Peterboro Post Match Thread

[Candidcamera]

I hope that there were two big plses on Tueday Tunchev's back - no disrespect to Brown and King is back.

Tuesday was the worst I've heard Stringer on commentary. He insisted updating the England cricket score even when we were attacking. His mate told him to pack it in and he continued. People have paid to listen to you Mr Stringer and you were out of order. All second half your mind was on the cricket not the footie. Please go and apply to cover cricket I for one wouldn't shed any tears.

[Thracian]

i think the thing at the moment is that a lot of posters on here can sense how close we are to actually being promotion contenders, as satisfying as our position is, its fair to say that had we scored a few more goals we would be in an even stronger position.

As city fans we are begining to sense that this league isn't so tough (as i felt in the years before we went down, rather that we were just very bad) - now we have a good team and a good manager this league is beatable... and had it not been for a lack of quality and precision in the final 3rd we would be in nosebleed territory.

So people are going to litter these threads with their frustrations and expectations, because we are doing exactly what alf here says... i think a lot of the so-called 'negativity' in this thread isn't negativity at all, but rather a twisted kind of positivity, that people are demanding higher standards than they see, because they know we have a squad capable of doing even better.

That's near enough the truth. Especially as you described NP as a "good manager" rather than, say, an inspired or brilliant manager.

He may become brilliant but not before he looks at those Fryatt statistics and quickly recognises where we would have been without his 38 goals in his last 59 league and cup appearances because we'd likely be bottom of this division and might not have been promoted from Division One.

We need more than one regular goalscorer at this club.

And far from "lowering my standards" as one of my keenest critics has suggested I'd like to see other people taking a share of the goalscoring burden - several of them - and far greater effort going into creating chances and from more places.

Some of those extra chances could be easily created just by showing some varied professionalism from free-kicks and corners and getting the groundwork done at Belvoir Drive to make such the various ploys work. These would include making Hobbs far more effective and getting a much more challenging and powerful group of attackers hitting the box in all sorts of places.

Others will rely on re-introducing some of the flair that enabled us to score so many goals last season, working endlessly on improving and sustaining our off-the-ball movement and backing our attacks with far more urgency and with more players.

Have I said anything about new players? No. Apart from the limitations of our full-backs (and they are trying to give more support) I believe we can do all of the above with the players we've got and a bit more imagination concerning how we use them.

You have to pull defences apart with width, pace and cunning to force them to make the mistakes that might enable you to score goals. And once you've pulled them apart you needed people taking the responsibility to have a shot and trying things that might result in a shot.

No-one should be taking risks in the back two thirds of the field but everyone should take responsibility for trying things in the front third.

[Walsho]

If that tirade of inaccuracy is "spot on" I cannot imagine what you'll be convinced of when you finally sit in judgement.

I do agree though that the guy should post more.

This place always needs people who'll liven it up.

Even if they'll clearly cog in with the "Estabishment" here.

In response to Thracian................

It wasn't exactly a tirade of inaccuracy was it?? I think i had some valid points which quite a few people have agreed with. I didnt like your negativity after just one bad game and also the fact that u write as if your some sort of Professor of football that knows it all.

My post wasnt ALL directed at you either, especially the Matty Fryatt part. That was aimed at all the Fryatt doubters that i think need to realise he's not Fernando Torres and he's not going to score every chance he gets but his record over the last 12 months has been fantastic. He should be given credit for that and we should be backing him to high heaven to carry on his scoring record rather than the constant doubting whether he is good enough or not.

My main point i wanted to get across was that we have come an awful long way in the last 12 months and i think some people lose sight of that. I believe we have a great set of players that can get us to the next level and as fans we should look at the positives rather than be so negative towards players, management, tactics etc when things don't always go our way.

Walsho

[Thracian]

In response to Thracian................

It wasn't exactly a tirade of inaccuracy was it?? I think i had some valid points which quite a few people have agreed with. I didnt like your negativity after just one bad game and also the fact that u write as if your some sort of Professor of football that knows it all.

My post wasnt ALL directed at you either, especially the Matty Fryatt part. That was aimed at all the Fryatt doubters that i think need to realise he's not Fernando Torres and he's not going to score every chance he gets but his record over the last 12 months has been fantastic. He should be given credit for that and we should be backing him to high heaven to carry on his scoring record rather than the constant doubting whether he is good enough or not.

