Town 4-0 Reading

The last time Town beat Reading in 90 minutes was 2017. A 1-0 at The John Smiths Stadium with a certain Philip Billing scoring. After the 2 recent league wins, the cup match this week and Readings’ current form it was a strange feeling of confidence heading to the game today.

The line up was – Nicholls, Lees, Pearson, Colwill, Hogg, O’Brien, Sinani, Toffolo, Thomas, Koroma, Ward. A little surprised to see Ward in the starting line up rather than Campbell but pleased to see Sinani starting.

Town started strongly dominating play, although it was a little pedestrian at times. We kept things tight and allowed Reading no time on the ball closing down well and winning the 50/50s. The Royals rarely ventured into our box in the first half and our dominance eventually paid off when the impressive Thomas crossed beyond Ward for O’Brien to show his composure and slot beyond the keeper. Previously Sinani on his debut had fired a free kick in that beat everyone and thumped the inside of the post before coming back out.

The second half continued where the first finished off but there was a little more drive in the final third. On 51 minutes we won a free kick which Thomas expertly delivered and Pearson beat the off side trap to slot home. Turton came on for Sinani after 62 minutes which appeared like a strange decision at the time but he moved onto the right with Thomas coming more central. Within 5 minutes Thomas then drove at the heart of the Reading defence and with 3 players around him he danced into the area placing his finish beyond the keeper. With fans still celebrating the ball broke to Koroma on the half way line and he drove down the left taking on the full back and unselfishly squaring for Danny Ward who took his time to ensure that he scored his first of the season. Town continued to dominate and Campbell who came on for Ward should have made it 5 when he was put through but lifted the ball into the keeper rather than over him. A good solid performance where in the end 4-0 was a fair reflection on the game.

Ratings

Nicholls

Was not really tested today but he dominated his area taking pressue off the back line and his delivery on the ball was good.

Rating 7

Lees

Solid at the back. passing was good and dominant in the air.

Rating 7

Pearson

Solid in the air and good passing. Took his goal well.

Rating 7

Colwill

Good passing and tracking of runners. Developing very well.

Rating 7

Hogg

Sat a little deep at times but looked a lot more comfortable than other games this season. In the second half he began to look for forward balls but still too much about retaining possession in defensive areas and misses so many opening to advance down the pitch.

Rating 6

O’Brien

Was busy in midfield. Early on Reading where channelling him down his left and Liam continued to be shepherded too easily with play drifting into touch. He needed to release the ball earlier rather than carrying it for as long as he did. He kept up his work rate though and got himself into a good position for the opener which he took well.

Rating 7

Toffolo

Was busy down the left in a very advanced position. We were slow to find him in the first half at times although he did find space very well.

Rating 7

Thomas

Cannot argue with him being the MOM. Sorba was a constant threat for the appositiona nd they could not cope with his movement off and on the ball. When he switched centrally his running caused even more problems. Delivery of the dead balls was again top quality providing the free kick for Pearsons’ goal.

Rating 9

Sinani

Was lively and a threat centrally before going off. Unlucky not to score in the first half and I expect to see a lot more of him this season.

Rating 7

Koroma

Found more space as the game went on and used his pace and physicality to create te goal for Ward. Anotehr threat the Reading failed to cope with.

Rating 7

Ward

Dropped deep and for the first time this season we provided balls into his feet. Ward held up play well and fed other players into the game as teammates got closer to him than previous games. It is amazing how much better a player is when the players around him play to his strengths.

Rating 7

Campbell, Turton & Holmes all came off the bench and did well.

Carlos.

I was not suer what tactics Carlos was going to use today but hats’ off to him it worked. Keep things tight. No mistakes and grind down the opposition and then hit them with movement and pace. Reading could not live with us, it is a shame that we have the international break now. Going to Stoke in September will be a really good test and measure of where we are at. After the first couple of games this season it was doom and gloom and then 3 wins on the trot give it a completely different complexion.

