Well, wasn't that game a bit annoying? I realise this isn't exactly a mind-blowing statement, but that game was the difference between being a Premier League and a Championship club. We just didn't take any of our chances tonight, even when they were offered up on a plate by Shay Given. It's annoying because scoring goals has never been a problem for us this season and in general really, but tonight was just "one of those games" in that it simply wouldn't go in for us.
Regardless of the performance, I'm really annoyed by the team selection by Kit today. On the Jamie O'Hara front you can perhaps excuse it because I still have worries when it comes to his fitness and a fully-fit O'Hara on Friday could make the difference. However, I really don't understand why Kit would rotate in some areas- because as shown in the 2nd Half Stoke really were there for the taking tonight. I don't think many people would dispute that three of our best players in our winning run were Tunnicliffe, Dembele and Lonergan. So of course we took out all three, and especially on the Lonergan front it really didn't make sense to me.
The Peter Crouch goal was coming, we were getting pushed further and further back every minute and it was as simple as us just not being able to get out of our own half. It was an unfortunate goal to give away, it's not worth blaming Pringle for teeing up Crouch- it wasn't like the Yoshida/Martial "assist" from the weekend. The goal in a way summed up the game, Stoke took one of the two chances they had in the whole game and it really highlights the quality difference between the two teams.
This isn't an exaggeration, I genuinely don't think Joe Lewis had a save to make all game. As I've already said Stoke really only had two chances in the whole game, the goal and then the chance late on where Arnautovic just murdered Dan Burn and put (I think) Odemwingie through on goal and he tried a weird chip thing that went over. On the whole I thought Lewis commanded the box well, he didn't do anything massively wrong- let's put it that way.
Dan Burn is in fact really slow, I just thought I should make some people aware of that. It's not even that Burn was bad tonight, and granted we're not going to be coming up against a player like Marko Arnautovic every week- but it's the sort of chance created for Odemwingie late on as a result of Burn just not being quick enough that will be why I simply don't trust Burn to play. Peter Crouch was always going to cause problems for us, that's just the player he is- but on the whole I thought Stearman did well up against him and especially Second-Half Stearman was great mopping up at the back and doing his bit when it came to trying to get the pitch up as quickly as possible.
Tim Ream was a really weird one today, I'm not necessarily saying we've bought a dud- or even that he was bad today- but he's simply not big enough to be a Centre-Back that's just a fact and he is a bit lacking at Left-Back as well. Ream's performance today, especially in the Second Half made me wonder what James Husband would have done in the same scenarios- so I'm praying he was injured today so I don't have to get annoyed. Jazz Richards was fine again, I was a bit worried for him after a Crouch tackle which looked like it hurt- but on the whole he had another solid game.
As I'm writing this the MOTM Vote's just come up, and out of three options available it's Sakari Mattila without a doubt. He wouldn't have been on many people's team sheets heading into the game, and he's not always the player we need- but especially in the First-Half he did great in the Holding-Mid role and in a really strange First-Half he was one of the few positives. Looking back he'd have been perfect coming on in the Blackburn game just to give the Defence some protection, and basing it off tonight he's definitely a good option to have in the squad. I really don't want to get on Christensen's back for missing the Open Goal late on, it was a tricky chance to take- but at the same time it's one that he should have done better in and Pre-2015 Christensen would have scored. On the whole I do think Christensen played well today though, he was nowhere near the level he reached in late 2014- but it was a marked improvement over his performances so far this season without a doubt and it's definitely encouraging to see Christensen playing well again.
I'm in no way saying Kacaniklic was great tonight, it's in a way similar to Christensen in that we know what he's capable of- it's just a case of them showing it. I thought Kacaniklic did well with the very limited number of times he got on the ball and was able to run at the Defence and he definitely caused problems for Stoke while he was on the pitch. He still looks shot for confidence in my opinion, and taking him off wouldn't have helped that- but there were definite positives from Kacaniklic tonight. Then we get onto Ben Pringle. It baffles me that he wasn't taken off today, and not only that HE WAS KEPT ON CORNERS FOR THE WHOLE GAME! I don't know if it's a confidence thing with Pringle, but he was dire today and by far and a way our "weak link" in the team today. I just really didn't understand taking Kacaniklic off over Pringle.
Actually saying Pringle was the weak link in the team may not be fair on him. As is the case with Joe Lewis- no exaggeration, I genuinely think I could count the number of touches Cauley Woodrow had in the game on my hands. People use the word "literally" too much nowadays, but he LITERALLY did nothing tonight. McCormack was a weird one, he had a great chance in the 2nd Half from a cross- but I'm not sure if he wasn't expecting the ball to come through to him either way he fluffed it. It wasn't his best game for us, let's put it that way- but especially in the 1st Half Stoke were suffocating us and it wasn't really a game for our Striker's to flourish. The one thing I want to see different when it comes to McCormack's game on Friday is for him to be taken off Free-Kicks. Granted the one's we got in dangerous areas today really were too close to get up and down in time so it can perhaps be excused, but I really want to see Cairney or O'Hara have a few each.
The Subs Kit made were positive in that we looked infinitely better when they happened. The thing is, bringing on Tunnicliffe and Dembele was a no-brainer- and it's amazing to me that we wouldn't start them. As soon as we made the Double-Sub we were an infinitely better team, but I'm not sure if it's worth praising Kit for that because LITERALLY anyone in the ground tonight would have seen those were the changes we needed to make. The Hyndman Sub was just bizarre, don't get me wrong I'm happy Hyndman's gotten on the pitch- and he didn't do anything wrong today it was just weird to see someone who hasn't even been on the Bench in (I think) every game this season apart from Sheffield United to come on when we're pushing for a goal.
Tonight was just "one of those games", but it's also definitely cause for concern in that we didn't take any of a number of chances we had today and once again we only really played for one half of a game. It's pretty much what I was saying in my Preview, we simply couldn't afford to not play to our best for a full 90 Minutes and expect to get a result and that was the case. Anyway, the Carling Cup dream is dead for another year- and while I really do believe we could have gotten through Stoke tonight at full-strength for 90 Minutes if we beat QPR on Friday all is forgiven.
Thanks for reading as always, QPR is of course where we're turning our attentions now- and it's our first Friday game of the season. We always have so much fun playing on Friday Nights after all. I'm still not sure if my Preview will be up tomorrow or Thursday for that game- either way I hope you stay tuned for it. These games are coming thick and fast at the minute and I hope you keep coming back to these Previews/Reviews. Thanks again for reading, and as I said provided we do beat QPR losing tonight isn't the end of the world- but only time will tell on that front.
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