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Middlesbrough's goals analysed



hans kraay fan club

The voice of reason.
Helpful Moderator
Mar 16, 2005
61,366
Chandlers Ford
Fair points, but the nature of the first goal was so amateurish it sticks out more than a point blank save, which is a 50/50 anyway at that range.

I was a GK myself as well by the way.

Again, you are weighting your analysis against Stockdale.

that save was nothing like 50/50 at the moment the situation developed (the point that Dunk fluffed his header). Stockdales astonishingly quick movement off his line, is all that gave him a chance of ultimately making the save. Seriously - a goal looked utterly inevitable.
 




Mellotron

I've asked for soup
Jul 2, 2008
31,859
Brighton
The lot of a keeper is fcking shit sometimes (and I've played there long enough to know), and this quote sums it up. Two big momnets for Stockdale in that game. One appalling error and one absolutely terrific point-blank save. Its akin to a striker missing an absolute sitter, but then curling in a worldy.

For the striker the miss is forgotten and he's a hero for scoring the second. For the keeper the great save is forgotten and he's a villain.

Bit shit really.

Yup. That's life. Who'd be a keeper? At this level, a keeper who lets in a howler a game is not a good keeper. Good saves are expected. See: Marshall, Federici, Bogdan, Kuszczak.
 


hans kraay fan club

The voice of reason.
Helpful Moderator
Mar 16, 2005
61,366
Chandlers Ford
Yup. That's life. Who'd be a keeper? At this level, a keeper who lets in a howler a game is not a good keeper. Good saves are expected. See: Marshall, Federici, Bogdan, Kuszczak.



I agree. Now, do you actually know of this keeper who let's in 'a howler a game', because I've not seen him. Unless we are remembering Graeme Smith?
 


Barrel of Fun

Abort, retry, fail
Yup. That's life. Who'd be a keeper? At this level, a keeper who lets in a howler a game is not a good keeper. Good saves are expected. See: Marshall, Federici, Bogdan, Kuszczak.

I seem to remember Kuszcazk making a howler or two. His third to last game for the club stands out.
 


Mellotron

I've asked for soup
Jul 2, 2008
31,859
Brighton
I agree. Now, do you actually know of this keeper who let's in 'a howler a game', because I've not seen him. Unless we are remembering Graeme Smith?

Nope. But you're saying everyone remembers the howler and not the great save, as if he's had an "alright" game overall. He hasn't.
 






JBizzle

Well-known member
Apr 18, 2010
5,833
Seaford
Not sure you can blame the full back for the first goal, Greer was in possesion and gave it away cheaply.
The second was just a joke. There is no way that their centre back after blocking a cross should be allowed to run the length of the pitch and supply an assist with only O'Grady trotting back after him. Utterly Shambolic.

I fairness to O'Grady, he wasn't trotting back, he was busting a gut but he was grossly outpaced and begs the question as to why he was chasing back.

I think Sami's tactics will be partially judged on the comments Bennett made about being told to push up so high. We're seemingly conceding so many goals as a result of over-committed full-backs and the blame for that has to lie with Sami especially when the supposed "cover" is so ineffective.

As for Stockdale, I feel for him. For the second I really think there's very little he could do as the shot came from so close. Ideally you do want him to push it away but with a snap-shot from so close you just get your body in the way and hope...

Our defeats, for me are more tactical naivity rather than individual mistakes.
 


hans kraay fan club

The voice of reason.
Helpful Moderator
Mar 16, 2005
61,366
Chandlers Ford
Yup. He made "a howler or two" over two years, agreed.

He let in a LOT of goals that I felt he 'might have done better with'. Because he wasn't an NSC whipping boy, they were left as just that - it DS concedes similar, they are 'errors'.

Fact.
 




Mellotron

I've asked for soup
Jul 2, 2008
31,859
Brighton
He let in a LOT of goals that I felt he 'might have done better with'. Because he wasn't an NSC whipping boy, they were left as just that - it DS concedes similar, they are 'errors'.

Fact.

He also kept us in vast numbers of games when we were on the back foot, and won us easily 10-15 points per season, probably more.

Being kind, you could say Stockdale has won us 1 point so far.
 


JBizzle

Well-known member
Apr 18, 2010
5,833
Seaford
He also kept us in vast numbers of games when we were on the back foot, and won us easily 10-15 points per season, probably more.

Being kind, you could say Stockdale has won us 1 point so far.

Possibly so, but defensively we were vastly superior last season and the preceding one. Stockdale is so exposed (as are Greer and Dunk) and Although Kuszczak may have saved one or two, as I said before the problems in the side are tactical, not individual to my mind and Kuszczak or Stockdale would have very little difference.
 


brakespear

Doctor Worm
Feb 24, 2009
12,326
Sleeping on the roof
As mentioned elsewhere, the key is for Greer not to give the ball away when your full backs are so high up the pitch.
This, one of many occasions in recent matches where we have given the ball away far too cheaply.
 




One Teddy Maybank

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Aug 4, 2006
21,641
Worthing
I don't have anything against Stockdale. I don't believe him to be fully to blame, but I certainly think he could've done better and many keepers would've handled the situation better. He hesitated. It's understandable, his confidence must be through the floor at the moment after the multiple apologies he's had to make recently (that's been an interesting one, people absolving DS of all blame even after he comes out and completely admits certain goals have been his fault), and now coming off social media altogether.

This as per the other thread, his starting position is wrong. He will know he should have done better.
 


y2dave

Well-known member
Jul 23, 2003
1,385
Bracknell
One other thing to point out is that for the first goal, the breaking player took a really heavy touch which was much more noticeable from the north stand than from the camera angle.
 






HantsSeagull

Well-known member
Aug 17, 2011
4,017
Caught in a Riptide
i feel sorry for Stockdale and our centre backs who are being horribly exposed by the tactics employed by SH. The best defence in the league does not suddenly become shite by the replacement of Kuszack by Stockdale. the gulf between them is not that large. Our tactics are just not working with the players with have - and that includes strikers as well as full backs. not sure the midfield is working either come to that....!!:ffsparr::shootself
 


Garry Nelson's Left Foot

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
13,127
tokyo
I'm another in the not a fan of the high fullbacks camp. Seems to me that if you're going to push them both high up the pitch at the same time you need either three centre backs or a proper defensive midfielder who can either cover the full backs or slot into the centre if a centre back is better positioned to cover the full back. Shame Bridcutt isn't still with us...

Stockdale did nothing wrong for the first goal. To single him out is not just unfair but incorrect.
 


Pavilionaire

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
30,592
1. I've never known a full-back get so high up the pitch but deliver so few crosses (Bennett).

2. If we ARE going to continue with advanced full-backs then there is a good case for playing Ince instead of Holla because Ince has the legs to get back and defend if required.
 






JCL666

absurdism
Sep 23, 2011
2,190
If the system is reliant on the threat coming from the full backs, then I don't think Calderon or Bennett are the right players. Chicksen maybe as he might be able to use his pace, and probably Bruno as he can at times be a bit more creative.



I think Stockdale was okish in what he did for the goals.
First....He closed the guy down quite quickly and if Holla had moved his fat backside a bit quicker he might have prevented pull back reaching Tomlin
Second... instinctive save, Amomah was quicker to the loose ball.
 




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