Rating 8

Elsewhere West Brom produced a 94th minute winner against Peterborough in a game which The Posh worked hard to stay in. Heartbreak for Peterborough but WBA were the better team and deserved the points. Karlan Grant was operating in attack and failed to really influence the game. It was a shame to see him going to ground very easily in the penalty area late on.

Huddersfield 1-2 Everton

Wow! Not what I or any of us fans expected. We played with no fear and had a real go at a strong Everton side. Yes they made 8 changes but all of their selection are not out of place in the Premier League side. We made several changes too and the incoming players made a real statement for a place this weekend.

Town side – Nicholls, Lees, Pearson, Sarr, Toffolo, Vallejo, High, Holmes, Thomas, Sinani, Campbell. Bench – O’Brien, Koroma, Aarons, Turton, Colwill, Schofield, Russell.

Both sides showed attacking intent from the start. The first clear opening was when Thomas made a dreadful back pass straight to the Moise Kean who drove forward before firing wide. On 26 minuted Tom Davied cut through the middle easily and fed Iwobi who made no mistake slotting in Everton for the opener in what had been an even start. A few minutes later Moise Kean fired in for Everton but a tight off-side had been called. In fairness to Everton it could have been given, although the flag was up early enough for some players to react and stop. Everton followed with a spell of keep ball but then the last 10 minutes was all Town. Winning 50/50s driving forward with pace and letting fly without hesitation. It was no surprise when Tom Lees connected to Thomas’ corner to level things for half-time.

The second half continued in the same vein as the first with all Town pressing and after Holmes had seen his shot on the turn tipped over by Begovic Thomas fired in the corner which Pearson headed home. With the Town players then celebrating the linesman then put his very late flag up. Nobody was sure why but Campbell was stood off-side when Pearson headed in. The official deemed that he was interfering with play. He was stood in front of Begovic by a couple of paces and off to one side slightly. I would say he was there intentionally to distract Begovic but there was no contact with the keeper or the ball and Begovic was not unsighted. If that was not a goal then a lot of what we conceded last season should not have stood either. Town though were not downhearted and continued to press. Moise Kean then had a rash moment in reacting to Thomas on the half way line and pushing his head forward into the Town man. It was soft but naive of him and the ref showed a straight red. This appeared to galvanise Everton though and they played with a little more drive. The game now flowed up and down and there was a winner there for someone so no surprise that Everton crafted an opening which Townsend did well to lift over Nicholls to seal things late on. There did remain some nervy moments for Everton but they saw it through running the clock down.

Off teh back of this performance there is a renewed optimism. The points tally this season has been good by our standards and now we have had a performance to match roll on Saturday.

Ratings

Nicholls

Handling again and command of his area was good. He is turning out to be a shrewd signing.

Rating 7

Lees

Tom did well again, I surprised to see him come off for Turton. Was solid at the back and a strong presence in the attacking area scoring our goal.

Rating 7

Pearson

Again strong and solid at the back. Took his goal well wlthough it was ruled out.

Rating 7

Sarr

Had a decent game again. Everton did not pressure him much but he moved the ball a lot quicker than previous games. A few stray passes.

Rating 6

Vallejo

Looked very comfortable in front of the defence and for me should be in for Hogg on Saturday. His distribution whilst not perfect was with a lot more attacking intent and with pace. He was intelligent on the pitch in finding space and working the angles for his team mates. Well worth starting with him.

Rating 7

Toffolo

Not a massive attacking threat but was consistently good at either end. Gives us a good balance opposite Thomas.

Rating 6

High

His best game for Town so far. Was quick into the tackle, passing was snappy and accurate and drove forward into more advanced areas to help the support up front.

Rating 7

Sinani

For me he was MOM. Picked up the ball centrally and drove at Everton, linking up with Holmes and Campbell and really connected the side which we have not seen yet this season. Unlucky nit to score in the first half and was disappointed to see him subbed in teh second half but hopefully that means he starts against Reading.

Rating 8

Holmes

Got the ball and linked up well with Sinani. Still fell that Koroma would be a better option and he does lack the physicallity but had a good game and nearly scored in the second half with a curling right foot shot.

