Wycombe Wanderers v Torquay United - 12/10/13

[nickbrod]

The guy who shouts 'second ball' is me I think. I've coached footballers over 30+ years and frankly if we had during the game I reckon we would have gone home with at least a point.
At least I supported the team with as much vocal encouragement as I could.

[AustrianAndyGull]

Really enjoyed today despite the defeat and i'm as hoarse as Shergar at the minute!

Great to get the sing songs going and just try and create a bit of mini mayhem at the back of the stand. As it's Torquay it was more mini than mayhem but we gave it a real go today and I was hyperventilating at times and I nearly also suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder from banging the hoardings at the back of the stand . Hey, I don't mind, i'm northern, i'm hard but everything outside my cranium isn't sadly.

(Someone bring a drum next time for f*cks sake - it would make a massive difference to the atmosphere). Full credit to the Wycombe stewards, they left us well alone and they could have easily singled out a few of us for clearly banging on the hoardings at the back. They did put us in the Dreams stand behind the goal too in the end. Very sensible people all round.

My views are these, it was a very entertaining game and the best I've seen us play away from home for a prolonged period. What I mean by that is at Northampton we were awesome for about 25 minutes and sh*t for the rest of the game but today we were well in it all game nearly before tiring a bit near the end.

Azeez cooly finished from about 8 yards out at an angle to give us a lead which was immediately cancelled out by Kuffour. Our fans screamed for a free kick for us as he and Pearce jostled for what seemed like an age inside the penalty area only for Joe to end up winning the battle and managing to get a shot off. Pearce was quite simply not strong enough but I feel awkward blaming him given all he's been through. The shot was weak and I felt at the time Rice could have done a lot better in keeping it out as it squirmed under him and into the net.

We took the lead again before half time with Pearce getting on the end of a Mansell corner to head in. Any blame for their equaliser resolved. 2-1 the Gulls. I think both teams were evenly matched but we had played really well first half and at the very least I was confident of going home with a point. The simple fact is that we cannot defend with or without injuries, we will nearly always concede which is an immense concern. Ok so Cruise is in at centre half but we got O'Connor in and let in 3, we let three in today even with Pearce back (who had a decent game and certainly showed few ill effects of his recent health ordeal) and even before our injuries we concede for fun.

Second half we got pushed back a bit and hit them on the break and once they had got their equaliser it was obvious they were going for the win and we aren't strong enough to hold them off. At times we defended poorly even allowing for players out of position and the like, they were getting in each others way, not clearing the ball properly between 2 or even 3 players, they were just gifting it to Wycombe. Their 3rd came from an error in the middle where we were just faffing about with it (Mansell is past it I reckon now ) and their lad broke into our half down the wing and Rice came rushing out but appeared to then stop as our defender (not sure who it was) hesitated too before knocking it needlessly out for a Wycombe throw in when it could have been simply mopped up. A right cock up. They scored from the resultant lob into the box.

All in all I expected a loss and was extremely pleased with our performance overall today given the circumstances so I reckon we just forget about it and move on. There are positives to be taken out of it although it's another defeat. A disappointment was that although we scored 2, we didn't really create many clear cut chances and their keeper hardly had anything to do other than like nickbrod says a few tepid daisycutters from Chappell second half.

RICE: 8 Could have maybe kept out their first but made 2 or 3 superb saves second half which more than made up for it.

TONGE: 5 Looks a bit laboured to me, slowly starting to disappoint me.

NICO: 7 Thought he did ok today, some quality deliveries into the area too which I haven't been able to say so far when I've seen him this season.

CRUISE: Struggled and looked out of his depth but obviously he's not a centre back.

PEARCE: 8 Great comeback but oh boy do we need Downes beside him to give him some back up and reassurance. Came through the game really well and one gamble at least that Knill has taken that appears to have paid off even though we lost. Credit to Knill for that.

CHAPPELL 4: Poor. Never hardly beat his man, a few turgid shots at goal and the worst I've seen him play. Totally ineffective.

MANSELL: 5 Got stuck in but that's all he does nowadays and it is becoming increasingly not enough. A bit pedestrian and lightweight if i'm honest and I feel awful for saying that.

