Lincoln City (H), 7.45pm Tuesday 14th February.

[Crewton]

58 minutes ago, Tamworthram said:

Good point about booking the keeper but you could argue they were penalised for the persistent time wasting by the 4th official adding on 9 minutes. 

That doesn't compensate the team (or the fans) for the effect of constantly broken-up play and lost momentum though. And if they only wasted 9 minutes less the 30 seconds added on automatically for every goal (1) and substitution during the half (4), I'd be surprised. That said, I was expecting no more than 5 minutes, because that was the level of competency I was witnessing.

Book the keeper for the 2nd or 3rd offence, then warn the captain that any further clear time-wasting will be punished with an instant yellow card, and we might have seen a game of football.

[Rambalin]

It is not such  a bad result in that Lincoln have beaten and drawn with  Ipswich, Drawn with Plymouth,  Wednesday twice, Wycombe and Bolton and beaten Barnsley so are decent against the so called better teams. 

 

 

 

[MadAmster]

2 hours ago, HorsforthRam said:

We were awfully predictable; Smith always looking for NML on one side, Roberts for Dobbin on the other and then an attempted cross. No out ball into midfield to create a triangle and move Lincoln about. As another poster said “rinse and repeat”.

After their man got sent off, we still persisted in similar tactics which was frustrating despite having one or two men free in the middle a lot of the time. Trying to quickly to find a “killer” ball which goes out of play ir straight to their keeper, queue break up of play. 
 

Warne constantly talks post match about players making an extra pass, not getting a cross in quick enough, not pulling the trigger, not moving the ball quickly etc. Sometimes it feels to me the way some players try to remedy that is by being frantic in their attempts to pass/cross the ball to each other leading to so many misplaced passes and poor ball control. Composure was missing last night, especially when they were down to 10. For large parts we did exactly what they wanted us to do. 

Most of the crossing attempts yesterday were, IMO, poor. I would also add that, again IMO, Sibley has been the best dead ball taker we have seen for us this season and, if on the park, should take free kicks and corners. 

[CBRammette]

7 minutes ago, Rambalin said:

It is not such  a bad result in that Lincoln have beaten and drawn with  Ipswich, Drawn with Plymouth,  Wednesday twice, Wycombe and Bolton and beaten Barnsley so are decent against the so called better teams. 

 

 

 

They're not decent they use certain tactics which is very different

[Rambervalley]

9 minutes ago, CBRammette said:

They're not decent they use certain tactics which is very different

Yep. They came with a game plan (as awful as it was) and they stuck to it and they were delighted to come away with the draw. 
Even when down to 10 men and defending for their lives (aka parking the bus) they still broke away a couple of times and could have snatched a win. 

[May Contain Nuts]

33 minutes ago, Rambalin said:

It is not such  a bad result in that Lincoln have beaten and drawn with  Ipswich, Drawn with Plymouth,  Wednesday twice, Wycombe and Bolton and beaten Barnsley so are decent against the so called better teams.

Taken on its own and ignoring results around us, you're right, it isn't.

(although Lincoln's prior good results were not in games where they'd been reduced to 10 men)

As with the damned-for-eternity, proof-of-concept that we were terribly predictable, one dimensional, easy to play against and didn't have an answer to teams closing us down and outrunning us away game though, it's probably less about the result than the performance.

At 11 vs 11 yesterday's game was remarkably similar, we had no answer to them, our tactics were wrong, and but for the red card it's likely we'd be looking at a performance and result equal if not worse to the earlier game, and at home to boot, despite us having a more settled and fitter squad now.

It's only right that it should come under scrutiny, but also it shouldn't be dwelled on for long as we have the chance to put it right on Saturday.

Edited February 15, 2023 by Kokosnuss

[G STAR RAM]

2 hours ago, duncanjwitham said:

I watched the game. We were dreadful.  

Not sure you watched the same game as me.

Didnt play great first half but second half we created lots of chances but just didnt look like it would go in for us.

Dread to think how many chances you want us to create if you class 17 shots away from home as dreadful?

[Curtains]

1 hour ago, Tamworthram said:

Absolutely deserve credit for keep battling away (having said that, surely you’d expect them to when the scores were level, there was only one goal in it and especially when they went down to 10 men).

By and large it was a poor performance and I’m sure how we would have got back into it had they not had a player sent off but, as PW has pretty much said, we shouldn’t get carried away when we win nor too despondent when we don’t.

The same applies to our end of season position. If we reach the play offs then great but keep the champagne on ice until we’ve won the final. On the other hand, if we end up just outside the top 6 then it will be a major disappointment but no need to go into melt down.

We were a lot worse at Lincoln away believe me.  
 

As Warne says the Rams started sloppy last night and that happens. 
 

I don’t expect anything this season to be easy after administration and having to work under a business plan .

What we have achieved so far is remarkable really 

[B4ev6is]

12 hours ago, Mr Tibbs said:

Too many players off it tonight. Throw in an incompetent officiating team and a an away side mastering the dark arts and it was a pretty frustrating night. 

Roberts and Dobbin's first half was one of the worst I've seen from a left hand side duo. No composure or quality at all. Collins ineffective. Thought Knight was off it for him - way to many stray passes but he wasn't the only one. Must be in the minority over Cashin as I thought he played well, having him and Fozzy play such a high line vs 10 was going to give us issues. 

Them going down to 10 was a good moment for us (obviously) as we had zero control of the game, even with 5 in the middle. Shades of the away game at their place up until that decision, they were organised and got stuck in but we'd normally have enough to beat a side like that. 

