I genuinely believe we have the best manager in the league
Alfie May was either going to score a hat trick today (or 4) or get himself sent off - thank God it was the latter
It’s lovely to walk down Hillbottom Road after the game and not feel like you or your kids are going to get hit by an impatient driver
Great to put on Kid a Quid but disappointing that there wasn’t the provision of any entertainment for the kids over and above what we usually provide (unless it was curtailed by the rain showers)
We played a perfect 11 vs 10 performance. Great play all around
I love Lowry but he feels like an impact sub rather than a starter in big games
I really hope and think Connor Taylor has turned a corner and will be a hugely important player for the rest of the season (a proper Joe Low replacement)
All I’m saying is he is not universally loved by Huddersfield fans. When he was with us he looked at least Championship level but he hasn’t ended up there yet. I am surprised that there didn’t seem to be a queue of Championship teams wanting to sign him and I’m not convinced he will get there this season with Huddersfield.
That’s a fair addition, as originally you’d suggested he isn’t that much better than our current options. When I and i’m sure plenty of others would rate him far above the others.
He did have a period he couldn’t even get into our line-but that was probably a mix of not wanting to sign a new deal and having 2 superb loanees ahead of him.
I don’t know if it’s because we don’t have any particularly physical forwards but he looked an even bigger beast of a unit today.
I thought the game was fairly even in first 20 but Castledine was the standout across the two teams. He arguably did more in 30 minutes than his old man did in two spells for us (except that goal!)
We pressed well and put them under considerable pressure at times before the red card. At the time I thought it was a yellow but having seen the replay I can understand why it’s a red.
The goal massively helped us to relax and was hugely important before half time.
Duff is using the cards he has been dealt very wisely. A gap is opening between top 7 and the rest but they are eminently catchable by us and most of the rest as I cannot see some of those unfancied teams in that 7 staying the distance.
Equally, we are a couple of injuries away of looking over our shoulders for a long period of time.
It was still very obvious today we need a front man more than any other position. Taylor again put in an improved performance.
I would like to see us playing more one touch football at pace, we have the technical ability but opt for a touch and pass rather than just a pass too often. Hopefully that will come in time.
And worth a mention for Henderson. With the red he was the extra man, and he did it superbly. Wherever the ball was, he was there as an outlet. Ready to get and give.
Whether that’s useful in a ‘normal’ game is yet to be seen, but today he was the best player on the pitch.
pleasing that Duff mentioned keeping the ball moving in his post-match interview (given that some in the Woodlands today seemed to think the optimum method of playing vs ten men is to launch it forward as quickly as possible at a back six)
All I can say is praise the lord we have MD and not MD!
MD was a woefully poor head coach/manager…. but I have high hopes for MD.
MD comes across so so sooo much better than MD in interviews.
MD seems to understand where we were going wrong and has gone back to basics and is developing his system slowly. MD went gung ho with his one and only playing style belief. MD was a div…. MD however is a welcome addition and I think he will do really well for us.
To summarise … I’m glad MD is now gone And extremely happy MD is here…
Couldn’t believe a few getting moany when comfortably leading against 10 and they don’t understand just keeping the ball and wearing the opposition out andpicking your moment is not a bad tactic.
Duff did say in his interview about us going for it right at the end, but we should be doing it in the first minute. Duff also said recently that feeling comfortable in football was a dangerous place to be, where as Dodd’s was always supper relaxed. I think Duff knows exactly what he is doing but Dodd’s really didn’t have a clue.
Two teams low in confidence playing each other. Fine to see our team grow in confidence minute by nninute so that by the end I felt they were playing because they wanted to score rather than the motivation coming from not wanting to lose badly. There was a different feeling from the way they went to the crowd after the final whistle today even compared to the Blackpool game where the crowd were esctatic, but the players seemed mildly embarassed and yesterday when the crowd were happy and players seemed genuinely pleased with themselves.
One possilbe insight for me anyway - I had never thought of Jack Grimmer as a confidence player before, he always gives at least 100%, but it was great to see him believing in his own abilities again. That confidence seemed to perculate through the whole team as the game went on. @railwaybeth’s first live game of the season too.
I did feel a bit for those watching from the Whiffaway stand as the second half ticked away - almost all the play in the distance beyond the halfway line, their goal being peppered and watching the confidence ooze out of their team so they were playiing just trying to avoid losing catastrophically badly.