My main point i wanted to get across was that we have come an awful long way in the last 12 months and i think some people lose sight of that. I believe we have a great set of players that can get us to the next level and as fans we should look at the positives rather than be so negative towards players, management, tactics etc when things don't always go our way.

Walsho

One bad game? What about Ipswich and Preston? And just 10 goals in nine games? The whole point of football is scoring goals pal and we've not got many in our first fifth of the season!

besides it's a bit soon to be cooling the kettle. I don't think Lisa's backed off in three years. She'll keep maintaining she's right even if she's not and usually has pal or two around to support her.

Besides, if you're coming over all reasonable the place will never have any impact or character. and you'll soon join the ranks of those who came, went and were quickly forgotten. You wouldn't want that I'm sure.

As for my Professior of Football style get used to it. I didn't get to be spend years playing in and managing sports team by full of self-doubt or being shy of putting ideas into practise.

And having watched the City and other teams on and off for over 50 years, while I certainly don't think my views are more valid than yours, I do think I've earned the right to state those views, irritated or they might make you feel.

[MC Prussian]

So we're not allowed to vent our disappointment after a bad game but to ignore it all and put on the pink googles?

Like I've posted earlier, it seems easy to get on people's backs when they criticize Fryatt (and he was frustrating). But it wasn't just him, all ten field players had a shocker for an entire half an hour on Tuesday. And THAT was a letdown, simply because under Pearson, it's the first time I've witnessed such a really bad team selection. We didn't put our stamp on the game (at home!) and let the opposition exploit that.

That's it. Why making such a big fuss about some people rightfully analyzing a game of football? Each one on here has a slightly different opinion and that makes football (before, during and after) so intriguing.

Cheer up, lads.

[Walsho]

One bad game? What about Ipswich and Preston? And just 10 goals in nine games? The whole point of football is scoring goals pal and we've not got many in our first fifth of the season!

besides it's a bit soon to be cooling the kettle. I don't think Lisa's backed off in three years. She'll keep maintaining she's right even if she's not and usually has pal or two around to support her.

Besides, if you're coming over all reasonable the place will never have any impact or character. and you'll soon join the ranks of those who came, went and were quickly forgotten. You wouldn't want that I'm sure.

As for my Professior of Football style get used to it. I didn't get to be spend years playing in and managing sports team by full of self-doubt or being shy of putting ideas into practise.

And having watched the City and other teams on and off for over 50 years, while I certainly don't think my views are more valid than yours, I do think I've earned the right to state those views, irritated or they might make you feel.

Well Thracian.....i've tried twice now to try and read your last two posts to try and figure out what all your waffle is on about but i get half way through them and just keep falling asleep.....BOOOORRRIIIINNNNGGG!!

As your obviously an encyclopedia of football knowledge and ideas, after spending years playing in and managing sports teams (I can just imagine your inspiring half time speeches) i would of hoped you would have realised by now that the whole point of football isnt just about scoring goals as you so gracefully put it "pal". Its about scoring more goals than u concede and how many points you come away with at the end of each game "pal".

7 goals scored this season, 5 conceded. Not a great return but better than 14 of the other teams in the league and its not as if were not creating chances is it??? (again your looking at the negatives rather than the positives....SHOCK!)

If we carry on at this rate and keep up the same average of points per game (1.7) we'll finish in the playoffs FACT, but i doubt this would ever be good enough for the "Professor"!!

[Budweiser]

In response to Thracian................

It wasn't exactly a tirade of inaccuracy was it?? I think i had some valid points which quite a few people have agreed with. I didnt like your negativity after just one bad game and also the fact that u write as if your some sort of Professor of football that knows it all. My post wasnt ALL directed at you either, especially the Matty Fryatt part. That was aimed at all the Fryatt doubters that i think need to realise he's not Fernando Torres and he's not going to score every chance he gets but his record over the last 12 months has been fantastic. He should be given credit for that and we should be backing him to high heaven to carry on his scoring record rather than the constant doubting whether he is good enough or not.

My main point i wanted to get across was that we have come an awful long way in the last 12 months and i think some people lose sight of that. I believe we have a great set of players that can get us to the next level and as fans we should look at the positives rather than be so negative towards players, management, tactics etc when things don't always go our way.

Walsho

I agree.

[Guest]

I'd rather look at what can be done to make some theoretically capable players score the goals needed to win matches.

Hear, bloody, hear.

Off you go then!

