Derby Fan's "neutral" Assessment Of Preston Away Worth a read
#3
Posted 12 May 2015 - 07:06 PM
An exciting, vibrant atmosphere at the Deepdale home of Preston North End
this afternoon to greet the travelling Chesterfield fans, nerve ends
jangling, expectations soaring, despite the one goal deficit from the first leg. Two changes from the first leg team, goalkeeper Joe Murphy (loan from Huddersfield Town) replaced the injured Tommy Lee, and Ollie Banks in for Dan Gardner. Managers Paul Cook and Simon Grayson all smiles and hugs after the drama and histrionics of Sunday.
The opening exchanges were fairly even, but Chesterfield soon picked up the quick tempo, slick passing game that dazzled Preston for much of the first match, albeit with the very same lack of 'punch or presence' up front. The tackles were flying in, and the Preston No. 14 Joe Garner persisted in his dramatic interpretations gleaned from 'Swan Lake,' whilst also bumping, barging and ankle tapping his way through the Chesterfield defence, a truly despicable performance to complement that of his first match efforts. When he was booked after 23 minutes there were hopes of a comfortable win against ten men, because he showed no sign of easing up on his aggression and petulance.
Ian Evatt (booed on his every touch by the Preston contingent as a former Blackpool player) was also booked after 28 minutes, the inevitable consequence of some crunching tackles, most of them well timed and fair. Meanwhile Paul Cook was becoming more animated and angry with the referee and the fourth official, and increasingly frustrated by the theatrical performances of the Preston strike force of Garner and Beckford. Despite Chesterfields' territorial dominance however the first Preston goal arrived in the 37th minute, a right footed shot by Beckford from the centre of the box to the top left hand corner, after some less than alert defending by 'Town'.
Next in the book was Jermaine Beckford, and the prospect of a victory against nine men was becoming more of a possibility with every passing minute. The fact that Preston achieved their first corner of the two matches thus far, after an incredible 135 minutes, tells the stark tale of the territorial dominance that 'Town' enjoyed for the majority of the two games, 62% in this game, 65% in the first. Only going to prove the folly and sheer short-sightedness of failing to replace departed striker Doyle before this stage of the season; pretty much a mirror image of the Derby County situation after striker Chris Martin's injury resulted in a late season collapse from a five point lead in an 'automatic' promotion spot in early March to a finish outside the play-offs in May.
Chesterfield continued to dominate in the second half, with Roberts proving to be a considerable nuisance to the home defence, and the 'twin pocket dynamos' of Morsy and Ryan dominating midfield, Darikwa also proving to be a handful down the right flank. The second goal
arrived, again against the flowing tide of Chesterfield dominance, in the 61st minuteas a result of inexperience from the replacement keeper, conceding a penalty for a clumsy challenge on former 'Town' loanee Daniel Johnson (probably shouldn't have been a penalty upon later reflection); herein another example of financial short-sightedness by the 'Town' board for failing to tie down a deal for Johnson after his successful loan spell at the 'Ipro' earlier in the season ! Garner duly converted the penalty, but heads didn't drop even though the task now appeared insurmountable, and
'Town', to their credit, continued to play their impressive high tempo passing game, cutting through Prestons' midfield 'like a knife through butter', only to then 'wade ankle deep in treacle' upon arrival in the 'final third' due to the lack of any credible presence of a strike force !
The arrival of substitutes Armand Gnanduillet and Gboly Ariyibi, in the 63rd and 66th minutes respectively, produced some semblance of that much missed presence up front, leading to Jay O'Shea's shot hitting a post in the 73rd minute, a third 'close call' in the game. The killer blow / final nail however was to come from the boot of Jermaine Beckford, a sublime floated shot over keeper Murphy, off his line, from more than 35 yards out in the 86th minute, cue much celebration from the home fans, and a mass gathering on the touchlines in preparation for a pitch invasion, which duly materialised on the final whistle. Should this potentially dangerous incident merit a large fine, or even a directive to replay the game ?
MURPHY 5 did a reasonable job for a late recruit ..
DARIKWA 7 solid in defence and enterprising down the wing ..
HIRD 7 alert to most of the danger ..
EVATT 7 made some heroic tackles ..
JONES 6 steadily reliable ..
ARIYIBI (67). 6 lively when introduced, but too late to influence the result ..
RYAN 8 sharp in the tackle and dictated events in midfield ..
MORSY 8 ". ". ". ". ". " ". ". "
O'SHEA 5. a few nice touches but generally anonymous ..
ROBERTS 8 easily the most creative option from both wings upfront ..
GARDNER (82) 5. too late to influence the game ..
CLUCAS 6 as in the first game, operated too far from the front ..
BANKS 6 played a part but not influential enough ..
GNANDUILLET (64). 5 won a few headers but generally ineffectual ..
