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| No snow. Spoilsports. |
C'mon football. Give us an orange ball. I went for a walk this morning and it was snowy and snow means an orange ball. In a world of relentless and monotonous predictability (tier 4, rising infection rates, no Armand return) such a thing would be a shock of non conformity, a blast of colour in a grey landscape, a visual jolt to the optic nerve.
Sadly, it's not to be. The Memorial ground is a lush green under a grey sky. I quite like Bristol Rovers, I knew a gashead once upon a time. Nice lad. The epitome of the long suffering lower league fan. He had dreadlocks cos that's what Brizzle is like. It's all drum and bass and social exclusion. They never seem to have much luck except when it comes to us, when it seems they beat us all the time. We were tepid last time out, we weren't so much knocked off our stride as never really got above a shuffle and Critchley has been all steely determination since, no twinkle in his eye, demanding better and assuring us that improvement isn't optional.
Sullay has vanished (boo) and the two up front returns (hurray!) Grant Ward returns (slight ambivalence which is probably unfair) and Ollie Turton is in at right back (polite applause.) Football is weird, Ward has scored a couple of crackers, works really hard and generally moves in a forward direction and whilst Sullay has been a languid and isolated figure, I love an enigma and I hope he responds well to the gnomelike one's kick up the bum. I've decided Critchley reminds me of an impish garden ornament and am hoping he's back to his smiling self by 4:45pm.
C'mon Pool!
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Either Pool seem determined to leave their mark on their opponents or Rovers players go down easily. Both Madine and Dougall start the game as if determined to disprove any post Shrew accusations of being a soft touch. Its all head tennis and jostling as the sides trade corners, Pool's coming after nice work from Dan Kemp but only leading to a Keshi effort that crosses the far touchline instead of the goal line.
Pool are soon on top and it's a GOAL MACHINE GOAL! Dan Ballards defensive qualities are obvious but he's a decent footballer too. He picks it up deep, wanders forward and spots a pass, he hits a quick cross field ball that finds its man. Grant Ward is soon picking it up but his touch looks heavy, he reacts well, chasing it down and whipping it across to the near post, where Madine finishes with a first time effort into the roof of the net.
We then put together a lovely move, Keshi spinning his man and getting Garbutt away on the overlap. It's one of those, where from the cross, we can't get a man on it and it doesn't quite fall for anyone to shoot. Then there's brilliant feet from Dan Kemp, a lovely little moment, where he steps on the ball, makes to drag back, but then goes himself that the Rover's defence buys totally, leaving him space to shoot and see it desperately charged down. Pool are on top. Madine's strength in the box creates space for Yates, the goal machine wrestles his man and lays off for his mate who fiddles a bit of space and shoots low, just past the far post.
Pool have a couple more moments, Keshi's beligerance almost puts him through, Kemp slips a nice ball to Madine who can't make the most of it and Grant Ward does more good work trying to keep pressure on after a Garbutt free kick is clear, cutting inside and spreading play with real skill. Pool are playing really well. Kemp is more central, swapping with Ward who is comfortable drifting wide. We're quicker to second balls and snapping into tackles. It's one of those periods where you hope the second comes as rarely does dominance last in this league.
As I think that, Rovers mount three or four attacks, we repel them easily enough and Keshi breaks, charging down the left, getting right to the touchline and then lifting it back, over the keeper but inches over Madine's head... So close...
The equaliser comes from, of all things, a dodgy clearance from Dan Ballard. How many times we've purred over his ability to control and clear, but this time he goes to chest it and the ball pops up and he slices it ineffectually, Rovers capitalise, move it swiftly down the middle, exploiting the space where Ballard isn't and working it to Brandon Hanlon who slides it into the bottom corner. Too easy.
Then, Rovers are coming again, a dangerous ball into the box is met by Marvin, who climbs well and nods away, but only to the edge of the box... Sam Nicholson meets it with a brilliant finish, half volleying on the turn into the top corner before Dougall can get there, Walker only able to stand rooted to the spot and admire it. Fucking hell. Where did that come from?