[marbelladave]

Off you go then!

Fair enough;

We have a number of players who may pose a goal threat if played in their best position. Gradel, Waghorn, Gallagher, Kermorgant and N'Guessan (as a striker) have hardly been given a go. Why not try them?

Use pace to stretch the opposition defense laterally and from front to back. At the very least it will give Fryatt a little more time and space.

Stop hitting the early ball into Howard. Being the first to 'get something on the ball' is not the same as winning the ball. The majority of early balls played in this way are just a waste.

Our most effective midfield goal scorers, King and Adams have barely been given a game, just the one start between them.

Our threat from corners is virtually non-existant, even worse there is no sign that we are making any attempt to improve in this area.

How about some 'set' moves from attacking free kicks? I know it's corny but it does give the opposition defenders something else to think about.

[Thracian]

a) As your obviously an encyclopedia of football knowledge and ideas, after spending years playing in and managing sports teams (I can just imagine your inspiring half time speeches) i would of hoped you would have realised by now that the whole point of football isnt just about scoring goals as you so gracefully put it "pal". Its about scoring more goals than u concede and how many points you come away with at the end of each game "pal".

b) 7 goals scored this season, 5 conceded. Not a great return but better than 14 of the other teams in the league and its not as if were not creating chances is it??? (again your looking at the negatives rather than the positives....SHOCK!)

If we carry on at this rate and keep up the same average of points per game (1.7) we'll finish in the playoffs FACT, but i doubt this would ever be good enough for the "Professor"!!

How you work your promotion theory out based on the idea that if we continue as we are now we'll finish in the play-offs when we are already lying eighth is plain wierd to me. But then I was never a mathematics student.

The top two sides are already effectively 6 and 5 points clear of us respectively given their goals difference and the fact that we're not scoring enough goals has even left us shy of the play-off places.

I'm not looking at negatives or positives I'm looking at reality. Seven goals from seven games - or just under one sixth of the season - equates to 46 goals all told and we've no chance of going up with that return. And it's that which is not good enough to me not the again mistaken theory that I won't be satisfied if we finish in the play-offs.

Truth to tell the play-offs is possibly the only realistic hope we have of a passage into the Premirship.

And I don't doubt that we MIGHT finish in that group but NOT unless we score more goals and, to do that, incorporate some the things I've mentioned into our game.

And each week that passes without us doing those things will only make our situation more difficult so don't you think we should address them sooner rather than later. After all we made the mistake of not scoring enough goals two seasons ago and for some (though not all) of the same reasons. We got relegated that time.

1 West Brom 7 8 17

2 Middlesbrough 7 10 16

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3 Newcastle 7 7 16

4 Cardiff 7 7 13

5 Preston 7 5 12

6 Sheff Utd 7 4 12

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7 Watford 7 2 12

8 Leicester 7 2 12

9 Bristol City 7 0 12

10 Coventry 7 0 11

11 Blackpool 7 3 10

12 Sheff Wed 7 3 9

13 S****horpe 7 -4 9

14 QPR 6 0 7

15 Derby 7 -2 7

16 Nottm Forest 7 -2 7

17 Doncaster 7 -2 7

18 Reading 7 -4 6

19 Swansea 7 -5 6

20 Crystal Palace 6 -5 5

21 Peterborough 7 -4 4

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

22 Barnsley 7 -8 4

23 Ipswich 7 -7 3

24 Plymouth 7 -8 2

[Lillehamring]

Well Thracian.....i've tried twice now to try and read your last two posts to try and figure out what all your waffle is on about but i get half way through them and just keep falling asleep.....BOOOORRRIIIINNNNGGG!!

As your obviously an encyclopedia of football knowledge and ideas, after spending years playing in and managing sports teams (I can just imagine your inspiring half time speeches) i would of hoped you would have realised by now that the whole point of football isnt just about scoring goals as you so gracefully put it "pal". Its about scoring more goals than u concede and how many points you come away with at the end of each game "pal".

7 goals scored this season, 5 conceded. Not a great return but better than 14 of the other teams in the league and its not as if were not creating chances is it??? (again your looking at the negatives rather than the positives....SHOCK!)

