Donny Post Match

smudgerfox · 10 February 2010

As I wasn't there last night I can't really comment on how Wellens played although all Stringer kept saying throughout the match was "Wellens gives it away again!! Surely the time has come to drop this man. His Harlem Globetrotteresque through balls hardly ever come off and even his short passing seems to be simply woeful at the moment.
Says something to me that for 60 minutes against the Geordies and Saturday against Blackpool we were far more fluid than when he came back last night. Overhyped and overated.

smudgerfox · 10 February 2010

Just in reply to all this negativity, did anyone else notice we were fine before fryatt went off. I think his injury shook our squad up a bit. Everyone looked really concerned when he was stretchered off, and i think it affected our game a little bit.
Obviously it cant be used as an excuse, because their professionals, but i cant help but feel like any human would be slightly concerned about their mate being put in the back of an ambulence, after being semi-concious on the floor and without fully knowing what was wrong with them.

Like i said it can't be used as an excuse because their were obviously things to improve on, i just think it affected our play more than some people realise. It really did look terrible, and their were people practically in tears in the stands.

Get well soon Matty

No, I didn't notice any deterioration after MF went off. Indeed the first ten minutes or so of the second half were the most promising and as someone said that was when Gallagher was pulling the strings from a slightly withdrawn position. Then Gallagher was brought off and the game died. I haven't felt inclined to criticise NFP before but his tactical decision-making was little shorrt of catastrophic last night. His failure to find a fruitful combination of his many striking options is really quite terrifying. Gallagher, Waghorn, Fryatt, N'Guessan have all been here all season yet they played as though they have never been introduced. They all utterly fail to anticipate where their teammates will be and they switch across the pitch as though they all have the same skills. They don't. Waghorn is horribly one footed with poor control, N'Guessan is inconsistent and in Gallagher we have someone who seems to have no natural position. Fryatt has no striking relatiionship with anybody - and if you look through his LCFC career he never has had. Kermorgann's natural role is just as puzzling as that of Gallagher and Howard is finished at this level. There's always enough up front to win a reasonable proportion of games but nothing like the cohesion, fluency and killer instinct you need to mount a credible promotion challenge.

In midfield we simply give possession away cheaply far too often. Over ambitious long balls, carelessness, a lack of optiions, a lack of width (apart from the immaculate Berner) and a tendency to poorly executed "show-off" back-heels and banana passes in Oakley and Wellens all contribute. All three of them need to go back to the very basic of retaining possession more often than losing it. The sad fact is, due to a hopelessly unbalanced and misshapened squad there is no viable option available at the club for King, Wellens or Oakley. None of them come short to take the ball off defenders - forcing the defence to go long and waste possession.

Although the defence rightly wins plaudits for its goal concession rate there is no doubt it contributes to the problem. Only Berner can be relied upon to play balls up the pitch which give us a decent chance of retaining possession. That is simply not good enough.

The Doctor · 10 February 2010

No, I didn't notice any deterioration after MF went off. Indeed the first ten minutes or so of the second half were the most promising and as someone said that was when Gallagher was pulling the strings from a slightly withdrawn position. Then Gallagher was brought off and the game died. I haven't felt inclined to criticise NFP before but his tactical decision-making was little shorrt of catastrophic last night. His failure to find a fruitful combination of his many striking options is really quite terrifying. Gallagher, Waghorn, Fryatt, N'Guessan have all been here all season yet they played as though they have never been introduced. They all utterly fail to anticipate where their teammates will be and they switch across the pitch as though they all have the same skills. They don't. Waghorn is horribly one footed with poor control, N'Guessan is inconsistent and in Gallagher we have someone who seems to have no natural position. Fryatt has no striking relatiionship with anybody - and if you look through his LCFC career he never has had. Kermorgann's natural role is just as puzzling as that of Gallagher and Howard is finished at this level. There's always enough up front to win a reasonable proportion of games but nothing like the cohesion, fluency and killer instinct you need to mount a credible promotion challenge.
In midfield we simply give possession away cheaply far too often. Over ambitious long balls, carelessness, a lack of optiions, a lack of width (apart from the immaculate Berner) and a tendency to poorly executed "show-off" back-heels and banana passes in Oakley and Wellens all contribute. All three of them need to go back to the very basic of retaining possession more often than losing it. The sad fact is, due to a hopelessly unbalanced and misshapened squad there is no viable option available at the club for King, Wellens or Oakley. None of them come short to take the ball off defenders - forcing the defence to go long and waste possession.

