I'm not going to say much about Saturday's 1-3 loss to Exeter City, mainly because I wasn't there but also because from the various reports I've read it sounds very similar to the last time we played the Grecians at home, which also resulted in a 1-3 loss. At any rate the result leaves the Glovers one place above the relegation zone with the worst goal difference in the division. We now play Southampton at home tomorrow night, followed by away games at fellow strugglers Walsall and a resurgent Rochdale. It's not hard to imagine that by the time we get back to Huish Park to entertain Sheffield Wednesday on October 16th that not only will we be by then firmly in the relegation zone but quite possibly bottom of the league. What's going wrong?
The abysmal goal difference figure provides the answer in my view. Quite simply we haven't replaced Steven Caulker and Terrell Forbes with players of the same quality. It would perhaps help if Adam Virgo was allowed to play regularly with Paul Huntington and not be shifted to wherever the latest injury crisis has occurred, but even then they both have the turning circle and acceleration from a standing start of a rusty oil tanker, so we're still vulnerable to pacey attacks. We weren't helped on Saturday by Craig Alcock's absence and in hindsight I'm sure Skivo will be regretting his decision to move Virgo to right back and bring in Stefan Stam to partner Huntington, but a manager lives and dies by such decisions and right now Skivo's judgement and tactical nous is being scrutinised as much as it ever has been by a fanbase - those of us that are left - getting increasingly impatient with poor results and worse performances.
Of course it's far too early in the season for real panic to set in and I would argue very strongly that Skivo deserves a lot more time and patience yet for his achievements in keeping us in the League One last season and the year before. But I do wonder if he'll get that time. As I said above we have a tough run of four games coming up now and on current form one can't see us picking up many points if any. All it will take is a few 'sack the Board' chants at the Sheffield Wednesday game for those at the top to start worrying about their own skins, and if there's one thing we do know about John Fry and Norman Hayward is that they can act with ruthless efficiency when criticism is directed at them. If I was Skivo I would be looking over both shoulders and praying for some results and clean sheets over the next fortnight. That Sheffield Wednesday game just might become pivotal otherwise.
As for tomorrow night's game the bookies unsurprisingly make the Saints evens favourites to win the match, with the draw at 5/2 and a home win at 13/5. I'd love to put my fiver on the home win but being realistic the draw looks much better value. Well, if we're being honest a Southampton win is the most likely outcome, but I I'm not going to start betting against us just yet. My fiver's going on the draw. Running total: -£7.25p. I hear a certain well-known local dentist has put £20 on the Glovers winning tomorrow night, let's hope his faith is rewarded. And if he loses then we will all know why a filling is so soddin' expensive these days.
It was sad to see the news that Len Harris has passed away, aged 73. I'm old enough myself to have just caught him in action at the end of his YTFC career, as part of the Southern League winning side in 1971 until he retired from the game a year later. He clocked up an incredible 691 appearances for the Glovers, a record that will surely now never be broken. Like so many others I remember him from my time at Yeovil School and used to see him pretty much every day walking to the College as it was then after the grammar school closed. He always used to smile and nod, and always had time for a chat. A nice man and he will be missed. Dellboy's appreciation of Len, written in 2003, is a must read.
Just read: Sepulchre by Kate Mosse. Not quite an horror story and not quite a romance and not quite an historical tale and not quite a murder thriller either; rather a mix of all four. Slow going at times but Mosse is such a good writer that it kept my interest for all it's 500-odd pages. Must try Labyrinth next....
Showing posts with label Exeter City. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Exeter City. Show all posts
Monday, 27 September 2010
Thursday, 2 September 2010
FLTR1: Yeovil Town 1 Exeter City 3
Another first round cup competition: Another defeat. Terry Skiverton's unwanted record of failure in knock-out competitions continues apace. What's left for this season? On this form a battle against relegation and, er, that's it.
Tuesday night's Football League Trophy game against Exeter was disappointing on several levels. The Glovers began the game reasonably well and created several half-chances without reward but it was the visitors who went ahead with only 10 minutes gone and in the simplest of fashions, a long-ball seeing the veteran Jamie Cureton beating Adam Virgo for pace and finding the net from an acute angle. You might have thought that the Glovers would learn from the goal, but as the half wore on the same scenario was repeated 3 or 4 times, but with keeper John Sullivan proving his worth with some very good saves. Paul Huntington was unlucky not to score when his volley from the edge of the box crashed off the bar, but aside from that effort the Glovers were huffing and puffing with a lot of the ball but not much in the way of inspiration. On the stroke of half-time Sam Williams reminded us that he was still on the pitch when he head-butted Exeter's James Dunne after a spot of handbags in the visitor's penalty area, a piece of rank stupidity that will now see him banned for the next 3 games following the inevitable red card.
