Match Thread Preston North End FC - Coventry City Match Thread - Tuesday 9th Dec (17 Viewers)

[Brighton Sky Blue]

Was there any word on Eccles?

 

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[fernandopartridge]

We thought the game was won and we'd just stroll about and get a second imo. Bit us on the arse. A valuable lesson hopefully.

It wasn't the pitch to try passing the ball about on, just real naivety from us

 

[pusbccfc]

Exactly it comes in waves. We have the expectation now we are gonna fail to win a lot, and Boro are gonna win all their games, when in reality it will be somewhere in the middle.

I don't think it would be a huge surprise to see Boro ahead of us by NYD. Favourable run of games and they are building a good run under the new manager.

 

[SBT]

Presumably we'll sign a winger in January so won't need Raphael back now, but I do think he should have been kept from the summer until January.

He's a better bench option than having two left backs, one of which never plays.

He’s not even been a regular starter for Wigan this season, I don’t see how he’s a better option. If Lampard had any confidence in him, he’d be here.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

He’s not even been a regular starter for Wigan this season, I don’t see how he’s a better option. If Lampard had any confidence in him, he’d be here.

Nobody has suggested recalling Bassette to help with our injury issues up front funnily enough.

 

[PVA]

He’s not even been a regular starter for Wigan this season, I don’t see how he’s a better option. If Lampard had any confidence in him, he’d be here.

He's started the last 4 in a row, so must be showing something.

He's obviously nowhere near the level to be starting games for us but I just don't see how he isn't a better option than Brau who can't get a single minute of action at the moment, to come off the bench just for 5 or 10 mins to give EMC/Saka a breather when we have little option but to run them into the ground at the moment.

 

[PVA]

Was there any word on Eccles?

FL just said it was a bang to the calf, very sore, couldn't move very well.

No indication long he might be out for.

Just an impact injury so you'd like to think he'd miss a game at most.

 

[bigfatronssba]

I don't think it would be a huge surprise to see Boro ahead of us by NYD. Favourable run of games and they are building a good run under the new manager.

Win our 3 home games and it would be impossible for them to be ahead of us

 

[pusbccfc]

Win our 3 home games and it would be impossible for them to be ahead of us

We have to win them though. We've been excellent at home but I don't see Bristol City as easy as people are making out.

Ipswich will be very tough, even if we did play pretty well on Saturday.

If we want top 2, we should really be winning all 3.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

We have to win them though. We've been excellent at home but I don't see Bristol City as easy as people are making out.

Ipswich will be very tough, even if we did play pretty well on Saturday.

If we want top 2, we should really be winning all 3.

Knowing CCFC we’ll beat Bristol and Ipswich but lose to Swansea in between.

 

[pusbccfc]

Knowing CCFC we’ll beat Bristol and Ipswich but lose to Swansea in between.

We've had some horrors against Swansea in recent years, even if we did break the run away from home.

 

[TomRad85]

We have to win them though. We've been excellent at home but I don't see Bristol City as easy as people are making out.

Ipswich will be very tough, even if we did play pretty well on Saturday.

If we want top 2, we should really be winning all 3.

Bristol City at home is easier than Bristol City away which is the fixture Boro have the following week.

 

[SBT]

He's started the last 4 in a row, so must be showing something.

He's obviously nowhere near the level to be starting games for us but I just don't see how he isn't a better option than Brau who can't get a single minute of action at the moment, to come off the bench just for 5 or 10 mins to give EMC/Saka a breather when we have little option but to run them into the ground at the moment.

Clearly neither of them are currently trusted to come on and influence games but I think the fact that Brau is here and Rafael is not tells you something about how each player is rated by the current coaching staff.

 

[PVA]

Bristol City at home is easier than Bristol City away which is the fixture Boro have the following week.

You say that, but BC have been better away than home so far this season!

But obviously our home form is such that we should be expecting to win this game.

 

[PVA]

Clearly neither of them are currently trusted to come on and influence games but I think the fact that Brau is here and Rafael is not tells you something about how each player is rated by the current coaching staff.

Well it seems quite clear that Brau is nowhere near the level we expected when we signed him. There were rumours on here that he might be going back to Spain, wouldn't be surprised tbh.

 

[TomRad85]

You say that, but BC have been better away than home so far this season!

But obviously our home form is such that we should be expecting to win this game.

I'm looking at their results and all i'm seeing is a lot of mediocrity home and away. They got absolutely gubbed at Stoke not long ago.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

You say that, but BC have been better away than home so far this season!

But obviously our home form is such that we should be expecting to win this game.

Good side and a good club, probably my favourite non-CCFC side in the division. However, this is one we should really be aiming to win, fitness issues notwithstanding.

 

[Skyblueweeman]

You say that, but BC have been better away than home so far this season!

But obviously our home form is such that we should be expecting to win this game.

Bristol City were pretty poor when I saw them at Fratton Park a couple of weeks ago. And that was against a really poor Portsmouth.

I'm not at all worried with just 1 point from the last 2 games but fail to beat Brizzle at the weekend and I think talk of a wobble/collapse will be justified.

 

[Skyblueweeman]

Just on the comments about Simms being dropped as he'd played a lot of games recently and needed a rest.

