Can our simp keep it simple for the win? Evatt FC vs Lincoln at home - 29th Dec 2024 - 15:00

[dave the minion]

(we had four opportunities to shoot in one attack and chose tippy-tappy that lost the ball)

If you mean the attack on about 75 mins when Johnston looked like he should have shot, I think with the game won they were trying to engineer every opportunity for Matete to get his hat trick ?!?!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Only three pages for our most comfortable win of the season so far? Quelle surprise.

Doesn't help that I was offline (family do)

Yeah not followed today fair play for a 3-0 against 10 men but we’ve been here before haven’t we?

This is also true, that asterisk remains...

Glad we won. Now we travel to Mansfield, to Exeter, to Rotherham and to Lincoln in the cup. Those four games will tell us more than this result, which - while very welcome - was just one win, largely against 10 men, with another disappointing half (yes we went in 1-0 up but from our only effort on target - Not Promotion Stuff). As I say, very glad it happened, but I don't think anyone's ordering the open-topped bus yet.

[GhostoftheBok]

yes we went in 1-0 up but from our only effort on target - Not Promotion Stuff

It was a funny one. We got in and behind them plenty of times, but you could see the lack of confidence as lads rushed passes and crosses, or refused shots.

We were snatching at things, even in the second half. A lot of players look like they feel they need a goal and they were playing selfishly, others lacked belief they could score and passed the buck.

As the game went on they looked more confident (as you'd expect when winning against 10). It still wasn't vintage stuff, but it was much better.

Toal going off on 60 probably means we can start the same defensive unit on Wednesday, which should help the lads further forward take more risks.

Lolos, though not on fire, is willing to take risks to create things. Collins is backing himself to make it happen. It's not quite happening for McAtee, but he's still gambling.

No reason to get excited, but we don't have to mope into the New Year's first fixture.

[KeyserSoze]

Similar first half to Barnsley I thought. Congrats to Mcatee for winding that idiot up so much he got himself sent off. Great work.

Always comfortable and at least we beat 10 this time. Lincoln were dire. Wonder if Collins just doesn't like Schon or is generally an unhappy striker when it doesn't go to him. Two Collins-to-Schon bollockings two games in a row.

Agree with Ghost that we still look tense in some areas. But it was better. Liked Matete deep very comfortable with the ball.

Didn't quite shit em though so sack the lot, idk.

[dave the minion]

I don't know, I reckon we shit 'em a bit??

[boltonboris]

A good result if not a fine performance. The red card before half time won the game for us. I’m not 100% convinced it would’ve been the case otherwise.

The sudden loss of form of Thomason is a concern, as is the consistent benching of, or playing out position of Dion. All of a sudden the manager doesn’t seem to fancy him as a central striker, which is pretty wild considering we’ve been struggling for goals

Matete was great on the most part and certainly looked like he enjoyed himself. Williams improved but really looks bereft of confidence and is actively avoiding physical contact. Osei Tutu looks streets ahead of everyone else and it’s such a shame he’s inevitably going to miss most of the remainder of the season.

[boltonboris]

Oh and fantastic goal by Collins. I can’t ignore that

[Harry Genshaw]

A few things I noticed today re individuals. George Johnston, after his horror show against Wigan, looked nervous in possession. Hopefully he'll shake that off with a few more games.
Based on his recent performances off the bench, Charles doesn't deserve to be in the starting line up.
Tutu, and especially Matete, looked today like the players I hoped we'd be getting.
Santos. We're so lucky to have him and he probably won't be fully appreciated until he's left the club. He makes the difficult and tricky situations, look so mundane and routine. He's not without the odd ricket, as we know but I think these are remembered more, because he coasts through most games without an issue.

[The_Gun]

Happy enough with my decision to go today, even though it’s clear this team isn’t fully functioning as of yet.

The back three we started today is our strongest, and if they remain fit should be a strength for us. Criticism of Santos is baffling to me - the bloke’s as dominant a centre back as you get at this level, and about as far from ‘soft’ as it’s possible to be. Go and ask Lincoln’s strikers how soft he is.

Wing backs - JDC isn’t one, Schön is, but flattering to deceive at the moment. Tutu again looked the pick of the bunch when he came on.

Midfield an area of concern, despite Matete’s brace and improved showing. Thomason either isn’t gelling with the players around him, or is just in terrible form. Lolos I think is a decent bench option, but a huge drop off from Maghoma, and we need better in that position to consistently break down defences.

I don’t think we have the right mix of forwards, and think we probably need to shed one, and decide who our starting number nine is for the rest of the season (Collins for me). McAtee is too similar to Collins, and I don’t think they work very well together.

[KeyserSoze]

Santos. We're so lucky to have him and he probably won't be fully appreciated until he's left the club. He makes the difficult and tricky situations, look so mundane and routine. He's not without the odd ricket, as we know but I think these are remembered more, because he coasts through most games without an issue.

I'm still unsure whether he is carrying something because he does seem to look quite laboured on the ball now whereas I don't remember that before. But as you say there are also times he just makes things look incredibly easy. Oh, a big tall forward you say? Let's just pop him in the back pocket. I do wonder if we take that kind of thing for granted now (while also acknowledging there was some dilly-dallying today).

[KeyserSoze]

I don't know, I reckon we shit 'em a bit??

One must keep one's standards.

[TonyDomingos]

I don't know, I reckon we shit 'em a bit??

One must keep one's standards.

Was there poo on the pitch? That's usually a sign.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

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This pic of the sending-off is superb. It's the range of reaction emotions - Erharon's arms-splayed who-me, his team-mate on the left's crinkled-brow bemusement, McGrandles can't look, Klaidi's hilarity, Schon's glee.

[GhostoftheBok]

This pic of the sending-off is superb. It's the range of reaction emotions - Erharon's arms-splayed who-me, his team-mate on the left's crinkled-brow bemusement, McGrandles can't look, Klaidi's hilarity, Schon's glee.

The other side of this is that McAtee targeted him and made this happen.

We've been asking for shithousery from our team for ages and this is what it does.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

The other side of this is that McAtee targeted him and made this happen.

We've been asking for shithousery from our team for ages and this is what it does.

Ah but would Stephen Humphrys have done it better?

[DJBlu]

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Imagine if we needed that goal.

There is poor and then there is poor.

[GhostoftheBok]

20241230_134213.jpg

Imagine if we needed that goal.

There is poor and then there is poor.

Is that the point of contact for the header or is it a split second later? The offside was for the ball hitting Thommo. If the header is a fraction later he's off.

Should be "benefit of doubt to the attacker" mind you.

[DJBlu]

It's the position of the linesman that's the issue.

Thommo will always look offside however there are two playing him onside.

From the linesmans view it looks like Thommason is offside as he can't see their 16.

[GhostoftheBok]

Not sure I agree with that. Lino looks slightly beyond their line and can see Thommo and the 16 from that position. Any deeper and he can't judge what is and isn't level.

[Mar]

20241230_134213.jpg

Imagine if we needed that goal.

There is poor and then there is poor.

It was clear he was onside when watching it. I have a bit more sympathy for the linesman given he couldn't see their 16, but surely keep an eye on movement after the initial hit to see where people were in relation to others.

It's a poor linesman call, but I can understand why he's made it at least.