Originally Posted by
MadAmster
Boro should have been out of sight by half time and we can thank them for keeping it down to 1 goal at the break. They pressed and harried and we stood off. They got to play their football and we didn't. I have no idea why we didn't change tactics after 15 minutes and it is a mystery to me. It's hard to think of a player who didn't get caught in possession at least once in the first half. Where was the energy, the intensity of the previous 4 or 5 games (including the 3-0 defeat at Reading)? Nowhere to be seen.
18th minute, Lawro gets put away inside the box, the ball on his better foot. 99 out of every 100 players would have taken the shot. Tom didn't. He cut back inside on his weaker foot and lost the ball...... again. He put in one good piece of work that led to the first goal direct form an intended cross but we'll take them all. Apart from that he was pretty anonymous apart from gving a foul away and then getting petulant with the fouled player and shouting at the ref. Mentally, IMO, there is something amiss with him. He didn't attempt many tackles (3 all game, I think it was) so only gave away the one foul. Not impressed by him yet again. Brilliant against HTFC and Boro earlier in the season, less than average and at times a liability since. I've said it before, there is a very good player in there somewhere but we don't seem able to find it other than once every 10 games. A luxury we can't afford.
2nd half we were more like the team that had 3 wins and a draw from their previous 4 games. We pressed them, we played 15 yards further up the pitch and get the better of them. Lucky equaliser IMO as it was an intended cross that sailed in. Their penalty was one IMO. Needless tackle from behind and he got nothing on the ball and the ref got an easy decision right. Over the 90 minutes a draw was about the right result.
Hamer - Played well enough, not to blame for either goal.
Bogle - Seemed to drift in and out of the game. To me he still needs reminding that he is a defender first and foremost and that ambling back when they are on the counter is wrong.
Davies - Decent game. Needs to work on is passing.
Clarke - Played well but got caught in possession way too often in the 1st half.
Lowe - Another who lost possession a few times but, in the main, went and got it back.
Bird - Not a good 1st half, way better in the 2nd.
Rooney - Not the influencer he was in his previous 2 games.
Holmes - Ditto Bird. Great strike for the equaliser
Knight - Average 1st half. Better 2nd half. Lucky with the equaliser but they all count.
Waghorn - Couldn't get more than a toe on the one half chance he got. Put a shift in mainly to no avail
Lawrence - Needs a rest and some time with a Sports Psychologist and/or a shrink. A luxury we can't afford at the moment.