Exeter City AFC v WBA AFC FA Cup 3rd round proper. AD. 06/1/2018.Official Matchday Th

[Moomin Grecian]

I was decidedly unimpressed with Stockley. Quite apart from the time when it looked easier to score, I thought he was very poor. If Tisdale paid a big fee for him, I fear he was conned. I'd have much rather had Reid in there today instead of him.

Yeah cos only scoring 13 goals so far is rubbish isn’t it. What a con.

 

[antman]

There was a moment in this game when I realised it is better if Tis leaves the club. This is the first time I have ever thought this as a CIty fan even when we were bottom of the League. I will try and explain why.

After about 15 minutes when we were 1-0 down and looking very shaky, Troy Archibald-Henville let a ball bounce when there was confusion between him and Seaborne, Pym eventually getting to the ball before anything worse happened.

The anguished groans from the crowd weren't just audible on TV, they were loud. This for me was extraordinary. Compared with other clubs' home crowds in big cup games where the home team is the underdog, the contrast is sharp. I can't remember other big City cup games where fans would have thought the best thing to do would be to moan like that, especially given that the players were lacking confidence at that moment.

When attending the games over Christmas I sensed a very real lack of belief in the team, especially at Yeovil, which wasn't a good performance but wasn't particularly bad either. There is a large section of the support, Red Legion or no Red Legion, that do not believe in the manager's tactics anymore. I used to think this was an Exeweb thing, but now I think it goes deeper than that.

While I think the Daily Mail interview has been blown out of proportion a bit, especially because we don't know what else Tis said about the fans except the quotes that make it look like he thinks everyone is against him, which obviously they aren't, there is now a siege mentality existing that the manager himself seems to be accepting. This puts Tis in a very difficult situation. Basically if he doesn't win promotion this season he will be perceived to have failed by those fans, no matter how close we come to that. This cranks up the pressure on everyone, as today's game showed. Every time we fail to deliver in any game counts for much more under these circumstances than when we win. While this season, especially at home, we have done well by and large, my overall sense of the season so far is that it has been a failure. This is nonsense really, given we are just over half way through, and a home win against Forest Green from 4th place, but there were so many unhappy people around today and the games I attended that there comes a point when the chemistry just doesn't make any sense any more.

Football is the fans as much as it is the manager or the players, and the people who want Tis replaced are entitled to see what will happen in that eventuality. I had vehemently opposed that until now, because last season for example I really did think there was a danger of someone else coming in and doing worse, leading to relegation. (What Tis always offers is dedication, we will keep plugging away and not give up over 90 minutes, or the season.) Now the squad is genuinely strong (except we need a better centre back to cover for JMT and Troy B), and an incoming manager would have time to establish their methods.

After we turned it around last season I thought confidence had been restored but I don't think it has really, in the sense that the imagination of the fans has not been captured and the enthusiasm is just not there. If this is Paul Tisdale's last season with us, and the signs are there, I look forward to his successor's inauguration and the following wave of enthusiasm it can bring.

 

[Sexton Blake]

Not the easiest game to sum up Pardew put out a strong team and first half they played like a Premier League team and if Christy Pym had not been on top form would have scored more. At times it was frightening to see a four man attack running at our defenders while the latter were back pedalling for all they were worth.

Lady Luck had an afternoon off and the only bit of good fortune we had throughout the game was the Robson-Kanu miss from the spot. True Pym went the right way and saved it but it was poorly taken penalty. Having said that it was rather a soft penalty with the WBA player taking full advantage of Pierce Sweeney’s rather clumsy challenge. No surprise it was given as throughout the game referee Lee Mason was quick to blow up for every perceived City misdemeanour but not quite so quickly for those committed by WBA players.

LL also deserted us in the closing minutes of the first half when Fraser rather surprisingly spilled a weak effort from Liam McAlinden at the feet of Jayden Stockley who perhaps because he was not expecting it snatched at his shot and from probably only a yard out saw his effort rebound from the near post.

Second half City were more positive coming forward but although creating a number of chances lacked a cutting edge and were unable to convert any of them. It was frustrating to watch as you felt that if we could have scored it might have been a different game. It would have then been interesting to have seen how well the WBA defence would have coped under real pressure as with scoring so early they had not had to go through any period where they might have started to question their own ability to overturn a fourth tier side.

The introduction of Lee Holmes although far too late was a positive move and once coming into the fray he was a constant threat not afraid to run at their defence and certainly gave them something to think about. I was though somewhat surprised that it was at the expense of McAlinden who had linked up well with Stockley and been a continuing threat to the WBA defence. I was equally surprised when Tisdale chose to replace Hiram Boateng another player who had taken the play to WBA with the less than impressive Lloyd James. The final sub Matt Jay for Ryan Harley was not made until three minutes before the end of normal time was again too late to give the former any real chance of influencing the result.

