Subs cost us the game

[RonnieTodger]

Not long been back home from it. I can't say they definitely cost us, but their ball retention was poor (Waghorn & Vardy). Needlessly trying to find ways through to goal when simple passes and keeping possession would've sufficed, you'd have to say. Not sure who was meant to marking Gestede for their equaliser though, that was dreadful. Gutted.

[PAULCFC]

I'm sure I heard on the radio Alan young say Llyod Dyer has just looked over to see what his position is going to be.

I was there and Dyer ran half way across the pitch to understand what Pearson was telling him to do.

[iancognito]

If Waghorn & Vardy come on as subs all they're being asked to do for about 20 minutes is keep to the formation, take a chance if they get it and generally keep things solid. Neither of them were in a position to stop the cross / mark a man etc so how they're to blame is beyond me. The right back or midfielders should have been closer to stop the cross, the CBs didn't get tight enough to stop the header and Schmeichel didn't move.

Jack all to do with subs from my basic understanding of football.

On the point about Chris Wood, I'm becoming more & more uncertain about his contribution in games. Since his mystery 'injury' he's missed 3 or 4 gilt-edged chances in games and just seems a bit off the pace. When he first came, he was more lively and taking any half-chance that came his way. I don't get to go to the aways these days so I can't give an opinion on all his performances, just something I'd noticed.

[MC Prussian]

The subs didn't cost us, it was a desperate and successful last cross into our box.

But blame it on the players, yeah. Oh so easy and there's already a couple of pre-arranged scapegoats for you to pick from, eh?

[Babylon]

I think the first substitution was inevitable. Wellens was never going to last much more than an hour. And there was no obvious reference to any great confusion although it was suggested our system changed to 4-4-2 or 4-2-4 and that might have contributed to us scoring.

The problem came with the two late changes that caused so much disruption/confusion and led to us having players out of position and defending situations in unfamiliar places. We certainly stopped moving back and forward as a unit because the lack of support was referred to.

And you got all that from the radio because Dyer held his hands up for a couple of seconds.

[Thracian]

And you got all that from the radio because Dyer held his hands up for a couple of seconds.

Selective reading again Babs? "......one time Stringer described the ball going to Wood and how he was totally isolated and simply couldn't hold the ball long enough for support that never arrived anyway."

There was also reference to Vardy not tracking the full-back quickly enough. It seemed apparent from the commentary that the team was disrupted.

[Thracian]

The subs didn't cost us, it was a desperate and successful last cross into our box.

But blame it on the players, yeah. Oh so easy and there's already a couple of pre-arranged scapegoats for you to pick from, eh?

Seems to me that the manager caused the disruption rather than the players.

[MooseBreath]

Wasn't at the game, but have been to and seen others where similar subs have been made. He brings Vardy and to a lesser extent Waghorn on and all they do is give the ball away in one way or another, either through fouls, being offside, misplaced passes, poor shots etc. That quite obviously allows to opposition possession and the chance of building an attack. They may not have directly failed to defend their goal last night, but there is no doubt that bringing on two very poor forwards weakens our ability to defend as a whole. I wouldnt be at all surprised to learn that their goal came very soon after either vardy or waghorn did something crap to gift them possession.

Shit substitutions. The manager takes the blame for another two points dropped.

[Babylon]

Selective reading again Babs? "......one time Stringer described the ball going to Wood and how he was totally isolated and simply couldn't hold the ball long enough for support that never arrived anyway."

There was also reference to Vardy not tracking the full-back quickly enough. It seemed apparent from the commentary that the team was disrupted.

I do select to read as little of your stuff as possible yes.

To be honest I stopped after you said you wouldn't second guess anything as you weren't there, and then went on to second guess everything.

I presume those moaning at the subs have also given credit to team selection and first substitution that put us in a winning position away from to the leaders in the first place?

Or to the sub against Leeds that salvaged a late point?

[Dickov22]

Fact is, we should have been out of sight long before the subs came on. Just another excuse for a Pearson bashing. We were fantastic and desperately unlucky to concede so late on. Nothing to do with subs

[Legend_in_blue]

The fact that Dyer has to question where he is playing once substitutions are made is worrying in itself, goal aside.

It shows a lack of awareness of what one is supposed to do once these changes are made - potential changes which should be made clear to a team before the game. If this happens, do this..., you play there, he covers this etc.

It's a clear indication that NP doesn't really know what to do in a plan b situation and that's caused confusion amongst the players. With so little time left in the game, in control, what's the point in that?

[Col city fan]

I have believed all season and still do, that it's the strength in depth of quality players that has been our undoing, especially away from home when we have to defend like mad.

The three players brought on last night, Kane, Vardy and Waggy, aren't 'controllers'. They are all liable to give the ball away too cheaply when we just need to keep it and play the game down.

Last night, if we were bringing on a Spearing or a Trotter type player, immediately after we scored, we'd have looked stronger and would have maybe seen the game out.

It's a shame that James was injured because if he'd started and we then brought on even Wellens after we scored, I'd have been happier than bringing on any of the three that we did.

It's no surprise to me that the extra man in midfield made a big difference. Now if that extra man was a really good player I think we'd be in a better position now. Like I've said all season.

[phillo]

We missed to many chances

[Babylon]

Now if that extra man was a really good player I think we'd be in a better position now. Like I've said all season.

I know you like to blow your own trumpet, but just to clarify when did you start saying we needed three in the middle? Your original point was about a DM, not having three in the middle so far as I remember.

[Guest]

On the video clip I saw it looks as though The big striker was in between Keane and Wes and they are the guys who should be marking him.

