Bromley (THTS) The Thin Lilywhite Duke Match Thread

[Bee_Forever]

Can we save our analysis of our tactical failings for when we don't have a half fit midfielder at left centre back and are trying to get Freeman fit.

Yes clearly we were a bit slow in build up but this was not his strongest XI. I do think we have seen a few times that Brennan has tried different things tactically like forcing Brunt to pass out wide rather than shoot and stopping Copper from crossing the ball but this is all the type of thing which happens as we try to refine our approach.

I think we do have an approach which involves playing through teams and also pusing the ball out wide and that we are the second best team in the league who will be able to give any of the playoff teams a game. We were nowhere near our strongest yesterday but we still matched Bromley with a degree of ease.

I am still feeling reasonably confident.

[meden_820]

There's a lot being made of our 'shocking' record against the play off teams.
Of the teams currently residing in the play off spots our record is Played 9, Won 2, Drawn 4, Lost 3. Not brilliant but not exactly catastrophic either.
Two of the defeats came when we were missing key players like Collinge, Kanu, and Gorman and none of them were convincing defeats (possibly bar Gateshead at home). In fact the result up at Gateshead was probably the most unjust of the season.
We've also done the double over Southend (who would be in the playoffs without the points deduction).
I don't swallow the narrative that we are incapable of beating the better teams in the division. Whoever we play in the playoffs it will be a difficult game, but I am convinced we will be a match for them, especially at home.

[beew]

There's a lot being made of our 'shocking' record against the play off teams.
Of the teams currently residing in the play off spots our record is Played 9, Won 2, Drawn 4, Lost 3. Not brilliant but not exactly catastrophic either.
Two of the defeats came when we were missing key players like Collinge, Kanu, and Gorman and none of them were convincing defeats (possibly bar Gateshead at home). In fact the result up at Gateshead was probably the most unjust of the season.
We've also done the double over Southend (who would be in the playoffs without the points deduction).
I don't swallow the narrative that we are incapable of beating the better teams in the division. Whoever we play in the playoffs it will be a difficult game, but I am convinced we will be a match for them, especially at home.

Switch out Halifax for Southend and its

Played 10, Won 4, Drawn 3, Lost 3.

That looks better.

[LeftSideRun]

Watching their goal again, it's Hartigan who switches off and loses his man, although RHJ was also ball watching.

That’s RHJ’s man - he just watches him run and doesn’t bother to track him until it’s too late. Only on the pitch a few minutes and has to cost us a point. His recent performances have been shocking.

RHJ has got the winger. Hartigan has the centre mid. RHJ should cover the run but the goal scorer has run off the back of Hartigan, after Hartigan's jogged towards the ball. Pritchard's positioning didn't help either.

Screenshot 2024-04-10 150825.jpg (35.92 KiB) Viewed 609 times

[LeftSideRun]

Watching their goal again, it's Hartigan who switches off and loses his man, although RHJ was also ball watching.

That’s RHJ’s man - he just watches him run and doesn’t bother to track him until it’s too late. Only on the pitch a few minutes and has to cost us a point. His recent performances have been shocking.

RHJ has got the winger. Hartigan has the centre mid. RHJ should cover the run but the goal scorer has run off the back of Hartigan, after Hartigan's jogged towards the ball. Pritchard's positioning didn't help either.

Screenshot 2024-04-10 150825.jpg

Shambles defending all round, anyway. Neither Hartigan nor Freeman get beyond a jog, Pritchard and Hartigan get drawn to the ball and RHJ switches off completely.

[Tuesds]

Think it’s worthy of note that our last three goals at home have all come from long throws by Cropper. Just two touches before Kabamba’s 1st and one before his 2nd vs Oxford City, then last night Stead received the ball from a Cropper long throw down the line before beating the defender and assisting Kanu’s goal.

[WillesdenBee]

Watching their goal again, it's Hartigan who switches off and loses his man, although RHJ was also ball watching.

That’s RHJ’s man - he just watches him run and doesn’t bother to track him until it’s too late. Only on the pitch a few minutes and has to cost us a point. His recent performances have been shocking.

RHJ has got the winger. Hartigan has the centre mid. RHJ should cover the run but the goal scorer has run off the back of Hartigan, after Hartigan's jogged towards the ball. Pritchard's positioning didn't help either.