If we carry on at this rate and keep up the same average of points per game (1.7) we'll finish in the playoffs FACT, but i doubt this would ever be good enough for the "Professor"!!

kinda hypocritical, though, seeing as tho your post was at least as long and at least as boring as thracian's - the only difference was that he was posting about the match in the match thread and you were posting about his post...

no wonder the patronising 'pal', after a while you will grow to understand that, love him or hate him, thracian is one of the soles who make this forum interesting, and that trying to tell him what to think is utterly futile...

if you want to post half page rants, post them about the topic or back of from accusing people of essaying, by the sounds of it you made a good post, but personally i saw it's length, established it's motive and left it alone...

[Thracian]

Off you go then!

Already done.

[lcfcadam]

Often feels like WW3 is just round the corner but wasn't expecting it to start in a football messageboard...

[Thracian]

Often feels like WW3 is just round the corner but wasn't expecting it to start in a football messageboard...

Basically some people have relatively low expectations and others believe our team can compete with the best in our League if we go about it right. I'm in the latter camp.

[Budweiser]

I would say a mid-table finish is most likely for us. I don't think I have relatively low expectations for City this season as we have just been promoted from League 1 (albeit we shouldn't have gone down) and due to the amount of money that was available to Pearson.

So, im not expecting Premier League football next season anyway. But you never know.

[marbelladave]

Basically some people have relatively low expectations and others believe our team can compete with the best in our League if we go about it right. I'm in the latter camp.

Abso****inglutely!

[Guest]

So we're not allowed to vent our disappointment after a bad game but to ignore it all and put on the pink googles?

Like I've posted earlier, it seems easy to get on people's backs when they criticize Fryatt (and he was frustrating). But it wasn't just him, all ten field players had a shocker for an entire half an hour on Tuesday. And THAT was a letdown, simply because under Pearson, it's the first time I've witnessed such a really bad team selection. We didn't put our stamp on the game (at home!) and let the opposition exploit that.

That's it. Why making such a big fuss about some people rightfully analyzing a game of football? Each one on here has a slightly different opinion and that makes football (before, during and after) so intriguing.

Cheer up, lads.

I like this idea. If you're thinking about booing after a game, don't, just whack your pink goggles on and the players will soon know what it means

[Lillehamring]

well, it looks like fryatt must have impressed someone, seeing as he is the first city player this season to make it into the team of the week (based on his blackpool performance)

makes you wonder if we'll ever be a club popular amongst the press....

[MC Prussian]

well, it looks like fryatt must have impressed someone, seeing as he is the first city player this season to make it into the team of the week (based on his blackpool performance)

makes you wonder if we'll ever be a club popular amongst the press....

Or maybe MM's money goes straight into some journalists pocket... It's no secret he already owns the Mercury Sports Dep.

That's probably why we're not signing some big, pacey, hard-hitting striker.

[dogadug]

well, it looks like fryatt must have impressed someone, seeing as he is the first city player this season to make it into the team of the week (based on his blackpool performance)

makes you wonder if we'll ever be a club popular amongst the press....

We never have been popular in the press, they're all to focused on Newcastle

[Ford Super Sunday]

He may become brilliant but not before he looks at those Fryatt statistics and quickly recognises where we would have been without his 38 goals in his last 59 league and cup appearances because we'd likely be bottom of this division and might not have been promoted from Division One

So where would Swindon have been without Simon Cox's goals, where would Liverpool have been without Torres's goals last season?

Fact is, no point in relaying the 'ifs and buts' of football. Fryatt DID score all those goals last season, and he is hitting the target for us this season.

The only problem with the team at the moment is that we don't have two strikers that are scoring regularly, but to be honest, right now, i'm not too fussed.

I really don't like the fact that people were laying into the team after Tuesday's game. Granted, the first 30 minutes weren't the best, but here we are, 12 points, around the play-offs after just seven games. Now I might be the only one that thinks that is a brilliant start. It seems that others seem to want us to have 21 points and romping clear at the top of the league.

Fact is also, in the second half, there was only one team that wanted (and played) to win that game, and it weren't Peterborough.

If there is one thing that the team has this season, for me, it's depth. Up front we've got Yann, Fryatt, Howard, Gallacher and Waghorn. Last season if we lost Fryatt or Howard we were generally right in it, but this season, even though they haven't scored 10 each yet, we have a lot more depth and options.

Same with the midfield, and that will be further strengthened when Clemence comes back, with options now down both flanks and in the centre, we are showing versatility. We were even able to change our midfield completely against Peterborough.

And I don't even need to talk about the defence. Four quality centre backs, and options at both Left and Right back means that for me, this squad is very strong, and more than capable of competing at this level.