LATHROPE: 7 I thought Damon was pretty solid in there today

AZEEZ: 8 This lad is what we need. Big, strong, pacy, direct, scores goals and he isn't a striker. Bodin is the same (just to highlight) but hasn't scored any this season. Azeez has 2 in 1 and half games. If we could get him on a longer loan then i'd be very happy.

HAWLEY: 6 Did the 'Callum Ball' job but had no opportunities to score.

BENYON: 7 Did loads of running and work off the ball but again, a bit ineffective.

SUBS: McCOURT 5 Did ok for the short period he was on.
CRAIG 5 A couple of nice passes but not on long enough to make an impact
CAMERON 0 Had 2 touches of the ball, one a run past the full back only for a dreadful cross out of play and another a turn and shot that ended up in Newbury.

The ref was a bit of a tool to be honest.

Overall Knill continues to make some odd decisions and I also heard him on talksport saying the right things. I also heard Ainsworth too and he makes me listen, Knill makes me sleep. It's another game gone where I don't feel overly depressed but at the same time the huge doubts that Knill is slowly lifting the plug on the football league bath are still there. I can't put my finger on it but I just don't trust him.

Great to meet Taxilady for the first time today who stood alongside me during the game, I much enjoyed the pleasure of your company and hope you had a safe journey back, likewise her lad Yellowsmiffy who looks spritely for a 45 year old. I also met tktufc who assisted with the banging of the hoardings and if we'd have got kicked out i'd have screamed innocence and said to the Wanderers stewards, "IT WAS HIM! IT WAS HIM!!" . (Of course I wouldn't have done that). :na:

I also briefly met FavGull on the way out, good to say hello and put faces to names although I doubt that feeling is reciprocated given my ugly mug. Safe journey home too I trust? I had a mare, battering it down all the way back, took me 3 hours to get back to the Derbyshire/ Yorkshire border and so glad I was too, the home counties make me feel like a scruff! :Oops:

Also good to meet Bobby93, Rachii and the lad who was with them but didn't catch his name. The only person I DIDN'T meet today was the friggin' Queen!! THANK GOD!!!

Also I had a 'reight good doss' today (as they say up here for I thoroughly enjoyed myself) and Ben, a pleasure as always mate. I just love laughing, i'm like that bloke in the lift in the traveltavern! Cheers mate! Good to see Alex again too and the others. When I say 'the others' I don't mean the Ghosts in that Nicole Kidman film when I but I mean the others as in the fans I recognise but don't quite know your names. :}

Also said hello to Matt, I did have one of my daughters old multi-coloured hedgehog teddies I planned to bring for you mate as a laugh but I forgot! Sorry! Thought it might raise a giggle for a few seconds. Good to see you again anyway mate, f*ck me I feel like Cilla Black here, whose next?!!

Anyway, back home now and already looking forward to Burton away. COYY!!!!!

[AustrianAndyGull]

This match post was brought to you in association with BEECHDEAN FARMHOUSE DAIRY ICE-CREAM.





(you get it Ben? :na: )

[AustrianAndyGull]

F*ck me, my night's just got worse, if a 3-2 defeat wasn't bad enough i'm now watching some camp arsehole prance about on xfactor. I'm gonna be sick..............................see thee in a bit....................TOILET!!!!! NOW!!!!!

[usagullmichigan]

5 more games to steady the ship for me then we are as about safe as the Titanic. I don't care if we play good or attacking football. I want 3 points even if it means hoofball. Some of you can keep burying your heads in the sand but we need results not excuses.

[AustrianAndyGull]

Oh and also when I was parkingup on THE GRASSY KNOLL (great name for a book that) which is Wycombe's car park I spotted Helen Chamberlain driving around in her massive black motor. She won't tell you this directly but she had just spotted me cooly parking up in my 52 plate 154,000 miles on the clock Citroen Xsara Picasso and she was trying to get my attention by driving around the place.

Helen, I appreciate the interest love but i'm way out of your league and you know it. I hope you haven't taken it the wrong way. My romantic rebuff I mean.

Yeah, she must have watched the game then today.

[berkshire yellow]

Really enjoyed today despite the defeat and i'm as hoarse as Shergar at the minute!

