• Welcome to the ShrimperZone forums.
    You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which only gives you limited access.

    Existing Users:.
    Please log-in using your existing username and password. If you have any problems, please see below.

    New Users:
    Join our free community now and gain access to post topics, communicate privately with other members, respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and free. Click here to join.

    Fans from other clubs
    We welcome and appreciate supporters from other clubs who wish to engage in sensible discussion. Please feel free to join as above but understand that this is a moderated site and those who cannot play nicely will be quickly removed.

    Assistance Required
    For help with the registration process or accessing your account, please send a note using the Contact us link in the footer, please include your account name. We can then provide you with a new password and verification to get you on the site.

Wasn't there but on the radio it sounded like we were hanging on at the end which I must admit felt disappointing given we're the team going for promotion with an inferior goal difference & they're the team struggling for form near the bottom. If we're in this league next year we need to find a ruthless streak & start putting sides like that to the sword. When's the last time we scored 5? Or even 4? Today was the perfect opportunity after the first half but we seem to have done the usual & invited them back into the game. A better side would probably have nicked a point. Anyway don't like to moan after a win so I'll shut up now.
 
Hanging on, no not really. For me we saw it out pretty comfortably despite the succession of corners. 1 shot on target I think.
 
Again a game of two halves, we looked impressive in the 1st and let them get back into it again in the 2nd. I'd be hugely tempted to start Cassidy instead of Piggot on Monday, for whatever reason Piggy isn't getting the chances.

Bentley - 7, did what he had to well
White - 7.5, solid performance, great pass to Lenny for the shot which led to Willo's goal
Thompson - wasn't on long enough to rate
Barrett - 9, one of the most complete performances this season, drive, enthusiasm, challenge, just top notch, would have been proper Roy of the Rovers stuff if he'd have scored!
Coker - 7, worked hard, some lovely inter play between him, McLaughlin and Timlin in the 1st half
Atkinson - 6.5, ran into a few blind alleys and finds it hard to stay wide at times, works hard and glad he scored
Timlin - 7.5, much better in the 1st half, looked a bit exhausted in the 2nd. Some great harrying and perfect pass for Bazza
Leonard - 7, had his shooting boots on today and getting back to top form in time for the run in
McLaughlin - 6.5, some really nice stuff, looked a little tired as the match wore on so no surprise to see him subbed
Piggot - 6.5, took some punishment, needs to learn to be a little harder on oppo defenders - don't let them get away with it!
Corr - 8, great performance, also took a lot and got little out of the ref. Deserved goal

Subs:
Bolger for Thompson - 7, thought the lad did really well, rarely lost out on a header and took the ball out of play rather than play it in to trouble more often than not. Couple of minor mistakes but nothing major, well done
Cassidy for Piggot - 6.5, got a bit more nous about him, think he'll do well alongside Corr, given the chance
Weston for McLaughlin - n/a, not on long enough

Officials - come on, wouldn't be me if there wasn't a comment on them! Ref seemed too lenient for my liking, and they all let far too much grappling go.
 
Amazing set of results today. The nine teams immediately below us all drew, with the exception of Luton who lost. Add to this Wycombe losing at home and you have to wonder whether Bury (or .... Southend??) might sneak into third place at the end of the season. That game in hand is crucial for both teams.
 
Decent performance overall...I was going to say Mansfield were pretty woeful, but so were Accrington, Cambridge, Morecambe and a good few more and we didn't beat them

A couple of points on the great Centre Back debate......
1) I didn't honestly think I'd ever say it again, but Adam Barrett was the standout performer today. Great performance by him.
2) Huge huge credit to Bolger today...he's had a lot of stick in the past, some justified, some not....but he was outstanding today and gave the performance we needed from him. The tall guy up front for Mansfield (Oliver?) won absolutely everything in the air in the first 10 minutes, mainly against Thompson (including the challenge he injured himself in), but also against Barrett and looked a real aerial threat, but Bolger came on and won almost every challenge against him. That sent out a serious message for the rest of the game...assuming both fit from facial knocks picked up today I'd start Barrett & Bolger on Monday.
 
Barrett MotM today, but I'd want to see him play against a team that actually looks threatening before deciding if he should be starting, same goes for the new guy who played well but had the benefit of coming up against defenders that looked like they'd never played together before.
 
