The Positive and Negative Thread - Birmingham
Mr Polite 11:44 Mon Apr 9

Other articles by Mr Polite...

Once again we arrive at Upton Park full of optimism after a great display away from home. The game would have more ups and downs than usual and although it was seen as a must win game, even though we failed we can still come away with positives and negatives as usual. Here are the ones that I took away from the game, feel free to agree, disagree or add your own.


Positives:

The fight back from 2 goals down shows there is still a good fighting spirit in the team, one that could well come in very important in the coming weeks. I think it's fair to say that in some other West /AHm teams that fight wouldn't have been there. Their heads never went down. A huge positive.

The atmosphere was excellent. Yes some boos at half time but the crowd really got behind the team after the break and didn't get on their backs which was great to see. I think the ref not giving us a few decisions helped but whatever the reason it was one of the better atmospheres of the season.

Understandably in the second half we were more direct. The positive for me was not the directness but the way we played the direct football. Yes there was still some aimless balls that were easily defended but for the most part the direct balls were coming from the wings and it was good to see Cole getting a lot of support from a number of the front players. This meant we won a lot more of the second balls than previously. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want us to be playing that way every week, but when chasing the game or when mixing up the way we play that is the way to do it.

I actually liked the look of our staring formation too. Not the personel I would choose but the 4141 we started with looked good and attacking. The problem with it is it means Maynard best threat is nullyfied and you need full backs able to push up, but once again at home in the first 10-15 mins we looked dangerous and played some good stuff.

O'Neill once again looked good playing in the middle. He certainly isn't a winger but I like the fact he never hides, always looks for the ball and looks to get forward with it.

Vaz Te adding another 2 to his tally shows he was a great bit of business in January. He adds balance to the team and helps us play with 1 striker by supporting quickly. Cole too in the second half did very well and looked a different player than the one we saw in the first.

The Lansbury substitution made the difference. You could argue that with the formation we were playing that he should have started but I have no problem in giving credit to a manager for seeing a problem and changing it. Last week his substitution lost us points, this week it gained us one.


Negatives:

As much coming back from 2 goals down was good to see, the long and short of the matter is that we dropped yet another 2 points as our abysmal home form continues.

Our best centre back once again being played out of position. We played most of the game with 4 centre backs, this will always hamper us going forward. If Demel can't play two games in 4 days just yet then putting him on the bench in place of Potts was silly. If McCartney is out for any length I hope he is not tempted to play Collins as well as he did, in place of a proper full back. Tomkins and Collins did their best, but they both looked like centre backs filling gaps.

For a team that plays for set pieces, we're not very good at them are we? We not very good at defending them either. Without Taylor on the pitch we don't look like scoring from a free kick - we don't look like it much with him on it either.

As much as I like Faye for his defensive attributes he is very much like Diop, great at his job in breaking up play but distribution is pretty shocking. The normally reliable Noble was pretty poor today too.

The more I see Baldock used as a bit part player the more i'm convinced he will look for another club in the summer. He comes on and his movement is excellent, he looks bright and the sort of player that could carry on causing the problems for opposition that his early season form showed. I just don't undertsand the continued use of Cole when you have better replacements waiting.


Summary:

An exciting game to watch and great to witness the fight in the team to come back from 2 down and rescue a point. Some good football mixed with some awful football and terrible defending. At this point of the season with Southampton winning earlier in the day the fact remains it was another two points dropped at home - which just isn't good enough, not matter how exciting the finish.


Thanks for reading

Mr Polite

Cheezey Bell-End 2:19 Tue Apr 10
Re: The Positive and Negative Thread - Birmingham

They've been organised, but none of them weren't beatable. I think the best team performance from a visiting team at our place was Leeds. Reading were potent up front but ordinary. Southampton looked solid but conned us out of a player early on.

The positive is that we have time to get their heads around coming third and not go into the playoffs in a slump and get done by the likes of Blackpool.

, 2:10 Tue Apr 10
Re: The Positive and Negative Thread - Birmingham

This season WHU fans have, one way or another, consistently underestimared the opposition.

Cheezey Bell-End 2:06 Tue Apr 10
Re: The Positive and Negative Thread - Birmingham

The 2nd half we played like we should have all season. No convoluted formations that go against the way the players were brought up playing. And no ultra cautiousness against an inferior team.
This season has been a waste and anyone who goes on about how we don't have a divine right etc can fuck off. We should, and could, have been clear at the top, but we fucked it up.

Stranded 1:58 Tue Apr 10
Re: The Positive and Negative Thread - Birmingham

Mr Polite. I like the positive/negative threads too, always read them!

Can't believe I did that though, silly cunt.