Screenshot 2024-04-10 150825.jpg

Shambles defending all round, anyway. Neither Hartigan nor Freeman get beyond a jog, Pritchard and Hartigan get drawn to the ball and RHJ switches off completely.

My issue is that RHJ can see the whole thing in front of him. Basic defending whether as a full back or a wing back is that the danger is never the wide player, it is always the player who is more likely to score. It is not AH job to go back into that space, RHJ has to cover. Complete laziness, especially given he'd just come on the pitch.

[PBBee]

There's a lot being made of our 'shocking' record against the play off teams.
Of the teams currently residing in the play off spots our record is Played 9, Won 2, Drawn 4, Lost 3. Not brilliant but not exactly catastrophic either.
Two of the defeats came when we were missing key players like Collinge, Kanu, and Gorman and none of them were convincing defeats (possibly bar Gateshead at home). In fact the result up at Gateshead was probably the most unjust of the season.
We've also done the double over Southend (who would be in the playoffs without the points deduction).
I don't swallow the narrative that we are incapable of beating the better teams in the division. Whoever we play in the playoffs it will be a difficult game, but I am convinced we will be a match for them, especially at home.

Those 2 wins were against Bromley on the 2nd game of the season when they were bare bones & an Aldershot team in September that were miles off the pace & a different team to the 2nd half of the season.

Therefore, I do not think we have beaten a top 7 team at the time of playing them (cba looking at the first 5/6 fixtures in detail but that hardly counts)

[meden_820]

It was Altrincham actually. We beat Aldershot at home as well but they are eighth. Alty have been hovering around the playoffs all season, have won many plaudits for their style of football and we played them off the park.
Our record against the teams around us isn't what you would necessarily want going into a playoff situation but I'm certainly not giving up hope of promotion off the back of it.
Flip it round, only one of the teams currently occupying 3rd to 9th has beaten us at home all season (Gateshead). We are perfectly capable of beating any of them at the Hive.

[Roy57]

The result is fine but we look so bloody wide open. On a big Wembley pitch we will get battered.

And our form against the top 7 is so poor that it really is concerning.

A lot for Deano to ponder.

Must admit if we get to the final at Wembley the size of the pitch has crossed my mind, thought Bromley looked a lot fitter than us last night, with the ball Hartigan is vital player for us as him winning so many awards at players award night, but without the ball on quite a few occasions it does worry me how easy players seem to just drift pass him this is made worse when Brunt is playing as defending without the ball is not one of his strong points, this makes us so easy to play through, which Bromley did at start of second half, and the Wembley pitch will intensify this issue. So Dean has some thinking to do, we don't really have a number 6 holding midfielder, and this has been mentioned before.

[letchbee94]

Will admit to preferring Walker in goal but thought Keeley had his best game for us last night made a number of good saves.

Lovely work done by Stead to set up our goal.

[PBBee]

It was Altrincham actually. We beat Aldershot at home as well but they are eighth. Alty have been hovering around the playoffs all season, have won many plaudits for their style of football and we played them off the park.
Our record against the teams around us isn't what you would necessarily want going into a playoff situation but I'm certainly not giving up hope of promotion off the back of it.
Flip it round, only one of the teams currently occupying 3rd to 9th has beaten us at home all season (Gateshead). We are perfectly capable of beating any of them at the Hive.

Ah yes - that was IMO our performance of the season tbf! But do feel they were lower down the table at the time.

As for the Wembley pitch - Kanu would tear it up. But yes our central midfield & slow back line could be in trouble, Hartigan is so slow (but that’s not his game). The gaps would be huge.

[jerroll]

Alty were 9th when we played them while we were top on gd

[erichitchmo]

Here’s the DSH view. We’re nearly there.

http://www.downhillsecondhalf.co.uk/Art ... icleID=325

[Roy57]

I also feel we are lethargic in our play at times (not so much yesterday) & we have the players that can punish teams so why not attack with more intent, we are scared to lose the ball but then quite regular do exactly that in our own 1/3 & have to rely on a last ditch tackle or great save to save the blushes.

I have said before, for Me Dean seems more concerned with his teams can hurt us than how we can hurt them, he has assembled quite a good side that has abilty, I just want to see Dean take the lead of them and let them cause other teams problems rather than be more concerned with what they may do