Garbutt races away, stuns a brilliant ball right across the face of goal, Keshi, Kemp and Madine all go in after it and somehow none of them connect. My head in my hands mirrors the players on the pitch. It's all Garbutt now, a cross to the near post taken of Jerry's toes by the keeper, A corner won that pops up on the edge of the box for Ward who slices his shot. Marvin gets excited as the shot is so bad it spins out to where he's started to trot back to defensive duties, leaving him in acres of space if he can just control it. He doesn't. The ball smacks into his thigh and rolls out for a throw, Marvin running gamely after it in a vain attempt to keep the moment alive.
The half ends with a flurry of Pool corners, a good punch from the Brizzle keeper and then the ball rolling out of play after Ward, on the halfway line spots Kemp and once again Marvin bizarrely on the right wing in space but over hits the pass.
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We've been the better side by some distance, but we're losing. What encourages me is the intent. It's a commonly held view that we're a striker light in the squad, but there's no point buying one if we're not making chances and going forward and we have done that today. Yes, you can point to moments of quality, bemoan the final pass or a cross or defensive mistakes, but overall, we've got more balls into the box, had more players in the box and spent more time going forward than last two games combined.
This is one of those games where we need to come out on fire in the second half, take the attitude we've shown and put the wrongs right. The defence has been excellent in general, time for the forward players to step up and cancel out their mistakes today - they've earned the right for that I think.
What I think sums up the half is Ward has played really well, Keshi has looked lively, Yates and Madine have at least flickered as a pair, Kemp has had a couple of little moments of magic and Garbutt has put ball after ball in but no one stands out at all from Rovers. Yet, they're winning.
C'MON POOL!!!
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Oh for fucks sake. The Gas start well, getting down the right winning a corner. The corner is swung in harmlessly, Ward stoops to head away but the referee adjudges it hit his arm. If it did it was a total accident he gained no advantage from but the ref gives a penalty. Walker goes right, the penalty is down the middle and he adjusts, throwing his arms back the way he came, twisting upwards in the air, defying momentum and saving it. It's rolling dangerously back across goal. Where have we seen this before? The entire Pool squad chase it down this time and it's scrambled away. That's the luck we needed, surely!?
But moments later, they're away on the left, playing a perfect ball to Hanlon who MUST score but somehow tucks it past the post. It's not over though as minutes later, the same player is spinning in the area and a shot forces a low stop from Walker, the ball taking a weird path, it's all slow motion horror and alarmingly close to going in. Then another surreal moment where it looks as if they've got an open goal and I can barely watch this....
At least the scoreline no longer feels unfair... There's that I suppose.
Finally Pool have an attack, Keshi carrying forward and swapping passes with Yates, running onto Jerry's back heel and barrelling into the box, the Rovers keeper foiling the move by sprawling at Keshi's feet. Oh, but for a slightly heavy touch, we'd be level.
The game isn't so much calming down but it's slightly less heart attack inducing for a few minutes. We score the goal we need, a beautiful passing move that Dan Kemp chips home, but it's called offside ten seconds before the little lad finishes it.
Rovers are playing with a totally different intensity this half - they showed none of this harrying, pressing and chasing. They've got bite and snarl and confidence. They swing a corner in and a deep, powerful header cracks the top of the bar, leaving it vibrating. Pool look rushed, they need to calm the game down, but they also need to chase it. We've not got the same confidence any more.
It's getting wild. Garbutt looks to have conceded an obvious penalty but the ref, perhaps aware that the first one was harsh doesn't give it. Keshi gets whacked on the halfway line. Ward puts a good cross in and the keeper goes up with (I think) Yates and for once in the history of modern football the ref doesn't give a foul for a challenge and the ball breaks, but despite grappling like an MMA fighter, the Goal Machine can't capitalise.
Then Madine at the far post is drilling a low shot after a corner skims a defenders head, turning a near post ball to a far post one. It takes just enough of a deflection to strike the advertising board instead of the back of the net. Fuck me.