Rating 6

Thomas

Yet again was a constant threat. Everton doubled up on him at times, but we had threats all over the pitch that they struggled. Thomas’ has a dead ball delivery that we have yearned for for some time, delivering both corners that caused Everton problems.

Rating 8

Campbell

Knitted things together well and by droping deeper with runners around him they struggled to know who to pick up. He played with a freedon we have not seen for some time. Cam eclose in the first half.

Rating 7

O’Brien, Koroma and Turton all came off the bench but were unable to really influence the game.

Brighton 2-0 Watford

Brighton surprised me with their fluid movement throughout the game. They could have and perhaps should have won by a more comfortable margin but tended to overplay it a little at times. I enjoyed watching their movement both off an on the ball. Against better opposition though they may not have as many chances and so the concern is that they failed to capitalise on a lot of opportunities and that might cause a problem when playing the better sides.

Watford were the complete opposite, I expected Watford to be strong physically and then attacking with pace and drive. They never got into their stride and found that they were chasing shadows with the game passing them by. Watford should have been looking at this game as a chance to pick up some points but they now need to learn quickly from the result or they could be in difficulties this season.

West Ham 4 -1 Leicester

West Ham were impressive, yes in fairness Leicester helped them get a foothold in this game but they did the basics well, held a good shape and broke with purpose. They play to the strengths of Antonio with balls into his body and Soyuncu could not compete. If West Ham can build some consistancy then they can go on and have another good season.

Leicester were not at the races before Perez picked up his red card whcih then compounded the situation. They did pick a goal against the run of play and for a couple of minutes the belief returned but it soon dissipated. I’m not sure if Vardy had a touch of the ball before going off after 81 minutes. In all honesty he is the type of player who can go missing in games, but he is just as likely to be the main man for Leicester. Soyuncu played into Antonios’ hands by trying to be physical against him, perhaps he never fully recovered from the poor backpass that presented United with their second goal. All in all Leicester were second best all over the park but they are too good for that form to continue.

Sheffield United 1-2 Town

Well I said after the Preston game that it is a long time since Town had won a game which they had not thoroughly deserved to win and yet twice in a week it has happened. A truly fantastic result on our travels, the season has well and truly begun, with back to back wins home and away.

In the opening minutes we settled quickly trying to build through Thomas on the left but United soon took control of the match dominating possession in midfield and camping out in our half. We rarely got on the ball and again Ward and Koroma were isolated upfront and we were overrun in midfield. Having said that United failed to create much, The only save of note in the first half was from Mcburnies’ overhead kick which Nicholls had to get down sharply to his right to turn away. The start of the second half and United continued where they left off, dominating and creating chances, but all were from distance and nothing penetrating the Town defensive line. After 60 minutes Town made 2 changes bringing Ward and High off for Campbell and Toffolo, this prompted a change of formation. With Toffolo on the left wing/wing back Koroma moved to the left in front of him with Thomas moving to the right and Campbell upfront alone. Having one man upfront meant that United did not know who was picking Campbell up and he had more freedom to find space. Koroma is more natural on the left and likes to come inside which brought him closer to Campbell. Toffolo could then use his pace to get down the outside. We finally posed a threat in attack and had options for the man on the ball to hit. Town started to create and Thomas found Koroma in space and after his first effort was turned away he slotted in the rebound. The ref found 5 minutes of added time and Billy Sharp who had earlier volleyed straight into a well placed Nicholls arms miss hit a lose ball which found the back of net in teh 92 minutes. Pandemonium set in 2 minutes later when United failed to clear properly from a corner and Toffolo got was fedon the left in space and squared for Colwill to have a tap in for his first professional goal.

United struggled mid week against WBA where they were overrun and showed a obvious weakness in defence. West Brom got into them all game and thoroughly deserved their comfortable win, today United needed to turn it around and although they dominated play they failed to create much. Brewster will be a good player but at present he lacks goals he has pace and needs to hit the space behind defenders with through balls. We played deep so there was no space for him. McBurnie got a few knock downs but we generally tidied them up. There are elements of United that are reminiscent of when we came down. Playing good football in patches but ineffective and having a losing feeling.

