Match Thread Newport

Lost the midfield from the start. Nobody using the channels. Big boot in the air suited their big defence. Played better when Smith and Taylor came on and improved again with Orsi. Everyone put the effort in but they seemed a yard faster throughout the team - but at the moment every point is welcome.

Flat performance, looked leggy- never got the ball down throughout apart from once in second half - and that produced a chance. Great goal from McAtee, not much else to shout about. Crocombe distribution needs looking at..we just gift opposition the ball back..been like that for a while..that was one of his strengths initially. I’m probably nitpicking with that but it doesn’t help.

What a bizarre season. While there's been much to be excited about, we've looked so poor at home in the league and I think it's generally due to a lack of physical strength. We always struggle against the bigger sides.

The equaliser tonight was so annoying. Hurst talked yesterday about maintaining focus, but there was none of that on display during that corner. Ball goes out, all of our players slowly trudge into position with their backs to the corner taker; if he'd taken it quickly we wouldn't have had the foggiest. We then predictably lose our man and it's in the back of the net. Basic standards are usually a given with Hurst sides but there have been times this season when they've been unacceptably missed.

Classy goal from McAtee though.

What a strange manager Hurst is. Month after month of often turgid football, never challenging the automatic promotion places no matter what division we are in, no big signings as he seems to prefer it like that,  and yet manages to give us some of the greatest days we have ever had in the play-offs and more recently the FA cup. He gets through players by the dozen every few months yet we never seem to get better.

Its quite bizarre really.

Quoted from Chrisblor

flipping turgid performance that. Holohan and Clifton were absolutely dire. Do we have any midfielders capable of passing the ball to a teammate?

To illustrate my point (passes completed / pass completion %):

Holohan - 21/38 / 55%
Clifton - 15/30 / 50%
Efete - 12/29 / 41%

Andy Smith was only on the pitch for 30 minutes and he completed more passes (13/21) than all but three of our players, and has a higher pass completion percentage (62%) than ALL of our midfielders. We're so careless with the ball and it's exactly why we can't break down teams who just want to play direct and let us lump it up to their centre halves while weak referees let them wrestle our forwards around with impunity.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

What a strange manager Hurst is. Month after month of often turgid football, never challenging the automatic promotion places no matter what division we are in, no big signings as he seems to prefer it like that,  and yet manages to give us some of the greatest days we have ever had in the play-offs and more recently the FA cup. He gets through players by the dozen every few months yet we never seem to get better.

Its quite bizarre really.

Yes - great comment - you would expect us to beat Brighton -as the tactics and team selection will prevail - and then struggle in the league games before the semi - final.

Hope so🤞

Quoted from Chrisblor

To illustrate my point (passes completed / pass completion %):

Holohan - 21/38 / 55%
Clifton - 15/30 / 50%
Efete - 12/29 / 41%

Andy Smith was only on the pitch for 30 minutes and he completed more passes (13/21) than all but three of our players, and has a higher pass completion percentage (62%) than ALL of our midfielders. We're so careless with the ball and it's exactly why we can't break down teams who just want to play direct and let us lump it up to their centre halves while weak referees let them wrestle our forwards around with impunity.

Not digging out 2 of our best lads but I was surprised at H and Gav where over 50% completion, the incomplete ones always seemed to be when we needed to get forward momentum going. All that said a point is a point, for nothing else than a bit of home positivity we need to win on Saturday.

Quoted from Chrisblor

To illustrate my point (passes completed / pass completion %):

Holohan - 21/38 / 55%
Clifton - 15/30 / 50%
Efete - 12/29 / 41%

Andy Smith was only on the pitch for 30 minutes and he completed more passes (13/21) than all but three of our players, and has a higher pass completion percentage (62%) than ALL of our midfielders. We're so careless with the ball and it's exactly why we can't break down teams who just want to play direct and let us lump it up to their centre halves while weak referees let them wrestle our forwards around with impunity.

Funny, but I thought Holohan and Clifton looked much better in the final 30 minutes when we finally got the ball down more and attempted to play through midfield rather than over it. As mentioned, there were so many times when we just hoofed the ball forward aimlessly (often when there was time, space and options to play out) it became painful to watch.

Tonight’s problems were about how we chose to play the game rather than poor individual performances. Brighton will absolutely kill us if we play like that against them and just the turn the ball over time and time again.

We were braver on the ball against Premiership Southampton last week than we were against struggling Newport tonight. Go figure.

After Saturday we're we lost a goal trying to play football, tonight the players must of thought I ain't gonna get robbed of the ball..remember that old table top football game we're you pressed the heads and the players kicked it...pretty sure our players heads were being pushed tonight.

Absolute dross, don’t think I saw 20 seconds of play without the ball being blasted in the air or into touch.