You can always read a ‘blow by blow’ account of the match on the U’s official site. “Noah’s View” is merely a perspective of the game from one single U’s fanatic. Another opinion is that of Posh Chairman, Darragh MacAnthony. You have probably read his 11 point rant on Twitter Social Media that has today made the back page headlines. We have the right to respond; so in best ‘Bully’ (Tony Green) voice….
“In One” (then positive expletive deleted; unlike MacAnthony’s rant);
Praise to Tony Humes for getting his tactics spot on; just as he did at Yeovil and Crawley. The home side were under distinct fan pressure and hence an expectancy that they should easily beat us. Posh were always going to hit us with the ‘kitchen sink’, and must have thought they had the fitness/stamina advantage having had a break of ten days after we dumped them out of the cup. At our first attacking corner, the home side arrogantly left three men up front! We deliberately soaked up pressure for 30 - 40 minutes with nine men defensively anchored like a brick wall in front of the Posh ball carrier; with Sears being only a limited nuisance up front, just as if we were content with an 0 - 0 away point. This tactic sapped the buzzing, running, pirouetting, almost balletic, but ineffective Posh of energy and determination. They did have about 60% of the first half possession, but that being largely in their own half (where we had hoofed it!) it offered little danger. They spent many first half minutes running and fetching the ball whilst we sat snug in our half in our compact defensive watertight dam. Over 90 + 4 minutes we limited them to four shots on target, with only two of any menace.
“In Two” (once again, any over excited positive expletive deleted);
What most fans didn’t realise until the second half (e.g. when Sam Walker kicked a ball almost the full length of the field) was the strength of the wind in U’s faces in the first period. No wonder we were locked into our half. Some of the more fickle WHCS home fans probably wouldn’t like this ‘grind it out’ type of strategy, but this is now all about getting out of the relegation zone. Posh, Blades and Port Vale previously did exactly the same to us; wear down the opposition; respect the heavy pitch and weather conditions; thump the ball forward out of danger; play little risk football; then when the home side tire, counter attack at pace. I hope we do this at home against Walsall and Orient; and say ‘sit down shut up’ to those fans that don’t like it.
“In Three”;
The U’s had ten men that worked harder than any U’s team I have seen before in about a decade (Sanchez Watt included). That meant our eleventh man had a lazy day (albeit that he did make two fine saves) and most of our travelling ‘Twelfth Men’ understood that we were here initially battling for any positive outcome. The conditions meant that flair had to take a back seat until the right moment; which we timed to perfection.
4. Our ‘Twelfth Men’ out sung the home fans and encouraged the team from kick off to the final whistle and beyond. Contrast that with home fans booing. “F..(expletive deleted)…k me”’; I thought, “Peterborough have 31 points and sit in the top half of the table”! We would be deliriously happy if in that same position post 24 games given our last three years of strife! Yes, Posh are having a bad patch, but it’s hardly spanning a generation (unlike for U’s fans).
5. Praise to Tony Humes for his adjustments to Joe Dunne’s squad and team selection. Sammy Szmodics has been awesome. Kaspers Gorkss and David Fox are mature class and now bringing back a fans favourite in Alex Wynter is a master stroke of genius; whilst pushing Hewitt forward is innovative.
6. I hope that any fickle WHCS home fans will now get off Elliott’s back given that he has scored an awesome goal. He beat two men, ran 50 yards and smashed it passed the helpless Alnwick. Yes, he is from Ipswich; yes; he wasn’t great at full back; yes he didn’t shine versus Gillingham (who did?), but he has been excellent in three games away from home in a more advanced position. We also now have a forward aerial threat too, and somebody that can cross a ball. Hopefully his CV will never again read ‘U's full back’; instead 'winger'.
7. Praise too to the manager for being man enough to admit that he was wrong and bring back Shaun Clohessy (versus Yeovil and beyond). Yesterday, Shaun might have been MOM yet again had others not equally put in a comparable shift. It is hard to single out any single individual as it was such a great team performance, but most on the CUSA bus suggested our big Lativian; and for me it was indeed Gorkss or Szmodics.
8. Freddie’s Sears also had the fans chanting “we want you to stay” and although I have been his biggest critic on occassion; I do too. It has been evident that Sears/Ibrehe and other similar ‘two up’ combinations don’t work. Freddie can’t head the ball and needs ‘ball to feet’. We hence need to play 4-3-3 or 4-5-1 or another of the ‘diamond’ type formations, with slick passing and movement. That means getting the right personnel in midfield that offer a combination of BOTH defence and attack if we are to have also full backs that are to maraud forward in support. Massey, Szmodics and Moncur each provide both facets; when Eastmond and Watt tend to be a bit one dimensional (e.g. stronger in attack, but weaker in defence); but Sanchez did put in a super shift of both yesterday. That gave a long overdue break to Gavin Massey, who had been suffering from illness. We should be highly satisfied that we have such talented players; and now the defence is also coming together (e.g. clean sheets Yeovil; Crawley; Peterborough) maybe we can look forward more positively. Tony Humes is going to have to carefully manage energy levels, stamina and pick his midfield to suit the opposition, but we are now blessed with a group that can deliver more, along with a more confident back four and a better appraisal of player weaknesses (and not just strengths). We were really unlucky against Crawley too (hit post/bar four times).
9. “In One & Two”; I mentioned the stodgy first forty minutes where the playing conditions and hard running of Posh made us look as if we offered limited attacking threat (was true) and that we couldn’t string four passes together (was also true); mainly as we had so many men behind the ball, so few outlets and we were playing an overly aggressive Posh in a gale (e.g. count the bookings). But on 40 minutes, it was almost like a light switch being flicked on. Suddenly the U’s reverted to their normal passing game that has delighted all but has sadly not always produced the results desired. I think that we have often been far too ambitious (notably at home). We first need to grind teams down, and then apply the sucker punch. Frankly, we played Posh off the park in the second half.
10. There were still moans from some fans around me for our sideways and backwards passes. I am hopeful that their initial frustrations will now turn into a better understanding that if we want messrs Watt; Massey: Sears; Szmodics; Eastman and our other twinkle toed little guys to dance around any herd of six foot thugs, we first need to draw them out and create space behind and around them (n.b. here I mean no disrespect to Posh’s micro-midfielder, Oztumer, who was their star man in the first half; but just like the rest, faded fast). How we played in the first half shows exactly how easy it is to frustrate attacking sides. The first goal was crucial too. That further drew them out, hence opening the door to far more chances and eventually Hewitt’s superb solo effort.
“In Eleven”
Let’s be grateful that in Robbie Cowling we have a Chairman and benefactor that doesn’t throw his toys out of the pram; plus a manager that hasn’t ever been frog-marched from the technical area into the stand under pressure. “Fergie, Fergie what’s score…….?
[Post edited 11 Jan 2015 14:37]
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