A complete shambles

[GeoFox]

I have seen some dire performances from this side in the last 5 years, but today really does take the biscuit, particularly for this season.

LCFC 0 Hull 2 and we were lucky to get away with that.

So, picture the scene. We've been playing ok of late without getting results...last week v WBA, with a bit of luck we get a good win. We haven't had back to back wins for nearly 2 full seasons, and relegation is not a possibility, but a very real prospect.

So, 2 home games in a row...starting with Hull. A massive crowd of 30,374, not far off a sell out for a crucial, crucial game. Excitement, anticipation and maybe a new found optimism that we are perhaps 'turning the corner' and will ease to lower mid-table mediocrity in a few weeks.

And what happens...well 1 thing is for sure...10,000 of those fans will almost certainly not be going to the next game.

The most clueless and spineless performance I have seen in a while (and there have been plenty to choose from). Sure, the team selection was gash - 5 defenders at home in a must win game - fucking stupid. 2 midfielders and 3 very slow strikers. No wingers, no pace, no creativity, no ideas. It didn't work, but even so....

...the attitude of almost all the outfield players was a disgrace. Whatever the formation and team, things would not have been so bad had the players looked like they gave a damn. They offered nothing and looked thoroughly disinterested. The team was rotten to the core. No runs into space, the ball given away endlessly, 1 dimensional hoofing from the defenders to the strikers, sideways and backwards passing, no-one looking to create options for players on the ball....so many basic things, which were just so frustrating for supporters in the crowd.

Penalty saved at 1-0 down...it lifted the crowd and I thought that may be the thing we needed just to spur the players on for the last 20 mins or so...but no...absolutely nothing...I do not recall Myhill having to make a proper save, or us having any chance more than the odd scramble in the penalty area. Could and perhaps should have been more for Hull.

As for Hull...deserved the win, and could have had more goals. Not the most attractive team to grace the top 6 but effective and they are performing well. There isn't a huge difference though between teams in the playoffs and further down the league...we should no way have rolled over so easily at home.

Good performances - Henderson (GK) - in outstanding form...several world class saves and saved the penalty too of course. Shame about the tossers in blue around him.
Stearman - his usual 'average' self - solidish but unspectacular.
Hayles - played well out of position in the first half, our only source of threat despite being very slow, vanished in the second half.
The rest...absolutely fucking useless.

Henderson 8 (great but maybe could have been better placed for the 2nd)

Stearman 5.5
Kisnorbo 3
McAuley 4
N'Gotty 3
Clapham 4.5

Oakley 3
Hendrie 4

Hayles 5
Howard 4
Fryatt 3

Subs:
Etuhu 4
Mattock 5
Campbell 4.5

Is anybody reading at this point, I doubt it? I awaited Holloway's comments with anticipation...he took a very different style...and obviously felt it is difficult to defend the indefensible today. Honest [awaits Plymouth gibes], but words matter not one bit at the moment, we need goals and wins, and points:

Ian Holloway sent out a message to the club's supporters following Leicester's 2-0 defeat to Hull at the Walkers Stadium on Saturday.

A massive 30,374 fans turned up on the day - easily City's biggest crowd of the season to date.

But goals from Dean Marney and substitute Caleb Folan would send the Blue Army home disappointed.

Holloway said: "I hope and pray that you, the supporters, never fall out of love with Leicester - and I don't think you ever will. We have had some terrible times and that was awful today.


"But these lads need you. You were unbelievable today - I have to say that.

"Some days you come up against teams that are simply better than you. Today, Hull were better than us and that hurts. We take one step forward and then one step back, but that was as far backwards as I ever want to be because I didn't enjoy that at all.

"When Hendo made that fantastic save from the penalty you nearly ripped the roof off. But we didn't kick on from that on the pitch. They then scored a second and that has murdered us.

"I understand how you all feel and we now need to do something about it when we come up against S****horpe next week.

"I think we have let down one of the best crowds I have ever seen today. I would say that only one or two of my players played as well as they can. They were unrecognisable to the team that played last Saturday. I saw us make wrong choices and I saw us play the wrong pass. We lost the ball in key areas and I saw very good players look unbelievably average.

"That's very difficult to take when you are playing in front of such a big crowd who are totally behind you. All you want to do is please them but we haven't done that today.

"We knew that we were up against a half decent side in a good run of form, but I felt that we had turned the corner last week. We have looked confident and upbeat all week but we didn't create what we needed to on the day.

"I think that too many of the players are thinking about the wrong things. How many times did I see my midfield players look hurried and lose the ball? Last week they had all the time in the world and they looked composed.

"At the end of the game some of you were singing 'what a load of rubbish' and that is exactly what I felt. It's difficult to fathom. Confidence drains away so quickly with this group - it is quite amazing.

"But we have got to stick together. We need you again against S****horpe next week and I am sure, with your help, we can get out of this mess that we are in."

Perhaps the only positives from today are a late Palace goal and the fact Coventry don't seem to be much, if any better than us, and our run in is better (on paper). Last week Ollie said: "The future's bright: I want the future to be blue and white." it looks very bleak to me.

[MozzaBedfordSpur]

It's amazing that a team that has the best defensive record in the division is flirting with relegation, I think your goal difference will be key in keeping you up.

[GresleyRam©®™]

Beat West brom away then capitulate at home to Hull. WTF??

[El Morto La Hoja!]

hull look like getting an automatic place though....