Although the defence rightly wins plaudits for its goal concession rate there is no doubt it contributes to the problem. Only Berner can be relied upon to play balls up the pitch which give us a decent chance of retaining possession. That is simply not good enough.

you evidently didn't see Morrison tearing their left back a new one for a large part of the second half

MrSpaM · 10 February 2010

you evidently didn't see Morrison tearing their left back a new one for a large part of the second half

Morrison is quickly becoming my new favorite Leicester player

Webbo · 10 February 2010

I don't believe it was intended to be 451 but 433 with Gallagher and N'Guessan playing further forward and supporting Fryatt when we had possession and dropping to wide midfeld when we hadn't.

That's the idea. 433 when in possession, 451 when defending. Imo it's an away tactic and shouldn't be used at home against a team you're expected to beat.

Am I the only one who thought Donny played well? They closed down well when we had possession and kept the ball well when they had it. If they had more of a cutting edge they'd be a playoff contender.

DANGEROUS TIGER · 10 February 2010

We must be so good, eh lads, if we can only draw at home to that load of rubbish. Promotion via play offs. NEVER.

Budweiser · 10 February 2010

We must be so good, eh lads, if we can only draw at home to that load of rubbish. Promotion via play offs. NEVER.

Your a massive c**t

Thracian · 10 February 2010

I swear some folk on here rejoice when we do shite!
Notice how they tend to stay clear when we win but come a shitty result and off they go!!!!

To suggest yday was like being back to the Levein/Kelly era is ludicrous...we were Constantly shite then...atleast now and again we have a half decent result!!!

Dont think no one is arguing that it was or wasnt crap-it was....but no need for OTT knee jerk reaction when we play shite....likewise when we win....Just need to keep a level head...

The last thing I want from a football match is an exercise in keeping a level head.

All my working week I try to keep a level head dealing with every kind of customer you can imagine and listening to all the tales of woe and misfortune known to man.

Football is meant to be an escape. Somewhere I can feel some emotion, witness a few goals, see committed and accomplished footballers demonstrating their skills at speed and under pressure.

I want to live the game, the brilliant saves, the last-ditch blocks, the long-range net-busters, the last minute dramas and so on. I don't want to keep the sort of level head that features closed eyes and the faint sound of snoring cos I'm bored to bits by a lack of conviction and the will to do all you can to win a football match.

Winning ANY football match requires a goal. But did either goalkeeper make one save last night, let alone a serious save?

That's not an excuse to criticise or delight in our team's misfortune.

That's a sodding disgrace even if the had club let the fans in for free. But they didn't. They charged for tickets on the basis of offering professional entertainment yet clearly no-one gives a toss what sort of "football" people are persuaded to pay for - and that goes for Doncaster as much as City.

They didn't care at Barnsley either.

In fact if those performances were subject to Song Contest voting we'd have got "nul points" from every country in the world, never mind Europe.

I can just imagine our club's coaching conference this morning...

"Okay lads, lets go over what we achieved last night as a result of all our highly paid endeavours. Sorry? What was that? No goals. No shots. No football to stir the spirits and barely a sound from our long-suffering fans.

Well done, lads. Bonus all round for collecting a point and another bonus for keeping us in the top six. That's the stuff.

When it comes to the means justifying the end perhaps we'll write a longer book than George Graham.

davieG · 10 February 2010

That's the idea. 433 when in possession, 451 when defending. Imo it's an away tactic and shouldn't be used at home against a team you're expected to beat.
Am I the only one who thought Donny played well? They closed down well when we had possession and kept the ball well when they had it. If they had more of a cutting edge they'd be a playoff contender.

We haven't got the right type of players to play 442, there's nothing wrong with playing 433/451 at home if that's what suits the players you have. Our problem wasn't the system any way it was the incompetence/unwillingness of the players to string passes together, with Wellens the biggest culprit and that from a player who's supposed to be some sort of fulcrum through which the ball is played.

Yes Doncaster did keep the ball well but they had plenty of opportunity to do so because we kept giving it to them.

Thracian · 10 February 2010

Wellens was cr@p but I had to laugh at the people rating Kings performance so highly, he almost got Hobbs done in with a few hospital passes.

King provided three of the most telling passes in the match - one a short one through Doncaster's defence, plus two inch-perfect long-range passes the first of which should have enabled Gallagher to win the game for us.

He even had a couple of shots early on and never stopped covering ground, filling gaps, trying to play the ball constructively.

Occasionally he faltered. I'd love to have the film available so I could detail just how much others faltered while achieving damn-all in worthwhile compensation.

