MATCHWATCH : Peterborough United (h)

[Brogue]

I can’t remember a performance where the entire team were less than 5 out of 10. Not one decent performance. The quality of passing was embarrassing for professional players. I just hope the manages has the decency to apologize to the poor fans who had to sit through that rubbish.

I await Richardson's post match comments with interest. There really are no positives to find in that performance, and don't even try to mention the 1st half handball shout.

He needs to be very clear he that what he saw tonight wasn't acceptable and that if players want a future at this club they must do better.

He needs to look at his own performance which I’m sure he will

Absolutely need a new big striker in asap. Maybe two.

And a new manager

[Armadillo Roadkill]

Hardly original for me to say: that was just excruciating. Beyond awful. Inept, disorganised, clueless.

There was some evidence of effort. Doyle was our best player, so he got subbed. Abrefa was OK. That's honestly about it.

I know it was a collective failure, and hence not the fault of any single individual, but we have to acknowledge Wing was just awful. He got just about everything wrong.

Richardson has not improved things. If anything, we've got worse. As other have said, we are not too good to go down by any means.

[windermereROYAL]

A penny for your thoughts Noel.

[LUX]

Depressing, very poor. Wing played as an extra central defender, which is just a waste, especially at home.

But I stayed to applaud the players .

[Crowbar6753]

Our passing out of defense was terrible and that includes the keeper! and the rest of the passing was bad also!!! Sorry but passing a simple ball from A to B should be the very basics for any pro footballer!! you would like to think basic triangles are a given every day in training so why are we so bad
I think its time for an overhaul in midfield and try something different as its clearly not working! Rinomhota was Cardiff's POS so why not give him a shout!! Stick him in front of the back four and give the defender's an easy out ball....what's the point of signing Rino if he's not getting game time.
In the second half against Blackpool we were passing great and creating chances and making the game look easy, what a difference 10 days makes. Maybe i'm wrong, maybe we need to give Peterbrough some credit for doing their homework. what i do know is, if we play like that against Bradford we will lose and by a few goals to boot!!!

[Bigtimmeh]

I agree with others in that I think that was probably our worst home league performance of the season.

We couldn't string more than 5 passes together, we would then go long, bit we don't have the players for the long ball game. We couldn't deal with their press and defensively we were slow and scared to close down.

For me this just proves that Hunt was not the problem The problem is that recruitment has been no where near as good as it was the past few seasons. Despite the difficult circumstances, most of the players we signed are now playing at a higher level and doing well.

With the group that we have this season, only maybe 3 or 4 of them would be of any interest to other clubs even at the same level.

Has Bowen leaving had an impact on the quality of our signings?

Either way, if we are going to carry on with these long balls, we at least need a striker who can win them. January should be an interesting time, the signings may reveal what the new owner really thinks of this season so far..

[Royals and Racers]

Crowd 9193

[WestYorksRoyal]

For me this just proves that Hunt was not the problem The problem is that recruitment has been no where near as good as it was the past few seasons. Despite the difficult circumstances, most of the players we signed are now playing at a higher level and doing well.

But Hunt is culpable for that! As manager last season, he should have been giving Carey, Jacobson and Couhig a clear profile on the type of players the team needed to progress, but as far as I can see the only requirement was "decent lads". Hunt created this mess; Richardson has inherited it and needs more time.

[Hound]

I do find the conclusion that this dreadful performance means Hunt should have stayed/wasn’t to blame an odd take. He basically signed half of this side and we’re trying to recover from the mess he left

Still can’t get my head round how bad we were, esp second half. But also just exactly what LR was expecting to happen with those players on the pitch.

Agree Wing was a big problem last night. He was woeful.

[Extended-Phenotype]

Has anyone else noticed that in the post match interviews Leam starts every answer with “Absolutely”.

It’s nearly as annoying as his football.

[WestYorksRoyal]

I think Rinomhota should play when fit. Energy in the middle of the park and ball carrying ability. Surprised he didn't come on yesterday.

[RG30]

Worst performance of the season and I sat through most of the matches in Hunt's reign. The 2 CB's were really poor, looked all over the place. 1st half they were so wide of each other splitting it was asking for trouble. Wing plays far too deep and just doesn't look suited for the role. Danny K usual very hit and miss. Given both ourselves and P'Boro sacked the managers at the same time practically, one looked far better coached and organized in that short space of time.