For 60/70 minutes I was frustrated as we did not show what we were capable of but when we changed things around we showed what we can do. Defensively we were strong but I fear will get taken apart by the better teams with how we set up at present. There does appear to be more togetherness unless I am getting carried away. The formation in the last half hour is how we need to progress if we want to do well this season and certainly this week has put a different complexion on things. By operating with Koroma on the left and Thomas on the right we play narrower and therefore afford less space to the opposition to attack from deep.

Nicholls

Although not voted MOM for me he was. He collected all crosses, took the pressue off the defence, kept organising the men infront of him and pulled off the saves when he was needed. He reminds me of Steve Francis with his positioning which makes his job look easier.

Rating 8

Pearson

Pearson was strong at the back winning plenty in the air and in the tackle when needed. He was unbalanced when Sharp scored but again he was solid at the back

Rating 6

Sarr

Sarr looked settled at the heart of the defence, more so than last season when he was on the left. He won a lot of ball in the air and cleared up loose balls in the area. I was glad to see that there was less playing around with the ball in the area and Sarr therefore was uder less pressure.

Rating 7

Colwill

Had a good game. In the first half he was very busy as he was not afforded much protection and Basham & Baldock caused him problems which he handled well. In the second half he was provided some protection which helped. It was good a to see him showing good anticipation in the area in the 94th minute to slot in his first goal.

Rating 8

Hogg

Hogg had a decent game breaking up play and tidying things up. He did what he appeared to be asked to do and was more vocal. Needs to show more composure but did well.

Rating 6

Turton

Made a mistake early in the first half which cost him a yellow card as he tried to recover. I feel that he is better as a right back than in a more advanced position which he is being asked to cover. Was steady and calmed down afterwards.

Rating 5

Thomas

Showed all his pace again early on causing problems and being positive. He did dissappear a little as the game progressed. Delivered some good balls into the box from set plays and although he offers lots from the left I feel that for the good of the team it is better that he plays on the right.

Rating 6

O’Brien

Was breaking up attacks and in the last half hour got himself up the pitch causing problems and trying to set up opportunities. An improvement from what we saw on Tuesday and good to get 90 minutes under his belt.

Rating 6

High

Drifted wide on teh right in the first half which offered Turton protection but gae United too much space in central areas which caused us problems. High, like the rest of the team struggled to get on the ball much, put in a shift but will have better matches.

Rating 5

Koroma

For 60 minutes he struggled to get into the game finding very little space and the quality of the balls forward were poor. For the last 30 minutes he caused problems with his movement finding pockets of space and picking up the ball. Took his goal well and will hopefully take confidence from this match into the next.

Rating 6

Ward

Again Danny put in a shift for the side but with the ball forward being hopeful punts for most of the time that he was on the pitch he struggled to impact the game. Operating as a 2 man attack does not really suit Ward.

Rating 3

Campbell came on for Ward on 60 minutes and has movement caused United problems as they could not pick him up creating space for Koroma to run into.

Rating 6

Toffolo

Came on for High on 60 minutes. Toffolo probed down the left with an attacking intent and found space late on to supply the assist for the winner.

Rating 7

Vallajo came on for Koroma late on.

Rating N/A

Carlos

You have to be fair and appluad him for masterminding 6 points from 6. Yes it was not pretty but the points and consistency is what is important now. I would prefer for us to open up more and play to our strengths and hope that that is on the agenda when all first team players are back fully fit. For 60 minutes our only threat was through Thomas but when we change dthe formation suddenly we had lots of avenues we could use. I am trusting that Carlos played to keep it tight for 60 minutes and then upped the tempo intentionally. Following games will show whether that is the case or not, roll on Tuesday night and the toffees.