Someone bemoaned the fact that King no longer goes back to collect the ball from defenders. Seems to me that Wellens has assumed that role, presumably because Pearson is happy with a low ball-retention rate from a bloke who's form gets worse by the week and has never been that reliable a passer.

In in any case, who would wish to keep wasting their energy loping back to collect short passes from our defence. They'd be having a laaarff. If City's defenders played for the Army any short ball they played would be mentioned in despatches.

And where are the outlets for our central midfielders when they get the ball anyway?

We've been playing "spot the winger" at City all season. Last night the only player regularly making himself available out wide was Morrison and, when he got the ball, that was that because there were no runners to give him a sensible pass (Fryatt occasionally accepted until his injury) and way too few people hitting different areas of the penalty box to have any chance of capitalising on a cross.

Seems to me that Kingy might eventually be better playing some place where the rest of the team want to pass and move as well. His talents are being wasted, as make-do striker Gallagher so clearly demonstrated.

I say that with regret. Times I've urged us to pass the ball quickly to breach defences. And to use the impish DJ to aid that approach, an option that has now disappeared.

But it's not going to happen. Occasionally we pay lip service to the idea of fastpassing but we just don't have the players to do it under any sort of pressure and quickly refer to the tried and trusted hoof.

I seriously doubt that King will progress much further in that sort of environment.

Houdini Logic · 10 February 2010

King provided three of the most telling passes in the match - one a short one through Doncaster's defence, plus two inch-perfect long-range passes the first of which should have enabled Gallagher to win the game for us.
He even had a couple of shots early on and never stopped covering ground, filling gaps, trying to play the ball constructively.

Occasionally he faltered. I'd love to have the film available so I could detail just how much others faltered while achieving damn-all in worthwhile compensation.

Someone bemoaned the fact that King no longer goes back to collect the ball from defenders. Seems to me that Wellens has assumed that role, presumably because Pearson is happy with a low ball-retention rate from a bloke who's form gets worse by the week and has never been that reliable a passer.

In in any case, who would wish to keep wasting their energy loping back to collect short passes from our defence. They'd be having a laaarff. If City's defenders played for the Army any short ball they played would be mentioned in despatches.

And where are the outlets for our central midfielders when they get the ball anyway?

We've been playing "spot the winger" at City all season. Last night the only player regularly making himself available out wide was Morrison and, when he got the ball, that was that because there were no runners to give him a sensible pass (Fryatt occasionally accepted until his injury) and way too few people hitting different areas of the penalty box to have any chance of capitalising on a cross.

Seems to me that Kingy needs to leave Leicester now and join a club where the rest of the team want to pass and move as well. His talents are being wasted, as make-do striker Gallagher so clearly demonstrated.

I say that with regret. Times I've urged us to pass the ball quickly to breach defences. And to use the impish DJ to aid that approach, an option that has now disappeared.

But it's not going to happen. Occasionally we pay lip service to the idea of fastpassing but we just don't have the players to do it under any sort of pressure and quickly refer to the tried and trusted hoof.

I seriously doubt that King will progress much further in that sort of environment.

PS: Talking of players moving on, I see Gradel helped Leeds to reach the area final of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy after what seemed like a thrilling, goal-filled game. We, meanwhile, leave Solano on the sidelines and make do with non-specialist jobsworths out wide for far too much of the time.

Last night King was everything you are complaining about in your previous post.

reynard · 10 February 2010

Without doubt one of the worst exhibitions of so called professional football I have had the misfortune to witness, played by two sides who displayed as little skill as I think I can ever remember.

I haven't checked the official stats but just how many saves did either keeper make. I think I can remember 2.

Add this to yet another dismal performance by the officials and as I had to drive afterwards I couldn't even drown my sorrows.

The players should all dip into their wallets and payback every penny forked out by the fans who were misled into believing they had payed to be entertained by a game of football.

The really frustrating thing is that though they were awful we just had no idea how to break them down and what the hell was going on in the second half God knows because the players sure as hell didn't seem to know who was supposed to be playing where.

Legend_in_blue · 10 February 2010

It really was a shocking performance and people on here can moan all they like about 'knee-jerk' and the like, but it just didn't cut it and there's no excuses for that.

A point? It felt more like a big fat 0.

sbfox · 10 February 2010

We WERE playing an established Championship team you know? A mid-table Championship team at that... Exactly how far and with what resources do people think we've come? We're performing way above expectations here, lets not think we can steamroll teams just because they're 'Doncaster' or 'Barnsley' (hope you know what I mean).