[Alex]

I thought you didn't play as bad as you made out, but having said that, it was one of the first games i've ever sat there, not worried about conceding.

One thing that did piss me off was the digs made towards Fraizer Campbell by your players after the penalty miss. I only saw them on the highlights afterwards, but it explained why Campbell was brought off the pitch; to stop him reacting and potentially getting sent off. A bit disappointing really, but i felt the game was generally played in a good manner.

Did we sell out the away end Geo? It looked like from where i was sat that there were quite a few of us!

[El Morto La Hoja!]

don't lie Alex, lestoh are awful.... ;D

[Alex]

[GeoFox]

alex said:

I thought you didn't play as bad as you made out, but having said that, it was one of the first games i've ever sat there, not worried about conceding.

One thing that did piss me off was the digs made towards Fraizer Campbell by your players after the penalty miss. I only saw them on the highlights afterwards, but it explained why Campbell was brought off the pitch; to stop him reacting and potentially getting sent off. A bit disappointing really, but i felt the game was generally played in a good manner.

Did we sell out the away end Geo? It looked like from where i was sat that there were quite a few of us!

Yes I would say so mate. There may have been 50-100 empty blue seats in 1 small part but there were a good 3,000 of you there, a very good effort. You must have been very near the front!

I must be in that picture somewhere, in the far corner, probably with my head in my hands lol. I take it that pic was in the second half after about 80 mins when 2/3 of the crowd started to disappear.

I think you hit the nail on the head there, we never looked like creating a decent chance, let alone scoring. I can remember Hayles having a good dribble and putting a great ball across the face of the goal in the first few mins which just needed tapping in, but other than that, nothing of note. You, on the other hand forced Henderson into good saves on several occasions, to keep the scoreline respectable. The game was fairly scrappy and possession fairly even, yes, but you had the cutting edge and moved forward as a unit. We were extremely disjointed.

Yes, it is disappointing. Our defensive record is decent but on Saturday we looked a bit shaky. 5 defenders, all very slow, I don't think they knew how to handle Frazier C tbh.

[El Morto La Hoja!]

awful, absolutely awful.....

[GeoFox]

spot on stranger!

[El Morto La Hoja!]

i mean terrible, couldn't it a barn with its own door, let alone a football.....

[GeoFox]

or even a cow's arse with a banjo....

[Alex]

Yeah we were Row F which was annoying. That photo was taken when the sun was hidden slightly behind a cloud. For 90% of the game i could barely see because of the sun.

The picture was taken at 16:45 so around the 85th minute i reckon.

Regarding FC, it's very difficult to deal with him. A Colchester playter got sent off last Tuesday for a blatant trip when he was through on goal. Defenders in this division just struggle to cope with pace, and it's one of the first times we've ever had a striker with pace! Lol.

[El Morto La Hoja!]

..... funny people these lestour types, cow molestation is a serious offence

[GeoFox]

alex said:

Yeah we were Row F which was annoying. That photo was taken when the sun was hidden slightly behind a cloud. For 90% of the game i could barely see because of the sun.

The picture was taken at 16:45 so around the 85th minute i reckon.

Regarding FC, it's very difficult to deal with him. A Colchester playter got sent off last Tuesday for a blatant trip when he was through on goal. Defenders in this division just struggle to cope with pace, and it's one of the first times we've ever had a striker with pace! Lol.

Haha, I was getting quite jealous that you had the sun over on that side, it was absolutely bloody freezing where I was.

Yes, I think you are right there, its definitely something our defenders have struggled with this season; I don't think too many teams in this league have that sort of player.

Big game, against Watford next week for you lot, that will be a real test of how far you have come, and how far you can go.

[GeoFox]

mrgoldman said:

..... funny people these lestour types, cow molestation is a serious offence

not in these parts its not. You should see what happens to the sheep in Derbyshire.

[El Morto La Hoja!]

geofox said:

mrgoldman said:

..... funny people these lestour types, cow molestation is a serious offence

not in these parts its not. You should see what happens to the sheep in Derbyshire.

.... they get recorded on camcorder with paul jewell...

[GeoFox]

mrgoldman said:

geofox said:

not in these parts its not. You should see what happens to the sheep in Derbyshire.

.... they get recorded on camcorder with paul jewell...

;D haha!! That'll be next weeks's NOTW.

[Alex]

geofox said:

alex said:

Yeah we were Row F which was annoying. That photo was taken when the sun was hidden slightly behind a cloud. For 90% of the game i could barely see because of the sun.

The picture was taken at 16:45 so around the 85th minute i reckon.

Regarding FC, it's very difficult to deal with him. A Colchester playter got sent off last Tuesday for a blatant trip when he was through on goal. Defenders in this division just struggle to cope with pace, and it's one of the first times we've ever had a striker with pace! Lol.

Haha, I was getting quite jealous that you had the sun over on that side, it was absolutely bloody freezing where I was.

Yes, I think you are right there, its definitely something our defenders have struggled with this season; I don't think too many teams in this league have that sort of player.

Big game, against Watford next week for you lot, that will be a real test of how far you have come, and how far you can go.

Very big game against Watford. We're pretty strong at home and they're pretty strong away. If we manage to win it though, that'll definitely help, not just push us towards the automatics, but potentially push Watford out of the running! How's your run-in Geo?

[El Morto La Hoja!]

you've still both got to lose at bramall lane.....