Millwall Post Match

[Bryn]

Beckham is as good as he is because it is something he focuses on and spends time working on whilst his team mates are back home relaxing. It is actually a lesson that many professional players could do with learning from. Beckham is an example of getting out what you put in. He works hard, and has been rewarded for it.

I quite agree.... don't see how that detracts from what I've said though. Why a professional footballer can't at least clear the first man and get the ball into the mix of players most of the time is beyond me. Obviously not every time but with a high percentage of success.

[Corky]

I quite agree.... don't see how that detracts from what I've said though. Why a professional footballer can't at least clear the first man and get the ball into the mix of players most of the time is beyond me. Obviously not every time but with a high percentage of success.

It is poor if you can't beat the first man. These players have played football at a good standard from a young age, it's basic if you are a winger/set piece taker.

[colbo68]

That's the kind of mentality which took us into this league in the first place.

Any home defeat at this level is unacceptable - especially when it's as avoidable as this one was. It's not as if Millwall's gameplan, based as it was on brutality and intimidation, could not have been foreseen. After all they've only been playing that way for the past FORTY years.

Pearson and his coaching team should have warned the players what to expect, but clearly didn't. I trust the lesson won't have to be repeated in order to sink in.

The Orient game will show us whether the squad has the character to bounce back, and also whether what we saw yesterday was just a blip, or a disturbing signal of future frustrations.

couldnt agree more with you on this - we must win at home to stand a good chance of automatic promotion - I wasnt at the Millwall game cos was away for the weekend - this was the first game i've missed. In my opinion we should not rely too heavily on the youth - for example, Gradel, as I've said before blows hot and cold and can be hot headed - lets give it till Christmas until we pass judgement on how good these young players are. I'm going to Orient, who are a very poor side, and hope for signs of improvement

[Thracian]

couldnt agree more with you on this - we must win at home to stand a good chance of automatic promotion - I wasnt at the Millwall game cos was away for the weekend - this was the first game i've missed. In my opinion we should not rely too heavily on the youth - for example, Gradel, as I've said before blows hot and cold and can be hot headed - lets give it till Christmas until we pass judgement on how good these young players are. I'm going to Orient, who are a very poor side, and hope for signs of improvement

As I reflect on five years of abject failure and so called entertainment from some of the worst senior players I've ever seen in a Leicester City shirt you suggest perhaps our kids cannot be relied upon.

You dig at Gradel, who, despite the sort of private problems that would have meant indefinite compassionate leave for some, has been the most heartening sight seen on our right wing for years.

And here we are having had our best start to a season for years and haing scored nine goals in the League to our opponents' two.

While casting doubt on the youngsters why not have a go at Gilbert for making a schoolboy error that cost us the only goal of the game when he should have known better.

Or Dyer for failing to deliver one single dead ball kick that would have been acceptable even in a schoolboy side.

Or skipper Oakley for hardly doing anything at all that I noticed.

Not that I think these three need pillorying. I'm just saying I don't know where the kids come into Saturday's defeat any more than anyone else. It was a collective under-performance to the point where, unusually, there wasn't one genuinely bright light anywhere in our team.

Let's give it til Christmas to judge how good the kids are cos Gradel blows hot and cold, you say.

Well, he's so "hot and cold" that he's been the most consistently dangerous winger I've seen at our club for years even judging on his limited appearances and mainly limited performances so far this season. Gradel or Newton, Bori, Low, Hughes, Etuhu etc. Do me a favour.

How conveniently you fail to mention that almost from day one Gradel has been especially tightly marked and even doubled up on by some opponents, a tactic which, while flattering in a way, would nevertheless contain any number of even Premiership players let alone a young lad still trying to establish himself.

I mentioned after the Stockport away game that he needs to be given more freedom to roam just exactly as I said about Porter when he started being tightly marked in Kelly's day. I'm sure Pearson will see that in time.

But for all the fine tuning left to do, his team has still won us 10 points from five games this season and I wonder how long ago it was that we last had an average of two points a game?

There is a way to judge Gradel come Christmas of course. Why not write to MM and get him to make him available for transfer and see how many clubs break his door down?

Talk about ye of little faith....