[Linden Jones' Tash]

Additional observations:

I thought the substitutions were odd tonight.

Kelvin E taken off just as he'd scored and was probably buzzing....

Two full backs swapped in the last 10 minutes when we were looking for an equaliser....?

And in addition to our fundamental problem (midfield isn't working), we look so lacking in pace, despite evidently pacy players in the side - which must mean we aren't using it properly...

Disappointing given the time the manager had to come up with an approach...

[leon]

Sounds like it was a good match to miss.

In the cold light of day how bad was it actually?

[windermereROYAL]

Just woken up and hoped it was a bad dream, unfortunately not. how on earth can a bunch of professional footballers step over the white line and put in a performance like that?
Absolutely clueless in every department all over the pitch, Posh had clearly done their homework on Danny K after Blackpool, they didn`t give him an inch.
I was considering doing player markings but that would be pointless in every sense of the word.
What has happened to Wing and Savage?, they`re shadows of the players we`ve come to know.
We just had no way past their high press other than launch it to Kelvin who`s useless in the air or 5 ft 8inch Marriott. failing that it was too long or out of play.
What I found disappointing with LRs post match interview, not once did he acknowledge what a dreadful showing it was. just that it will improve, it better had because on that showing we are in a big relegation fight.

[Hound]

Sounds like it was a good match to miss.

In the cold light of day how bad was it actually?

It hasn’t got any better

Tbf first half hour we were pretty good other than missing chances. After that, just no

[Hound]

Additional observations:

I thought the substitutions were odd tonight.

Kelvin E taken off just as he'd scored and was probably buzzing....

Two full backs swapped in the last 10 minutes when we were looking for an equaliser....?

And in addition to our fundamental problem (midfield isn't working), we look so lacking in pace, despite evidently pacy players in the side - which must mean we aren't using it properly...

Disappointing given the time the manager had to come up with an approach...

In my mind the subs cost us the game 100%. Fck knows what LR was thinking

Rino should have come on for one. No issues with the FB changes but too late

I can only assume KE was injured or something. Why you’d take someone off on the hour after scoring (a goal he basically earned himself with a good header and then striker instinct) is beyond me. And then to sub him and Doyle off and lose all physical presence and creativity, play Williams out of position and bring on Marriott and Ritchie who were both awful, gave us not outlet and may as well have not been on the pitch

I find it genuinely baffling that anyone, including our manager it seems, thinks you can win games with a 5ft7 striker up front on his own, supported by 3 more short arses in this division. They’d have to be really really good players - and they’re not.

[traff]

Has anyone else noticed that in the post match interviews Leam starts every answer with “Absolutely”.

It’s nearly as annoying as his football.

totally
completely
entirely
utterly
positively
wholly
fully
quite
thoroughly
certainly
downright
perfectly
honestly
categorically
radically
undoubtedly
unquestionably
flat-out
basically
unqualifiedly
really
purely
altogether
assuredly
indisputably
indubitably
indeed

[Extended-Phenotype]

Sounds like it was a good match to miss.

In the cold light of day how bad was it actually?

I think what is most disappointing is that LR has come in and failed to fix or even address the problems in midfield. It needs a complete overhaul, not LR whispering in Lewis Wing’s ear “get forward a bit”.

It’s tough on Doyle, as I think he has improved somewhat and Savage is doing okay but only on an individual basis; they are occasionally putting a shift in despite the midfield being shit, their occasionally good performances aren’t evidence that it’s not a total mess.

[Hound]

Sounds like it was a good match to miss.

In the cold light of day how bad was it actually?

I think what is most disappointing is that LR has come in and failed to fix or even address the problems in midfield. It needs a complete overhaul, not LR whispering in Lewis Wing’s ear “get forward a bit”.

It’s tough on Doyle, as I think he has improved somewhat and Savage is doing okay but only on an individual basis; they are occasionally putting a shift in despite the midfield being shit, their occasionally good performances aren’t evidence that it’s not a total mess.

That’s fair

Doyle is improving but not there yet. See him as more of a supporting forward, and he is linking ok with KE and DK. Savage and Wing aren’t working as a pair, but they are probably our two most high profile players. Rino sat on the bench, Fraser back fit apparently

Wonder if he’ll be brave enough to try changing things