Cardiff Post-Match thoughts.....retire to a safe distance

[Old_time_miller]

If the (alleged) new owners turned up today a new manager will be their immediate priority.

And a shed load sent packing and half a squad brought in. Which is in the summer.
Too much is heaped on Hamshaw, some of the individual performances were dreadful, outclassed. Performances of the likes of Jules, McWilliams, many more speak for themselves. The manager does not kick the ball. That is not to say he is faultless, but remember also who we were playing. But, now, I would not have gone 3 at the back or have Agbaire on the bench when defending like that is going off.

[RU66]

Can't blame Dawson. Spence their 2nd. Martha 3rd put no challenge in. Only centre back we've brought in this up to it is Baptist. Where's Douglas & Duncan? Gore who Evans signed only midfielder same good enough apart from Benson whose injured most of the time. Signing all lightweight forwards doesn't give that option of a target man up front.

[Scum-Triumphant]

I?m stuck between them being very good and us being very poor
With 10 men they gave us no time on the ball and closed us down quickly and aggressively.
McWilliams was a passenger. He needs Gore because he hasn?t got the work rate and gets lost.
The formation made no sense. As soon as as they went to 10. We should have put Rafferty and James at full back and put big Dave into midfield to hold and limited the space in midfield.
But I work at a college. I?m not a football manager so it?s just my opinion.

Best part of the day was the presentation to King Ronnie.
What a legend and great to see the Cardiff fans join in.
He didn?t have the best of times there as a player.
But what a great character he is.

[Stansmate]

Anyone watching yesterdays game and possibly the most depressing after match interview must surely see MH doesn’t have the ability to sort the sorry mess were in.

As a player listening to that would you be inspired ??

He really should go for his own sake he is broken !

[millers88]

Having had time to reflect I still think that is the worst tactical display I've ever seen from a Rotherham manager. I don't understand how we can set up against 10 men and not being able to find gaps but at the same time we have gaps defensively for the opposition to penetrate. I'm still lost for words for what I've seen yesterday.

[Derbymiller]

So McWilliams brilliant against Exeter and awful yesterday, could it be that he had a potential move away lined up but it fell through last minute? Speculation of course because he was really bad yesterday.
Looking at it using some maths the next two games are critical in relation to our chances of staying up. Two draws is the minimum because it stops them pulling away, a single win and a defeat helps us with one team but not the other. Four points from those two games is really our target as it will vastly increase our survival probability. The fact is we have to do that with a bloke that can’t select a team or make sensible substitutes at key times and no Dan Gore and likely no Joe Powell, which weakens our midfield and chance creation massively. Where was the lad from villa yesterday, surely a better choice than Martha.

[Back of the net]

Having had time to reflect I still think that is the worst tactical display I've ever seen from a Rotherham manager. I don't understand how we can set up against 10 men and not being able to find gaps but at the same time we have gaps defensively for the opposition to penetrate. I'm still lost for words for what I've seen yesterday.

Because he isn?t a manager. He?s a coach a very good one.
He?s also a better football manager than me.
But I?m not getting paid to do that job so that?s not a great benchmark
He?s tactically inept and doesn?t have the nouse or experience to manage at this level.
For those of us who aren?t wearing rose tinted glasses it?s obvious.
Any other manager gets the sack at most clubs but it seems good old Matt from Rotherham is judged by a different standard.
When we are in league 2 some will still believe it?s worth it which is unbelievable and defies logic or rational thinking.

[Timbertop]

Where is the evidence of him being a very good coach ?

[Beaufighter]

I've not looked what anyone else has posted before posting my view. Sometimes you just have to put your hands up and say we were beaten by the better team. In the championship, we were regularly beaten by the better team, but I thought Cardiff were outstanding today. From the word go they were always in control, their movement both in attack and defence gave them spaces to get in behind in attack, and made it difficult for us to get in good areas when trying to attack. We can talk long and hard about how bad we played, but sometimes you just have to put your hands up and say we were beaten by the better team. All in all I can't think of anything positive to say about our performance today, but I personally think that was way more down to how Cardiff played than how we did, they are by some distance the best team I have seen at ours this season and played for over an hour with a man less, we move on to the next game. UTM

Very much how I saw it too and, trying really hard (more than the team did) maybe a gutsy battling performance would have still resulted in a defeat against excellent opposition but with more injuries? Also, if we are to have one abject cowardly performance in this part of the season, maybe it?s better to have it in a game we were never going to win anyway and get it out of the way? And with that I?m all out of straws to clutch at.

[DonPageFanClub]

If there was ever a football manual on how NOT to play against 10 men yesterday was it , that was a disgrace , I really want matt to succeed, but yesterday was as bad as it gets,we were given a real opportunity yesterday when they had a player sent off , Cardiff are good and are top for a reason , but there not arsenal. We have 2 good solid, full backs in James and Rafferty , why play them as wing backs , Gore was missing and a big miss but why alter, the whole set up for one player ,, Kelly could play there or yearwood, Douglas is a midfielder not a center half. Baptist could have played there, we are making average league 1 sides look good playing this stupid system that doesn't suit us , we could all see what was wrong yesterday apart from matt ,and if he can't see it he has to go

[mellowmiller]

McWilliams' performance yesterday reminded me of a Sunday league player who had been out on the ale the night before and had a hangover. He just strolled around, was second to every ball and if an opponent ran past him he just let him go.
He could have been hooked after 20 minutes and I doubt if anyone would have complained or been surprised

Another big disappointment for me is Kian Spence. He occasionally puts his foot in and runs about a bit but he's generally ineffective and often has a critical mistake in him.
The biggest crime for a midfielder is that he doesn't show for the ball, in fact he hides.
There were several occasions yesterday when there were big spaces in the middle of the park when our defenders were in possession but instead of moving into them to receive the ball he stayed behind an opponent.
I don't like players who hide and they're certainly not the type we need in a fight.