A 4..0 margin over the two legs is grossly misrepresentative of this game, and I feel that the frustration of having no credible strike force in the team was a serious handicap to the hopes of this otherwise excellent outfit. However, a note of caution, the defence DID let in four goals over the two matches, and if one looks at the 'possession stats' (62% and 65%) over the two games then one must (ostensibly) reach two conclusions :-
a) .. the one that I have hammered home above, the lack of that 'presence' up front that accounts for the lack of goals ..
b) .. a team that concedes four goals whilst having such a preponderance of the possession must (even though the 'heroism of the day' and 'emotion of the hour' do a good job of disguising such things) be less than sound as a defensive unit, and whilst all 5 members of the defence appeared to emerge as heroes, there must be a 'collective flaw' at work, the only other explanation being the vulnerability introduced via the injury to Tommy Lee and the relative inexperience of the substitute keeper ..
However, if the board can add that essential element to the team and prevent the important players from moving on then they can be favourites for automatic promotion next season ..
#4
Posted 12 May 2015 - 07:16 PM
#5
Posted 12 May 2015 - 07:41 PM
He used to support Town, then swapped his allegiance to Derby - strangely, due to Town's lack of ambition and "not wanting to go up" way back then. He always still loved Town really though, but in recent years went to watch Alfreton and Derby. I've been in touch with him lately about re-recording some of Chesterfield's finest band's material from the 60's as I'm a musician myself...I pulled this review off of Facebook today...
#6
Posted 12 May 2015 - 08:09 PM
eddymelt, on 12 May 2015 - 07:06 PM, said:
An exciting, vibrant atmosphere at the Deepdale home of Preston North End
this afternoon to greet the travelling Chesterfield fans, nerve ends
jangling, expectations soaring, despite the one goal deficit from the first leg. Two changes from the first leg team, goalkeeper Joe Murphy (loan from Huddersfield Town) replaced the injured Tommy Lee, and Ollie Banks in for Dan Gardner. Managers Paul Cook and Simon Grayson all smiles and hugs after the drama and histrionics of Sunday.
The opening exchanges were fairly even, but Chesterfield soon picked up the quick tempo, slick passing game that dazzled Preston for much of the first match, albeit with the very same lack of 'punch or presence' up front. The tackles were flying in, and the Preston No. 14 Joe Garner persisted in his dramatic interpretations gleaned from 'Swan Lake,' whilst also bumping, barging and ankle tapping his way through the Chesterfield defence, a truly despicable performance to complement that of his first match efforts. When he was booked after 23 minutes there were hopes of a comfortable win against ten men, because he showed no sign of easing up on his aggression and petulance.
Ian Evatt (booed on his every touch by the Preston contingent as a former Blackpool player) was also booked after 28 minutes, the inevitable consequence of some crunching tackles, most of them well timed and fair. Meanwhile Paul Cook was becoming more animated and angry with the referee and the fourth official, and increasingly frustrated by the theatrical performances of the Preston strike force of Garner and Beckford. Despite Chesterfields' territorial dominance however the first Preston goal arrived in the 37th minute, a right footed shot by Beckford from the centre of the box to the top left hand corner, after some less than alert defending by 'Town'.
Next in the book was Jermaine Beckford, and the prospect of a victory against nine men was becoming more of a possibility with every passing minute. The fact that Preston achieved their first corner of the two matches thus far, after an incredible 135 minutes, tells the stark tale of the territorial dominance that 'Town' enjoyed for the majority of the two games, 62% in this game, 65% in the first. Only going to prove the folly and sheer short-sightedness of failing to replace departed striker Doyle before this stage of the season; pretty much a mirror image of the Derby County situation after striker Chris Martin's injury resulted in a late season collapse from a five point lead in an 'automatic' promotion spot in early March to a finish outside the play-offs in May.
Chesterfield continued to dominate in the second half, with Roberts proving to be a considerable nuisance to the home defence, and the 'twin pocket dynamos' of Morsy and Ryan dominating midfield, Darikwa also proving to be a handful down the right flank. The second goal
arrived, again against the flowing tide of Chesterfield dominance, in the 61st minuteas a result of inexperience from the replacement keeper, conceding a penalty for a clumsy challenge on former 'Town' loanee Daniel Johnson (probably shouldn't have been a penalty upon later reflection); herein another example of financial short-sightedness by the 'Town' board for failing to tie down a deal for Johnson after his successful loan spell at the 'Ipro' earlier in the season ! Garner duly converted the penalty, but heads didn't drop even though the task now appeared insurmountable, and
'Town', to their credit, continued to play their impressive high tempo passing game, cutting through Prestons' midfield 'like a knife through butter', only to then 'wade ankle deep in treacle' upon arrival in the 'final third' due to the lack of any credible presence of a strike force !