Summing up I feel this was an opportunity missed and in my view Holmes should have started and failing that should certainly have been introduced at the start of the second half. WBA at times showed their Premier League pedigree and by scoring so early settled any nerves they might have had. As for City unlike recent games where, as many have said, we have been lumping the ball up to Stockley hoping for the best, at times we were passing the ball around neatly and playing a style of football more like we did earlier in the season.

Christy Pym thoroughly deserved his MOM but neither of the full backs covered themselves in glory. TAH and Danny Seaborne had sound games although both were partly to blame for WBA’s second goal. Neither Jordan Tilson or Jake Taylor had games to remember although the latter saw his shot late on in the second half well saved by Foster. Ryan Harley although seeing a lot of the ball and at times making some telling passes, was also his usual frustrating self with most of his passes being either sideways or backwards. Up front Liam McAlinden as usual chased everything and Jayden Stockley apart from his first half miss had a good game working hard, winning most of his aerial battles and would have been my second choice for MOM.

 

[globegrecian]

There was a moment in this game when I realised it is better if Tis leaves the club. This is the first time I have ever thought this as a CIty fan even when we were bottom of the League. I will try and explain why.

After about 15 minutes when we were 1-0 down and looking very shaky, Troy Archibald-Henville let a ball bounce when there was confusion between him and Seaborne, Pym eventually getting to the ball before anything worse happened.

The anguished groans from the crowd weren't just audible on TV, they were loud. This for me was extraordinary. Compared with other clubs' home crowds in big cup games where the home team is the underdog, the contrast is sharp. I can't remember other big City cup games where fans would have thought the best thing to do would be to moan like that, especially given that the players were lacking confidence at that moment.

When attending the games over Christmas I sensed a very real lack of belief in the team, especially at Yeovil, which wasn't a good performance but wasn't particularly bad either. There is a large section of the support, Red Legion or no Red Legion, that do not believe in the manager's tactics anymore. I used to think this was an Exeweb thing, but now I think it goes deeper than that.

While I think the Daily Mail interview has been blown out of proportion a bit, especially because we don't know what else Tis said about the fans except the quotes that make it look like he thinks everyone is against him, which obviously they aren't, there is now a siege mentality existing that the manager himself seems to be accepting. This puts Tis in a very difficult situation. Basically if he doesn't win promotion this season he will be perceived to have failed by those fans, no matter how close we come to that. This cranks up the pressure on everyone, as today's game showed. Every time we fail to deliver in any game counts for much more under these circumstances than when we win. While this season, especially at home, we have done well by and large, my overall sense of the season so far is that it has been a failure. This is nonsense really, given we are just over half way through, and a home win against Forest Green from 4th place, but there were so many unhappy people around today and the games I attended that there comes a point when the chemistry just doesn't make any sense any more.

Football is the fans as much as it is the manager or the players, and the people who want Tis replaced are entitled to see what will happen in that eventuality. I had vehemently opposed that until now, because last season for example I really did think there was a danger of someone else coming in and doing worse, leading to relegation. (What Tis always offers is dedication, we will keep plugging away and not give up over 90 minutes, or the season.) Now the squad is genuinely strong (except we need a better centre back to cover for JMT and Troy B), and an incoming manager would have time to establish their methods.

After we turned it around last season I thought confidence had been restored but I don't think it has really, in the sense that the imagination of the fans has not been captured and the enthusiasm is just not there. If this is Paul Tisdale's last season with us, and the signs are there, I look forward to his successor's inauguration and the following wave of enthusiasm it can bring.

Great post. Once a 3rd round tie against anyone would have generated pages of predictions and a long match day thread prior to kick-off, now posters admit they are finding it hard to get enthused

 

[globegrecian]

Firstly there was no way that was a penalty, I had a clear view and Seabourn put in a brilliant last ditch tackle, got his foot to the ball and their player fell over the ball, not Danny's foot, just as well he missed it.

The team selection was pretty much as we expected although Holmes was left on the bench for Tilson which I was disappointed about, also JMT was out and it could be said that the organisation that he would have given might have stopped those two terrible early goals. In fact I thought that Pym should have had the first, he got a full hand to it but couldn't put it round the post. Pym more than made up for it with some really good saves in what was a poor first half.

The penalty save seemed to wake us up a bit and if only Stockley could have put that chance away then who can tell how the second half might have panned out. Why, so often do we do better second half, is it because we try to just hold them instaed of trying to get at them from the kick off? I don't know but as I say the defensive weaknesses made us somewhat lucky to go in at half time 4 down and yet we were as good as them second half.

Getting at them they looked distinctly average and we created several half chances that could have gone in, their center back (Ghazi?) was a very tidy player though and snuffed out several chances. All in all I didn't rate WBA as any good league 2 side I've seen down here this season and I think they'll get relegated if that showing was anything to go by.

