Preston North End v Swindon Town Official Matchday Thread

[@mwooly63]

Digby's coaching, been a problem since MacDizzle came in.

Both Digbys arrival and Wes's downward slide do seem to coincide

[/quote]Sam Morshead ‏@SamMorshead_SA 6m
Mark Cooper tells me Ryan Mason will be fit for next Saturday's clash with Tranmere[/quote]

Some good news at any rate

[joteddyred]

Digby's coaching, been a problem since MacDizzle came in.

It does seem to tie in with the change of goalkeeping coach.  As good as a keeper Digby was, maybe he's not a very good coach?

His inconsistency will make it less likely for a team to come in for him in January though.

[reeves4england]

Just got back... where do I start?!

We looked lethargic and apathetic from the off. We didn't chase second balls, we didn't win 50/50s, we didn't make space, and we constantly went backwards. I'm perfectly happy with the style we play, but we did it badly today. Far too many balls back to Wes in the first few minutes alone. That wouldn't have been so bad had we maintained our shape, but every time PNE got the ball there were gaping holes, either out wide or through the middle, and the first goal came as a result of somebody going missing (can't remember who).

The first half continued in much the same vain, slow passing, no real pressure on them, until the final five minutes when we made one or two incisive passes and completely opened them up. Had we played well, they were there for the taking. On today's showing, they are clearly not a particularly good side. At half time the players should have been encouraged to find more space, to press PNE back further towards their own goal, and to generally up the tempo. We certainly did look a little livelier after the break, but with little result.

Their midfield continued to nullify the threat of Kasim and Luongo by starving them of service. N'Guessan did his best to hold the ball up but rarely found anybody in support, and every time the ball went to the full backs they seemed to be isolated. Fair play to Barthram for growing into the game. McEveley, sadly, went the other way. In the first half he'd been done a couple of times, been booked for a cynical foul, and lost the ball in dangerous areas. I said if he carried on he'd lose us the game, and it seems that's what happened. A ball into the box, takes a couple of ricochets, but thankfully finds its way out to Jay who can clear. But no, he plays a lobbed pass back to the keeper, in a crowded penalty area, when the keepers not even there. The game was rapidly turning into a repeat of last season's corresponding fixture, water bottles and raging Italians aside.

Thankfully, things did pick up a little in the last 15-20 minutes. Kasim started getting on the ball and showed the touches and turns that we're used to, and he began to bring others into the game. Barthram was making good runs down the right, N'Guessan was peeling off to the wing nicely, and Ajose was making smart runs in behind the centre-backs. A perfectly weighted through ball from kasim picked out one such run, and their keeper did well to touch Ajose's shot round the post.

Thompson had gone off, having been clattered by Davies in the first half - a challenge much worse than Byrne's at MK, but which went completely unpunished. Byrne also went off having been upended in the middle of the park (maybe a foul, couldn't tell), and N'Guessan was struggling, starting to limp as the game drew to a close. However, Town were pressing, finally showing some fight, and it was a lovely curling finish rom the one-legged N'Guessan that gave us a bit of hope.

Minutes later, I thought we'd drawn level. PNE were being pushed back, we were passing the ball across the edge of their box and finding gaps. El Gabbas worked his way past challenges trying to create something, Barthram was getting balls into the box, and Kasim and Luongo were pulling strings around the D. Eventually, a chance fell to Kasim(?) as he hit a shot first time, right towards the top corner, and Rudd did very well to tip it over the bar.

Overall, a disappointing performance in which we showed no fight or desire for well over an hour. I'd give Preston 6/10 for their performance today. They're not as good as their fans seemed to think they are post-match. They played long balls up to Davies, who really could have been booked on 2 or 3 occasions, event sent off on one. They pulled shirts, blocked runs and pushed defenders at every opportunity. A footballing side they are not. Not that I'm bitter...

The positives?
1. Wes - why is he getting stick today? He hardly put a foot wrong. Thought he was superb against Chelsea too. Can't see any reason to blame him for the own goal, and he dealt with a series of woeful backpasses very well indeed.
2. Barthram - thrown in at the deep end today but looked fairly solid
3. Glimpses of class - when we played the right way we were in control. Sadly this amounted to about 10-15 minutes of the game, but it shows that we shouldn't be afraid to play our stuff against big, strong teams.

[THE FLASH]

I don't care how shit we were and how fucking mad you are....you are the Manager and giving one word replies to a radio reporter (a lifeline to a lot of fans) at a post match interview is fucking childish.

I didn't go and while waiting in Salisbury Vodafone for an hour I had texts come through. So...I cannot really comment on the showing...I will read back through...read Reeves so far.

