Hang on tho, didn’t Coach Conor lay out his cards at the start of the season? We’re going 4-4-2, none of that 3-5-2, all wingbacks and pointless extra centre halves (cos they couldn’t stop conceding either). No, we’ll shore up the fullback positions. And it looked ok early on, Watson at right back, Ogbeta left. 10 pts in the opening 4 games, and we’re a McGoldrick chance away from taking the lead at Wimbledon in the 5th. Then the defensive rot set in.
Fast forward 6 months. O’Keeffe, who can’t defend, has been sent back from his loan spell at Stockport and is now right fullback in a 442. Today’s lamb to the slaughter at left back was Gent…who gets done twice in the opening 10 minutes and is eventually hauled for a right back (Watson) who covers himself in no glory at all when he comes on. Then there’s the central two. So much for adding experience and organizational skills. The hapless Roberts has been dropped again (for O’Connell). The Kitchen Fitter gets his usual appearance though, and if I was dropping anybody, I’d start with him.
Their equaliser, a gentle chip into what I will call the Bermuda Triangle (that area inbetwixt the keeper and 2 centre halves, where the ball disappears in terms of our defence). A Terrier runs on and has an unopposed header into our goal from 6 yards out, middle of the goal. A couple of things here, Adie. 1. When the cross is chipped in, our keeper is closer to where the ball lands than their goalscorer and 2. Didzy (!?) is the one who doesn’t track the goalscorer. Oh, and 3. Shepherd and O’Connell are marking the same player (Note: not the goalscorer.) If one of this idiot pair (and this one’s on Shepherd, trotting up behind O’Connell to mark the same bod) held their position instead of getting sucked out of the Bermuda Triangle, the goal would could have been averted. So there’s 3 things that coulda been done better right there. Didzy tracks his man, the keeper comes out and claims, Shepherd stands his position. I’ll throw in a bonus 4th. Does O’Keeffe even TRY to stop the ball coming in? What do you think?
All that hard work, 1st half, gone in an instant. Of course there was only one winner form now on, and even then it wasn’t through constant Town pressure and brilliant creative play. No, we half clear our lines, but we leave TWO players free out on their right (Cleary having left his man). Kelly sprints over, but Watson is marking someone (‘Oh no he isn’t’ – see goalscorer). Shouldn’t he be leaving that player to his centre halves (who’re marking nobody, btw)? The ball is played out wide, knocked in low to the front post and it’s 2-1. So, Adie, are you telling me there’s nothing that can be improved upon from a defensive set-up? It is a horror show.
We endure another massive scare, Crapman coming off his line to claim a corner…and deflecting it into the mixer for a Terrier to turn goalwards, the shot coming off Crapman’s face before Kelly clears off the line. (I am using the benefit of a TV replay here, we couldn’t tell what was going on from the other end.) No wonder he doesn’t like to come out, he’s a calamity. We also survive a clean through after Captain Almost-as-Calamitous gives the ball away for them to break. Was Watson out of position? Only if he’s presuming Connell is going to pass it to a Reds player. (So, yes, out of position.)
I’d like to think I’m a solutions kinda guy (where’s that smiley face emoji?) so here’s a few quick fixes off the top of my head:
1. Send Crapman back. Flavell isn’t good enough either, but it’ll save a wage.
2. Invite defensive coach Keogh to find gainful employment elsewhere. Or stick him in with the juniors and promote someone from within. Cos he’s improving nothing.
3. Drop Shepherd. ‘For who though?’ Anybody. MdG would be my choice. I don’t care whether he can kick a ball with his left peg or not. (Luca Connell only has one foot, but it doesn’t stop him playing central midfield. Well, it does...ho ho.) And anyway, Coach Conor doesn’t mind right-footed players at left back…bloody hypocrite.
4. Put Watson at right back, Ogbeta at left back. If not Ogbeta, a traffic cone. Anybody but Watson, Gent or Earl. Who does that leave?
Let’s not forget the positives. We were the better side in the 1st half, had some promising attacks (McGoldrick scoring, as well as having one disallowed for offside). Shepherd headed over a corner. And the goal was SUMPTIOUS, McGoldrick cutting in from the left and curling it into the far top corner from the apex of the box. That’s his 12th, and he’s come into his own since we sold DKD (perennial Wrexham benchee). If only the transfer window was still open, we could sell Wrexham Didzy as well. Mind, one unintended consequence of selling DKD was that Huddersfield’s winner was scored by a bloke on loan from...Wrexham! (I wonder if we bothered trying to negotiate for a Wrexham forward as part of the DKD negotiations, since they’ve got a half a dozen of them doing nowt.)
Onwards and upwards!
*** McGoldrick. Another excellent game (save for the equalizer). Held ball up, found players, tracked back, made clearing headers.
** Kelly. 2nd half, I thought it was Kelly v Huddersfield, to be frank.
* Banks. I know he only played 1st half, but that could be said for virtually everyone.
Londontykes’ MOTM: 1. McGoldrick 2. Kelly 3. Banks
Despatches:
Has Crapman created history? Managing to lose both Reds-Hudds derby games in the same season, for different sides, is some achievement. And let’s not forget, he got sent off in the Oakwell edition (we still didn’t keep a clean sheet against 10 men). Where’s the Oakwell Historian when you need him? Dave? DAVE???
Pre-match, I hung out with the Galvins in Parish, Huddersfield’s premier alternative bar. Nice Guy Chris had a spare ticket, so I invited my neighbour, Nice Guy Dan. He enjoyed it. (He’s a Town fan.) ‘Come and have a beer with the Belgians after the match’ said Chris. I did. The Belgians didn’t – they’d found Man City-Newcastle tickets going at 25 quid and were off. Good on ‘em.
I also had the honour of joining the vocal Reds minority, as I was sort of kettled up the aisle when I got in and couldn’t find my row. ‘He left cos you’re s***, he left cos you’re s***, Owen Goodman, he left cos you’re s***.’ I was about to correct one of em (the one who asked if I was lost, as I desperately looked around to see if anyone wasn’t wearing Burberry) but I thought better of it. When I eventually found Wadd, he said the Hudds retorted ‘he left cos he’s s***’…etc That’s what I was gonna say! Further attempts at getting under the Terriers’ skin came back to bite as we heard ‘2-1 to the dog shaggers’. But by then the only chants we had were criticizing the board for being ‘greedy ba*tards’ (is it only 6 mill a year they’re putting in?) and calling for them to sell up. And then we boo the team off. (I’m getting de ja vous. Haven’t we been here before?)
Drink du jour: Vocation Krush Hour at Parish and the Kings Head (post match), Punch Drunk at Slaithwaite’s Sixth Fiend.
Away: 2,336 (19,052). Sellout away end. But why don’t they let us have the whole stand? The ground is 6,000 short of capacity. ‘We dunt want away fans’ a charmless man tells me outside.
The Damage:
£2 bus
£3.50 train
£25 ent
= £30.50
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