[Guest]

I quite agree.... don't see how that detracts from what I've said though. Why a professional footballer can't at least clear the first man and get the ball into the mix of players most of the time is beyond me. Obviously not every time but with a high percentage of success.

I'm kind of agreeing with you, in a back-handed way. I admire Beckham's work ethic, but refuse to acknowledge his supposed genius status because of it. If you get my drift.

[Corky]

I'm kind of agreeing with you, in a back-handed way. I admire Beckham's work ethic, but refuse to acknowledge his supposed genius status because of it. If you get my drift.

Yes, I get what you mean.

[colbo68]

As I reflect on five years of abject failure and so called entertainment from some of the worst senior players I've ever seen in a Leicester City shirt you suggest perhaps our kids cannot be relied upon.

You dig at Gradel, who, despite the sort of private problems that would have meant indefinite compassionate leave for some, has been the most heartening sight seen on our right wing for years.

And here we are having had our best start to a season for years and haing scored nine goals in the League to our opponents' two.

While casting doubt on the youngsters why not have a go at Gilbert for making a schoolboy error that cost us the only goal of the game when he should have known better.

Or Dyer for failing to deliver one single dead ball kick that would have been acceptable even in a schoolboy side.

Or skipper Oakley for hardly doing anything at all that I noticed.

Not that I think these three need pillorying. I'm just saying I don't know where the kids come into Saturday's defeat any more than anyone else. It was a collective under-performance to the point where, unusually, there wasn't one genuinely bright light anywhere in our team.

Let's give it til Christmas to judge how good the kids are cos Gradel blows hot and cold, you say.

Well, he's so "hot and cold" that he's been the most consistently dangerous winger I've seen at our club for years even judging on his limited appearances and mainly limited performances so far this season. Gradel or Newton, Bori, Low, Hughes, Etuhu etc. Do me a favour.

How conveniently you fail to mention that almost from day one Gradel has been especially tightly marked and even doubled up on by some opponents, a tactic which, while flattering in a way, would nevertheless contain any number of even Premiership players let alone a young lad still trying to establish himself.

I mentioned after the Stockport away game that he needs to be given more freedom to roam just exactly as I said about Porter when he started being tightly marked in Kelly's day. I'm sure Pearson will see that in time.

But for all the fine tuning left to do, his team has still won us 10 points from five games this season and I wonder how long ago it was that we last had an average of two points a game?

There is a way to judge Gradel come Christmas of course. Why not write to MM and get him to make him available for transfer and see how many clubs break his door down?

Talk about ye of little faith....

being a city fan for more years than I care to mention, being accused of having 'little faith' is a bit strong. The point that I have been making is simply not to 'big up' the young players too quickly and too readily until we see how good they are over time. To do so is to add unneccessary pressure at a time when the club should be rebuilding slowly and carefully. I do not single out any players in this, I merely refer to Gradel as an example for it is he who has been given more adulation than any of the other young players, at some times correctly due to some good performances, at some times incorrectly when he has been off the pace. I think its great that the young players are being given a chance this year as this will be the only way to ensure some sort of long-term success. However, give them the time they need to settle in properly, rather than playing them week in week out and reifying them after thay have only played a handful of games. Of course, some of the senior players who have played for City over the past few seasons have been poor - however, this has been due to a number of factors including terrible tactics (Ollie) and some crap signings (Allen). If we could have kept some of the better older players (David Bell for example), we would not have had to play the young ones so much this season, which would have ensured competition for places and protected them from media pressure. I agree with you Thrac re. the importance of bringing through the young players, however, getting the balance right between youth and experience is paramount and gradual progression, rather than too much pressure too quickly will be the correct way to put the club back on some sort of stable footing.

