Friday 30 October 2020

No Excuses

They say football (indeed most, if not all, sports) is at least as much mental as physical. I think we’ll find out a lot about our squad on Saturday. You might say we already know a great deal as since the takeover there has been no questioning the resolve, determination and character of the players, newcomers or not. No arguments there. Just that we know we will be going into the Portsmouth game in a state of some adversity, given injuries and suspensions, up against the league’s leading scorers on the back of three consecutive wins of their own.

While four consecutive wins and five clean sheets in a row would suggest a high level of confidence, we’ve yet to see how the revamped team will react to going behind in a game. The reaction to the setback of Innis’ sending off was excellent, but we had something to defend and there was no need to chase the game. Sooner or later, unfortunately, we are going to concede a goal; you don’t have five clean sheets in a row without some luck (in addition to very good defending and goalkeeping).

Also, we’ve been playing two games a week for some time now and some might be feeling it, while to the injury list of Pearce, Oshilaja and Gilbey there’s the terrible addition of Alfie Doughty, for at least four months according to Lee Bowyer. And of course for the next game we will be without Watson and Innis, two leaders on the pitch, due to suspension.

This could sound like setting up excuses for failure. On the contrary, it’s to stress that these things shouldn’t be used as such. It’s up to others to step up to the plate and make damned sure that there’s no let-up and to Bowyer and his team to make sure that the attitude is once more spot on.


2 comments:

Sisyphus said...

We looked like the jumble sale team that we are. The squad has some quality items that are damaged, but a lot of mundane worn out items too. What was needed was someone with insight/class to arrange them into attractive display- but instead they were all heaped up.I hope LB does learn the lesson from this- its better to prepare the best possible CAFC team than to totally reorganise to try to negate a lame Hull side.
Thanks BA -

Burgundy Addick said...

Indeed Sisyphus (although did you mean to post the comment here?). I have a suspicion that LB wants to find room in the team for both Pratley and Watson, and Gunter and Matthews, and to do so has to have some out of position. Whatever the motivation it hasn't worked and now we have a few games with no Pratley or Watson. Think the immediate answer is that Maddison and Williams have to come into the picture from the start.