Being able to make a couple of changes and freshen things up in midfield is good. Prior to January we never had enough quality to change things but the additions are allowing Marti to rest players without damaging the overall team performance.
Just hoping that Dieng doesn't return and have a blinder.
That was my feeling about seeing Dieng's name on the sheet! Fairly subdued here with only 40 mins to go.... COYRS!
It looked a decent first half and we had a couple of good chances but that man Dieng got his hand to both.
Substitutions look bizarre, Frey may not be a goalscorer but he does at least understand the game of football whereas Dykes is effectively just some bloke that's been dragged of an Australian beach. Taking Chair off is baffling, how Willock remains in the lineup is odd as well. Smyth is the most dangerous player we have, his pace devastates defenders, the decision not to start him, once again baffling. Madness playing three number 10s who each want to play in each others space, its utterly ludicrous and tactically stupid. It's okay if you're playing 3v3 in training but you seldom get those opportunities in a game to get your three 10s together to make something happen. Baffling.
2nd half was very flat. Boro changed their tactics and Marti got it wrong, sticking with pre-planned subs rather than trying to swing the game back in our favour.
We have to be glad Blackburn and Plymouth drew as that keeps them both in the mix.
I don't know if the players were leggy after Wednesday night, but we just never got it together in the second half. Fair play to Middlesbrough, they soaked up pressure and hit us on the break. Did a bit of a number on us to be honest. I don't understand Dykes for Frey? He offered nothing after coming on, were as Frey looked to close down and harass. Would like to see Armstrong, and Frey on at some point v's Sunderland.
The 2nd half was poor and we never really threatened at all. The substitutions didn't work and I thought that the full back had Smyth in his pocket. Apparently Dykes came on for Frey but he was wearing his invisible kit because I didn't notice him. The striker position has been a major issue all season and neither Frey, Dykes or Armstrong currently look good enough at this level. Frey might argue that the service he's had has been poor and I don't disagree because Illias always wants to shoot rather than looking up to see whose in a better position.
Marti has had plenty of plaudits but today he got things wrong. After the WBA game you'd have thought he'd have had them working with the set piece team to try something different when we get a corner but it's all so predictable. Andersen floats the ball into the goal mouth and the defenders head it away or the goal keeper catches it. In the last 2 games we've had 29 corners and hardly created troubled the opposition's defence.
The worst QPR player by a mile was Begovic who is now over the hill and wasn't agile enough to get to their first and then to get beaten from an acute angle header at his near post is diabolical.
Negatives: Willock offered very little in attack, nothing in midfield, and even less in defence; dead balls are STILL not being exploited; and none of the 'strikers' seemed likely to score.
Negatives: Willock offered very little in attack, nothing in midfield, and even less in defence; dead balls are STILL not being exploited; and none of the 'strikers' seemed likely to score.
A frustrating watch!
What I find most frustrating is that this was another game where we had the majority of possession, lots of corners but just 2 shots on goal. As good as Chair can be I find his insistence on shooting when there is a QPR player available in a more effective position very poor decision making.
Let’s hope today was just a off day We were raising the roof this time last week You take the rough with the smooth I’m pissed off tonight but the players have been much better in the last 10 games than they were with ainsworth by a mile I’m still worried we could go down but Christ knows if we will survive or not Marti is a good manager let’s hope he can save us