[Thracian]

being a city fan for more years than I care to mention, being accused of having 'little faith' is a bit strong. The point that I have been making is simply not to 'big up' the young players too quickly and too readily until we see how good they are over time. To do so is to add unneccessary pressure at a time when the club should be rebuilding slowly and carefully. I do not single out any players in this, I merely refer to Gradel as an example for it is he who has been given more adulation than any of the other young players, at some times correctly due to some good performances, at some times incorrectly when he has been off the pace. I think its great that the young players are being given a chance this year as this will be the only way to ensure some sort of long-term success. However, give them the time they need to settle in properly, rather than playing them week in week out and reifying them after thay have only played a handful of games. Of course, some of the senior players who have played for City over the past few seasons have been poor - however, this has been due to a number of factors including terrible tactics (Ollie) and some crap signings (Allen). If we could have kept some of the better older players (David Bell for example), we would not have had to play the young ones so much this season, which would have ensured competition for places and protected them from media pressure. I agree with you Thrac re. the importance of bringing through the young players, however, getting the balance right between youth and experience is paramount and gradual progression, rather than too much pressure too quickly will be the correct way to put the club back on some sort of stable footing.

You make some interesting points and perhaps we are not so far apart in certain ways in that, for instance, I would love us to bring the youngsters through a bit more sparingly.

In an ideal world I would have had King on the bench against Millwall considering the international commitments in midweek that so disturbed our team and so blunted King's sharpness.

But while people talk about using Wesolowski/Oakley, two essentially defensive central midfielders and therefore fairly negative, we don't really have an attacking option because Porter went walkabout and doesn't seem to be considered there anyway.

We do, however, have an option on the right wing for Gradel - Nicky Adams - and why he's had so little opportunity so far only Pearson could explain.

Instead, just like Porter, Adams has had a peripheral role. So has Wesolowski and yet can anyone say Oakley has been so outstanding that he should have enjoyed almost 100% of time on the pitch while Weso's had hardly any?

If you are going to have a club with no reserve team and pay lip service to a first team squad then you have to involve everyone. Unfortunately, as ever in recent years, we seem to have players who are more equal than others at Leicester and that privilege is not necessarily being earned by performance and is not necessarily good for the team in the long run either because all those uninvolved will develop match sharpness problems.

Look at Campbell as another example. Dickov has been a disappointment apart from one game and yet he's been getting lots of time on the pitch. Campbell has never really had a run of games since his arrival and is subject now to tiny bit parts that are never going to help his efforts to blend into the side.

Where I'm less with you concerns the need to blend youth and experience. There should be one yardstick for getting in a team and that should be ability and performance and, unfortunately, though I have tried to be persuaded, I've been generally underwhelmed with the experienced players who have come here in recent years. Especially at the price we've had to pay for them.

Of the present group which players of, say, 26 years plus have really shone? Oakley has been okay ... 6.5/6.75 out of 10 possibly. Howard has been quite effective 6.75/7.

But on the flip side Clemence hasn't been fit to play for months, I've no idea what Powell is for, Dickov's had one decent game and would rate 5.75 overall, Henderson didn't concede a League goal but got dropped for a loanee, Kishishev and N'Gotty have disappeared from sight and Hayles has been farmed out on loan.

As a return on investment their collective achievement has been indifferent at best. And, last year, Clapham, Clemence, Oakley, Newton, N'Gotty, Cort, Hendrie etc were pretty ordinary too, taken overall.

Only Fulop and Hume were good value and a case might be made for McAuley. Hardly enough to convert someone to the benefits of experience.

Especially while quick and capable young players like Adams, Porter and Campbell are getting sidelined.

[Skylark]

I have read with much interest over the last few days on your thoughts on the game on Saturday and have found that the tinted specs that most fans seem to wear definitely are evident again in many posts that I have read.

Whereas most are saying dirty on the sites, I would suggest that in fact what seemed like dirty challenges were hard and fair. The reason why we beat you on Saturday was that we were first to the ball on countless occasions. We shut you down when you trued to play. You had some neatish stuff from your back four to the middle but tended to find that we cut everything out that came through our middle two. We seem to have a very fit side (for once) which is paying off over the 90 minutes which can be evident by when we played subs Saturday. I would question some of your player’s whingy whiney attitude to hard challenges and question whether they really are cut out for the real football that is played in these divisions. If not, you will get found out on more than one occasion.

