Skip to main content

Matchday Thread PNE v Huddersfield Town - 9/4/24 - KO:7.45pm - Championship

  • Thread starter Thread starter JK
  • Start date Start date

Matchday Thread PNE v Huddersfield Town - 9/4/24 - KO:7.45pm - Championship

Play the ball for Osmajic tyo run onto always been blindingly obvious that his strength and last night we played to it, all eight goals in Town End, soft penalty but you take it, zin and zang last night, dire in the first good in the second.
Six pointer Saturday
 
With our injuries and recent performances wasn’t expecting much last night and the first half sort of confirmed that albeit I still thought we had more of the game. Penalty changed the game. Was impressed with Brady; can’t see why he couldn’t do a good job in centre mid if we had a more direct wide type player option. Holmes also looked bright against his former team. Mads blew hot and cold; RL did seem a bit over the top in his exasperation with him throwing his arms up when his passes didn’t come off but at least he’s usually looking to make a penetrating pass. Thought also Keane was quite tidy and good pen of course. I seem to have seen most of Osmajic’s best moments; usually mid week at Deepdale ! His first I though was the best as he didn’t seem favourite when the ball came across but as someone else said it was a real Alex Bruce esque sharp fox in the box sharp movement and great strike. Browne streadied the ship well in midfield. A long shot of course but we can still dream !
 
MBcha said:
Talking points;

Does Sorba Thomas wear shin pads?
Osmajic was the only player on the pitch wearing black boots.
Click to expand...
Funnily enough I thought the same - then saw Frokjaer walking past him (presuming he was 14) looking like he wasn’t wearing any either. I think I read there are some modern, very small ones that can be worn because I’m pretty sure it’s still obligatory to wear them.

Just got to really hope Browne is fit for Saturday, the difference between the team with him and without was ridiculous - Holmes just doesn’t have the same presence or power in the middle. As well as Brady played, and he looked a class act last night, the wide areas were nowhere near as fruitful as they should be until Holmes went to the right and Brady to the left. We looked so much more balanced, although I have to say they fell apart and looked totally dispirited which certainly helped. It’s the first time I’ve seen Holmes there for us and even though it’s not ideal, we might have to do the same on Saturday.
 
Back from the match, Played tye first half mlike a team of strangers, despite a flurry of corners and two long range efforts we didn't look like scoring. Hudders midfielders carried the ball forward and were deservedly ahead at tye break. For me the match turned on the penalty, it seemed that at that point it dawned on us that we needed to win. The introduction of Browne and some runs from Holmes statrted to offer more of a threat, driving the ball forward. We got to see what Millie has in his locker when we play to his strengths.Left the ground on a high. Top six? Maybe too much to do ,but lets give it our best shot
 
Motion Man said:
With our injuries and recent performances wasn’t expecting much last night and the first half sort of confirmed that albeit I still thought we had more of the game. Penalty changed the game. Was impressed with Brady; can’t see why he couldn’t do a good job in centre mid if we had a more direct wide type player option. Holmes also looked bright against his former team. Mads blew hot and cold; RL did seem a bit over the top in his exasperation with him throwing his arms up when his passes didn’t come off but at least he’s usually looking to make a penetrating pass. Thought also Keane was quite tidy and good pen of course. I seem to have seen most of Osmajic’s best moments; usually mid week at Deepdale ! His first I though was the best as he didn’t seem favourite when the ball came across but as someone else said it was a real Alex Bruce esque sharp fox in the box sharp movement and great strike. Browne streadied the ship well in midfield. A long shot of course but we can still dream !
Click to expand...

A lot of the time, I think it's because other players aren't sufficiently switched on and don't anticipate what he's going to do (much the same was often said about the brilliant Alan Spavin).

Of course, by nature, Frøkjær is unpredictable but the understanding will only improve by sticking with him, while accepting that not everything he does will come off.

Despite being on the bench for a fair bit of the season, he still has the most assists with 8 (Holmes, who was excellent last night, especially, 2nd half, is 2nd on 6).
 
I remember Healey getting one in this division, left foot, right foot and header.
People seem to have forgotten a Wembley hat trick by German Beckford, even #Ando can't equal that.
 
Browne coming on made the difference. Mads and Holms both play better off Browne, [who btw looked like he has shed, yes shed, at least 20lbs and anaemic] but the Osmajic goals were superb...none of them a given and born from a sheer desire to get in there past defenders. Great to see.
 
Motion Man said:
Was impressed with Brady; can’t see why he couldn’t do a good job in centre mid if we had a more direct wide type player option.
Click to expand...

The problem with playing Brady in central midfield is that he would not get the bit of extra time and space he needs to control the ball, keep possession and look for an outlet that he can when he is out wide - he would just get hassled out of possession almost immediately. This what I meant when I said before last night's match that WADSH picked me up on that with a midfield of McCann, Holmes, Brady and Hughes which is what injuries forced us to start with last night I would have preferred Hughes in the centre to Brady simply because he has the strength to counter tough tackling. Just possibly Brady could be a sort of improvised Frokjaer playing between the midfield and strikers but providing we had two other central midfielders available then Browne can play that role much more effectively.

As it was RL used Holmes more centrally where he did well - though I still think his best position is as a wide right attacker - with Hughes to the left and Brady to the right. Brady didn't play badly though he wasted a great free-kick opportunity in the second half but it was interesting to see how he fared on the right instead of on the left. I thought defensively he wasn't as good as he is on the left because he was constantly forced to use his weaker right foot to clear the ball but in attack he was better because he was forced to cut in and play diagonal crosses into the box and he also of course on one occasion managed to unleash a thunderbolt that would have been a 'worldie' had it gone in. One thing that occurred to me was that in the circumstances we found ourselves in last night with injuries I would have preferred to see Hughes in his normal place on the left of the defence with Cunningham as a makeshift left-sided midfielder because Cunningham is a bit more agile and is a better crosser of the ball.

But hopefully we won't find ourselves having to improvise as much on Saturday and even allowing for continuing injuries elsewhere can maybe put out a midfield of Holmes, McCann, Browne and Brady with perhaps Millar in reserve. Osmajic will also have to start probably at the expense of Riis though Riis did nothing wrong last night because until Browne came on we just did not have a midfield that could provide the strikers with the service they needed. As it is though Keane has done remarkably well this season I still think that if it gelled then a partnership if Riis and Osmajic could be lethal but being able to pick two out of three strikers all of whom know where the net is a pretty good situation to be in.
 
Flaxby White said:
Back from the match, Played tye first half mlike a team of strangers, despite a flurry of corners and two long range efforts we didn't look like scoring. Hudders midfielders carried the ball forward and were deservedly ahead at tye break. For me the match turned on the penalty, it seemed that at that point it dawned on us that we needed to win. The introduction of Browne and some runs from Holmes statrted to offer more of a threat, driving the ball forward. We got to see what Millie has in his locker when we play to his strengths.Left the ground on a high. Top six? Maybe too much to do ,but lets give it our best shot
Click to expand...
Its all down to Saturday and Southampton.
 
wld said:
1986. Someone asked me on the game if we’d ever had a second half trick scorer, i quoted this one to the month and the year. It was the game in really started to believe John McGrath was the saviour!
Click to expand...
Indeed…. We were 2-0 down with about 15 minutes left.

It was 1986 , it was the 1986/7 season…
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top