Can't be arsed to start with the ref and lino. Embarrassing. Almost as embarrassing as the boo's at HT and FT, anyone would have thought we'd have not won in 17 games previously, not the opposite! I don't think anyone expects PP to be rocking these days but it was a flat one tonight, coupled with the discontent I don't think it did anyone on the pitch a favour unless they were wearing red. That said, plenty of players who can look at their performances tonight and admit it wasn't their best. Couple of days on the training ground and we go again. 

I disagree with pp not been rocking yes it has and maybe a bit flat because we lost the game before and lads were kicked to death b. Wycombe and this ref was clearly not give us a thing.

[RIMBAUD]

7 minutes ago, B4ev6is said:

I disagree with pp not been rocking yes it has and maybe a bit flat because we lost the game before and lads were kicked to death b. Wycombe and this ref was clearly not give us a thing.

Apart from sending one of their players off. 

[secretsquirrel]

2 hours ago, jimtastic56 said:

I am getting a little concerned about NML. Him and McGoldrick have been our best players this season. But NML has now played more games this season than he has played in the last 2 combined. He has never played 45 games in a season and looks to be running out of steam or he has lost the confidence to go round people .

It seems to me that if NML doesn't beat the man on the first time he has a run his confidence drops and he struggles-Their full back played him pretty well last night.

[May Contain Nuts]

15 minutes ago, B4ev6is said:

lads were kicked to death b. Wycombe and this ref was clearly not give us a thing.

Clearly he was biased due to being in love with their number 18, Ben House.

On 55 minutes he even presented him with a Valentines card and told him to go and run a bath, hoping they could enjoy each others company under the bubbles once the game had finished.

Blatant!

Edited February 15, 2023 by Kokosnuss

[B4ev6is]

6 minutes ago, Kokosnuss said:

Clearly he was biased due to being in love with their number 18, Ben House.

On 55 minutes he even presented him with a Valentines card and told him to go and run a bath, hoping they could enjoy each others company under the bubbles once the game had finished.

Blatant!

Only reason he send him off because derby fans on his back k otherwise the ref not done a thing about it.

How about there keeper constantly time wasteing he should at least given yellow card oh no never saw it.

[DiggerB]

7 hours ago, VulcanRam said:

Time wasting and gamesmanship is part and parcel of the game, always has been. When a player goes down, the ref has no choice but to attend to a player who claims he is injured. He can't pick and choose when he thinks someone is feigning injury; all he can do is add the time on, which he did. Nine minutes added time was right.

That said, he was a weak official who increasingly lost control of proceedings, and if it is the case that the same linesman allowed two fairly obvious offside goals (haven't seen the video back) then he needs some kind of sanction. 

Yet you can't blame the officials for our performance. In the first half Lincoln out ran us, out fought us and were more organised. Second half they did everything they could to secure something out of the game. It's horrible to watch and frustrating, but it is up to us to be able to beat teams like this if we want promotion, and we nearly did.

Disappointing night but we should look no further than our own poor performance, especially in the first half again. I was surprised to see two in midfield again after a poor performance at Wycombe where we were overrun  in that area, and it was clear against Lincoln we had nothing in the middle and were essentially just playing in the two outer thirds of the pitch, left and right, which made it pretty easy for the opposition to defend. 

Much to think about ahead of Saturday.

Fully expected White to start after Saturday and his cruching challenge down the inside left channel showed what we've been missing since losing Bird. Kudos to PW for shouldering the blame, but strange that, if his intention was to freshen things up, he would wait until the next Saturday to do it on the back of the Wycombe performance (albeit that improved in the 2nd half).

[kash_a_ram_a_ding_dong]

The only home game this year that I've missed but watching the highlights this morning,we were hardly short of good attempts on goal,especially sibleys shot off the bar and mcgoldricks denied goal....any one of which,if successful would have changed our outlook on this game.

 

[sage]

1 hour ago, Mr Tibbs said:

Whilst I don't think NML is quite at it, Lincoln's RB had him in his back pocket most of the night due to good defending IMO. Hardly got tight so wasn't easily done and when NML did get past him, he was brought down both times to stop the attack. Pretty textbook performance but you don't see it every week thankfully. He's one of the better RB's I've seen at this level, most can hardly run never mind defend. 

He must be a great right back to have our RW in his pocket. 

[alram]

two tough games coming up next, we will need a few positive results from those to keep the momentum up.

 

i know it sounds basic to say but the teams in the top half are winning A LOT of games, there is not many slip ups. even after our brilliant run, we are still not secure in the playoffs.

[Crewton]

1 hour ago, RIMBAUD said:

Apart from sending one of their players off. 

He had to be badgered into booking him in the first half by our players for what was a clear professional foul. When he made an even worse challenge on McGoldrick, the ref really had no choice but to card him again.

That said, I don't think he was responsible for the worst officiating mistakes last night, he was just weak at controlling their timewasting.

[SKRam]

3 hours ago, Mucker1884 said:

Fortunately, he was wearing it post whistle, as witnessed by those of us who stayed back to applaud them off.  I assume that infers he was wearing it throughout the game.

The bobble is innocent, I say!  Find another scapegoat!  ??

[SKRam]

3 hours ago, Mucker1884 said:

Fortunately, he was wearing it post whistle, as witnessed by those of us who stayed back to applaud them off.  I assume that infers he was wearing it throughout the game.

The bobble is innocent, I say!  Find another scapegoat!  ??

There've been a couple of guilty bobbles if memory serves me right from our illustrious past. ?