We Must Beat-a-borough - Away v Peterborough, Sat Apr 27th 12:30

[Harry Genshaw]

Ah well. I'd rather play Barnsley tbh than a resurgent Oxford, buzzing about their late play off place.

It's been an entertaining season. A few more twists and turns yet.

[BWFC_Insane]

And to top it all off the away leg now Friday night since S Yorks police don’t want Barnsley and Sheffield United same day.

[The_Gun]

Absolutely delighted to get Barnsley and I’d wager our players will be as well.

[DJBlu]

Ah well. I'd rather play Barnsley tbh than a resurgent Oxford, buzzing about their late play off place.

It's been an entertaining season. A few more twists and turns yet.

Ian Evatt only needs to show the fan response from last seasons loss in the playoffs.

If that can't get them motivated then nothing will.

Negatives.
Inconsistent in both halves.
Conceded 3 really poor goals. 2 almost carbon copy from both wings.
Didn't go up automatically.

Positives today,
Didn't lose.
Scored 3 away.
Goals for Dion, Demps and Jerome. 2 needed and one to continue the form.
No injuries.
We're still in it.

Come on you fecking white men!!!!!

[jmjhb]

Regardless of what division we're in, the defence needs looking at in the summer.

Yes, we've missed so many gilt-edged chances but we're second top scorers. Pompey and Derby have gone up conceding 10+ fewer.

[The_Gun]

Regardless of what division we're in, the defence needs looking at in the summer.

Yes, we've missed so many gilt-edged chances but we're second top scorers. Pompey and Derby have gone up conceding 10+ fewer.

I’m confused as to why Jones is first choice, but next season presumably it’d be a three of Toal-Santos-Johnston, which I think is Championship calibre.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Ah well. I'd rather play Barnsley tbh than a resurgent Oxford, buzzing about their late play off place.

It's been an entertaining season. A few more twists and turns yet.

It's a funny one. Oxford are in some ways Evatt's type of opponents - as we proved recently.

But this is a completely different Barnsley to the one we played last season - much, much more porous in defence. They've conceded 64(!) goals - nearly 1.5 per game, more than anyone else in the top half, almost twice as many as Derby, and only one fewer than Cheltenham who went down (and played the first two months like a works team at the World Cup).

They almost always concede, and they did so again very late today. Only conceding one is actually a rare success for them; since we spiked their spokes by coming back from 2-0 down, they've conceded 5, 2, 0, 2, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3 and 3. The 0 was a home 0-0 against Cheltenham.

If you were offered a play-off opponent whose last-12 form was W2 D4 L6 - only three teams in the division have a worse points return in that time, and they're all in the bottom five – you'd be mad not to accept it, right?

It's possible they'll get Duff back. It's certainly a nightmare from the past. But per Nixon and plenty of others, they want an Austrian dude called Dominik Thalhammer and they're waiting to get his work permit sorted. Doesn't sound like Duff's their guy. Would also require some rapid fence-building between manager and fans considering the way he left last summer. Might happen but I think (as well as hope) it doesn't.

Worth noting too that with Lincoln falling at the last, none of the four play-off contenders are what you'd call masterful defenders. Peterborough conceded 61, only three fewer than Barnsley (and hardly looked watertight today). Oxford conceded 56 – considerably more than Lincoln, Blackpool and Stevenage. We conceded 51, and all we fans know that we're capable of shipping more if we're not on it.

Instead, the playoffs are between four teams who attack - the division's four highest-scoring teams. Posh bagged 89 - almost two per game. We're next on 86 – our second-best league return in nine decades. Barnsley, with some decent strikers for the level and a defence they clearly can't rely on, scored 82. Oxford's 79 is more than Pompey or Derby and they started April with back-to-back wins of 4-0, 4-0 and 5-0 – the latter against Peterborough, who they face in the semis and who will be reminded of last season's traumatic play-off semis in which they somehow bottled a 4-0 first-leg lead to lose. I don't know whether we'll be getting a story for the ages like that one, but it strikes me as foolish to expect a series of tight games between four teams who simply don't seem built for it. Harry Genshaw's "entertaining season" may indeed have a few stories left yet.

[Worthy4England]

Regardless of what division we're in, the defence needs looking at in the summer.

Yes, we've missed so many gilt-edged chances but we're second top scorers. Pompey and Derby have gone up conceding 10+ fewer.

Agree mate. Wonder what state Johnston will come back in?

We have some capable personnel, but fck me do they switch off a lot.

If I was in that squad, I'd be gutted with ending third, for me it isn't about just banging them in at one end and letting them in at the other. We've probably lost out to better game management by Derby. Knowing when to stick and twist.

We're now into 66% "must wins," which we probably aren't doing with any major brain fart moments.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Regardless of what division we're in, the defence needs looking at in the summer.

Yes, we've missed so many gilt-edged chances but we're second top scorers. Pompey and Derby have gone up conceding 10+ fewer.

I’m confused as to why Jones is first choice, but next season presumably it’d be a three of Toal-Santos-Johnston, which I think is Championship calibre.

I suspect it's a combination of the "on-field general" idea, plus the added zip he (at best) gives us going forward - he's better in the oppo half than any of our other outside centre-backs, IMO. But I agree that next season - especially if we go up - we'll need more solidity and your trio seems the best bet of the playres we currently have.

[DJBlu]

Regardless of what division we're in, the defence needs looking at in the summer.

Yes, we've missed so many gilt-edged chances but we're second top scorers. Pompey and Derby have gone up conceding 10+ fewer.

Agree mate. Wonder what state Johnston will come back in?

We have some capable personnel, but fck me do they switch off a lot.