Town 1-0 PNE

A much more solid performance than the Fulham game. Nicholls made his league debut in for Schofield, Lees made his debut in for Pearson who was taken ill just before kick-off, O’Brien in for Holmes and High for Vallejo. Nicholls, Lees, Sarr, Colwill, Turton, High, Hogg, O’Brien, Thomas, Koroma, Ward. There was little in the way of chances in the game for Town and it was evident that 2 teams were on show that had had a difficult start to the season. For us emphasis was on defence and to not make any mistakes. The only one of any note was by Colwill early in the game which against anotehr side may well have cost us. Unlike Fulham the Preston shots at goal were usually off target. Preston did have the majority of possession particularly in the first half, they kept possession in increasing dangerous areas but could not fashion much of an opportunity. The only one of note being in the first half which Sarr cleared up near to the goal line. This was a match which could easily have been 1-0 the other way round, it is a long time since I can say that we have won a match that we did not necessarily deserve to, hopefully this the start of something good.

Player ratings

Nicholls

Finally a keeper who marshalls his defence. You could hear him shouting at the players in front of him and organisng what was happening. He commanded his area, taking pressure off the defence in catching corners. A vast improvement from what we have seen over recent years. He did have a little wobble right at the death when all the nerves were high but came through unscathed. Clearly showed to be an experienced keeper and his defence looked to have confidence in him.

Rating 7

Lees

A steady debut from Lees who came off after 76 minutes to be replaced by Vallejo presumably due to fitness. Lees looked comfortable not hurriedly flapping and looking to find his man with measured passes. His experience at this level should serve us well.

Rating 6

Sarr

Looked a different player than on Saturday. He wasn’t put under the same pressure as Fulham did and he defended well against a big Preston side. I still question his slow distribution and why he has to stand next to the keeper at dead balls but a much better performance.

Rating 6

Colwill

Made a mistake in the first 10 minutes when as the last line tried to go past his man, fortunately cover dropped back but it appeared to unsettle him for a bit. A good performance once he settled down.

Rating 5

Hogg

Was busy across the defensive areas. As Captain I would like to see him working the team more and taking them up the pitch a little. One point in the second half when still at 0-0 he dropped back at a set play to mark one Preston player along with 3 defenders. If we want to win games we have to be more positive and Hoggy should be a driving force.

Rating 4

High

Back in the side after impressing from the bench on Saturday. We saw glimpses of his vision and range of passing. High looks like he could develop into quite a player. He pulled wide on the right a lot in the first half which stretched Preston but should have been used more by the defence to move the ball down the pitch. He drifted inside as teh game went on which gave Turton more space.

Rating 6

O’Brien

O’Briens presence in the side gave everyone a lift. He lloked a little of the oace by his standards and as expected did not see out the 90 minutes. Lewis is more affective when playing further forward in the middle but as Preston pressed he along with everyone else dropped back. It was good to have him back and he did produce some of his usually moves but it was a muted performance.

Rating 5

Turton

Was kept busy defensively in the first half, as the second progressed with High tucking inside Turton did venture down the right more to offer something further down the pitch. I like the fact that he goes down the outside of the full back rather than cutting inside and making the pitch smaller but I feel he is more comfortable as a full back rather than right wing back/winger. Steady performance and settling in well.

Rating 5

Thomas

Again Thomas was our one bright spark in attack. His one thought when he gets the ball is to attack the man infront of him. There are elements of his game which he needs to develop but I like the positive nature of his play and he mixes it well with his physicality. It will be interesting to see how he fits in with Toffolo in due course.

Rating 7

Koroma

Again I’m not sure what instructions Josh is going out with. He drops back and tries to drive forward. Git on the ball more than the Fulham game but seams wasted in the middle where he can’t get the ball out of his feet and needs to play much wider or closer to the front man with balls delivered quicker.

Rating 5

Ward

His return really has not worked. In and out of the side last year but he has started the last 2 and not offered us anything. He is not a player to win the ball in the air or break through the last line of defence so when left on his own upfront he needs players around him and nobody is getting anywhere near. Whilst this continues we will not get anything out of Danny.

Rating 2

Campbell

Came on for Ward at half time who was taken ill. Again he struggled to get much action in key areas due to a lack of support but did get himself involved and coursed more of a nuisance to Preston

Rating 4

Holmes and Vallejo were later substitutions. The one occasion where a midfielder, Holmes, made a run beyond the front man resulted in the goal. Van Den Berg putting through his own net n preventing Holmes with the clear opening.

