MATCHWATCH : Wycombe Wanderers (a)

[traff]

Always worry when managers make such baffling substitutions, usually when they are under pressure and getting more frantic and clueless.
Football is not really that complex and it is often very easy to see what needs to be done in a game and even more sensible to play the percentages. It almost appears as though they make these bizarre changes to retain some sort of air of mystique.
We are losing and need to break down 10 men., I know this will fool them all. Take off our most creative players, play centre backs as attacking full backs and bring on players who have a shocking current record in front of goal. Then blame the players tomorrow and accuse the media and fans of not understanding the game and everyone is tired.
I am afraid he is not the messiah but exactly what Chicago fans told us he was.
A very average boy.

[Pepe the Horseman]

Pauno says there were tears in the dressing room after the game. What a load of shite.

[windermereROYAL]

They`ve just wheeled out Liam Moore , normal clichés, dressing room gutted 14 cup finals to go ect ect ect.

[Zip]

So the pen misses now of cost us 5 points at least.

Arguably 8. If we draw level with Brum you have to fancy the win against ten men. We lost. So three dropped points. If he scores against Preston it’s very likely to be the winner. We drew. So two lost points. If he scores tonight we have plenty of time against ten men to get the winner. We lost so potentially another three points lost.

The missed pens are killing our season.

[Lower West]

I'd prefer boring 0-0 draws, rather than Pauno tinkering with the core of the team in order to meet the demands of the owners and achieve promotion. All this must win or you are out is becoming repetitively boring. Give a manager sufficient time to build a team worthy of challenging at the top level.

[Brain Traysers]

FWIW fans always massively overreact to losses against bottom of the table. Its like the implicit assumption is bottom of the table means they will lose comfortably every game, whereas in reality they only lose around half the time, so for the other half they picked up results, deservedly or not.

Not so much the fact Wycombe are bottom that's causing the reaction, more the poor performance from us. I think Wycombe haven't looked that bad in some games this season and been unlucky not to pick up more points, but tonight they were very ordinary. Sadly we were worse.

Yeah that's very fair, but lots of teams make us look poor once they take the lead. Before that, the first half performance was decent, and their keeper made a couple of good saves, which is more than can be said for other recent games. A small crumb in what is quite clearly a disappointing result

Also notable that the set piece goals have dried up - they were major source of goal threat for us in the first half of the season, and Joao v Bristol City was the only one I cant think of since Morro header from a corner against forest.

[Millsy]

Couple of things:

Joao can be the penalty taker - but not like that. Watch Ribery or someone. That technique is ridiculous.

The technique isn't the issue. I don't think any of us here can teach a top championship professional striker about penalty technique.

The issue is simply his mind.

Far too emotional to be taking penalties. We could see that in his first miss, and his second miss, and his third scuffed shot/lucky goal, and his many other sulks when things don't go his way... he doesn't have the mental strength for pens. You can't teach someone that.

I was gobsmacked when I saw him step up for the last one, and even more so now. No idea what Pauno is thinking keeping him on as the number one man for pens.

[RoyalBlue]

Always worry when managers make such baffling substitutions, usually when they are under pressure and getting more frantic and clueless.
Football is not really that complex and it is often very easy to see what needs to be done in a game and even more sensible to play the percentages. It almost appears as though they make these bizarre changes to retain some sort of air of mystique.
We are losing and need to break down 10 men., I know this will fool them all. Take off our most creative players, play centre backs as attacking full backs and bring on players who have a shocking current record in front of goal. Then blame the players tomorrow and accuse the media and fans of not understanding the game and everyone is tired.
I am afraid he is not the messiah but exactly what Chicago fans told us he was.
A very average boy.

To date he hasn't done most of the things you accuse him of in terms of post match reaction.

[Snowflake Royal]

Didn't see much of that in the end.

GET JOAO OFF PENALTIES.

STOP PLAYING RINO IN ATTACK

FFS.

[Jagermesiter1871]

Couple of things:

Joao can be the penalty taker - but not like that. Watch Ribery or someone. That technique is ridiculous.

The technique isn't the issue. I don't think any of us here can teach a top championship professional striker about penalty technique.

The issue is simply his mind.

Far too emotional to be taking penalties. We could see that in his first miss, and his second miss, and his third scuffed shot/lucky goal, and his many other sulks when things don't go his way... he doesn't have the mental strength for pens. You can't teach someone that.

I was gobsmacked when I saw him step up for the last one, and even more so now. No idea what Pauno is thinking keeping him on as the number one man for pens.

Probs thinking top goal scorer keen to take pens fancies it.

[RoyalBlue]

Couple of things:

Joao can be the penalty taker - but not like that. Watch Ribery or someone. That technique is ridiculous.

The technique isn't the issue. I don't think any of us here can teach a top championship professional striker about penalty technique.

The issue is simply his mind.

Far too emotional to be taking penalties. We could see that in his first miss, and his second miss, and his third scuffed shot/lucky goal, and his many other sulks when things don't go his way... he doesn't have the mental strength for pens. You can't teach someone that.

I was gobsmacked when I saw him step up for the last one, and even more so now. No idea what Pauno is thinking keeping him on as the number one man for pens.