Interesting also are the comments also about our fans. I know most fans, when stuck in the away end, will go on about how we sang throughout the whole game, and for the main most of us did. I know that this doesn’t always sound like it when in other stands of the ground, but anyone who was standing near your drummer will (if honest) say that we did well to support our side at the weekend and to be fair, were having a right good laugh. It was a proper away day. One filled with humour, singing and fortunately for us a victory. One thing about us is that we have been starved of a victory like that for a while and last season was possibly one of the worst for ages. We have started off well and I seriously think we will be there or there abouts. It was my first trip to the Walkers. I was quite impressed really. The OB, the stewards, everyone was quite happy to have us there and treated us all well. This is a far cry from the normal crap we have to put up with at most grounds from the local plod. By all accounts your chairman is also looking to write to our club to say what a good lot we were and what good humour we brought to the game Saturday. Plus, I normally hate all that drum business, but your fella on that was a star. He took a standing ovation from us when you had all departed and left the ground, outside he was full of praise for us all.

Anyway, hope to see you all down the den for the return game in the hope that Millwall are still up there pushing for some kind of end of season triumph. However, I think a lot of you need to return to the real world. This is division 3 and you are not far away (as are we) from playing conference football and any thoughts of “that will never happen to us” could be very easily wiped away. Some of your fans and players need to start looking at themselves and taking stock.

[Thracian]

I have read with much interest over the last few days on your thoughts on the game on Saturday and have found that the tinted specs that most fans seem to wear definitely are evident again in many posts that I have read.

Whereas most are saying dirty on the sites, I would suggest that in fact what seemed like dirty challenges were hard and fair. The reason why we beat you on Saturday was that we were first to the ball on countless occasions. We shut you down when you trued to play. You had some neatish stuff from your back four to the middle but tended to find that we cut everything out that came through our middle two. We seem to have a very fit side (for once) which is paying off over the 90 minutes which can be evident by when we played subs Saturday. I would question some of your player’s whingy whiney attitude to hard challenges and question whether they really are cut out for the real football that is played in these divisions. If not, you will get found out on more than one occasion.

Interesting also are the comments also about our fans. I know most fans, when stuck in the away end, will go on about how we sang throughout the whole game, and for the main most of us did. I know that this doesn’t always sound like it when in other stands of the ground, but anyone who was standing near your drummer will (if honest) say that we did well to support our side at the weekend and to be fair, were having a right good laugh. It was a proper away day. One filled with humour, singing and fortunately for us a victory. One thing about us is that we have been starved of a victory like that for a while and last season was possibly one of the worst for ages. We have started off well and I seriously think we will be there or there abouts. It was my first trip to the Walkers. I was quite impressed really. The OB, the stewards, everyone was quite happy to have us there and treated us all well. This is a far cry from the normal crap we have to put up with at most grounds from the local plod. By all accounts your chairman is also looking to write to our club to say what a good lot we were and what good humour we brought to the game Saturday. Plus, I normally hate all that drum business, but your fella on that was a star. He took a standing ovation from us when you had all departed and left the ground, outside he was full of praise for us all.

Anyway, hope to see you all down the den for the return game in the hope that Millwall are still up there pushing for some kind of end of season triumph. However, I think a lot of you need to return to the real world. This is division 3 and you are not far away (as are we) from playing conference football and any thoughts of “that will never happen to us” could be very easily wiped away. Some of your fans and players need to start looking at themselves and taking stock.

I've hardly read any complaints about "dirty" Millwall. The vast majority of fans have ackknowledged that we were deservedly beaten by a team with a game plan who made it work.

Most are more concerned about what we should do about it when other teams try the same "stop em playing" approach and that goes for our manager who had no complaints at all about the way you plundered a result.

As for your fans they clearly came out in numbers and did the club proud.

Hopefully defeat will give us greater insight into what will be needed to get promotion from this League but I don't think anyone is feeling either assumptious or complacent. Bottom line is we'll have to play and battle a lot better than we did on Saturday to even get in the play-offs.

I'm sure our manager will get those points over.

[Koke]

You were good and deserved the win. First to every ball, and won all the 50/50ies. Certainly the toughest team we've played this season so far. Hartlepool, Franchise and Cheltenham were walk in the park, so Saturday's defeat is a reality check for a lot of fans who thought we'd piss this league. However, I still think we'll go back up.

I agree that some of our players were whining a bit too much. But we did get bullied out there, and some of our players need to grow some bollocks and start being physical cos otherwise we'll have many days like Saturday.

