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Looks to be a decent result, especially after going a goal down in under a minute.
More interesting, the bottom 6 teams in the division have all played us!!
not sure whether that is because they played us (but 2 of them beat us) or whether it says more about the artificiality of our position?
I said earlier in the week that Leeds aside we hadn't really played anyone.
However Brentford are a good side and Blackburn went 3 up at Stoke.
My mate said first half today was very impressive.
No unbeaten sides after 8 games, another rollercoaster season in store?
Our one and only blunder happened on 55 seconds when Tomori lost Dalsgaard and his looping header went in off the bar, giving Carson no chance. Apart from that, it was the ultimate performance. Yes, there were short periods where Brentford slightly had the advantage but you are never going to boss the entire 90 minutes.
That's 3 League games in 8 days, starting with a loss, then a draw and a win. The loss was a poor day at the office, the draw saw us do everything but score and the win was simply excellent. What all 3 games had in common is that even the defeat was an enjoyable game to watch.
Wilson had a very good game. His first one for the club IMO. What are the areas on which he needs to improve? He has a little bit of Russellitis in him. Blind alleys and wanting to go too far with the ball when there are good passing opportunities available. His biggest flaw is his immense leftfootedness. How many times did he lose the ball against Brentford because they knew that the ball would be very close to his left foot so they knew exactly where it would be and took it off him? He really needs to work on his right foot and gain the confidence to do more with it than just stand on it.
Mount was brilliant. His point for improvement is vision. Brentford tried, as often as possible, to double and even triple team him. That led to him trying to get past them and losing out more often than is good for the team. He ignores chances to pass early, just like Wilson. Get that right and he will have the whole package IMO.
In short, two great young talents playing very well with room for improvement. That augurs well for us this season and for them in their future careers.
As you all probably know, I am no great lover of the Brothers Madley. DYS supporting absolutely awful refs are comments I have frequently made about them. I doff my cap to Andy for his performance yesterday. His first half was one of the best refereeing performances I have seen in a long while by any ref at any level. In the 2nd half he partially reverted to type but was still much, much better than he usually is. More of the same in future please Andy and pass the word on to your brother.
Finally, an immense performance from the Rams yesterday. None of the players had a bad game. So, who was MOTM? As good as the rest were, they were all nowhere near the level of performance of................ Craig Bryson. Not a blade of grass he didn't tread on. He was everywhere doing everything. Immense.
Bryson back to somewhere near his best would be like a new signing and exactly what we have been missing the past couple of seasons.
IMO we've lost a large number games in that period due to ineffectiveness and an inability to control midfield - last time we played open and attractive football was Hendrick, Hughes and Bryson.
Mason Mount clearly has the attributes to be a top class footballer and Southgate must be purring at the prospect of him and Phil Foden.
Agree with you about Wilson, there is a very good player there if his decision making improves and I'm sure that will be something the management team are working on.
Special mention for Bogle. I don't want to get to carried away but this lad is a tremendous prospect. His composure and confidence are unbelievable for someone of his age. I'd be very surprised if a big club didn't make an approach come the end of the season.
And the last one I will mention is Tomori, I've been racking my brains to think who he reminded me of .... Ledley King. He has that burst of pace over ten yards, reads the game very well and has skill and confidence (possibly a bit too much) to match. Who drops out when Davies is fit?
Manx
Good game summary, thanks MA. I did say in the close season that one of our best signings of the summer could in fact be someone already on the books, and as the season progresses CB could prove worth every penny of the rumoured £1.35m we DIDN'T sell him to Cardiff for. A pal who did go was also raving to me last eve about Johnson, not a dynamo at the Bryson level, but certainly a step up in performance and influence over previous seasons. Opinion on that?Quote:
Originally Posted by MadAmster
This is the BJ we signed as opposed to the one we got........ If Bryson had had a shocker rather than the MOTM performance he showed then any one of the other 10 starters would have been a great shout for MOTM.Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy_Faber
That is 2 assists with cracking long lofted passes in the past 3 games. Lots of interceptions. Seems to have cut out the stupidity that sees him get far too easily booked. Looks like he has found his sensible head.
2 points separate us I think. Hope we both build on this week and a good rivalry all the way.
But really hard after 9 games to pick the promotional candidates, although I still think WBA will go up and Leeds and Boro should be there.
A bit of a stumble by Leeds, but Bielsa remains the top manager in this division given his experience and tactics, although not in this league. If he gets it right, there's no stopping them.
Fozzy is looking good again...... at last.