Again a game of two halves, we looked impressive in the 1st and let them get back into it again in the 2nd. I'd be hugely tempted to start Cassidy instead of Piggot on Monday, for whatever reason Piggy isn't getting the chances.


Officials - come on, wouldn't be me if there wasn't a comment on them! Ref seemed too lenient for my liking, and they all let far too much grappling go.

Really? Ref was very impressive today.. Total control, played advantages, and allowed men to be men
 
Really? Ref was very impressive today.. Total control, played advantages, and allowed men to be men

Apart from when their player led with his elbow and blatantly elbowed Pigott in the face. The ref talked to the player, pointed to 2 or 3 places around the pitch then walked off. Red card all day long in my opinion
 
Only the 6th game I've been to this season but first half was by far the best we've played. We played some good football and just seemed a bit sharper and more urgent than usual. Both goals were well taken and it looked like Mansfield were there for the taking. Unfortunately second half we took our foot off the gas and Mansfield had a few chance but luckily they were a pretty dire outfit and never looked like getting back into it. Would've been nice to see us score another one or two to boost the old goal difference but hey can't be greedy. Ratings:

Bentley 6 - Very little to do. Kicking was good.

White 7 - Hardly put a foot wrong.

Bolger 7 - I was a bit worried when Thompson came off but credit to Bolger he won his headers and tackles. Distribution is still awful but defensively he was rock solid. Should definitely keep his place in the team for Monday.

Barrett 8 - MOM. Don't know what he had for breakfast this morning but he seemed really fired up against his old club and got forward a lot. Made a few great tackles and blocks too.

Coker 6 - Defensively sound, didn't do much going forward.

Atkinson 7 - Lively performance and nice to see him score a goal as he said he would.

Leonard 7 - Better than other times I've seen him this season, a few half decent attempts on goal.

Timlin 6 - Pretty quiet but did his job.

McLaughlin 6 - Not heavily involved but showed some glimpses of talent. Looked more dangerous when he was running through the middle.

Piggott 7 - Battled hard and kept the ball well

Corr 7 - Took his goal well and made himself a nuisance for their defence.
 
Ok, maybe a more balanced view than some of the rose tinted scores I've seen so far.

Bentley - 7 Not much to do, nearly got caught out in the first half taking a chance, made a good save 2nd half.
White - 7 Played well, won every header and made no mistakes.
Coker - 6 Defending wasn't that great but felt he was left exposed by McLoughlin not tracking back, the only one player who was better in the second half.
Thompson - 6 Did ok when on, hope he's fit for Monday.
Barrett - 8 MOM- did well, he seemed to inspire the whole team 1st half and his run forward led to a goal.
Atkinson - 7 Pick of the midfield today, I'm not usually his biggest fan but he was the only one of the midfield not to give the ball away on a consistent basis.
Leonard- 6 Ok, nothing more. His shot led to the 2nd goal but other than that he made little impact. Still a mile away from the player who dictated the game last season. :sad:
Timlin - 5 Yes it was a good pass for the goal but for the rest of the game he was awful, I counted 5 passes in a row he gave away at one point. I love Timlin usually but he's got to improve.
McLaughlin - 6 Some good, some bad. He showed some quality on the ball and looks like he's got a decent cross, but also left Coker exposed (especially in the 1st half) and looked a bit lightweight at times. I wouldn't fancy him in a game where 50/50's really count.
Corr - 6 Took the goal well, but missed another couple of good chances, should have been subbed as he was gone after 60 mins.
Pigott - 5 Poor for his standards, at times held the ball up well but never looked like scoring and dwelled on the ball for his one real chance.

SUBS

Bolger - 4 Sorry but he still looks a complete liability, a lot of simple clearances we're scuffed, he was dominated in the air, and every time anyone runs at him he craps his pants. Fingers crossed Prosser or Thompson are fit for Monday.

Realised I missed Cassidy - 6 He was Ok, worked hard and put in one decent cross.
Weston - Not enough time to rate but actually won a header :Worthy:.
 