We'll be fine though. I got faith.

[Munzie]

Thanks for the post and well done for last Saturday. I also believe that your team came with the right game plan. stopped us from playing football and rightly deserved the three points

I do beleive that Millwall showed their fitness throughout, and closed us down all over the park. Everywhere you looked, there seemed to be at least one white shirt! Congratulations.

Anyway, enough of you! Hopefully, Saturday's match will have helped both the fans and the team come to terms with what we should expect in our new division. Many teams will come to the Walkers with the same mentality of Millwall, let's go in hard and take ourselves a championship scalp. We've got nothing to lose.

It will not be an easy ride back to the championship (even if we do manage it at the first time of asking). You're right, our players need to adjust to playing another style of football. I don't think many shirked the tackles, just didn't win them. It was as if we unprerpared for such a hard match. This did surprise me however, as many of our squad have played at this level before.

This is our first defeat in a very long season. We where never going to win every game. No doubt the tapes have been reviewed already and our own game plan is being adjusted/worked on as we speak.

As long as we come out fighting next Saturday, we have the right to remain positive and optimistic for the season.

[Skylark]

There is too much love in the air.

[Munzie]

There is too much love in the air.

That said, I wouldn't fancy watching Millwall week in week out if that's the style of football you play

And also, what was that noise your fans were trying to make towards the end of the game. Do they not know how to form words and sing?

[Skylark]

That said, I wouldn't fancy watching Millwall week in week out if that's the style of football you play

And also, what was that noise your fans were trying to make towards the end of the game. Do they not know how to form words and sing?

Some call it "The Monk Chant", but thats a load of baloney.

Its basically Miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.

Its good for drowning out opposing teams songs.

[davieG]

Millwall get two players in the Team of the week

http://www.football-league.co.uk/staticFil...4~134329,00.pdf

[The Stig]

I think a lot of you need to return to the real world. This is division 3 and you are not far away (as are we) from playing conference football and any thoughts of “that will never happen to us” could be very easily wiped away. Some of your fans and players need to start looking at themselves and taking stock.

I can understand why you would say that after one that game. We looked like we "expected" to get a goal, whereas you looked like you were determined to get a goal / keep the lead, and I think that was a key point as to why you won. However, this couldn't be furthur from what we've witnessed so far this season and I maybe going on first impressions, but our manager doesn't look to be the type to let this sort of complacency stick around for long. Well done to you for Saturday, you fully deserved the victory and I very much look forward to the return fixture.

[Guest]

It was a proper away day. One filled with humour, singing and fortunately for us a victory.

I didn't find you lot funny.

[Skylark]

I didn't find you lot funny.

You wasnt standing near your bloke with teh drum on that side of the ground was you?

Or was you near us lot when we were being frog marched back to the station?

Or are you the chairmans daugter?

All of the above got the same

[The Reverend]

I have read with much interest over the last few days on your thoughts on the game on Saturday and have found that the tinted specs that most fans seem to wear definitely are evident again in many posts that I have read.

Whereas most are saying dirty on the sites, I would suggest that in fact what seemed like dirty challenges were hard and fair. The reason why we beat you on Saturday was that we were first to the ball on countless occasions. We shut you down when you trued to play. You had some neatish stuff from your back four to the middle but tended to find that we cut everything out that came through our middle two. We seem to have a very fit side (for once) which is paying off over the 90 minutes which can be evident by when we played subs Saturday. I would question some of your player’s whingy whiney attitude to hard challenges and question whether they really are cut out for the real football that is played in these divisions. If not, you will get found out on more than one occasion.

Interesting also are the comments also about our fans. I know most fans, when stuck in the away end, will go on about how we sang throughout the whole game, and for the main most of us did. I know that this doesn’t always sound like it when in other stands of the ground, but anyone who was standing near your drummer will (if honest) say that we did well to support our side at the weekend and to be fair, were having a right good laugh. It was a proper away day. One filled with humour, singing and fortunately for us a victory. One thing about us is that we have been starved of a victory like that for a while and last season was possibly one of the worst for ages. We have started off well and I seriously think we will be there or there abouts. It was my first trip to the Walkers. I was quite impressed really. The OB, the stewards, everyone was quite happy to have us there and treated us all well. This is a far cry from the normal crap we have to put up with at most grounds from the local plod. By all accounts your chairman is also looking to write to our club to say what a good lot we were and what good humour we brought to the game Saturday. Plus, I normally hate all that drum business, but your fella on that was a star. He took a standing ovation from us when you had all departed and left the ground, outside he was full of praise for us all.