AND, Donny had lost 4 on the spin (?), of course they're gonna be up for the game and at the very least, wanting to defend in numbers and keep a clean sheet. We met them at a pretty bad time IMO, very tricky to play against a team who obviously want a point.

davieG · 10 February 2010

We WERE playing an established Championship team you know? A mid-table Championship team at that... Exactly how far and with what resources do people think we've come? We're performing way above expectations here, lets not think we can steamroll teams just because they're 'Doncaster' or 'Barnsley' (hope you know what I mean).
AND, Donny had lost 4 on the spin (?), of course they're gonna be up for the game and at the very least, wanting to defend in numbers and keep a clean sheet. We met them at a pretty bad time IMO, very tricky to play against a team who obviously want a point.

Neither here nor there, the performance was below par too many experienced players were not playing to their full potential or commitment or anywhere near it.

Witness the first ten minutes of the 2nd half when we actually looked like a team that wanted to win and knew what we were doing unfortunately that's all it was 10 minutes out of 90- you don't win games on the whole with 10 minute cameos of intent.

Foxhateram · 10 February 2010

Why is everyone saying Gallagher was so good. All i heard online was Gallagher makes a bad pass, Gallagher gives the ball away, Gallagher wastes a chance and another chance. He was having a poop game from what i could hear. He should have out the game to bed as well.

We discussed this in Live Chat on Tuesday and we all called for Gallagher to be replaced with dyer. Dyer should have added enough pace to run at their defence unfortunately it did not work out this way but pearson made the correct gamble. Gallagher was not Mr amazing and wasted so much and gave the ball away on numerous occasions, i cannot believe everyone is going on about how it was a bad decision by NP.

Well i guess il get slated because i was not at the game but well go for it.

Bert · 10 February 2010

Why is everyone saying Gallagher was so good. All i heard online was Gallagher makes a bad pass, Gallagher gives the ball away, Gallagher wastes a chance and another chance. He was having a poop game from what i could hear. He should have out the game to bed as well.
We discussed this in Live Chat on Tuesday and we all called for Gallagher to be replaced with dyer. Dyer should have added enough pace to run at their defence unfortunately it did not work out this way but pearson made the correct gamble. Gallagher was not Mr amazing and wasted so much and gave the ball away on numerous occasions, i cannot believe everyone is going on about how it was a bad decision by NP.

Well i guess il get slated because i was not at the game but well go for it.

Well you're right. You're just judging his performance on someone else opinion? If everyone who went to the game is saying he was OK, then maybe it's more right than wrong?

Anyway, at least the worst game of the season is out of the way! Disappointed we didn't win as we had the best chance of the match, but if we were offered 4 points out of our last two games, I'd have been more than happy. We've got a great chance to put things right on Saturday, so let's look on the bright side for once.

Vlad The Impaler · 10 February 2010

King provided three of the most telling passes in the match - one a short one through Doncaster's defence, plus two inch-perfect long-range passes the first of which should have enabled Gallagher to win the game for us.
He even had a couple of shots early on and never stopped covering ground, filling gaps, trying to play the ball constructively.

Occasionally he faltered. I'd love to have the film available so I could detail just how much others faltered while achieving damn-all in worthwhile compensation.

Someone bemoaned the fact that King no longer goes back to collect the ball from defenders. Seems to me that Wellens has assumed that role, presumably because Pearson is happy with a low ball-retention rate from a bloke who's form gets worse by the week and has never been that reliable a passer.

In in any case, who would wish to keep wasting their energy loping back to collect short passes from our defence. They'd be having a laaarff. If City's defenders played for the Army any short ball they played would be mentioned in despatches.

And where are the outlets for our central midfielders when they get the ball anyway?

We've been playing "spot the winger" at City all season. Last night the only player regularly making himself available out wide was Morrison and, when he got the ball, that was that because there were no runners to give him a sensible pass (Fryatt occasionally accepted until his injury) and way too few people hitting different areas of the penalty box to have any chance of capitalising on a cross.

Seems to me that Kingy might eventually be better playing some place where the rest of the team want to pass and move as well. His talents are being wasted, as make-do striker Gallagher so clearly demonstrated.

I say that with regret. Times I've urged us to pass the ball quickly to breach defences. And to use the impish DJ to aid that approach, an option that has now disappeared.

But it's not going to happen. Occasionally we pay lip service to the idea of fastpassing but we just don't have the players to do it under any sort of pressure and quickly refer to the tried and trusted hoof.

I seriously doubt that King will progress much further in that sort of environment.

I honestly couldn't agree anymore with that.

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