Great to get the sing songs going and just try and create a bit of mini mayhem at the back of the stand. As it's Torquay it was more mini than mayhem but we gave it a real go today and I was hyperventilating at times and I nearly also suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder from banging the hoardings at the back of the stand . Hey, I don't mind, i'm northern, i'm hard but everything outside my cranium isn't sadly.

(Someone bring a drum next time for f*cks sake - it would make a massive difference to the atmosphere). Full credit to the Wycombe stewards, they left us well alone and they could have easily singled out a few of us for clearly banging on the hoardings at the back. They did put us in the Dreams stand behind the goal too in the end. Very sensible people all round.

My views are these, it was a very entertaining game and the best I've seen us play away from home for a prolonged period. What I mean by that is at Northampton we were awesome for about 25 minutes and sh*t for the rest of the game but today we were well in it all game nearly before tiring a bit near the end.

Azeez cooly finished from about 8 yards out at an angle to give us a lead which was immediately cancelled out by Kuffour. Our fans screamed for a free kick for us as he and Pearce jostled for what seemed like an age inside the penalty area only for Joe to end up winning the battle and managing to get a shot off. Pearce was quite simply not strong enough but I feel awkward blaming him given all he's been through. The shot was weak and I felt at the time Rice could have done a lot better in keeping it out as it squirmed under him and into the net.

We took the lead again before half time with Pearce getting on the end of a Mansell corner to head in. Any blame for their equaliser resolved. 2-1 the Gulls. I think both teams were evenly matched but we had played really well first half and at the very least I was confident of going home with a point. The simple fact is that we cannot defend with or without injuries, we will nearly always concede which is an immense concern. Ok so Cruise is in at centre half but we got O'Connor in and let in 3, we let three in today even with Pearce back (who had a decent game and certainly showed few ill effects of his recent health ordeal) and even before our injuries we concede for fun.

Second half we got pushed back a bit and hit them on the break and once they had got their equaliser it was obvious they were going for the win and we aren't strong enough to hold them off. At times we defended poorly even allowing for players out of position and the like, they were getting in each others way, not clearing the ball properly between 2 or even 3 players, they were just gifting it to Wycombe. Their 3rd came from an error in the middle where we were just faffing about with it (Mansell is past it I reckon now ) and their lad broke into our half down the wing and Rice came rushing out but appeared to then stop as our defender (not sure who it was) hesitated too before knocking it needlessly out for a Wycombe throw in when it could have been simply mopped up. A right cock up. They scored from the resultant lob into the box.

All in all I expected a loss and was extremely pleased with our performance overall today given the circumstances so I reckon we just forget about it and move on. There are positives to be taken out of it although it's another defeat. A disappointment was that although we scored 2, we didn't really create many clear cut chances and their keeper hardly had anything to do other than like nickbrod says a few tepid daisycutters from Chappell second half.

RICE: 8 Could have maybe kept out their first but made 2 or 3 superb saves second half which more than made up for it.

TONGE: 5 Looks a bit laboured to me, slowly starting to disappoint me.

NICO: 7 Thought he did ok today, some quality deliveries into the area too which I haven't been able to say so far when I've seen him this season.

CRUISE: Struggled and looked out of his depth but obviously he's not a centre back.

PEARCE: 8 Great comeback but oh boy do we need Downes beside him to give him some back up and reassurance. Came through the game really well and one gamble at least that Knill has taken that appears to have paid off even though we lost. Credit to Knill for that.

CHAPPELL 4: Poor. Never hardly beat his man, a few turgid shots at goal and the worst I've seen him play. Totally ineffective.

MANSELL: 5 Got stuck in but that's all he does nowadays and it is becoming increasingly not enough. A bit pedestrian and lightweight if i'm honest and I feel awful for saying that.

LATHROPE: 7 I thought Damon was pretty solid in there today

AZEEZ: 8 This lad is what we need. Big, strong, pacy, direct, scores goals and he isn't a striker. Bodin is the same (just to highlight) but hasn't scored any this season. Azeez has 2 in 1 and half games. If we could get him on a longer loan then i'd be very happy.

HAWLEY: 6 Did the 'Callum Ball' job but had no opportunities to score.

BENYON: 7 Did loads of running and work off the ball but again, a bit ineffective.