So, 1 goal down at half-time and down to 10 men, the Glovers collapsed, right? Well, no, actually. In Williams' absence the team seemed to realise that there was no point in punting the ball aimlessly upfield in the general direction of an (ineffective) target-man, instead they began to pass the ball on the floor at pace, began using the wings and the midfield started pushing forward to support lone striker Dean Bowditch up front. And glory be, whaddayouknow, it began to work. Chances were being created, the crowd got behind the 10 men and we all began to remember that football can be entertaining after all, not just prosaic and mundane. Stewart, Tudur-Jones and Bowditch all went close before Andy Welsh notched a well-deserved equaliser on 76 minutes, the winger picking up a loose ball on the edge of the box following a blocked Bowditch effort and rifling home. All the good work the Glovers had put in since the break went to waste immediately after however, when virtually from the re-start the Grecians regained their lead. And again, it was a sickeningly simple goal to concede. Jamie Thompson wasn't closed down quickly enough on the right and his cross found an unmarked Cureton in the box who had all the time he needed to fire a shot past Sullivan from close-range. Schoolboy defending at best. The Glovers went for broke, sending Virgo up front in a 3-3-3 formation but to no avail and it was the visitors who had the last word, Ryan Harley firing home a splendid free-kick to give the scoreline that extra bit of gloss.
We lined up as follows (4-2-3-1):
1. John Sullivan: 7/10 - Couldn't fault him for any of the goals and made some excellent stops to deny Exeter even more. We couldn't have complained if they had scored 3 in the first half alone. Deserves far more protection than he's currently getting.
2. Craig Alcock: 5/10 - No lack of effort but a definite lack of inspiration. To be fair he had his work cut out defensively as all too often was left two-on-one against attackers with Cameron Stewart AWOL somewhere up the field. Looked frustrated.
5. Paul Huntington: 5/10 - You would have hoped that after 6 games together both Huntington and partner Adam Virgo would be forging a solid defensive partnership. Not much sign of it so far. Unlucky not to score himself when he hit the bar in the first half, but he's there to defend above all else.
19. Adam Virgo: 5/10 - Same comments as above. Almost redeemed himself with a brief cameo as emergency target-man late in the second half, and actually won more balls and made more of a nuisance of himself in that 10 minutes than Sam Williams managed in an entire half - which ought to give the manager some food for thought.
6. Nathan Smith: 5/10 - Strangely subdued performance. Didn't get forward much, looked vulnerable defensively; what's happened to the Nathan Smith that was galloping up and down the left flank creating havoc in the latter half of last season?
15. Cameron Stewart: 6/10 - Like the curate's egg, good in parts. Showed some lovely touches and flicks and at times looked genuinely exciting when running with the ball at the Grecians defence, but rather too often his crosses came to nothing. Tended to go missing from the action and I suspect Craig Alcock will be having words about his tracking back, or lack of it. Having said all that at last showing glimpses of what he might be capable of. More to come, hopefully.
20. Owain Tudur Jones: 7/10 - Didn't do much wrong, and did quite a few things pretty well. Was unlucky not to score twice with shots from the edge of the box and was evidently at least trying to get forward to support the strikers. Provided a presence in midfield that was lacking in previous home games.
21. Jean-Paul Kalala: 6/10 - Usual solid defensive display, but didn't add much going forward. Taken off after 61 minutes with a possible hamstring strain.
11. Andy Welsh: 7/10 - Marked him up a point for taking his goal well, but like Cameron Stewart tended to fade in and out of the game a touch. Of course it would have helped if he had the ball passed to him as much in the first half as he started to receive it after the break, but still...
9. Sam Williams: 2/10 - No lack of effort as usual and puts himself about but, I'm sorry, I'm starting to lose patience. His flick-on's rarely lead to anything, he doesn't hold the ball up particularly well and as a striker his goal record is poor to say the least. I'm not going to say his lack of discipline cost us the game because we actually played better and looked more threatening after he was sent off, but what was most telling was that when Adam Virgo went up front to play the target-man role he looked more effective in 10 minutes than Williams has managed in 5 and a half games this season. Perhaps I'm being harsh, but I don't think so and we've now got 3 games to see how we cope without him.
10. Dean Bowditch: 6/10 - Marked him down a point because for all his good movement and efforts on goal I can't recall him actually making their keeper make a save. He should take a leaf from Jamie Cureton's book - all his shots were on-target and forced John Sullivan to save. If he didn't, Cureton scored. Easy game really, isn't it?
Subs:
8. Luke Ayling (61 mins for Jean-Paul Kalala): 6/10 - Decent display. Looked to be playing a more defensive role, allowing Tudur-Jones to get forward more.