He's only played 90 minutes 4 times this season! He should be fit as a fiddle!

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

Bristol City were pretty poor when I saw them at Fratton Park a couple of weeks ago. And that was against a really poor Portsmouth.

I'm not at all worried with just 1 point from the last 2 games but fail to beat Brizzle at the weekend and I think talk of a wobble/collapse will be justified.

This is the toughest month of the season overall, I won’t be too concerned unless the home form goes off a cliff.

 

[TomRad85]

Bristol City were pretty poor when I saw them at Fratton Park a couple of weeks ago. And that was against a really poor Portsmouth.

I'm not at all worried with just 1 point from the last 2 games but fail to beat Brizzle at the weekend and I think talk of a wobble/collapse will be justified.

Correct, the fixture list just happens to have given us a few tough away games on the spin, which carries on at Southampton btw, another game we may well lose. I won't be worrying too much about wobbles unless we start failing to pick up points in games such as the home game we have coming up.

 

[fernandopartridge]

He's started the last 4 in a row, so must be showing something.

He's obviously nowhere near the level to be starting games for us but I just don't see how he isn't a better option than Brau who can't get a single minute of action at the moment, to come off the bench just for 5 or 10 mins to give EMC/Saka a breather when we have little option but to run them into the ground at the moment.

For his benefit (and maybe ours longer term if he's got anything) just leave him where he is. His objective is to go there and get game time so why interrupt that?

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

Correct, the fixture list just happens to have given us a few tough away games on the spin, which carries on at Southampton btw, another game we may well lose. I won't be worrying too much about wobbles unless we start failing to pick up points in games such as the home game we have coming up.

Obviously Southampton have a lot of quality, but hopefully we go there with a full complement of players in decent shape aside from BTA. Torp’s late omission last week was clearly a big spanner in the works.

 

[TomRad85]

Obviously Southampton have a lot of quality, but hopefully we go there with a full complement of players in decent shape aside from BTA. Torp’s late omission last week was clearly a big spanner in the works.

If we win our next 2 home games we're going to be top after playing every team in the league once. Someone somewhere will still call it an easy start
Anything we get away at Southampton is a bonus, i expect us to beat them at home.

 

[fernandopartridge]

Watching the replay from last night, Eccles had his shin pad on the left leg down when he went off. It was probably from that dreadful tackle that not only went unpunished, that the referee failed to give us advantage from as we had got into space in midfield.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

If we win our next 2 home games we're going to be top after playing every team in the league once. Someone somewhere will still call it an easy start
Anything we get away at Southampton is a bonus, i expect us to beat them at home.

Wife and I will be on the coach just after 7 am, not really bothered even if we get twatted, that and the Stoke cup tie will probably be our only away games this season.

 

[Gint11]

I’ve slept. 2 points dropped BUT that’s a solid point. They are shit houses, long ball merchants on a windy nights they’re 4th/5th and our bogey team. Solid point

 

[PVA]

For his benefit (and maybe ours longer term if he's got anything) just leave him where he is. His objective is to go there and get game time so why interrupt that?

I’m not saying to recall him, there’s zero point now.

I was saying it would have been better to keep him around until Jan because we have no other cover, then send him out on loan when we signed a winger.

 

[Earlsdon-Loyal-Blue]

Preston fans sang where were you when you were shit about 7 times last night. Whilst teams do have a point with our home attendances and Coventry has always been full of glory hunting top 6 fans - I’d love to know our average away attendances in League 1 and League 2… I’m sure they’d be up there in the championship.

 

[Flying Fokker]

Preston fans sang where were you when you were shit about 7 times last night. Whilst teams do have a point with our home attendances and Coventry has always been full of glory hunting top 6 fans - I’d love to know our average away attendances in League 1 and League 2… I’m sure they’d be up there in the championship.

Glory hunting? Principled and consumers of a good product. In my view we should be viewed more positively. SISU did everything to challenge the resilience of the most committed let alone people who know they are not keen on watching their home club in Northampton and Birmingham. The years of decline etc. it’s there for all to read about.

 

[Grendel]

Ref and Lino was shite tonight. Was our first goal offside? Proper late call and I couldn’t tell from my angle.

The assistant was excellent unfortunately as he spotted the two offside decisions correctly

 

[Sky Blue Harry H]

Wright took up some great positions off the defender's shoulder waiting for the diagonal ball. He received about 3 and was unlucky with a couple of them. He looked very dangerous in that position imo. He is better at that aspect of the game than Simms. That said, I would have brought Simms on earlier.

 

[clint van damme]

I know loads of people who now have STs who went in L1 and L2 but they'd pick and choose a handful of games

 

[Grendel]

I’m not saying to recall him, there’s zero point now.

I was saying it would have been better to keep him around until Jan because we have no other cover, then send him out on loan when we signed a winger.

He looked totally out his depth when he played. He is nowhere near a championship player. Doubt he will be around much after this season.

 

[Hobo]

Yes, and if I'm not mistaken the throw that led to the goal came from some similar complacency from Rushworth.
I'm normally quite philosophical about setbacks, but throwing these 2 points away is infuriating.

It was a poor clearance from Rushworth. But we should defend a standard throw in much better than that. We totally switched off down the flank.