1.2.2011
CCFC 2 v 2 READING
On the face of it a fair result against a decent team lying
just outside the Play-offs finishing with a morale-boosting leveller deep into
injury time to send the fans home happy, if not quite jubilant. But this was
definitely 2 points lost rather than an unlikely one gained; the result masks a
number of fundamental concerns.
Jones has a problem. We have a problem with Jones. Two basic failings : team selection and
tactics. We are in the enviable position of having an embarrassment of riches
with quality cover in all positions. The transfer window has closed and not
only have we have retained our star players, we have been boosted by long and
short term quality signings. Rambo, The Beast, E-T: Reasons To Be Cheerful
1-2-3.
Reasons To Be Less Than Cheerful: Jones decides to start with Bothroyd and
Emanuel-Thomas up front, with the in-form Chopra dropped.
Reasons To Be Much Less Cheerful Still: There is no place
for Chris ‘He swings to the left, he swings to the right’ Burke or our
newly-signed and desperately needed central defender Keinan, or the cruelly
discarded Darcy Blake. Benchwarmers all three.
Reasons To Scratch Your Head And Gaze Vacantly Into The Middle-Distance:
The pairing of McNaughton and Hudson is retained so that Naylor can be
accommodated. Eh? Yes, Naylor, the Black Knight in Monty Python & the Holy
Grail who, however useless he is, keeps coming back for more; skinned by every
winger in the Championship, he seems to respond with a ‘ tis but a flesh
wound’. Jones ought to play the King Arthur role and explain to him that
actually his legs have gone. Instead he persists. And yet again we’re left
wondering why. This week’s tormentor was Kebe, who like those before him was
given the time and space to wreak havoc. Unsurprisingly both Reading’s goals came
from a failure to close down the service from the right.
The first half was just confusing. We had plenty of
possession with Reading only looking dangerous when they had a chance to break.
Ramsey was controlling the midfield – his vision, speed of thought and timing
are on another level altogether. But upfront the pairing of Emanuel-Thomas and Bothroyd
looked like a training ground mismatch and was abandoned within 20 minutes in
favour of Bellamy moving in field and the out of position, out of sorts E-T
moving out left.
Failings at the back and confusion in attack meant that we
went in 0-1 down at the break. Jones changed
things by bringing on Chopra for Olifinjana and within minutes of the restart
we were level. A farcical clearance from their ‘keeper landed at the feet of
Bothroyd who calmly collected and skilfully rounded the embarrassed Federici.
1-1. For the next 15 minutes we took control of the game but failed to
capitalise. The game became bogged down in midfield. Ramsey wasn’t as
effective, perhaps missing the presence of Olifinjana, and we were giving up
the ball far too easily. The stats show that we had a 61-39% advantage in terms
of possession but we just couldn’t push on.
The clock showed 90.00. Two minutes into injury time Reading
broke out at pace as the fresh legs of substitutes Hunt and Manset combined to
put Reading ahead. The disgruntled crowd thinned out and as those of us with masochistic
tendencies doggedly sat and awaited the inevitable crescendo of boos, the Ref
awarded a free-kick just outside the Reading box. Jobi McAnuff took the opportunity to waste some precious
seconds by booting the ball away resulting in an altercation with his former
team mates. Two bookings later and some 7 minutes into added time Bellamy
stepped up and coolly slotted the ball over the wall past the diving Federici.
2-2 and relief all round.
Next up an encounter with our chums from that little town west
of Llanelli. Memo to DJ: Play to your strengths. Play your best players in
their best positions. Don’t play Naylor. Anywhere. Choose Keinan. Choose Burkey. Choose Chopra.
Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose your future. Beat Swansea. Choose life.
No comments:
Post a Comment