Spot on. He also screws himself up completely when he's forced to wait before he can take the penalty. Good penalty takers dictate the agenda. If the opposition are playing silly buggers, they wander off and quietly get into the zone. Or they just laugh at them and relax, juggle the ball, show they don't care and it's not affecting them. If the keeper delays they don't let it get to them, they use it to make them even more determined to slam the ball past him into the back of the net.

I do believe that sports psychologists can coach that into players but it would take time.

[windermereROYAL]

Puscas is our best penalty taker, unfortunately he was still on the bench when we were chasing the game.

[Crowbar6753]

4-2-3-1 Is a good formation to start a match and we generally play well using this formation, but when chasing the game you have to change things up and i really believe 4-2-3-1 isn't the option in this situation.
Revert back to basics and try 4-4-2, utilize the flanks and get quick balls into the box with the extra striker, or why not 3-5-2, they are down to ten men with a 1-0 lead, so clearly they're not going to throw men forward.
Why not 4-3-3 or 4-2-4 but to stick with the same formation thats clearly not working and to leave it until the 70th whatever minute to make a sub is pure madness.
Pauno is clearly a good man manager, hence the good start to the season. His tactics have now been found out and the team are struggling. This is where a good manager earns his money, however, looking at Pauno's game management he clearly is lacking in the tactical department and is now clearly struggling with no plan B and the inability to change things up (Both formation and players).

[bcubed]

We are in a playoff battle after years of being shite. Upsets happen - we were more dangerous in the first half than we have been in recent games. Whatever happens this will be our best finish since 16/17, and likely 2nd best since we got relegated so I'm struggling to be too angry,

We are crap at breaking down defensive teams, especially with this exhausted lot and nobody on the bench to change it - no 2nd half goals in 7 now? Once 1-0 down I didn't expect anything other than a loss.

We look good against teams that have a go - Brentford and Bournemouth being our two best recent performances.

I don’t think you can always fall back upon perspective as justification for a lack of emotion at a particular event in present.

Fair play if watching that tonight doesn’t anger you, I wish I had your calm outlook BT!

TBF I was in a meeting for the entire second half watching on a screen, so was somewhat detached.

Was pretty annoyed after Millwall, but in general the weather is picking up, the days are getting longer and lockdown is getting closer to ending so non-football life is pretty chill. Namaste

I think if you'd watched the second half you might not be so laid back

Or not . I don't know

[Orion1871]

They`ve just wheeled out Liam Moore , normal clichés, dressing room gutted 14 cup finals to go ect ect ect.

Every season.

[Rax]

They`ve just wheeled out Liam Moore , normal clichés, dressing room gutted 14 cup finals to go ect ect ect.

Every season.

I wouldn't be upset if we cashed in on him - TMac is an able replacement - Liam seems to talk the talk but not walk the walk!

[John Madejski's Wallet]

How the hell has Semedo become the player we must unbalance the team to accommodate?

I actually think he's half decent, but he's not good enough to warrant spazzing around with the team

[Lower West]

His tactics have now been found out and the team are struggling. This is where a good manager earns his money, however, looking at Pauno's game management he clearly is lacking in the tactical department and is now clearly struggling with no plan B and the inability to change things up (Both formation and players).

The best starting 11 and formation is arguably Bowen's legacy. 30 odd games in and there's been no improvement/change in the style of play.

[URZZZZ]

Unfortunately it seems like we have a rather fragile team - capable of going on excellent runs but also prone to winless streaks by the same token. The team doesn’t seem to react positively to goals conceded/losses and the typical “soundbites” of “we will bounce back” etc can sometimes draw thin as a result

Not sure the starting XI did help, even if not necessarily blessed with options. Today reaffirms my opinion that a RB should be a RB and a LB should be a LB, too many players out of their “natural” position - and the problem with starting so many CB’s is that it diminishes our attacking options. Again, the midfield trio of Laurent, Rinomhota and Semedo doesn’t work and if you include Rinomhota playing a weird hybrid of CAM/RM (also Olise) I make that four players out of position. Also agree with the lack of subs (again) being rather odd, would have had Yiadom/Esteves, Richards and Puscas around the 60th minute

Having said that, I’m not sure tonight’s performance was as bad as being made out. Given that they’re bottom of the league, the result is inevitably a disappointment but we have no divine right to win any game and they’ve given plenty of teams a good game this season. Whilst I understand it’s frustrating, can’t help but feel there’s a lot of knee jerk reaction. Admittedly, a month in football is a long time ago but we were being touted for possible automatics after our Bournemouth win and now being written off by some to even make the top 6. Football is a period of peaks and troughs, no single result defines a position

Ratings

Rafael - 5

Holmes - 5
Morrison - 5
Moore - 5
McIntyre - 5

Laurent - 4
Semedo - 5

Rinomhota - 6
Olise - 4
Ejaria - 7 (two delicious passes, both for Rinomhota)

Joao - 3

Subs: N/A

[Orion1871]

What The Actual Flying F U C K is wrong with this club and our charitable exploits every season?

Yes we know the Championship is a tough league but every season, no matter the change of personnel on our team, we seem to gift points to the struggling teams in the division.

Last year we were one of the only teams to drop points to Hull in the second half of the season and then there was the Wigan debacle. Even the 106 season saw our greatest ever team make a right canines supper at seeing off the eventually relegated Crewe Alexandra.

Don't even get me started on the legendary pisstakes against Burton, and Yeovil.

I'm sure I'm forgetting some as well.