Matchday Thread The Plastics v Preston North End - 10/11/23 - KO:8PM - Championship

[Schemer]

I thought his cameo was pretty poor. I'm not as harsh a critic as a few on this forum but Brady now does have a feel of player in his 30s who's a step behind everyone on the pitch in terms of getting to 50/50 balls and receiving passes.

To me it was a game where the midfield really started to function well. Browne was class (he obviously knows the importance) and wonderful finish, comfortably Whiteman's best 90 minutes of the season which is no surprise as he's been back a month now so getting into his rhythm and Holmes pressed, got the team up the pitch and very unlucky not to score.

That trio need to be locked in now for the foreseeable future. No putting Ledson in because Lowe is scared of one of the Boro midfielders in a few weeks unless there's an injury or a suspension. What Lowe selects as the 2-3 attackers is still up to him as I thought Millar's end product was abysmal, he wasted so many good positions whereas Mads could pick those passes out as he did finding Whiteman for the glorious winner.

I don't think I'm alone but I must be missing something with Whiteman. Fair enough, a decent assist but take that away and I thought he was largely anonymous for most of the game. I honestly forgot he was on the pitch.

 

[Mancunian White]

Genuinely couldn't name half their team pre kick off. I do like Szmodzics, he reminds me a bit of Danny Ings in terms of how he drifts around the frontline so can see him ending up in premier league in a few years time if he scores a bit more regularly

I was amazed to find out he's 28. No chance he makes it to the Prem imo.

 

[Schemer]

Yep I'm not expecting much in January at all given what was signed (eventually) this summer. Riddler has also mentioned in interviews since there's hardly any room for manoeuvre with regards FFP so advanced warning there at least.

It will just be a freebie young loan from prem. However we've seen the impact Cannon and Archer made in half a season so get that right and that one player could still play a huge part in a top 6 challenge.

We need 2, ideally 3 - a LWB, LCB and cover for RCB.
Due to Cunningham's extension, a LCB is unlikely and I assume Whatmough (a lazy, opportunistic signing in my view) will be expected to cover for Storey but a specialist LWB is essential if we are to have any chance of the top six.

 

[justinr73]

I was amazed to find out he's 28. No chance he makes it to the Prem imo.

Seems like he’s been around forever to me but then I suppose I used to live fairly close to Colchester.

 

[raefil]

I don’t understand the Dolan bashing on here, walks into our team

Ive seen dolan many times, hes a very good player, FWIW someone needs to tell him to calm down when playing PNE. He always seems to be wanting to prove a point and it really does affect his game.

 

[llanroc]

Ive seen dolan many times, hes a very good player, FWIW someone needs to tell him to calm down when playing PNE. He always seems to be wanting to prove a point and it really does affect his game.

He was still a thorn in our side whilst he was on the pitch. When he was in our Youth Team, he was criticised for not being a team player, but that seems to be way behind him now.

 

[raefil]

4 of the best teams in the league?
Last night he was lucky that we didn’t concede that gift for Sigurdsson. And he should have followed Szmodics for their goal.. didn’t read that at all. Then decide to stroll back when woodman come off his line.
Against Sunderland he was on the wrong end of every one of their chances created. If he was 28 he would be slated to the ground.
Maybe he’s not a defender but seems too slow also

Fee fi Fo fum, I smell the blood of a lasher WUM 😉

 

[Warton PNE]

Honestly, sometimes you just have to hold your hands up and say what a ‘we have a younger starting 11’ win that is.

A great achievement for Rovers 👏🏻

 

[Doc Brown]

Best with a 3.5 is absolutely ridiculous.

Yep, laughable rating.

 

[Double J]

Ive seen dolan many times, hes a very good player, FWIW someone needs to tell him to calm down when playing PNE. He always seems to be wanting to prove a point and it really does affect his game.

This I agree with.

Embarrassed himself chucking Best yesterday. Stunk of bitterness that he made it here whilst Neil (wrongly) binned Dolan off.

 

[OB1]

Could’ve done with Browney getting booked last night. On 4 yellows so would rather be missed Cardiff than Boro

 

[Steamin_Train]

Sorry if this has already been mentioned elsewhere, some very favourable comments from neutral fans across the country, based on what they watched last night and feelings towards our historic club.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67305350

 

[Kathryn]

What do the following have in common?