Mr Polite 1:45 Tue Apr 10
Re: The Positive and Negative Thread - Birmingham

Stranded 1:24 Tue Apr 10


I'll take that as a HUGE compliment

Billy Blagg 1:35 Tue Apr 10
Re: The Positive and Negative Thread - Birmingham

Positives: If we finish in the Play-off's yesterday's result almost certainly means we'll only meet Birmingham IF - and it's a big IF IMHO - we get through the semi's with them. In that instance, we've not beaten Brum for a while and we're due a win (with West Ham we're better off playing a team we've not beaten recently than one we've trounced regularly). Also, If we're in the PO's then we're due a home win (I mention this 'cos again, it's sod's law with West Ham that we'll lose away!). Also, I liked the way we really wanted it yesterday and we'll need that fight in the play-off's as our technical superioritey (!?) won't be enough in the dog-fight.

Negatives: Poor defensive display and shown that - if push comes to shove - we'll happily just bombard the oppo with high balls. Others will note that and expect it. Loss of three points makes it harder to capitalise on any Reading slip-up (which I still believe will occur)

Both a positive and negative: Is there really no place in this side for Lansbury? Norwich fans reckon he was the reason they were promoted last season. Arsenal can't find a place for him yet but are reluctant to sell him. West Ham? Nahhhh...not quite up to it!? It's no wonder other fans think we live up our own arse.

Stranded 1:24 Tue Apr 10
Re: The Positive and Negative Thread - Birmingham

only1billybonds 6:18


Didnt know Polite's first name was Vinny?
.........

It may be...it may not be. I have no way of knowing.

Unfortunately.....I was pissed enough to think I was reading Vinny's match report.

*hangs head*

mattyb 12:40 Tue Apr 10
Re: The Positive and Negative Thread - Birmingham

Positives

Watching it at a bar in Cyrpus drinking an ice cold pint of Keo and going mental in the second half after nearly slitting my wrists at half time.

Negatives

Drinking too many ice cold pints of Keo and stacking it on the way back to my villa and cutting my knee open.

Pseudonym 12:39 Tue Apr 10
Re: The Positive and Negative Thread - Birmingham

Positive - We fought back from 3-1 down, to be fair played appropriately in the tail end of the second half. Ten more minutes and we may have nicked a winner.

Negative - We shouldn't have been in that fucking situation in the first place.

inconsistant fc 12:39 Tue Apr 10
Re: The Positive and Negative Thread - Birmingham

"For a team that plays for set pieces, we're not very good at them are we? We not very good at defending them either. Without Taylor on the pitch we don't look like scoring from a free kick - we don't look like it much with him on it either."

Wasn't our first goal from a corner? Also, we scored our first goal at Barnsley from a corner.

Yes, that's only two examples and we have wasted a number of set-pieces this season but we have scored quite a few goals that I can think of from corners and free-kicks.

I agree that Noble should be taking them and not Taylor.

One McAvennieeeeee 12:36 Tue Apr 10
Re: The Positive and Negative Thread - Birmingham

I think O'Neil has been a plus in recent games.

Mr Polite 12:36 Tue Apr 10
Re: The Positive and Negative Thread - Birmingham

Apologies - the sarcasm was lost in translation.

North Bank 12:35 Tue Apr 10
Re: The Positive and Negative Thread - Birmingham

Polite funny ain't it, some of you love nothing better than sarcasm and ever so witty put downs, you dish it out in spades, yet when some comes back you get all precious

it's just a bit of banter, surely

Northern Sold 12:35 Tue Apr 10
Re: The Positive and Negative Thread - Birmingham

North Bank... Don't rate O'Neil and never will.... his touch is horrible... he's another ten touch Timmy

Mr Polite 12:34 Tue Apr 10
Re: The Positive and Negative Thread - Birmingham

Lee

I only do them on games I go to

Northern Sold 12:33 Tue Apr 10
Re: The Positive and Negative Thread - Birmingham

Lee.... you could always start one up??

Here I'll start


Positives

We scored 4
We played a fucking terrible team


Negatives

None


Go on my son... the world is your Oyster

North Bank 12:33 Tue Apr 10
Re: The Positive and Negative Thread - Birmingham

Sold agree about the quality, some of the passing, movement and control is awful, O'Neill's free kick is unforgiveable for a professional footballer as is Carlton Cole's first touch

If O'Neill is now our dead ball expert then it's a sorry state of affairs

Mr Polite 12:32 Tue Apr 10
Re: The Positive and Negative Thread - Birmingham

North Bank

for an intelligent bloke you really can come across quite thick at times.

Lee Trundle 12:31 Tue Apr 10
Re: The Positive and Negative Thread - Birmingham

Why wasn't one of these done for Friday's game?

Northern Sold 12:30 Tue Apr 10
Re: The Positive and Negative Thread - Birmingham

Positives....

Second half revival... lots of commitment
Our forwards at last are scoring goals
One of Nolan's better games

Negatives....

First half capitulation
Formation looked shit at the back... proper keystone cops
Faye looked rubbish
The lack of real quality in the whole game from us... watched Fulham after and fuck me we are light years behind them at the moment.... it's frightening.

North Bank 12:28 Tue Apr 10
Re: The Positive and Negative Thread - Birmingham

Surely the major positive was the way we played in the first half, just like the Reading game we went in behind, but the football was excellent.

That's the important thing, right?

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