Carlos

The team were set up to not make a mistake and let Preston in and to that aim we achieved what we wanted. Getting the 3 points being the icing on the cake. Yes we were fortunate and against better opposition we could get taken apart but we have to take confidence from this into the next game. 4 points from 9 is not a bad return.

The O’Brien saga (does he stay, does he go) needs to be settled. If we had gone behind I don’t feel that we had it in us to change the course of the match. We need to move the ball quicker in attack, get support around the front man and have midfield runners. At present there are little options to the man on the ball and so it becomes easy to defend against. I don’t think it helps that we play from the back at each goal kick as we do not have the quality/belief to break through the lines and just end up putting pressure on ourselves.

In this game we git what we wanted to cannot be faulted too severely.

Rating 6

Spurs 1 – 0 Man City. A good entertaining game for a neutral like me. City were on top for the first 10/15 minutes but then Spurs got into their counter attacking rhythm and deserved the 3 points in the end. Good goal from Son who along with Lucas Moura looked lively throughout. Deli Alli linked play well but Tanganga was also a stand out performer keeping city quiet on their left hand side. Man City lacked a cutting edge in attack but when De Bruyne came on they did look a lot sharper as suddenly the tempo was icreased from pedestrian. Jack Grealish palyed the full 90 minutes on his debut and probed well but failed to really dictate things for City.

Elsewhere 3 points on the opening day for Brentford, Manchester United, Chelsea & Liverpool convincingly. Leicester, Watford, Everton, Brighton and West Ham started their seasons well with full points. No drawns means defeats for Arsenal, Leeds, Wolves, Palace, Villa, Southampton, Burnley, Norwich & Newcastle.

A first start for Trevoh Chalobah with Chelsea in the league saw him score his first goal. I thought the yougster did well whilst at Town although I know that oppinion is somewhat split. Considering his age when he was with us I think he did very well. Yes consistancy was not great but that was why he was out on loan. I hope he goes on to have a good season at Stamford Bridge.

Schofield

Oh dear. When he first came into the side he played with an air of confidence but that has completely gone. His decision making, strength and aerial ability are very questionable to be polite. Reflexes are good but that does not make a Championship or League One keeper. I personally feel that the best thing for the lad is a loan move out to League 2 and rebuild the confidence playing behind a defence that is solid. Draft in another keeper to provide competition to Nicholls. Todays’ performance was poor. Too many mistakes whilst not under pressure. Yes his defence do not help but he doesn’t talk to them. He needs to be vocal. Needs to let the referee know when he is being bullied in the area, just look at Gazzaniga today talking to the ref all the time. He needs to come for the ball at corners and take the players out of the way in getting there. A ref usually protects the keeper but when he stands on his line (or sometimes behind it) and doesn’t move, a goal from a corner for the opposition becomes a real possibility. Having said that Scholfield did pull off a number fo decent saves today but by then we had already lost the game.

Rating 4

Turton

It is still early days for Turton and I would expect that Pipa will be first choice at right back. I thought he did ok but he is playing in side which offers no protection to the wide defenders so to be the defensive king pin on that side whilst being an attacking threat is almost an impossible ask. Second half he delivered a few crosses which were decent, defensily a little exposed but that was partly down to the squad set up for the match.

Rating 5

Colwill

Really liked the look af this lad. Good on the ball string in the tackle we need to make sure that we use him to the best of his ability. Played on the left side of a back 3 (I think). Thought he was solid particularly in the first half and look forward to seeing more from him, hopefully he will be able to link up well with Toffolo when he is back in the reckoning.

Rating 6

Matty Pearson

Looked like a strong physical centre back. A handful in both boxes scoring Towns goal today and having another one ruled out for off-side. He needs to get ahold of our backline and the keeper and lead them as we still look rudderless on the pitch.