18. Luke Freeman (83 mins for Cameron Stewart): n/a - Not on long enough to make a difference.
It's been a sobering month. Played 6, won 1, drawn 1, lost 4. Scored 4, conceded 9. Oh, and two players shown red cards in those 6 games. The bare facts show a team in some trouble and in need of a lift. Hopefully the return of Shaun MacDonald (when he's finished playing for Wales u-21's) will provide a boost and Skivo has said that he's looking for another forward to add to his attacking options. Bear in mind that that means either a free agent now the transfer window has closed or another loan - and we already have 7 loan players at the club, with a maximum of 5 loanees available for the matchday squad. At this rate the manager is going to have his work cut out to keep all of his loanees - and their parent clubs - happy. Interesting times!
The Glovers travel to newly promoted Notts County this weekend for an L1 fixture. As mentioned above they'll definitely be without Sam Williams and have Shaun MacDonald and Rob Kiernan unavailable because of international commitments. Added to that JP Kalala and Paul Huntington both limped out of the Exeter game before the end, it remains to be seen whether they'll be fit for Saturday. Andy Williams also missed Tuesday night's game, it's to be hoped he'll be back for Saturday. The bookies make County 5/6 favourites for the win, the draw is priced at 12/5 and a Glovers win at 7/2. I detest betting against my own team but that would be the smart thing to do on current form. However I'll let my heart rule my head. My fiver's going on the draw. Running total: -£2.25p
Just read: Assegai by Wilbur Smith: And it's Wilbur Smith by numbers. Do we have a manly hero with a surname of Courtney? Check. A brutal protagonist with scars and an evil laugh? Check. A beautiful heroine who 'belongs' to the brutal protaganist who eventually falls for the manly hero called Courtney? Check. Noble natives who serve the white men faithfully while keeping their dignity at all times? Check. Ferocious lions being slaughtered to order? Check. Ditto elephants, buffalo, rhino's and anything else on four legs? Check. I think I'm definitely all Wilbured out now. He's going through the motions, and so was I reading it. Merde.
Tuesday night's Football League Trophy game against Exeter was disappointing on several levels. The Glovers began the game reasonably well and created several half-chances without reward but it was the visitors who went ahead with only 10 minutes gone and in the simplest of fashions, a long-ball seeing the veteran Jamie Cureton beating Adam Virgo for pace and finding the net from an acute angle. You might have thought that the Glovers would learn from the goal, but as the half wore on the same scenario was repeated 3 or 4 times, but with keeper John Sullivan proving his worth with some very good saves. Paul Huntington was unlucky not to score when his volley from the edge of the box crashed off the bar, but aside from that effort the Glovers were huffing and puffing with a lot of the ball but not much in the way of inspiration. On the stroke of half-time Sam Williams reminded us that he was still on the pitch when he head-butted Exeter's James Dunne after a spot of handbags in the visitor's penalty area, a piece of rank stupidity that will now see him banned for the next 3 games following the inevitable red card.
So, 1 goal down at half-time and down to 10 men, the Glovers collapsed, right? Well, no, actually. In Williams' absence the team seemed to realise that there was no point in punting the ball aimlessly upfield in the general direction of an (ineffective) target-man, instead they began to pass the ball on the floor at pace, began using the wings and the midfield started pushing forward to support lone striker Dean Bowditch up front. And glory be, whaddayouknow, it began to work. Chances were being created, the crowd got behind the 10 men and we all began to remember that football can be entertaining after all, not just prosaic and mundane. Stewart, Tudur-Jones and Bowditch all went close before Andy Welsh notched a well-deserved equaliser on 76 minutes, the winger picking up a loose ball on the edge of the box following a blocked Bowditch effort and rifling home. All the good work the Glovers had put in since the break went to waste immediately after however, when virtually from the re-start the Grecians regained their lead. And again, it was a sickeningly simple goal to concede. Jamie Thompson wasn't closed down quickly enough on the right and his cross found an unmarked Cureton in the box who had all the time he needed to fire a shot past Sullivan from close-range. Schoolboy defending at best. The Glovers went for broke, sending Virgo up front in a 3-3-3 formation but to no avail and it was the visitors who had the last word, Ryan Harley firing home a splendid free-kick to give the scoreline that extra bit of gloss.
We lined up as follows (4-2-3-1):
1. John Sullivan: 7/10 - Couldn't fault him for any of the goals and made some excellent stops to deny Exeter even more. We couldn't have complained if they had scored 3 in the first half alone. Deserves far more protection than he's currently getting.
2. Craig Alcock: 5/10 - No lack of effort but a definite lack of inspiration. To be fair he had his work cut out defensively as all too often was left two-on-one against attackers with Cameron Stewart AWOL somewhere up the field. Looked frustrated.
5. Paul Huntington: 5/10 - You would have hoped that after 6 games together both Huntington and partner Adam Virgo would be forging a solid defensive partnership. Not much sign of it so far. Unlucky not to score himself when he hit the bar in the first half, but he's there to defend above all else.