SUBS: McCOURT 5 Did ok for the short period he was on.
CRAIG 5 A couple of nice passes but not on long enough to make an impact
CAMERON 0 Had 2 touches of the ball, one a run past the full back only for a dreadful cross out of play and another a turn and shot that ended up in Newbury.

The ref was a bit of a tool to be honest.

Overall Knill continues to make some odd decisions and I also heard him on talksport saying the right things. I also heard Ainsworth too and he makes me listen, Knill makes me sleep. It's another game gone where I don't feel overly depressed but at the same time the huge doubts that Knill is slowly lifting the plug on the football league bath are still there. I can't put my finger on it but I just don't trust him.

Great to meet Taxilady for the first time today who stood alongside me during the game, I much enjoyed the pleasure of your company and hope you had a safe journey back, likewise her lad Yellowsmiffy who looks spritely for a 45 year old. I also met tktufc who assisted with the banging of the hoardings and if we'd have got kicked out i'd have screamed innocence and said to the Wanderers stewards, "IT WAS HIM! IT WAS HIM!!" . (Of course I wouldn't have done that). :na:

I also briefly met FavGull on the way out, good to say hello and put faces to names although I doubt that feeling is reciprocated given my ugly mug. Safe journey home too I trust? I had a mare, battering it down all the way back, took me 3 hours to get back to the Derbyshire/ Yorkshire border and so glad I was too, the home counties make me feel like a scruff! :Oops:

Also good to meet Bobby93, Rachii and the lad who was with them but didn't catch his name. The only person I DIDN'T meet today was the friggin' Queen!! THANK GOD!!!

Also I had a 'reight good doss' today (as they say up here for I thoroughly enjoyed myself) and Ben, a pleasure as always mate. I just love laughing, i'm like that bloke in the lift in the traveltavern! Cheers mate! Good to see Alex again too and the others. When I say 'the others' I don't mean the Ghosts in that Nicole Kidman film when I but I mean the others as in the fans I recognise but don't quite know your names. :}

Also said hello to Matt, I did have one of my daughters old multi-coloured hedgehog teddies I planned to bring for you mate as a laugh but I forgot! Sorry! Thought it might raise a giggle for a few seconds. Good to see you again anyway mate, f*ck me I feel like Cilla Black here, whose next?!!

Anyway, back home now and already looking forward to Burton away. COYY!!!!!

I think I saw you today AAG, If you are the person I thought then I was stood about 7 seats away from you with 4 others, we were banging the back board a lot and was very happy that you started the dale cavese!

[AustrianAndyGull]

Oh yes cheers Berkshire (do I have to call you that? It makes me feel inferior ).
You should have said hello mate.

I heard you lot banging the back boards too, at first I thought someone had brought a drum in and then worked out it was the boards being banged but it was good for us not to feel alone.

Thanks mate.

[berkshire yellow]

If berkshire makes you feel inferior you can call me Ascot instead as that's where I live exactly!


Thought we got some good noise going today!

[AustrianAndyGull]

Thought we got some good noise going today!

Just to accentuate that feeling of superiority, I was born in Doncaster!

Yes, we had a yellow army chant going for about 5 minutes and their 2nd went in during it but we carried it on regardless, felt great that. Although I nearly dialled 999 for help.

It's great when we all sing Berkshire and get involved otherwise it becomes stale like the Wycombe fans until the 70th minute.

[berkshire yellow]

Yeah totally agree mate, when we kept singing through it bought a big smile to my face, will be at away games such as the london ones, oxford, cheltenham and will be doing plymouth again so will be at it again, win lose or draw!

[AustrianAndyGull]

I'll be at most (sh*t car permitting) apart from deffo not Wimbledon. Plymouth is a big doubt too. I'm trying to combine Daggers with a Christmas shopping break and the others I should be at.

For me Chesterfield, Mansfield and Scunny are the ones i'll feel at home at and also looking forward to Hartlepool.

[Scott Brehaut]

I see those c***s at the BBC don't deem Leagues One and Two worthy enough to have the Football League Show on.

Will have to wait till Sky put the video highlights on now.

[berkshire yellow]

Might try to do Bury as it's a ground i've never done, but then that's the same as most of the northern teams in the league

[FavGull]

I still think there is enough to be positive about after today's game - The performance was better than the level of expectation due to last week's result and the events of the week. However, I accept that the result was as disappointing as anticipated, and this needs to be rectified with increasing urgency.

