Campbell's problem seems to be always looking to pass the ball instead of taking responsibility as a striker.

No, his problem is he has not got a footballing brain. Whatever advantage he gains over a defender with his pace, he loses because of his inability to read the game. Howard won plenty of flick-ons yesterday and Campbell barely got near one.

[Lets Be having You]

You reckon? It's always possible. City's Alan Woollett used to man mark some pretty special players out of the game in the halcyon days - he was like a limpet and if the guy he was marking had sat down in the centre-circle, Woollett would have stood or even sat beside him

I remember our alan,got raped over the man city goal,in the 69 cup final,but came out fighting through the 70s,great defender

[Lillehamring]

I'm not saying it's impossible. But it's not the tactic I'd adopt unless I had the fastest, meanest and most-focused full-back imaginable for the job and I cannot imagine Stockport being so blessed, well organised as they are.

But if I were Pearson I would be making players aware of possible counter-measures if it did happen.

a lot of people were saying that mkdons left back was possibly the best left back in the league, and gradel got the better of him...