Anyway, hope to see you all down the den for the return game in the hope that Millwall are still up there pushing for some kind of end of season triumph. However, I think a lot of you need to return to the real world. This is division 3 and you are not far away (as are we) from playing conference football and any thoughts of “that will never happen to us” could be very easily wiped away. Some of your fans and players need to start looking at themselves and taking stock.

I dont think there are tinted spectacles. You played a dirty game, had one player sent off, should have had another sent off, and got away with several blatant yellow cards. The way you stifled our play was excellent and i'll give you your dues for that, but to say you were'nt dirty is laughable, and if theres many teams dirtier than your lot, my Season ticket will be going in the bin.

Like i've said you had a good gameplan that worked a treat, but some of the tackles were terrible along with obviously the style of play Milwall employed (which also wasnt easy on the eye).

And also, to sit their telling us about the physicalities etc of League 1 and how we have to buck our ideas up when we've won 3 and amazingly drawn 1 of our first 4 games is a bit rich. If we need to buck our ideas up having got 10 points from 5 games, if we actually do buck our ideas up, we'll win the league by about 50 points.

[Thracian]

I dont think there are tinted spectacles. You played a dirty game, had one player sent off, should have had another sent off, and got away with several blatant yellow cards. The way you stifled our play was excellent and i'll give you your dues for that, but to say you were'nt dirty is laughable, and if theres many teams dirtier than your lot, my Season ticket will be going in the bin.

Like i've said you had a good gameplan that worked a treat, but some of the tackles were terrible along with obviously the style of play Milwall employed (which also wasnt easy on the eye).

And also, to sit their telling us about the physicalities etc of League 1 and how we have to buck our ideas up when we've won 3 and amazingly drawn 1 of our first 4 games is a bit rich. If we need to buck our ideas up having got 10 points from 5 games, if we actually do buck our ideas up, we'll win the league by about 50 points.

Come on Rev' "terrible tackles?"

A "terrible tackle" is like when Danny Guthrie breaks Fagan's leg or the infamous Roy Keane tackle.

There was nothing like that. Yes Millwall were determined but so they should be.

Forty years ago a good many of Saturday's penalised tackles wouldn't even have been rated as fouls let alone "dirty".

[Corky]

Come on Rev' "terrible tackles?"

A "terrible tackle" is like when Danny Guthrie breaks Fagan's leg or the infamous Roy Keane tackle.

There was nothing like that. Yes Millwall were determined but so they should be.

Forty years ago a good many of Saturday's penalised tackles wouldn't even have been rated as fouls let alone "dirty".

They went over the top a couple of times, especially Alexander on Martin when he was never going to get the ball but still clattered him. And also when Oakley was running forward off the ball and their bloke tried to trip him up.

I've said they dominated us physically, that's not to say everything they did was fair.

[Guest]

They went over the top a couple of times, especially Alexander on Martin when he was never going to get the ball but still clattered him. And also when Oakley was running forward off the ball and their bloke tried to trip him up.

I've said they dominated us physically, that's not to say everything they did was fair.

Agreed.

Or the incident when , was it Gilbert who was smacked round the head and spent a good few minutes on the floor?

[Chimp]

Forty years ago a good many of Saturday's penalised tackles wouldn't even have been rated as fouls let alone "dirty".

So? Many things were acceptable 40 years ago (racism, sexism, child beating, Cliff Richard etc). Doesn't mean any of those things have any bearing on modern day life nowadays.

Millwall's strategy of making up for lack of ability with aggression and intimidation may be inevitable in this league but it doesn't mean we should ever laud this type of 'football'.

[Guest]

You wasnt standing near your bloke with teh drum on that side of the ground was you?

Or was you near us lot when we were being frog marched back to the station?

Or are you the chairmans daugter?

All of the above got the same

That has made my day!!