Tactics today

[Dark Cloud]

The game was tight and imo heading for a 0-0 which wouldn't have been the worst result for us by any means. And if we HAD have got into the last 15 minutes still at 0-0 I would have fancied us to maybe grab that slightly undeserved late winner which we've become very adept at without ever reaching the level of performance we are used to at home. However it was Hendrick's blunder which gifted them the first goal and suddenly the game was away from us. apart from Keane's skied finish when well placed Spurs coasted it from that moment on. There isn't a person who was there who can comprehend Gray going off when he did unless injured. With him on we looked a little bit dangerous. With him off we looked like a pub team. I hate criticising Dyche, but he got that one very wrong. We could still have got away with it though if Hendrick hadn't messed up when he did.

[Roosterbooster]

I thought Lowton was very good and Barton first half as well

Really?? Barton first half was the worst player on the pitch. If Defour had started and played like that first half he would have been taken off

[claretspice]

Well, I have to disagree.

At the end of the first half I has happy that we were level and that we seemed to just about have the measure of Spurs, in that neither keeper was busy. Some nice football played by both sides and I do remember thinking that although I wasn't excited at least KRBFC will have at least witnessed a Sean Dyche side playing 'nice' football. So he'd be happy surely.

But second half they played more positively and I think Sean's first sub was tactical. I think he wanted to drop Barnes further back as we were being overrun in midfield. They were not allowing Joey the same amount of time on the ball and we struggled with that and pressure on Joey led to their second. Defour was waiting to come on when they scored their second so let's not criticise the timing of that just for the sake of a moan.

Spurs are a top team and for a while I thought that we were containing them. They swapped it around a little probably to better use their subs who were only on due to injury. They could have had another two or three second half and heads did drop. That needs sorting.

I thought Lowton was very good and Barton first half as well. Ward and Barnes too played well.

The rest were average as the game wore on with Keane guilty of a few sloppy passes.
But all players have dips, todays second half was one of those where too many were off the pace at the same time.

Really want Boro to win or at least draw tomorrow as Hull and Swansea beginning to look dangerous to us.

I'm not sure that was the logic of the first change - there was a Spurs attack soon after where Vokes rather than Barnes was very clearly the one dropping into midfield, but even if it was it was a badly conceived move. Variants on 442 work when we have pace to run the channels. Without that few teams make it work and we certainly weren't good enough to be an exception. So if he wanted to stiffen the midfield, it had to be a double change - with Defour (or at least Brady) coming on to provide a supply line and a change to 4-3-3/4-5-1.

That said, the criticism of Arfield and Boyd is a touch harsh. Someone above has drawn a correlation between the fact Defour started against Leicester and us winning the game, seemingly ignoring the fact Defour went off after 30 minutes and his replacement, Arfield, improved us. I'd say Arfield has been our best player over the last 2 games incidentally.

Selection v Stoke will be interesting. Our weak link yesterday was Barton, but it would be a huge surprise of he didn't start (although there's a big temptation to go for Westwood). There's a case for giving Hendrick a rest and bringing Defour in alongside Joey and then bringing Brady in for Boyd.