Pool have spell, Yates runs at the defence, Garbutt crosses quite well, Keshi crosses terribly, Madine wins the ball in the box but can't find support. Time for fresh legs? Kemp looks knackered but somehow manages to get it across to Keshi who literally spins round, I have no idea what he's doing, but it turns out he's finding space then sliding a mad diagonal pass to Garbutt, it was clever, but a bit heavy, but the lovely haired one makes it, sprinting, then sliding and crossing in one move, Yates sets himself, leaps and bullet heads it but into the shoulder of a defender and it deflects over the top.
Keshi belts one a mile over, then does a brilliant run from deep to get onto a Garbutt ball and win a corner. That seems to sum his day up. He's been the best and the worst of him. At least he's trying stuff. From the corner Ballard wins it and nods it down to where three players are throwing themselves at it, but it's hacked away for another. Ballard wins it again in the centre of the goal and Yates chucks himself at it like an aquarium dolphin leaping to catch a fish but he can't reach it for all the athletic endeavour in the world.
It's Critch's cavalcade of subs time. Kemp, Bez and Woodburn on, Yates, Anderson and Kemp off. Hmm. I'm not sure, 3 again? We've just had a decent spell so surely don't hook 30% of the team at once? What do I know etc...
We go flat for a few minutes. (subs I guess) then Ollie Turton has a wonderful run, Tidying up a Marvin mistake, going right down the middle, spreading it to Demi with an inch perfect pass who comes inside and belts it.... into the corner of the stand.
As I'm trying to work out what the subs are about, Woodburn lays it off to Bez, he skins his man, advances on the box and pulls it back to no one at all. AAAARGH! Mitchell then gets caught offside. AAAAAARGH!
Madine chest controls and sets away Woodburn, he's sliced down on the right hand side of the box. Garbutt spots a flaw in their defensive set up and smashes the free kick at the near post, it's deflected then beaten away somehow by the keeper. From the resulting corner, Garbutt again puts in in and a stooping header from (possibly) Demi Mitchell is again repelled by a diving stop. Fuck's sake!
Then Bez ghosts inside, a shimmy, he's drifting and he's shooting, and the is keeper parrying and Madine and Mitchell are desperately but following up but it's futile effort.... Now it's Woodburn wide right, crossing deep and there's Bez, he's controlled it and he's lent back and, this, surely is his moment, he's the man to unlock defences, the ace in the hole, the magic missing piece, he was there all along... he's belted it over the top.... Oh Bez. Oh Bez. Oh.... Bez.
Fucking hell Pool.
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Pool have spell, Yates runs at the defence, Garbutt crosses quite well, Keshi crosses terribly, Madine wins the ball in the box but can't find support. Time for fresh legs? Kemp looks knackered but somehow manages to get it across to Keshi who literally spins round, I have no idea what he's doing, but it turns out he's finding space then sliding a mad diagonal pass to Garbutt, it was clever, but a bit heavy, but the lovely haired one makes it, sprinting, then sliding and crossing in one move, Yates sets himself, leaps and bullet heads it but into the shoulder of a defender and it deflects over the top.
Keshi belts one a mile over, then does a brilliant run from deep to get onto a Garbutt ball and win a corner. That seems to sum his day up. He's been the best and the worst of him. At least he's trying stuff. From the corner Ballard wins it and nods it down to where three players are throwing themselves at it, but it's hacked away for another. Ballard wins it again in the centre of the goal and Yates chucks himself at it like an aquarium dolphin leaping to catch a fish but he can't reach it for all the athletic endeavour in the world.
It's Critch's cavalcade of subs time. Kemp, Bez and Woodburn on, Yates, Anderson and Kemp off. Hmm. I'm not sure, 3 again? We've just had a decent spell so surely don't hook 30% of the team at once? What do I know etc...
We go flat for a few minutes. (subs I guess) then Ollie Turton has a wonderful run, Tidying up a Marvin mistake, going right down the middle, spreading it to Demi with an inch perfect pass who comes inside and belts it.... into the corner of the stand.
As I'm trying to work out what the subs are about, Woodburn lays it off to Bez, he skins his man, advances on the box and pulls it back to no one at all. AAAARGH! Mitchell then gets caught offside. AAAAAARGH!