I don't know how that can be Vardy's fault; If anything maybe we could have put away a second to secure the win.

We just held the potential league champions to a lucky draw at their own ground.

That's not a bad result on its own.

[Babylon]

It shows a lack of awareness of what one is supposed to do once these changes are made - potential changes which should be made clear to a team before the game. If this happens, do this..., you play there, he covers this etc.

Really? So before the game you know who exactly the oppo team will select, what formation they will play, what substitutions they will make, what tactics they will use or potentially alter to in umpteen given situations. So you can brief your players to the letter what they should be doing.

Once again people just grasping at stuff to take a pop.

[marbelladave]

Thracian, although not at the game is quite right, we scored with about 20 minutes to go and looked good to close out the game, defending reasonably well for the next 10 - 15 minutes.

Without blaming Vardy and Waghorn as individuals their arrival on the pitch did disrupt our shape and our game fell apart. Nugent and Wood were doing OK, pressing well without the ball and supporting Kane when we had it, but the arrival of first Vardy then Waghorn made a mess of that.

They worked hard enough individually but the support to Kane melted away and we were unable to hold onto the ball in forward areas, as it kept coming back at us we lost both composure and concentration and the equaliser was inevitable, in fact I thought Cardiff might well have won had their equalising goal come a few minutes earlier......

[spittingfeathers]

Yes it was a travesty to concede so late & we are all gutted ,but without knowing whether the substitutions were enforced by knocks or tiredness & a necessity ,it's unfair to use that as yet another chance to have a pop at the manager .

I think we should give Pearson a little credit for finally strengthening the midfield & take heart from the much improved display !

Wembley here we come (i can feel it in my bones ) !

[Simmo86]

Our inability to convert chances (again) cost us the game not the subs.

I personally couldn't see them scoring we weren't really under the cosh. Just a little bit unfortunate.

The fact that we haven't produced a performance like that in the past 6 weeks gets to me more than conceding the goal.

I have doubts about Pearson but however much people want to pin last night on him they can't!

[jamesmilner]

The goal they scored wasn't their one and only chance , it was the only chance that went in . Everyone I've spoken to that went are more than pleased with the performance . And results went our way again too ! Chill ! Saturdays game is what to talk about ?

[smudgerfox]

I am not a Pearson hater - I want him to stay and take the squad on - but I think there are two criticisms of him that are easily justified this season.

1 Having too many strikers/wingers on the bench. Our subs are usually one goalie, one defender/defensive midfielder and five strikers/wingers. We're never going to replace all three strikers and I would have thought two is enough. Three defensively minded players - at least one an out and out defender and another a tackling midfielder, I would have said is a minimum requirement. We simnply don't have enough options in tight games. A typical bench of Logan, Whitbread (really only a CB), Dyer, Gallagher, Waghorn, Vardy, Futacs is criminally short of defensive options.

2 Allowing players on loan. Who can forget DJ Campbell taking Blackpool up while we laboured in the play-offs? Releasing Schlupp to Manure before he's really been given a chance here (and leaving us without LB cover) and releasing Moore (and I understand we can't get him back quickly) who is so useful in that he can play right across the back four starts to look negligent.

None of this (unlike much of the criticism of NFP) requires hindsight. It's always there it's just that most of the time we get away with it.

[marbelladave]

Yes it was a travesty to concede so late & we are all gutted ,but without knowing whether the substitutions were enforced by knocks or tiredness & a necessity ,it's unfair to use that as yet another chance to have a pop at the manager .

I think we should give Pearson a little credit for finally strengthening the midfield & take heart from the much improved display !

Wembley here we come (i can feel it in my bones ) !

So is it fair to use the fact that we were holding Cardiff pretty well before the substitutions and were in chaos after, or not?........

Bringing in a largely static Wellens against a team that played with just 2 men in central midfield should have meant that we dominated that area but we didn't. They stood off us and let us play and for about an hour we did very little of consequence. Our attacking play really only perked up after the first substitution........

[Babylon]

2 Allowing players on loan. Who can forget DJ Campbell taking Blackpool up while we laboured in the play-offs? Releasing Schlupp to Manure before he's really been given a chance here (and leaving us without LB cover) and releasing Moore (and I understand we can't get him back quickly) who is so useful in that he can play right across the back four starts to look negligent.

DJ Campbell was shit for us under several managers, had he been here he'd have been luck to even be on the bench. We were doing just fine without him.

Moore was only released when Whitbread and SSL returned to some kind of fitness. Again, he would have been lucky to be on the bench.

Sclhupp has done little to warrant playing, and may well have been useful around as cover for left back. But the moment Konchesky got injured he returned from United... a chance you cannot really refuse the lad. If you had, he would have wanted out anyway.

We simnply don't have enough options in tight games. A typical bench of Logan, Whitbread (really only a CB), Dyer, Gallagher, Waghorn, Vardy, Futacs is criminally short of defensive options.

And people accuse him of being defensive?

[cc_star]

Not really sure who'd sub a defender when all the defence was playing very well and coping admirably.

Our problem was in retaining possession in their half - so, fresh legs & grafters up front was perfect subs.

And taking off a forward player for a defender would have exacerbated the problem and just lead to more waves of attacks.

People among our supporters really do just look for something to cling onto, to have a pop about.

[Babylon]

Pearson brings on a defender "Why are you trying to defend the game, why don't you attack them".

Pearson brings on an attacker "Why are you bringing on an attacker, why don't you bring on a defender and defend the lead".

Pearson does nothing "Why didn't he make a substitution to either attack them or help defend the lead".