PNE will be strong and Davis is a real asset for them.

A draw would of been nice....

Onwards...

[@mwooly63]

Gave up listening to the manager after the game when PdC was there

[sonicyouth]

I don't care how shit we were and how fucking mad you are....you are the Manager and giving one word replies to a radio reporter (a lifeline to a lot of fans) at a post match interview is fucking childish.

Bit more than one word replies:

"They've got to deal with it between them. It's a comedy goal. They've scored a goal without even trying," he said.

"We can't start games at half-time or after 60 minutes. You have to be ready from the start of the game. Once me made the changes we looked a completely different side.

"We didn't deserve it enough. To play for the last 15 minutes doesn't warrant getting a result."

"We looked very letharic for large parts of the game. I think the efforts of the other night took it out of us," he said.

"If we'd have started the game like we played in the last 15 minutes then it might have been different, but you can't do that.

"We didn't pass the ball properly, we didn't match Preston physically and we conceded two sloppy goals."

[donkey]

That quote is a very accurate assessment of the game.

[Bewster]

another early goal - Wolves, City, Preston - bit of a theme developing. Be nice not to have to chase the game

[reeves4england]

That quote is a very accurate assessment of the game.

Yep. Exactly how I saw it.

[sonicyouth]

I don't suppose anyone would like to post a list of who is currently injured? I've lost track

[donkey]

Yep. Exactly how I saw it.

As your post showed. Shame that we didn't perform as we have done. I've seen enough Town sides for whom that would have been their best performance of the season. By playing as we have though, that was a let down.

[reeves4england]

I don't suppose anyone would like to post a list of who is currently injured? I've lost track

Navarro
Harley
Ranger
Reis
Smith
Mason - back next week?
Thompson - injured to day
Byrne - injured today

[THE FLASH]

Bit more than one word replies:

Any news on Troy? No

Will you dip into the transfer market ref all the injuries? No

So...you are happy with the squad? Yes

Do you think Sonic and Flash are cunts? Yes

[horlock07]

Positives.... being near enough that I got home for baby's bath and bedtime.

There was great concern when we assembled this team they would be bullied by larger more streetwise teams and that's what I thought happened today. Preston were niggly/clever, there was a lot of physical challenges and feet left in challenges and through that and the nullification of Kasim and Luongo they bossed the midfield.

I don't see how you can blame Wes for the goals or suggest he is a liability, the only fault that I can see with Digby's training is that it is not turning him into a ball playing sweeper - which in many ways goes to the heart of the problems

I have no problem us playing the way we do, but we are going to struggle for the simple fact that we don't have a ball playing defender and thus if a team is on top of the midfield it breaks down. I lost count today of the number of times it went back an forth across the back four without going anywhere, eventually it went back to Wes who had to lump it. You could see Wes getting more frustrated by the minute in the first half as he tried to find someone to lay the ball off to, and this only got worse as Preston started to close him down when he had the ball.

Wes becomes the out ball when the defenders are under pressure and this means he is under pressure as he gets ever more ridiculous back passes to deal with, often on his wrong foot!

I could not figure out whether N'Guessan was good or not for around 80 minutes until the lad I with had a revelation, he's our own version of Heskey - built like a brick out house but seems to get bullied off the ball and falls over!

The Egyptian when he came on looked keen and made a real effort, he was very direct and I think if he had been on earlier we may have got something more.

Davies is a clever player, left a foot in on Thompson and makes sure he leaps with a leading arm when he jumps, how he avoided at least a booking I don't know although it did reach the stage that I did wonder if short of one of their players pulling a knife on one of our players we were never going to get a decision. When he stopped play and gave Kasim a long lecture for a tackle which whilst very late did not actually involve Kasim connecting with the ball or player it just summed it up.

By only getting to away games in the north west, not sure last time I actually saw us win.

[dalumpimunki]

Positives.... being near enough that I got home for baby's bath and bedtime.

I don't see how you can blame Wes for the goals or suggest he is a liability, the only fault that I can see with Digby's training is that it is not turning him into a ball playing sweeper - which in many ways goes to the heart of the problems

I have no problem us playing the way we do, but we are going to struggle for the simple fact that we don't have a ball playing defender and thus if a team is on top of the midfield it breaks down. I lost count today of the number of times it went back an forth across the back four without going anywhere, eventually it went back to Wes who had to lump it.

So what about bringing Troy back? Could we even think about going to a back three? Thompson and Byrne as wingbacks, dropping J. Mac whose been a bit of a liability, a midfield three of Kasim, Loungo and Mason, then two up front?

It could  be a proper return to the Hoddle era.