The arrival of substitutes Armand Gnanduillet and Gboly Ariyibi, in the 63rd and 66th minutes respectively, produced some semblance of that much missed presence up front, leading to Jay O'Shea's shot hitting a post in the 73rd minute, a third 'close call' in the game. The killer blow / final nail however was to come from the boot of Jermaine Beckford, a sublime floated shot over keeper Murphy, off his line, from more than 35 yards out in the 86th minute, cue much celebration from the home fans, and a mass gathering on the touchlines in preparation for a pitch invasion, which duly materialised on the final whistle. Should this potentially dangerous incident merit a large fine, or even a directive to replay the game ?
MURPHY 5 did a reasonable job for a late recruit ..
DARIKWA 7 solid in defence and enterprising down the wing ..
HIRD 7 alert to most of the danger ..
EVATT 7 made some heroic tackles ..
JONES 6 steadily reliable ..
ARIYIBI (67). 6 lively when introduced, but too late to influence the result ..
RYAN 8 sharp in the tackle and dictated events in midfield ..
MORSY 8 ". ". ". ". ". " ". ". "
O'SHEA 5. a few nice touches but generally anonymous ..
ROBERTS 8 easily the most creative option from both wings upfront ..
GARDNER (82) 5. too late to influence the game ..
CLUCAS 6 as in the first game, operated too far from the front ..
BANKS 6 played a part but not influential enough ..
GNANDUILLET (64). 5 won a few headers but generally ineffectual ..
A 4..0 margin over the two legs is grossly misrepresentative of this game, and I feel that the frustration of having no credible strike force in the team was a serious handicap to the hopes of this otherwise excellent outfit. However, a note of caution, the defence DID let in four goals over the two matches, and if one looks at the 'possession stats' (62% and 65%) over the two games then one must (ostensibly) reach two conclusions :-
a) .. the one that I have hammered home above, the lack of that 'presence' up front that accounts for the lack of goals ..
b) .. a team that concedes four goals whilst having such a preponderance of the possession must (even though the 'heroism of the day' and 'emotion of the hour' do a good job of disguising such things) be less than sound as a defensive unit, and whilst all 5 members of the defence appeared to emerge as heroes, there must be a 'collective flaw' at work, the only other explanation being the vulnerability introduced via the injury to Tommy Lee and the relative inexperience of the substitute keeper ..
However, if the board can add that essential element to the team and prevent the important players from moving on then they can be favourites for automatic promotion next season ..
Nail. On. The. Head.
Especially the bit about not replacing Doyle (or not getting rid in the first place!)
#7
Posted 12 May 2015 - 08:16 PM
eddymelt, on 12 May 2015 - 07:41 PM, said:
He used to support Town, then swapped his allegiance to Derby - strangely, due to Town's lack of ambition and "not wanting to go up" way back then. He always still loved Town really though, but in recent years went to watch Alfreton and Derby. I've been in touch with him lately about re-recording some of Chesterfield's finest band's material from the 60's as I'm a musician myself...I pulled this review off of Facebook today...
Great review - and as has been said - pretty much bang on the money. Shame there is no way that the CFC board will do anything about the weaknesses that were highlighted though.
(I used to live in some kinda mushroom!) :-)
#8
Posted 12 May 2015 - 08:59 PM
Radders, on 12 May 2015 - 08:16 PM, said:
(I used to live in some kinda mushroom!) :-)
You may read more like this
I've recently got Dave to agree to write for the programme occasionally
#9
Posted 12 May 2015 - 09:08 PM
ralspireite1866, on 12 May 2015 - 08:09 PM, said:
Not really. Hird was not a 7. He was not alert to most of the danger.
#11
Posted 13 May 2015 - 09:52 AM
howardb, on 12 May 2015 - 08:59 PM, said:
I've recently got Dave to agree to write for the programme occasionally
It's well-written but includes (justified) criticism of both CFC and the opponents. Seriously, are programme pieces allowed to be critical? I haven't bought one in years because the editorial parts were always absolutely neutral and uncontroversial.
#12
Posted 13 May 2015 - 10:01 AM
eddymelt, on 12 May 2015 - 07:41 PM, said:
He used to support Town, then swapped his allegiance to Derby - strangely, due to Town's lack of ambition and "not wanting to go up" way back then. He always still loved Town really though, but in recent years went to watch Alfreton and Derby. I've been in touch with him lately about re-recording some of Chesterfield's finest band's material from the 60's as I'm a musician myself...I pulled this review off of Facebook today...
Dave lived on Walton Road in my youth and he has had book shops over the years at the former Hassop Station, in Bakewell and on the A515 at Harper Hill, south of Buxton. Not sure if he retains any of these interests but as well as selling good books he writes a good and accurate review. Trust Dim View to disagree!