Pure, unadulterated dog ****.
Had the feeling of off-the-pitch issues starting to grind them down. Just didn't seem to be at the races and they wanted it more until they scored their second and we decided to up the tempo a bit.
Despite admirable desire, Eastleigh are the poorest team I've seen us lose to since our relegation from the EFL. The playacting, diving, timewasting from the minute they scored was a joke, and the 'keeper faking an injury so Bradbury could give a team talk was painful. Desperately wanted Kev to just chin the **** on the touchline to be honest. Add to that one of the poorest display from officials you're likely to see and some truly unbelievable decisions, and it felt like everything was against us.
That being said, we didn't deserve anything. We totally lacked any guile, inventiveness and quality in the final third.
Spare me any calls about Blondy occasionally making a decent save. That's his bread and butter. In every other aspect of his game, he is consistently costing us and he's cost us 2 goals today. If we do still need a loan 'keeper, does it have to be him? Or can we send him packing and get someone else in? Failing that, would giving Fin Purcell a go really yield worst results than playing Blondy is at the moment?
I also think Ralph is due dropping. I don't know whether it's some attempt to keep him happy, but shoehorning him at any cost is driving me mad. Bridge is a better option at LWB and Lopata, Kensdale, Hobson are all better options at CB. "Balance" with a left-footer is a myth in this particular situation because both Kensdale and Lomas have proven that they're perfectly comfortable in the left-sided CB role. He just looks like he has some mistakes in him, he's cost us a goal or two with them since coming back into the team and he's cost us another one today.
Is Husin offering anything? Why not give Fonguck a go today, even if coming on as a sub. Some of Bridge's best form has come with Fonguck on the left side of CM, pushing up and supporting him down the left flank. That's not to mention his driving runs into the final third, which was another staple of our long unbeaten run.
Just feels like ever since that loss up at Gateshead in November to end the winning run, the baby has been thrown out with the bathwater with regards to team selection. Go back to what was working so well during that long run. Kensdale, Lopata and Hobbo at CB, Fonguck instead of Husin in CM.
Don't know the solution up front. Powell doesn't seem the same player with Cardwell next to him. Cardwell is bagging some goals but we go high and long more often with him on the pitch and it doesn't play to Powell's strengths. Powell playing off the shoulder of the last defender and sprinting onto balls forward seems to be out the window with Cardwell in the team, so that needs some thinking about.
