Kidderminster match thread

[Jonty]

Second half yesterday (after the changes) we saw some improvement and I think there's something there to be worked on with Wilson and Cook up front with either Walker or Grimes tucked in just behind. Would like to see that from the start in games especially at home where we should be at teams from the start. Not after 45minutes. Harvey can tackle as good as Cowps or Lacey and he can also run with the ball. I also think his distribution is better than either of them. For me he is our best central midfielder and he should be on from the start.

[Steeley]

Where are mellor and fofana?

[Moonwatcher]

Let me make it clear: I can’t stand Jose Mourhino. I often think a prison sentence would not be too strong a punishment for a bloke who routinely wrecks lives and careers, whether it be referees, physios or whoever. That notwithstanding, there can be no denying he knows how to be successful so I was interested in a comment he made yesterday and it was as follows: “They choose some matches to sweat blood and in other matches they don’t. That’s typical of an attitude of a team that wins nothing.” He was apparently referring to Newcastle. Seems true to me, for over a period of decades Newcastle have mastered the art of inconsistency, despite having amongst the biggest gates and the most impassioned fans.

That quote could however be aimed at any number of clubs, and it is true of us at Barrow. We have seen some dead-leg performances this season, notably against Southport (where only a wonder save at the end got us the three points), Aldershot, and now Kidderminster. But there again, we have seen performances against Eastleigh and Lincoln which were tremendous. I agree with an earlier post which said the real disconcerting thing about yesterday was not so much the penalties (awful though they were, perhaps we can put it down to just being two of those things) as the non-show in the first 45. Why were we not on the pitch in the first 45? Nobody’s going to pretend that we are great (by this league’s standards) but we ARE better than we sometimes appear. So what are they going to do to get a bit more consistency, to get the sweating of blood in every match? To return to the quote, which players have the necessary attitude and which haven’t? In the close season, the management were saying that they weren’t just looking at ability levels but also at what sort of characters the potential signings were! Perhaps they need to look again and check more thoroughly.

As for the penalties, they were woeful strikes. Walker has proved himself to be a good penalty taker but who else is there? Despite Cook being our player of the season thus far, and despite his wonder strike yesterday, I wouldn’t have him down as the cleanest striker of a football. Of the current bunch, the purest striker of a ball would be Ashton in my view. He seems a bit of a Rolls-Royce the way he puts his foot through the ball. Of course, purity of strike isn’t everything, he would need to want to take them and have the confidence to take them. Strangely enough, when I think of some of the purest strikers of a ball in our non-league days so many of them have been left full-backs! I’m thinking of Maurice Whittle, Tony Chilton (yes, for all his faults, Chilts could “ping” a ball) and possibly the best of them all, Scott Maxfield. Whatever, this should be sorted in training and there should be a crystal-clear rota, or order for taking spot-kicks, depending on who is on the pitch.

As for Symington, was he partly at fault for their goal yesterday? I don’t know the answer to that. Was he upfield as part of a strategy or was he just out of position of his own making? Only the team and management can answer that. However, if we pass on that one moment of the game yesterday I would say that otherwise he did nothing wrong the rest of the match and played well enough. The real problem yesterday was the absence of a midfield. That’s not to say Symington is an answer, just to present a more balanced perspective on where the problems truly lay yesterday and to counter some of the lazy scapegoating that can take off quicker than a forest fire. Despite Symington doing alright, what I want to see is us trying to get George Williams signed up for the rest of the season.

The voice of reason, as usual. I agree about "Symo" ...after a worrying first five minutes, I thought he had a decent game. I'm going to say something now which will probably get me stoned to death - I thought Benji VDB didn't play that badly yesterday. We like our scapegoats on this forum - Paddy Lacey could do no right last season, this season it's BVDB. He hasn't set the world alight, and has even been a disappointment, but yesterday I thought he had one of his better games. I heard people standing near me saying "waste of space" and similar every time he touched the ball, although curiously they had no comment to make when he threaded a splendid sliderule pass behind the defender for Cooky (I think) to run through on goal. Selective myopia? He does need to get his work-rate up, and get involved more, but yesterday I saw glimpses of an intelligent footballer in there somewhere - he got into some good positions and laid off one or two nice passes. All he needs to do for me is to do it MORE. Getting on the lad's back won't help to make that happen.

