Awful I'm afraid.
To be fair it's the hardest trip in the league and the kiwis were/are just too physically robust for us to handle. And their long ball, high ball made our small midfield struggle.
But we were awful.
Hutch playing upfront, foxing? Was fox sports having a laugh? Our shape?? 451 is my best description... whatever it was poor tonight.
Midfielder, ABSOLUTELY AGREE with your Kiwi friends assessment re movement and pressure on backs.
We lacked virtually all adventure and creativity.
Which was EXACTLY what we showed for thirty odd minutes last week that had us all so excited.
Quite unbelievably depressing that our most attacking minded player seems to once more be our bloody left back.
Olli had some good moments again but his decision making in the final third needs to be much better. Though the runs off him lack often lacked invention and timing also.
Simon battles fantastically well. We know that. kudos. But he is not a good passer and so struggles to bring others into the game, and he simply can't beat a man... Can't shoot from distance... He's just too limited.
Today we looked just as we have for the lat two seasons, toothless, lacking in creativity, scared to play it forward fast, move off the ball and take players on.
Amazing we can play the exact opposite of the last 30 minutes we were all so excited by last week.
Porter, absent and without impact. I'm not a hater, but the difference between Porter wide ,and Ifill, Bertos or Bozanic is just massive. Formation fail with Porter playing there I'm afraid. Rather have Amini on, or even Mrdja to cut back in onto his left and shoot. NIck seems to lack the mental guile to find the ball and space when central and it makes him look dead lazy. Which he clearly is as even when he's a late sub he still doesn't turn and chase if he loses the ball. However his two decent moments were when he had drifted wide and found the ball tonight. For all his short comings, I think he can strike a ball and knows where the goal is... which I'm concerned hardly anyone else does... So I'd consider him...
Weemac, played like a decent DM sure... but did NOT do a goo job as an AM. We looked EXACTLY like last year.
We obviously _and badly_ need Perez, or a genuine Perez replacement, because we had NO ONE running the show today. Hutch did a better job as AM last week. But he was as useless as Porter and Weemac tonight in whatever position it was that he was supposed to be playing today. Griifths - fairly solid at most times, but he was the one who let Muscat's run go without chase or pressure - then they scored and we fell apart from there. It was a bad mental lapse.
Dutchy was ok, few shite passes yes, join the club, but I think he really ran out of ideas and targets and to his credit then started ipushing up with the ball instead after he'd given it away a few times with the hit and hope balls.
No McBreen Arnie? Not that I actually think he would have changed anything in that game tbh. Fact is we did not have the players on the bench imo that we needed to change that game. Being a number 10 and or a skillful fast slippery striker.
I had hoped Mc Breen would be a part of the answer to our goals problem, but he didn't even get on today and so with Matty lone striker, I seriously worry again where our goals are going to come from this season.
Today was Weemac as AM, Matty as lone hard working but limited striker... rings bells doesn't it... and we looked very much today as we did last year.
442, narrow diamond with Perez please against SFC. Also Amini and Kwas back on the bench also for mine please.
I honestly don't even care if we win at the moment, I just really want to see us play some more really enjoyable football that the crowds will love.