If Powell's injury is going to keep him out for any length of time the midfield is going to have to be remodelled anyway so I'm just hoping some of the new boys have got a bit of spirit and a desire to get on the ball to make things happen.

[Brin]

For those who like pain.....here it is again. Not good viewing at all with some glaring mistakes all over the place.

1st goal - Baptiste isn't tight enough across on Tanner to challenge for the high ball coming in. He doesn't then even stick tight enough to stop the cross coming in. Dawson has full view of the shot but goes down like a falling tree in a wood.....too slow.

Back to us and if Gray had scored, and he should have from there, a different game and mindset from our lot?

2nd goal - Spence at fault losing the ball but just look where Adegboyega's positonal defending is. Absolutely in no mans land and totally unaware there is a player to his right. Dawson comes out and attempts to close the shot down but but all too easy for them to score.

1:30 seconds in. Four yes four of ours surrounding Kpakio and then it falls to Colwill who then is surrounded now by Five! of ours yet he finds the space to break free and still finds time for a cheeky flick over the top (great skill and awareness) and luckily they don't score from that. It was like watching the Keystone Cops with that passage of play.

3rd goal - Doesn't show it but ALL Marthas fault. Off he went showboating again with two pathetic step overs then lays an hospital ball off to Biancheri who stood no chance of ever getting to it. Ball robbed and they break easily. Martha who had chased back, for once, got nowhere near his man and Daniels made him look a clown by beating him and scoring.

I've said it before I'll say it again. Martha is the worse signing of all recruited this season. The body of a boy, straw weight who doesn't even make featherweight, a showboating pony who should never wear a Millers shirt again until he can show in training he can offer more and deliver much much better. Didn't Hamshaw once quote, non verbatim, 'He's that good he shouldn't even be in this league'

Our only hope is he shines in the World Cup and an offer is made for him close season.

[MillerBill]

Had Gore been available he would have cut out the freedom Osho had.He was a constant danger and his ability to send that clinical pass to either Tanner or Willock was so effective, especially with the space we allowed them out wide.I could not see why we persisted with McWilliams when he offered very little.The front lads were given very little by our midfield and the defence was all over the place at times.We have work to do and this week is essential to get the new players involved with hopefully Gore,Kaleta,Hall,Douglas and Benson getting involved soon.Please,please,please Hammy ,stop playing this back three and go to a four.

[CAMiller]

What are the rules on subs? I know it's 5 but I thought you could only have 3 breaks in play so I assume HT doesn't count.

With that in mind I was surprised Whatmore got on yesterday and I know he's been out and it was only a cameo appearance but on yesterday's brief showing he made Kion Etete look like Usain Bolt in the speed department.

[Derbymiller]

For those who like pain.....here it is again. Not good viewing at all with some glaring mistakes all over the place.

1st goal - Baptiste isn't tight enough across on Tanner to challenge for the high ball coming in. He doesn't then even stick tight enough to stop the cross coming in. Dawson has full view of the shot but goes down like a falling tree in a wood.....too slow.

Back to us and if Gray had scored, and he should have from there, a different game and mindset from our lot?

2nd goal - Spence at fault losing the ball but just look where Adegboyega's positonal defending is. Absolutely in no mans land and totally unaware there is a player to his right. Dawson comes out and attempts to close the shot down but but all too easy for them to score.

1:30 seconds in. Four yes four of ours surrounding Kpakio and then it falls to Colwill who then is surrounded now by Five! of ours yet he finds the space to break free and still finds time for a cheeky flick over the top (great skill and awareness) and luckily they don't score from that. It was like watching the Keystone Cops with that passage of play.

3rd goal - Doesn't show it but ALL Marthas fault. Off he went showboating again with two pathetic step overs then lays an hospital ball off to Biancheri who stood no chance of ever getting to it. Ball robbed and they break easily. Martha who had chased back, for once, got nowhere near his man and Daniels made him look a clown by beating him and scoring.

I've said it before I'll say it again. Martha is the worse signing of all recruited this season. The body of a boy, straw weight who doesn't even make featherweight, a showboating pony who should never wear a Millers shirt again until he can show in training he can offer more and deliver much much better. Didn't Hamshaw once quote, non verbatim, 'He's that good he shouldn't even be in this league'

Our only hope is he shines in the World Cup and an offer is made for him close season.

Brin I have to agree with you about Martha, that substitution yesterday sums up MH for me, out of 7,500 people for Rotherham how many would have had him on the bench never mind on at half-time? MH answer to starting with three at the back was pathetic and shows for me a man that is stubborn and not willing to listen, he did move to a four but took the captain and natural right full back off and put a CB there, these are not the decisions of a man that knows what he is doing. Where was Douglas and the lad from Villa, by the way? Without Powell and Gore this is a powder puff team, with a coach that openly admits he doesn’t know why we performed like that and why the players didn’t listen to his and his coaching teams instructions.