Let's start with the team selection. The comments I heard and my own opinion is that it was a good selection, albeit made easier by absentees. I don't think Knill could have deviated much from this, but people seemed happy nonetheless.

In goal, Rice did make some good saves. I wouldn't put too much blame on him for the first goal either, and the other two he could do little about. However, he didn't seem to fill the defence with confidence. In fairness, this is probably due to the makeshift nature of the back four more than anything. All I will say is it was good to see Poke back on the bench, although Rice should probably retain the position for now, especially if there is a risk in rushing Poke back.

The defence - Tonge on the whole impresses me. He pushes forward quite intelligently, while ensuring his defensive work is done adequately. He probably could have done better for their second though. Nico had a reasonable game, not a lot to do defensively, and put a few half decent crosses in. His positional play was fairly sound, but not tested. Great to see Pearce back playing today, and really happy for him to get his goal. However, didn't think he looked as good as I have seen him in previous games (perhaps as Downes was not there), should have been much stronger for the first goal, but there is definitely a player there. Cruise is not a centre back, but I thought he did fairly well mopping up. However, when I see the two headed goals again (i'm thinking the second equaliser in particular) I may revise that. Hopefully he will be back at left back next week.

In midfield I thought Lathrope had a decent but not particularly inspiring game. He can get stuck in and win the ball, and has (more of) a habit (than Mansell) of being in the right place to break up the opposition's play. He can play the simple ball, but not a lot more. Mansell looked a little better alongside Damon than he has in the previous games with Harding. That said, as sad as it is to say he was probably our least effective player, and if the choice of central midfielders is two from Mansell, Harding or Lathrope, i'd try the latter two please.

On the wings Chappell looked lively enough, providing a threat but without any end product today. That he has been the integral part of our team going forward in every game I have seen this season (along with Azeez today) shows his importance to the team. While all strikers, Bodin, anything from midfield don't seem to offer a goal threat, Chappell does. As does Azeez, he has some quality and power we have been missing. Showed the rest of the team what a shot looked like for starters, and with fine execution. He certainly did a decent job on the wing, and with today's selection issues that was the right place for him, but he looks like a striker to me. Perhaps next week he will be with Bodin back.

The strikers had a tough afternoon. I thought both did ok in their own way, but the lack of opportunities, shooting, service, presence (some combination of these which I can't quite work out) is indeed a great concern. Hawley dropped back and got involved in the game quite well, but this was at the expense of being a striker. Benyon put in loads of effort, but nothing came off for him. I'd have Azeez up front next week, but I am not sure who with.

As for the subs, didn't notice McCourt too much when he came on. Perhaps this is because the rest of the team have forgotten about our midfield? I do remember thinking he looked tidy enough for a young player, without doing anything particularly memorable, Craig didn't have long or, as somebody mentioned, too many touches. But, and I should clarify that I am not in the for or against Nathan Craig camp as I have not seen too much of him, a couple of the passes he put in suggest he could be worth another look, as one in particular was better than any midfielder has produced in the three games I have seen. Maybe he needs to play in a three man midfield, but I would welcome trying something like that out. Now I didn't disagree with bringing Cameron on at the end - We needed a goal and he has pace, why not. Well in just a few minutes he attempted to show us why not, highly disappointing.

We get two players back next week, and we need to build on today and make this count. In the weeks after we still have a further three first team players to come back, and at full strength, playing to our strengths, we can be a match for any team in this division. We need to start scoring a few more, particularly the strikers, but we have scored twice away today, let's build on that. We also need to tighten up at the back, but our defence will have people playing in their correct positions next week. I just hope Pearce and O'Connor have enough time to put the foundations of a partnership in place.

Good atmosphere today, night and day compared to Plainmoor vs. Cheltenham. I can only imagine what it must have been like last week.

Nice to meet you briefly at the end of the game Andy. I didn't quite make it up to join you guys at the back, but I can assure you I was in full voice. Journey back was fine, in fact I think I must have done around 100 miles on the M25 today with no delays, quite a feat. I'm sure we will meet again at another ground on another day.

Right, time for another pale ale.