But I am not going to go round slating Pearson just because we get a draw at home to Peterborough, or whatever the score is, like one or two people on here. For me, that man is untouchable right now.

Three wins at home, and a superb performance at Sheff Utd are fantastic, and a great foundation for the rest of the season. This time last year we hadn't peaked yet, so I don't expect us to this season either. We'll get going, of that I have no doubts, and by christmas (if not before) we really will be motoring.

We didn't win every home game last season, and we certainly won't do that this season, same with away, our record of last season won't be as good as this season.

[carterfox90]

So where would Swindon have been without Simon Cox's goals, where would Liverpool have been without Torres's goals last season?

Fact is, no point in relaying the 'ifs and buts' of football. Fryatt DID score all those goals last season, and he is hitting the target for us this season.

The only problem with the team at the moment is that we don't have two strikers that are scoring regularly, but to be honest, right now, i'm not too fussed.

I really don't like the fact that people were laying into the team after Tuesday's game. Granted, the first 30 minutes weren't the best, but here we are, 12 points, around the play-offs after just seven games. Now I might be the only one that thinks that is a brilliant start. It seems that others seem to want us to have 21 points and romping clear at the top of the league.

Fact is also, in the second half, there was only one team that wanted (and played) to win that game, and it weren't Peterborough.

If there is one thing that the team has this season, for me, it's depth. Up front we've got Yann, Fryatt, Howard, Gallacher and Waghorn. Last season if we lost Fryatt or Howard we were generally right in it, but this season, even though they haven't scored 10 each yet, we have a lot more depth and options.

Same with the midfield, and that will be further strengthened when Clemence comes back, with options now down both flanks and in the centre, we are showing versatility. We were even able to change our midfield completely against Peterborough.

And I don't even need to talk about the defence. Four quality centre backs, and options at both Left and Right back means that for me, this squad is very strong, and more than capable of competing at this level.

But I am not going to go round slating Pearson just because we get a draw at home to Peterborough, or whatever the score is, like one or two people on here. For me, that man is untouchable right now.

Three wins at home, and a superb performance at Sheff Utd are fantastic, and a great foundation for the rest of the season. This time last year we hadn't peaked yet, so I don't expect us to this season either. We'll get going, of that I have no doubts, and by christmas (if not before) we really will be motoring.

We didn't win every home game last season, and we certainly won't do that this season, same with away, our record of last season won't be as good as this season.

great post apart from the clemence part he is a negative player imo & only plays the ball sideways i was not impressed with the games he did play for us but he may be better in a more attacking team that we have now but will he get in the team ?

[dogadug]

great post apart from the clemence part he is a negative player imo & only plays the ball sideways i was not impressed with the games he did play for us but he may be better in a more attacking team that we have now but will he get in the team ?

Its so long since he's played for us, that I have forgot how he played

[Thracian]

a) If there is one thing that the team has this season, for me, it's depth. Up front we've got Yann, Fryatt, Howard, Gallacher and Waghorn. Last season if we lost Fryatt or Howard we were generally right in it, but this season, even though they haven't scored 10 each yet, we have a lot more depth and options.

b) Same with the midfield, and that will be further strengthened when Clemence comes back, with options now down both flanks and in the centre, we are showing versatility. We were even able to change our midfield completely against Peterborough.

c) And I don't even need to talk about the defence. Four quality centre backs, and options at both Left and Right back means that for me, this squad is very strong, and more than capable of competing at this level.

a) Where's the real depth in attack? Yann's never played in the first team so we've no real idea if he can score. Howard looks to be finding it much harder in this league than Division One, Gallagher's yet to score and has never been what I'd call prolific and Waghorn no longer looks like scoring at all. The one person you haven't mentioned is the most likely to score if player/club could reconcile their differences and that's DJ.

b) How will we be strengthened by Clemence. That's just an assumption at best. He's been out for over a season and when he was playing, Kingy hardly got a look in for whatever reason and we hardly scored at all from central midfield.

I'd love to agree with you about the team being strengthened but I just don't see it.

c) Few would argue that we have some good defenders but that's as far as they operate. As attackers so far, they've posed virtually no threat at all and I've mentioned before how wrong it is not to consider defenders as an important part part of the attack when we have the ball.

[Mickey O'Neil]

Thrac, Yann was on the bench for the home game before Posh. I forgot who We played though!