19. Adam Virgo: 5/10 - Same comments as above. Almost redeemed himself with a brief cameo as emergency target-man late in the second half, and actually won more balls and made more of a nuisance of himself in that 10 minutes than Sam Williams managed in an entire half - which ought to give the manager some food for thought.
6. Nathan Smith: 5/10 - Strangely subdued performance. Didn't get forward much, looked vulnerable defensively; what's happened to the Nathan Smith that was galloping up and down the left flank creating havoc in the latter half of last season?
15. Cameron Stewart: 6/10 - Like the curate's egg, good in parts. Showed some lovely touches and flicks and at times looked genuinely exciting when running with the ball at the Grecians defence, but rather too often his crosses came to nothing. Tended to go missing from the action and I suspect Craig Alcock will be having words about his tracking back, or lack of it. Having said all that at last showing glimpses of what he might be capable of. More to come, hopefully.
20. Owain Tudur Jones: 7/10 - Didn't do much wrong, and did quite a few things pretty well. Was unlucky not to score twice with shots from the edge of the box and was evidently at least trying to get forward to support the strikers. Provided a presence in midfield that was lacking in previous home games.
21. Jean-Paul Kalala: 6/10 - Usual solid defensive display, but didn't add much going forward. Taken off after 61 minutes with a possible hamstring strain.
11. Andy Welsh: 7/10 - Marked him up a point for taking his goal well, but like Cameron Stewart tended to fade in and out of the game a touch. Of course it would have helped if he had the ball passed to him as much in the first half as he started to receive it after the break, but still...
9. Sam Williams: 2/10 - No lack of effort as usual and puts himself about but, I'm sorry, I'm starting to lose patience. His flick-on's rarely lead to anything, he doesn't hold the ball up particularly well and as a striker his goal record is poor to say the least. I'm not going to say his lack of discipline cost us the game because we actually played better and looked more threatening after he was sent off, but what was most telling was that when Adam Virgo went up front to play the target-man role he looked more effective in 10 minutes than Williams has managed in 5 and a half games this season. Perhaps I'm being harsh, but I don't think so and we've now got 3 games to see how we cope without him.
10. Dean Bowditch: 6/10 - Marked him down a point because for all his good movement and efforts on goal I can't recall him actually making their keeper make a save. He should take a leaf from Jamie Cureton's book - all his shots were on-target and forced John Sullivan to save. If he didn't, Cureton scored. Easy game really, isn't it?
Subs:
8. Luke Ayling (61 mins for Jean-Paul Kalala): 6/10 - Decent display. Looked to be playing a more defensive role, allowing Tudur-Jones to get forward more.
18. Luke Freeman (83 mins for Cameron Stewart): n/a - Not on long enough to make a difference.
It's been a sobering month. Played 6, won 1, drawn 1, lost 4. Scored 4, conceded 9. Oh, and two players shown red cards in those 6 games. The bare facts show a team in some trouble and in need of a lift. Hopefully the return of Shaun MacDonald (when he's finished playing for Wales u-21's) will provide a boost and Skivo has said that he's looking for another forward to add to his attacking options. Bear in mind that that means either a free agent now the transfer window has closed or another loan - and we already have 7 loan players at the club, with a maximum of 5 loanees available for the matchday squad. At this rate the manager is going to have his work cut out to keep all of his loanees - and their parent clubs - happy. Interesting times!
The Glovers travel to newly promoted Notts County this weekend for an L1 fixture. As mentioned above they'll definitely be without Sam Williams and have Shaun MacDonald and Rob Kiernan unavailable because of international commitments. Added to that JP Kalala and Paul Huntington both limped out of the Exeter game before the end, it remains to be seen whether they'll be fit for Saturday. Andy Williams also missed Tuesday night's game, it's to be hoped he'll be back for Saturday. The bookies make County 5/6 favourites for the win, the draw is priced at 12/5 and a Glovers win at 7/2. I detest betting against my own team but that would be the smart thing to do on current form. However I'll let my heart rule my head. My fiver's going on the draw. Running total: -£2.25p
Just read: Assegai by Wilbur Smith: And it's Wilbur Smith by numbers. Do we have a manly hero with a surname of Courtney? Check. A brutal protagonist with scars and an evil laugh? Check. A beautiful heroine who 'belongs' to the brutal protaganist who eventually falls for the manly hero called Courtney? Check. Noble natives who serve the white men faithfully while keeping their dignity at all times? Check. Ferocious lions being slaughtered to order? Check. Ditto elephants, buffalo, rhino's and anything else on four legs? Check. I think I'm definitely all Wilbured out now. He's going through the motions, and so was I reading it. Merde.
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