Rating 6

Sarr

At times I forget he was on the pitch. When he did go into the tackle he was well beaten each time and looked like he was not that interested to be honest. I’m sure that he was and my assessment is harsh but he looked well out of his depth today. He hasn’t usually played as the central defender in a 3 before and so this may not have helped at all.

Rating 3

Hogg

Hoggy has been inconsistent for a few seasons now and as club captain we really need him to step up, today he did not. The game seamed to pass him by, but again tactically we got it wrong. Fulham controlled the midfield and we let them, Hoggy and Vallejo/High could not do it on their own but we changed nothing to try and counter that. I know that Hogg can perform way better, but what he was being asked to do today meant that he was never going to have a good game.

Rating 4

Vallejo

Similar to Sarr I forgot that he was on the pitch. This was not a game for Vallejo, he needs the game to be played in front of him and it was not he ended up chasing shadows in the first half and so it was of no surprise that hw was hauled off at half-time. Again the role he was being asked to play did not suit him or this game.

Rating 3

Holmes

Duanne got on the ball early in the game and tried probing but after 20 minutes he began to disappear. He likes a few too many touches for my liking when their are better options around him and then he gets bullied off the ball too easily. Duanne then has a tendency to go missing as the game goes on. He does have talent but playing behind a front 2 who cannot stretch the play or hold the ball up is not his position.

Rating 3

Thomas

Shows real commitment and desire and knows how to cross a ball. Sorba is one of the few highlights to come out of last season and he is looking to be a real asset. Happy to receive the ball anywhere and is always looking to go forward. The team do need to give him options or it becomes easy for the opposition to defend against him and I felt that he should occasionally switch sides to ask questions of our opponents.

Rating 6

Koroma

I really rate Josh but this was not one of his better performances. He is better coming in off the left hand side but today appeared to be operating on the right of a front 2 with nobody on the right wing. A lack of supply to him from a depleted midfield may have added to the below par performance.

Rating 4

Ward

Danny put himself about in the first half but is he a out and out striker? When he was with us previously he played out wide since then he has played up front but he has lost some pace since then. He is not a front man who will look to break the back line nor is he a front man to hold the ball up. Carlos needs to work out how to use him at the moment he uses him to purely close down the opposition which is all well and good if the rest of the team are set up appropriately.

Rating 4

Subs

High

Scott came on and looked bright, dropping deep to pick up the ball and link up with the front men. He delivered the ball quickly and asked different things of the opposition, ultimately to no avail but offered far more than Vallejo.

Rating 5

Campbell

Not a performance for Campbell to really remember as he failed to make any real impression.

Rating 4

Rhodes

Came on too late to affect the game but in the short space of time he showed desire which had sadly been lacking. He was talking to his team mates which again a voice had sadly been lacking in the match.

Rating N/A

Carlos

Tactically he got it wrong. Second game of the season and we are at home playing one of the favourites so you set us up to be difficult to beat whilst offering something going forward. If we get a point it is a good point if we lose by a narrow margin it is what was expected. We set up with Ward, Koroma, Thomas and Holmes all in attacking positions offering nothing defensively other than occasional closing down high up the pitch. In midfield we had Hogg and Vallejo pitched against Fulhams 5 man midfield with 4 players at the back in Turton (it is possible that he should have been a wide attacker but was pulled out of position), Pearson, Sarr and Colwill. We were over-run in midfield meaning that our back line then had Mitrovic and the advancing midfield that had strolled passed Hogg and Vallejo to deal with.

What tactically did we do to combat this? Nothing – we changed nothing around tactically with the 11 on the pitch and when we made the substitutes is was a like for like change. Definition of madness is ‘to keep doing the same thing and expect different results’. No surprise then that the same thing kept happening until the ref thankfully halted play.

What needs to change? Lets’ save this for after the Preston game and see what Carlos serves up for us on Tuesday night.

Carlos rating 2

Huddersfield 1-5 Fulham

Absolutely delighted to back in the John Smiths Stadium for the first time in 533 days. It has been a long time away. From the point of view of access to the stadium nothing much had changed. Unfortunately when it came to the performance nothing much had changed either.