[bobbie moore]

I dont think I was at game yesterday because I obviously didn't see all these positives others did,ijust saw a poor and poorly prepared team.Spoke to PC earlier this month and he said the end of September would see things much different to start....true..... worse.

[McMark]

Highlights from yesterday are available. Dan Livesey had a hand full of shirt for the disallowed goal!
A really frustrating day yesterday and one that we should of had our first back to back win of the season!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENuGSdo ... youtu.be&a

[whitty1969]

Moonwatcher. Have you ever played football? VDB had a good game ???!!!!! Give me strength. He is/was terrible.

[Middleton Nick]

Moonwatcher.Report to the town square at 0730 where you will be stoned until life extinct.

[Moonwatcher]

Moonwatcher. Have you ever played football? VDB had a good game ???!!!!! Give me strength. He is/was terrible.

Yes I have. I also READ other people's posts before responding to them. I did not say that he "had a good game", I said that he had one of his better games. That is a contextual comment. I said he had been disappointing since coming to the club, and that yesterday was one of the better games. That's not saying he was good. Please pay attention.

[whitty1969]

OK good point I must pay more attention.

You said he never played that badly. One of his better games. Now can I stone you ?

If that was one of his better games how bad was he in the others?

I will give him 2/10 for yesterday. One for turning up and putting the correct kit on.
He gets another one for the speed he came off the field to allow us to put someone better on

[Just A Barrow Fan]

Moonwatcher. Have you ever played football? VDB had a good game ???!!!!! Give me strength. He is/was terrible.

Yes I have. I also READ other people's posts before responding to them. I did not say that he "had a good game", I said that he had one of his better games. That is a contextual comment. I said he had been disappointing since coming to the club, and that yesterday was one of the better games. That's not saying he was good. Please pay attention.

Moonwatcher what did VDB do yesterday that made you think 'he didn't do to badly' because he was [SwearFilter] awful and from the games I've seen him play he is one of the worst wingers I've seen at HS in years!! As well as Symington!

[paddy71]

Yes I have. I also READ other people's posts before responding to them. I did not say that he "had a good game", I said that he had one of his better games. That is a contextual comment. I said he had been disappointing since coming to the club, and that yesterday was one of the better games. That's not saying he was good. Please pay attention.

Moonwatcher what did VDB do yesterday that made you think 'he didn't do to badly' because he was [SwearFilter] awful and from the games I've seen him play he is one of the worst wingers I've seen at HS in years!! As well as Symington!

Totally agree

[Moonwatcher]

Yes I have. I also READ other people's posts before responding to them. I did not say that he "had a good game", I said that he had one of his better games. That is a contextual comment. I said he had been disappointing since coming to the club, and that yesterday was one of the better games. That's not saying he was good. Please pay attention.

Moonwatcher what did VDB do yesterday that made you think 'he didn't do to badly' because he was [SwearFilter] awful and from the games I've seen him play he is one of the worst wingers I've seen at HS in years!! As well as Symington!

1:55 into the highlights video BVDB plays a neat one-two with Jason, who goes through into the box, then goes down trying to win a pen. We were in line with it at the time and I thought "now that's more like it" Yes, that was just one moment in the game, but what I am trying to say is that in previous outings he hasn't got anywhere near the ball, let alone set up a good scoring chance with a pass! Now you can stone me.

[blue nige]

Highlights from yesterday are available. Dan Livesey had a hand full of shirt for the disallowed goal!
A really frustrating day yesterday and one that we should of had our first back to back win of the season!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENuGSdo ... youtu.be&a

bad positioning from dixon!

[SKIPPER]

A couple of observations on the pens. Cooky went to put the rebound in with his left foot and it was a woeful effort. Might be wrong but gives the impression his left leg is just for standing on. As for Grimes the keeper took a step to his right seconds before he hit it leaving a gap you could drive a car through.Wrong decision from Grimes.

[Moonwatcher]

OK good point I must pay more attention.

You said he never played that badly. One of his better games. Now can I stone you ?

If that was one of his better games how bad was he in the others?

I will give him 2/10 for yesterday. One for turning up and putting the correct kit on.
He gets another one for the speed he came off the field to allow us to put someone better on

How about an extra mark for the nice one-two that put Jase through? A welcome relief from long-ball monotony, I thought. Go on...it'll do you good.
I'll get my tin hat....