Madine chest controls and sets away Woodburn, he's sliced down on the right hand side of the box. Garbutt spots a flaw in their defensive set up and smashes the free kick at the near post, it's deflected then beaten away somehow by the keeper. From the resulting corner, Garbutt again puts in in and a stooping header from (possibly) Demi Mitchell is again repelled by a diving stop. Fuck's sake!
Then Bez ghosts inside, a shimmy, he's drifting and he's shooting, and the is keeper parrying and Madine and Mitchell are desperately but following up but it's futile effort.... Now it's Woodburn wide right, crossing deep and there's Bez, he's controlled it and he's lent back and, this, surely is his moment, he's the man to unlock defences, the ace in the hole, the magic missing piece, he was there all along... he's belted it over the top.... Oh Bez. Oh Bez. Oh.... Bez.
Fucking hell Pool.
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I frankly don't have the appetite for a post mortem. It was a brilliant game but a complete sickener. We bossed the game at times, we looked completely lost at times. I don't know what to make of this team. Are we fish? Are we fowl? I don't know. There's loads of skill in it, but then sometimes it looks disjointed and clumsy. At other times we're direct but then Madine aside, we sometimes look too lightweight. It feels as if we couldn't get hold of that game, yet it feels as if we took total charge of it. I don't quite know what to expect from the team and it feels sometimes as if they don't quite know what to expect from each other. It honestly felt as if we were going to 'click' early on but then, we fell apart.
We could have won it 3-1, we could have lost 4-1, it could have been 5-5. It's difficult to take positives from a performance which was flawed in a lot of ways but the big thing is, we looked to take the game to Bristol. Add in a clinical striker and that game is different. Where we get a clinical striker from is a different question entirely... If only there was one out of contract... See what I did there? Ok, there's life beyond the misunderstood Gallic genius but if you could just whistle up a top striker, then everyone would be whistling all the time. It does seem that half the sides we play bring on someone really good up front as a sub and we're struggling to put a forward line together to start the game.
I think we hit a real point of decision today. I think we don't quite have the squad to play either Critchball 4-3-3 or a more pragmatic/generic 4-4-2. We're missing crucial elements of both. We look better with two up front but more prone to mistakes. Which way do we go now? Which style do we recruit for? Who exactly are we? I certainly prefer this Pool to Tuesday night's Pool but I wonder what Critchlerwood-Garrity think. Do they want breathless kamikaze football or to try and calmly control games and play percentages. I honestly don't know. At least we're not predictable.
That's all you're getting. Had enough of football. It's shite* To top it all off, it's apparently now snowing in Bristol. Too late.
*It was actually a fucking great game but I'm in a strop. Oh Bez... Keep going lad. You'll get your moment one day.
utmp
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We could have won it 3-1, we could have lost 4-1, it could have been 5-5. It's difficult to take positives from a performance which was flawed in a lot of ways but the big thing is, we looked to take the game to Bristol. Add in a clinical striker and that game is different. Where we get a clinical striker from is a different question entirely... If only there was one out of contract... See what I did there? Ok, there's life beyond the misunderstood Gallic genius but if you could just whistle up a top striker, then everyone would be whistling all the time. It does seem that half the sides we play bring on someone really good up front as a sub and we're struggling to put a forward line together to start the game.
I think we hit a real point of decision today. I think we don't quite have the squad to play either Critchball 4-3-3 or a more pragmatic/generic 4-4-2. We're missing crucial elements of both. We look better with two up front but more prone to mistakes. Which way do we go now? Which style do we recruit for? Who exactly are we? I certainly prefer this Pool to Tuesday night's Pool but I wonder what Critchlerwood-Garrity think. Do they want breathless kamikaze football or to try and calmly control games and play percentages. I honestly don't know. At least we're not predictable.
That's all you're getting. Had enough of football. It's shite* To top it all off, it's apparently now snowing in Bristol. Too late.
*It was actually a fucking great game but I'm in a strop. Oh Bez... Keep going lad. You'll get your moment one day.
utmp
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