If I was in that squad, I'd be gutted with ending third, for me it isn't about just banging them in at one end and letting them in at the other. We've probably lost out to better game management by Derby. Knowing when to stick and twist.

We're now into 66% "must wins," which we probably aren't doing with any major brain fart moments.

Got to hope that Johnston does a Sheehan. I genuinely can't believe the player he's become following his injuries.

[officer_dibble]

If we meet Peterborough again, Gethin Jones needs protection as he was shocking today.

Sent off in the home game as well wasn’t he.

I'm sure the offside trap on the half way line isn't doing us any favours. They need to cut that out.

But that negates one of santos best traits…

I have to say if we play them again I’d look at a solution for geth - maybe even switch his side with Toal but I like Iredale on the left anyway. Maybe with Randell over Nat. Dunno. Got to get there first.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I have to say if we play them again I’d look at a solution for geth - maybe even switch his side with Toal but I like Iredale on the left anyway. Maybe with Randell over Nat. Dunno. Got to get there first.

Two starts, two assists. Not a bad return.

[officer_dibble]

He’s probably in my top 5 players of the season. How does he compare to JDC on assists?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

He’s probably in my top 5 players of the season. How does he compare to JDC on assists?

Randell? Per BBC - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/te ... rs/assists - he's behind JDC by one or two, depending on whether it's been updated since today's game (I'd guess not right now – Jerome's on two goals –but it will in time, perhaps before others click through).

For clarity I like Nat too and would readily take him on a free in summer. But Randell's a really useful player to have around.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Regardless of what division we're in, the defence needs looking at in the summer.

Wonder what state Johnston will come back in?

Got to hope that Johnston does a Sheehan. I genuinely can't believe the player he's become following his injuries.

On which note, nice to hear Josh's words of encouragement for his stricken chum earlier this week:
“I think some people did question whether I was going to get back to where I was, back to my best, and that gave me some motivation. I am hoping I have proved that now – and I am sure that Jonno will next season too because he will be back pre-season. When people write you off you use it as motivation, and that is what I have done this season.”

[BWFC_Insane]

Do people think our back three personnel is the issue? I think it’s how stretched out we become and how over the course of a season the midfield just get more and more shagged out. It’s small differences. Little bits of extra space that you leave. I think we’ve seen similar each season in this system. Your wing backs and midfield players can only do the work for so long.

We also just lack the control of a midfielder stopper type and I do think there are situations where a big physical presence in there able to cover ground would serve us better than flogging Thomasson into the ground and playing Sheehan in the games he doesn’t have an impact.

I do think there is a lack of pace in the back three when santos isn’t playing but that’s again an issue with the system it’s hard to get that sort of pace in league one centre backs.

Peterborough are good though. Going forwards they are the best in the league on their day. Better than us. Not as good defensively. But I think they’ve run good defenders ragged and it’s not surprising they managed to do that at times today.

I still think fundamentally when you only and doggedly play a system it’s very hard to go compact in without effectively stringing 5 across the back and camping on your 18 yard area it takes its toll.

[Worthy4England]

Not for me, personnel. Organisation and game management. Knowing when to stick or twist. Recognising there's time you have to dig it out some, so the WBs might have to drop some to make it a 5. But key is understanding when to do each. I think we're lacking on the defensive bit. There have also been too many uncovered shots from the edge 18 yards and too many dropped free in the area. Needs sorting.

[BWFC_Insane]

Not for me, personnel. Organisation and game management. Knowing when to stick or twist. Recognising there's time you have to dig it out some, so the WBs might have to drop some to make it a 5. But key is understanding when to do each. I think we're lacking on the defensive bit. There have also been too many uncovered shots from the edge 18 yards and too many dropped free in the area. Needs sorting.

It’s the system though. You can be deeper and more compact with a 4 and still have a wide outlet. It’s hard in this system. A tiny drop in the press means teams have huge spaces to hit in behind our back three.

[Worthy4England]

Not for me, personnel. Organisation and game management. Knowing when to stick or twist. Recognising there's time you have to dig it out some, so the WBs might have to drop some to make it a 5. But key is understanding when to do each. I think we're lacking on the defensive bit. There have also been too many uncovered shots from the edge 18 yards and too many dropped free in the area. Needs sorting.

It’s the system though. You can be deeper and more compact with a 4 and still have a wide outlet. It’s hard in this system. A tiny drop in the press means teams have huge spaces to hit in behind our back three.

I don't think we're saying different things. Scoring 800 don't help if you can't work the transition and they beat you over 90 minns.

[BWFC_Insane]

Not for me, personnel. Organisation and game management. Knowing when to stick or twist. Recognising there's time you have to dig it out some, so the WBs might have to drop some to make it a 5. But key is understanding when to do each. I think we're lacking on the defensive bit. There have also been too many uncovered shots from the edge 18 yards and too many dropped free in the area. Needs sorting.

It’s the system though. You can be deeper and more compact with a 4 and still have a wide outlet. It’s hard in this system. A tiny drop in the press means teams have huge spaces to hit in behind our back three.

I don't think we're saying different things. Scoring 800 don't help if you can't work the transition and they beat you over 90 minns.

Yeah I think the stats speak for themselves. The misses become much more critical because we concede too many.

It does worry me how open we’ve looked at times second half of the season. Port Vale even at times we looked ragged and easy to create stuff against. Baxter hasn’t been the fix imho either. Nor has santos in entirety.

It’s no surprise that Derby have gone up they’ve only conceded 37 goals. Thats 14 fewer than us. We’ve only scored 8 more.

It’s still true that you can’t win leagues or finish top two conceding as many as we have. Defence wins the league still seems to be true.