Just back

[Abseits]

Bit duff. Sluggish and disjointed. Smith very isolated and nobody getting forward to support him or feed off him. No width whatsoever and far too slow moving through the thirds. Two meaningful shots on goal in 90 mins: one a tame free-kick easily gathered by keeper and the other was a Sylla poke/snapshot late on but straight at keeper who did well to flick it clear from danger.
PNE equally powder puff up front. Whatever OPTA says I don't think Ingram made a serious save all match. Their goal was very soft... free kick over to back post, nodded back across goal and second ball nodded in. That said, it was not a free kick in first place and dunno why ref saw innocent 50/50 as a foul. Suppose you could say we were close to achieving a point but I don't think we did enough to deserve it.
Remember the excellent reffing at World Cup with refs just telling players to get up and stop being tarts every time they collapsed after someone brushed near them? Well, business as usual back in England...... fussy ref blowing for a lot of falling over antics from PNE players which got particularly risible in last 10 minutes with 3 notable stoppages for fake injuries. Still, we need to get wise and grow up - senior players need to show the young uns how to deploy the "dark arts".
Lastly, I feel playing footy on 4th August is far too early and thus I don't want to panic or dig players out but I do struggle to see anything positive with Bidwell..... slow, cumbersome, offers nothing going forward, gets a nosebleed if he finds himself in their half, questionable positional sense, poor distribution, no vision, can't control the ball, can't pass straight, tendency to wildly spoon or mistime a hoofed clearance. Not a good day at office for him in my view.

[QPRDave]

Just reading between the lines.................Not a fan of Bidwell?

[Jonny]

Smith unfortunately was woefully ineffective and cannot play on his own up front - he can’t hold the ball up, period. And he is completely imobile. Not what you need for a lone number 9. It killed us and Mclaren should of changed it way sooner than 70 mins.

Elsewhere Freeman also painfully slow both running with the ball and releasing it (still waiting....). Kakay impressive- great engine to get High and wide for a right back. Must be his natural winger instinct, but gives the team a new dimension if we can find him.

Eze a joy at times but others way off the pace - scowen and mass especially. We didn’t / couldn’t pass the ball. Better when manning came on. BFG solid debut. Ingram woeful kicking, that was killing us and giving back possession time and again.

still reasons to be positive. Badly need new hold up striker and pact ball playing centre half and it will transform this team.

[Rangers77]

Bang on the money with Smith. Useless in open play. Their centre backs got in front of him every time. And he can only play with his back to goal. Can only possibly play in a 442 with width and someone off him. Today was painful. A one legged man pulling a tractor is quicker than him.

[West Acton]

Preston one of the worst sides I have seen for cheating and play acting but in fairness they killed the game doing it and got the points so job done

I think it’s time to rethink this head injury, stop game rule as players just go down holding head knowing ref will stop the match. Should do what happens in rugby where physio can come on and game continues that’s got be worth trialling

if game continues it will stop the go down holding head overnight

[West Acton]

Bang on the money with Smith. Useless in open play. Their centre backs got in front of him every time. And he can only play with his back to goal. Can only possibly play in a 442 with width and someone off him. Today was painful. A one legged man pulling a tractor is quicker than him.

I like him but seriously don’t get why he is so rated by so many fans he really does kill our game.

[Rangers77]

I like him but seriously don’t get why he is so rated by so many fans he really does kill our game.

Yep. He puts it away in the six yard box. But adds nothing offensively outside that box. Much more effective coming off the bench- especially at home- when he mixes it up. Good lad, but woeful in the system we played today. A totem pole has more mobility. So too a piece of Stonehenge.

[1973 ranger]

Sad state of affairs as what are our options at the club? We need to trade Freeman not give him away and give McClaren a few bob to have a chance for the season ahead.

[Timmy the Doc]

Ingram had one very good save. Bidwell was decent as usual and about the only one who crosses the ball.

[loftbalcony]

Just back also, best team on day won, we rallied at the end and Prestons time wasting and diving was shocking, 5 mins of injury time and the ball in play for less than 2.
It was too little too late to be honest, eze was the standout and although a bit slow leinster was solid, got some important blocks in when under pressure in first half

[klonk]

Plus side: apart from the goal, we were surprisingly ok in defence. Leistner looked solid, kakay decent. Defend like that all season and we‘ll be ok on the road.

Negatives: Struggled to create much... not really a smith game, imo more a sylla game. Freeman (maybe distracted) needs to know when to release the ball. Can‘t expect too much so soon from youngsters

unknown: are pne all that?

[vespa]

Bit duff. Sluggish and disjointed. Smith very isolated and nobody getting forward to support him or feed off him. No width whatsoever and far too slow moving through the thirds. Two meaningful shots on goal in 90 mins: one a tame free-kick easily gathered by keeper and the other was a Sylla poke/snapshot late on but straight at keeper who did well to flick it clear from danger.
PNE equally powder puff up front. Whatever OPTA says I don't think Ingram made a serious save all match. Their goal was very soft... free kick over to back post, nodded back across goal and second ball nodded in. That said, it was not a free kick in first place and dunno why ref saw innocent 50/50 as a foul. Suppose you could say we were close to achieving a point but I don't think we did enough to deserve it.
Remember the excellent reffing at World Cup with refs just telling players to get up and stop being tarts every time they collapsed after someone brushed near them? Well, business as usual back in England...... fussy ref blowing for a lot of falling over antics from PNE players which got particularly risible in last 10 minutes with 3 notable stoppages for fake injuries. Still, we need to get wise and grow up - senior players need to show the young uns how to deploy the "dark arts".
Lastly, I feel playing footy on 4th August is far too early and thus I don't want to panic or dig players out but I do struggle to see anything positive with Bidwell..... slow, cumbersome, offers nothing going forward, gets a nosebleed if he finds himself in their half, questionable positional sense, poor distribution, no vision, can't control the ball, can't pass straight, tendency to wildly spoon or mistime a hoofed clearance. Not a good day at office for him in my view.

cheers for the write up , hope your wrong about Bidwell ,but at least you went and gave the rest of us an insight

[OldR]

BBC Radio London had nothing but praise for BFG.

[hal9thou]

I like him but seriously don’t get why he is so rated by so many fans he really does kill our game.

It's sooo simple, but seems so hard for successive managers to grasp. So simple that we identified what was going to happen in advance, when we knew the set up.

Play Smith with a sniffer and at least one out and out winger, wide and deep, and he will give you a very decent percentage and provide the scraps a hitman thrives off.

Play him as a one, isolated, and you've got it wrong. Simple as that.

Smith doesn't kill the game. Naive selection kills it for us. Like a defensive minded 4-2-3-1 away with MS as the one. He's good in 4-4-2 amd he'd be outstanding in a 4-2-4 with early ball and wide men hunting it down. You have to adapt to your squad strengths.

[West Acton]

Hal I agree with you about ways of playing but he in my view is still not the person to play as you describe. For his size he don’t hold the ball up and is not that great at flicking it on, that’s why I say he kills us (if plays from the start) he’s not mobile enough to do as you describe or were asking him. I’m not suggesting getting shot, quite opposite, as he has part to play but it’s not from the off

If were saying to him just get in the box and in end of crosses there is no one better but that is luxury we can’t afford need at our level and ability to have more then one trick ponies

Modern day game is about pace, mobility, agility, work rate and skill all of which he don't have. It’s not his game or strength and it’s not fair on him, he looked absolutely gutted when he got withdrawn yesterday and I don’t blame him