Barnsley v Exeter match thoughts

[POGGYWELL]

Worst performance of the season we looked like a team of strangers that had just been put together.
I don’t know if we are protecting Connell after his injury but that lad should start every game for me.
My goodness we really needed a game changer today but didn’t have one.
Home tactics need examining but full credit to Exeter they never looked like dropping points today.
Our frailties we’re fully exposed so it’s back to the drawing board in my opinion.
Move on

[animallittle3]

and Lincoln , there's a pattern forming ,and future sides will or should see our frailties , their stand in manager stated we had weakness in certain areas , over to you Mr Duff 🤞

Indeed Roma and the problem is playing with the three at the back in my opinion .

This post probably looks like I'm throwing the baby out with the bath water because of today but it isn't because I've not really seen the back three working as a cohesive unit all season .

They've got away with a lot and the flaws get hidden with the odd game when they've done ok amongst it .

They were ok at Hillsborough and last week at Fleetwood but on both occasions our opponents hardly laid a glove on us .

The best I've seen us defend when we were under pressure was at Cambridge when Kitching was sent off and we went to a four and I said so following the game .

For me it's a flat back four and a four or five man midfield .

[animallittle3]

Worst performance of the season we looked like a team of strangers that had just been put together.
I don’t know if we are protecting Connell after his injury but that lad should start every game for me.
My goodness we really needed a game changer today but didn’t have one.
Home tactics need examining but full credit to Exeter they never looked like dropping points today.
Our frailties we’re fully exposed so it’s back to the drawing board in my opinion.
Move on

Connell should have started Poggy .

[POGGYWELL]

No hunger, no energy, no quality’ was Michael Duff’s assessment of Barnsley’s 2-0 loss to Exeter, although he did say Luke Thomas’ horrific injury yesterday ‘might have been a contributing factor

“I knew there would be ups and downs. We have had two home defeats in a similar matter. Both teams only had a few shots on target but our intensity and quality wasn’t there. We will try to get to the bottom of it when we get them in on Monday.”
Luke Thomas had suffered a broken leg in training the previous day. He is due to have surgery on Tuesday and is expected to miss four months.

“In training we were doing a small-sided game, he slid in at the back post to score with no one anywhere near him. His leg got caught underneath him and his studs caught in the ground. He broke his leg and damaged a lot of ligaments in his ankle.
“It’s not an excuse for today but it’s difficult when players see their mate, who is a popular member of the squad, on gas and air, screaming in agony. There is a weirdness in the training, players are not really listening because they’re worried abut Luke. We have to re-pick a team. I can’t blame that on the performance but it might have been a contributing factor. We definitely lacked his energy today.”

[animallittle3]

No hunger, no energy, no quality’ was Michael Duff’s assessment of Barnsley’s 2-0 loss to Exeter, although he did say Luke Thomas’ horrific injury yesterday ‘might have been a contributing factor

“I knew there would be ups and downs. We have had two home defeats in a similar matter. Both teams only had a few shots on target but our intensity and quality wasn’t there. We will try to get to the bottom of it when we get them in on Monday.”
Luke Thomas had suffered a broken leg in training the previous day. He is due to have surgery on Tuesday and is expected to miss four months.

“In training we were doing a small-sided game, he slid in at the back post to score with no one anywhere near him. His leg got caught underneath him and his studs caught in the ground. He broke his leg and damaged a lot of ligaments in his ankle.
“It’s not an excuse for today but it’s difficult when players see their mate, who is a popular member of the squad, on gas and air, screaming in agony. There is a weirdness in the training, players are not really listening because they’re worried abut Luke. We have to re-pick a team. I can’t blame that on the performance but it might have been a contributing factor. We definitely lacked his energy today.”

If it's not an excuse then why mention it ?

I get it shook the group , not a pleasant thing to witness and you call time on the session and get indoors and deal with it as a group .

Without wanting to sound totally heartless it's part n parcel of the game , Collins had his nose smashed to bits , blood all over the place and after he went off we scored two more goals at Cambridge .

They seem to deal with that alright in real time .

If you want to make Luke feel better then go out and smash Exeter and get three points .

[Acido]

That for me is a ludicrous excuse, and I hope Duff isn't suggesting it as our reason for totally under performing.
I also go along with the idea that it should have made them even more determined to want to win it. For us fans and for themselves, and for their missing injured team mate especially.

[Acido]

Btw, the uncle McPapas fizzy pizza tinpot trophy match is just going to be a nuisance during the week.
Because as with any league defeat like this, its important how we react next week away at Bolton, back in the league again. And that was always going to be a huge 6-pointer of a game anyway.

[animallittle3]

Btw, the uncle McPapas fizzy pizza tinpot trophy match is just going to be a nuisance during the week.
Because as with any league defeat like this, its important how we react next week away at Bolton, back in the league again. And that was always going to be a huge 6-pointer of a game anyway.

It wouldn't be a nuisance if I was in charge because the majority of em who started the game today would be starting Tuesday night .

[Jules88]

One to bury. Move on. They weren’t on it from minute one. Some phycological stuff to do, and then tell them to move on as regards the injury. Still a team developing here, and perhaps Manager and Captain haven’t been in such a situation as this before with a bad injury In training….. I’ve seen enough to think that this will be sorted by the coaching team, and worked around to overcome the injury to Thomas.( who was a massive driver of our attack this season so far).
A fortnight to adapt, and we will back firing.

[SBRed48]

We are an above average Third Division team but many players are young and inconsistent.

Duff is doing well with the cards he has been dealt but both he and the players had an off day yesterday.

--Duff should have used the Thomas injury as a big motivator along the lines of "Let's go out there and do it for Luke today" rather than them moping. (Tha dun't read "moping" much nardays in sports reports)

--some of Duff's substitutions were questionable in timing and players.

--key players edda poor day.

--Exeter played well