PNE 0 - 4 West Brom
PNE 2 - 2 Southampton
Ipswich 4 - 2 PNE
Leicester 3 - 0 PNE

err ... Best didn't play in any of them.

The only game Best has played in and we have conceded more than 1 goal was Coventry.

With the exception of the Coventry game we have conceded 1 or nil goals in every other (league) game this season other than the above four. Three of those four were pretty dire but absolutely nobody can put that at Best's door. Oh, and Hughes played in the West Brom debacle.

I think one needs to give one's head a little wobble.

Best came on as a late sub at Leicester but we were already losing by then. He also played at Hull. Those are the only games he’s played where we’ve lost, but we’ve never lost when he’s started.

 

[sports rehab]

It's a very odd rating. He's 18 and was last night playing in position he probably wouldn't have been coming through the youth sides.

Yeah his positioning wasn't great when they were countering but look at what he was contributing at the other end. Don Goodman was enthusing about that cross he sent in for Milutin, not Best's fault he couldn't stay onside for that.

Best is potentially a top player in the making. A young player actually created by this club as very few come through from academy to fully establish themselves in championship so a bit odd he's been rated as miles below everyone else on the pitch as I didn't see that at all.

LCB is exactly the position he played at YT for at least 2 seasons

 

[Seamustasmania]

I’m not going to ’give it you in the neck’ because I practically agree with most of your ratings and I also agree with the odd comment regarding Best, but 3.5 really? If you’d given Best a 6, I may even have given your post a like. I accept we all have different opinions about players, but the likes of Jude Bellingham weren’t all that great when first brought into the team apart from potential. He will get better with experience, but when we’ve so far won 87.5% of games that Best has started in, I’d be reluctant to leave him out if I was Manager.

3.5 is a wee bit too harsh . You’d get a five for tucking in your shirt and running out well. The fact is he started and finished the game if someone said that a player got a 3.5 you’d ask was he subbed on the 30 minute mark .. having said that you are right in a lot of ways . He is a long way from the finished article but by the same token he is a long way from a 3:5 .. personally I’d have given him a 6.5

 

[Sid Snot]

3.5 is a wee bit too harsh.

I stopped reading at '3.5'. The poster is obviously a lasher on a wummimg trip. No explanation in the world could ever justify 3.5.

 

[wld]

I don't think I'm alone but I must be missing something with Whiteman. Fair enough, a decent assist but take that away and I thought he was largely anonymous for most of the game. I honestly forgot he was on the pitch.

I agree. I said last night that when there is a player that seems to be highly rated by others but not me I try to look for what I’m missing but I just can’t see it with Whiteman. He’s relatively slow, seems flat footed in the tackle, reactive rather than proactive and doesn’t seem to play an incisive pass very often.

Some might say he’s out of position but the place he’s playing is probably the only position he could play in our formation.

 

[Seamustasmania]

I agree. I said last night that when there is a player that seems to be highly rated by others but not me I try to look for what I’m missing but I just can’t see it with Whiteman. He’s relatively slow, seems flat footed in the tackle, reactive rather than proactive and doesn’t seem to play an incisive pass very often.

Some might say he’s out of position but the place he’s playing is probably the only position he could play in our formation.

It seems sometimes that the attraction of Whiteman, to some, is that he’s not Ledson ..

 

[noelpne]

Great movement from Lindsay to get in front of that defender. Plus weaving before he got there .

And a great cross, too.

 

[OB1]

I agree. I said last night that when there is a player that seems to be highly rated by others but not me I try to look for what I’m missing but I just can’t see it with Whiteman. He’s relatively slow, seems flat footed in the tackle, reactive rather than proactive and doesn’t seem to play an incisive pass very often.

Some might say he’s out of position but the place he’s playing is probably the only position he could play in our formation.

He looks like a player that hasn’t had a preseason and is playing catch-up

We’ve picked up 7 points in the 3 games that Whiteman and Browne have played as a partnership and played better football in those 3 games than we have all season. I’d say he’s doing just fine