We started with Ward and Koroma up front which when playing one of the stronger sides of the division surprised me, I would have thought we would pack the midfield more to be competitive and get more of the ball. Koroma is also more affective when coming in off the left side of the pitch and as our most proficient attacking force against surprised that we were not playing to his strengths.

There was an early sign of what was to come as we backed off Onomah giving him space to get an early shot away which Schofield turned behind. We had the ball in the back of net shortly afterwards but this was ruled out for offside. I’ve yet to see the replay however it wasn’t long before Fulham were gifted the lead. Schofield made a hash of a overhit backpass and presented Mitrovic with an open goal. In fairness to Schofield the goal should not have stood as it had clearly gone out of play. I was directly in line with the touchline and due to the overhit backpass the linesman was well behind the play so just guessed. If only we had VAR. Onomah scored their second due to Fulham showing their strength on a corner when we flapped in defence. In fairness though the lads did not let their heads go and got their deserved goal through Matty Pearson from a corner only for us to show our defensive frailties again and let Cavalho in for an instant reply. At 3-1 and approaching half time you could clearly see that the Town players heads had gone.

Second half -The ineffective pair of Vallejo and Ward were replaced with High and Campbell. Unfortunatley though that was the only thing that had changed as Fulham continued where they left off on top. High tried to probe, Campbell offered nothing more than Ward had. Holmes was finally replaced after having his stroll on the pitch. Sarr stayed on although he looked even slower than last season. Colwill who was one of the bright sparkes brought down Harry Wilson with less than 20 minutes to go and the ex-Liverpool lad violently reacted earning himself a straight red. That prompted Marco Silva to bring on Ivan Cavaleiro (who it had been rumoured we were looking to sign when we had our stint in the prem) and go direct when they had the ball. With us pushing forward Cavaleiro exploited the space to finish well twice before the referee saved us from any further embarrasment.

On the whole great to be back, performance was good in patches but so much was wrong. Fulham weren’t that great but they won the midfield and took their chances.

Individual performance review to follow.

Brentford 2-0 Arsenal.

The Bees kicked off the premier league season, and what a feelgood performance they put in. Classy performance on the pitch, class from Thomas Frank posing for snaps with young fans at the end of the game, class from the fans in applauding Arsenals’ young Bukayo Saka in support of his efforts for the footballing nation in the summer. Brentford certainly deserved the 3 points, although at 1-0 Arsenal were creating opportunities and Brentford were failing just like Arsenal to take theirs, it did feel for a period that the failure to go 2 up might come back and bite them, but full credit for the team performance as they saw the game out.

For Town fans like me this felt a lot like the summer of 2017, a lot of hope, good performances in the premier league, a togetherness through the players, backroom staff and fans. For us as we know it fell apart in the end, for Brentford only time will tell but good luck to them.

Previous Town player watch – Emile Smith-Rowe, ok we only had him on loan. He was one of probably 2 Arsenal players that stood out for the right reasons. On the ball he was bright and looking to break through the lines at all times, off the ball he was creating space and making himself available. A constant threat to the opposition. I liked Smith-Rowe when he was with us and feel that the lad plays the game in the right manner, just getting on with his game and his teams performance. I wish him good luck for the season and his future in the game.

League One as always difficult to predict but here goes: –

Rotherham United

Sheffield Wednesday

Ipswich Town

Sunderland

Portsmouth

Wycombe

Charlton

Bolton

Wigan

Lincoln City

Shrewsbury

Oxford United

Burton

MK Dons

AFC Wimbledon

Cambridge United

Crewe Alexandra

Cheltenham

Morecambe

Accrington Stanley

Fleetwood

Gillingham

Doncaster

Plymouth

League 2:-

Mansfield

Salford

Bradford City

Forest Green

Newport County

Rochdale

Exeter City

Swindon Town

Hartlepool

Leyton Orient

Tranmere

Crawley Town

Northampton

Bristol Rovers

Harrogate

Sutton United

Port Vale

Stevenage

Carlisle United

Walsall

Scunthorpe

Barrow

Colchester

Oldham