Bolger - 4 Sorry but he still looks a complete liability, a lot of simple clearances we're scuffed, he was dominated in the air, and every time anyone runs at him he craps his pants. Fingers crossed Prosser or Thompson are fit for Monday.
Totally disagree with that. His head was first on the ball in practically every challenge. As Norwich shrimper said, their forward Oliver, was doing ok in the air until Bolger came on. He's taller and a bit more solid in his heading than Thompson. I saw two minor mistakes, that was all, less than Coker and Barrett.
 
Decent performance overall...I was going to say Mansfield were pretty woeful, but so were Accrington, Cambridge, Morecambe and a good few more and we didn't beat them

A couple of points on the great Centre Back debate......
1) I didn't honestly think I'd ever say it again, but Adam Barrett was the standout performer today. Great performance by him.
2) Huge huge credit to Bolger today...he's had a lot of stick in the past, some justified, some not....but he was outstanding today and gave the performance we needed from him. The tall guy up front for Mansfield (Oliver?) won absolutely everything in the air in the first 10 minutes, mainly against Thompson (including the challenge he injured himself in), but also against Barrett and looked a real aerial threat, but Bolger came on and won almost every challenge against him. That sent out a serious message for the rest of the game...assuming both fit from facial knocks picked up today I'd start Barrett & Bolger on Monday.[/QUOTE

Agree Bolger had a real good battle with Oliver. We were sitting with their non playing squad players and I picked him out as a very useful. They told me he's going to be great player. One towering header deep in our half started the attack for the first goal.
Sadly some has given him 4. Some boo boys wont give a single bit of credit, says a lot about them I guess
 
Got to say I thought Bolger did well when he came on. Oliver had the beating of Thompson in the 1st 10 minutes but Bolger seemed to dominate him....distribution was poor though !! As for the ref I thought he let a lot go and thought a number of their players led with their elbows and never got punished ! And as someone mentioned earlier after the elbow on the Pig he pointed out to their player at least 3 other occasions he fouled on the pitch then never booked him !
 
Ok, maybe a more balanced view than some of the rose tinted scores I've seen so far.


Thompson - 6 Did ok when on, hope he's fit for Monday.

Bolger - 4 Sorry but he still looks a complete liability, a lot of simple clearances we're scuffed, he was dominated in the air, and every time anyone runs at him he craps his pants. Fingers crossed Prosser or Thompson are fit for Monday.
Weston - Not enough time to rate but actually won a header :Worthy:.

We all have different opinions on here, but how on earth can you say that.....Thompson lost EVERY challenge with Oliver before he went off. The injury to Thompson was a blessing tactics wise (though clearly not for AT who was in agony!) as Bolger went on to dominate the aerial battles...I counted two occasions only that Oliver got to the ball first. Bolger almost completely snuffed him out.....I agree he's not the prettiest to watch with the ball at his feet, but he's a centre back FFS...just stop them scoring, that's the priority. Credit where it's due. He was excellent today.


and yes, Weston did win a header, but it went in the opposite direction to where he intended, and out for a throw.
 
Maybe Thompson did lose every challenge, in which case I was overly generous, however in the first half at least Bolger lost far more than he won, he also seemed to jump in a fashion which left him out of place to get back, I still think he's a liability and would pick Thompson over him any day, if Bolger plays Monday I predict we will lose, if I'm wrong I'm happy to eat humble pie!
 
Agree with others that Adam Barrett was MOM today. Him and Bolger looked more comfortable together than any other pairing at centre-back this season even allowing for the fact that the opposition was poor.
 
Totally disagree with that. His head was first on the ball in practically every challenge. As Norwich shrimper said, their forward Oliver, was doing ok in the air until Bolger came on. He's taller and a bit more solid in his heading than Thompson. I saw two minor mistakes, that was all, less than Coker and Barrett.

His distribution was woeful, to the point that I made a point of watching it closely in the second half, pass after pass into the stands or to one of their players, also his headers , although better than Thompson carry little distance and do not go to either our players or into less dangerous areas. if you only saw 2 minor mistakes you really weren't paying attention :smile:. Having said that I was impressed with one bit of skill in the second half when he stepped up to get them offside, but then ran back at full pace in case the ref didn't give it- most players run back at 3/4 speed with a hand in the air (ref gave off side).

would much rather have Prosser and Barrett given the choice

Also although Barrett was great, thank god their number 9 didn't start the game - he caused us and Barrett all kinds of problems
 
Back
Top