When we got into our attacking mode we looked good and when )eventually) Holmes made it onto the pitch we had them worried, my man of the match was Harley who never lost possession and created a lot, although some of his deliveries from set pieces was poor. He still looked class which I was pleased about.

Going two down at home before we wake up and make changes and start playing is a Tisdale trademark, be it Torquay or WBA

 

[Steve H]

Have to say once I saw the West Brom team sheet I knew how this was going to go.... this wasn't like Klopp taking the p@ss by playing total unknowns, 7 of their starters played the last game in the premier league so fair play to Pardew

Correct me but I think Barry has played more premier league games than Tisdale has managed

Two nil is therefore a reasonable score line, it was unfortunate to concede that early and a goal before half team would definitely set the second half up but there you go....

Anyway onwards and upwards

 

[grecIAN Harris]

Not the easiest game to sum up Pardew put out a strong team and first half they played like a Premier League team and if Christy Pym had not been on top form would have scored more. At times it was frightening to see a four man attack running at our defenders while the latter were back pedalling for all they were worth.

Lady Luck had an afternoon off and the only bit of good fortune we had throughout the game was the Robson-Kanu miss from the spot. True Pym went the right way and saved it but it was poorly taken penalty. Having said that it was rather a soft penalty with the WBA player taking full advantage of Pierce Sweeney’s rather clumsy challenge. No surprise it was given as throughout the game referee Lee Mason was quick to blow up for every perceived City misdemeanour but not quite so quickly for those committed by WBA players.

LL also deserted us in the closing minutes of the first half when Fraser rather surprisingly spilled a weak effort from Liam McAlinden at the feet of Jayden Stockley who perhaps because he was not expecting it snatched at his shot and from probably only a yard out saw his effort rebound from the near post.

Second half City were more positive coming forward but although creating a number of chances lacked a cutting edge and were unable to convert any of them. It was frustrating to watch as you felt that if we could have scored it might have been a different game. It would have then been interesting to have seen how well the WBA defence would have coped under real pressure as with scoring so early they had not had to go through any period where they might have started to question their own ability to overturn a fourth tier side.

The introduction of Lee Holmes although far too late was a positive move and once coming into the fray he was a constant threat not afraid to run at their defence and certainly gave them something to think about. I was though somewhat surprised that it was at the expense of McAlinden who had linked up well with Stockley and been a continuing threat to the WBA defence. I was equally surprised when Tisdale chose to replace Hiram Boateng another player who had taken the play to WBA with the less than impressive Lloyd James. The final sub Matt Jay for Ryan Harley was not made until three minutes before the end of normal time was again too late to give the former any real chance of influencing the result.

Summing up I feel this was an opportunity missed and in my view Holmes should have started and failing that should certainly have been introduced at the start of the second half. WBA at times showed their Premier League pedigree and by scoring so early settled any nerves they might have had. As for City unlike recent games where, as many have said, we have been lumping the ball up to Stockley hoping for the best, at times we were passing the ball around neatly and playing a style of football more like we did earlier in the season.

Christy Pym thoroughly deserved his MOM but neither of the full backs covered themselves in glory. TAH and Danny Seaborne had sound games although both were partly to blame for WBA’s second goal. Neither Jordan Tilson or Jake Taylor had games to remember although the latter saw his shot late on in the second half well saved by Foster. Ryan Harley although seeing a lot of the ball and at times making some telling passes, was also his usual frustrating self with most of his passes being either sideways or backwards. Up front Liam McAlinden as usual chased everything and Jayden Stockley apart from his first half miss had a good game working hard, winning most of his aerial battles and would have been my second choice for MOM.

You are trying to be funny aren't you?? McAlinden carried no threat at all. He didn't appear to have the brain cells to carry a threat. An example, ball gets played long into Stockley who wins his ariel duel, where does McAlinden run? Somewhere in the general direction of where the ball is going from Stockley's knock down? You would have thought so wouldn't you but no he runs towards Stockley. Maybe he thinks that Stockley wasn't going to win it quite as well as he did, so you give him the benefit of the doubt. The next ball comes in, similar scenario. Having seen the outcome he first time you'd think McAlinden would gamble on Stockley winning but no, he makes the same run towards Stockley. Time and again he did it. Second example, ball gets played into the channel towards McAlinden but the defender covers it off. What does McAlinden do? Get across to the defender, press and harry him into making a decision. Nope, runs in a staright line five yards away from the defender giving him time to make a choice as to what he does with the ball. No pressure, no threat. It wasn't a surprise at all to seem him get hooked off.

 

[edwin_price]

Know everyone's Fed up at the moment, but can't believe people are giving out about getting beat by a prem side...

 

[ramone]

The anguished groans from the crowd weren't just audible on TV, they were loud. This for me was extraordinary. Compared with other clubs' home crowds in big cup games where the home team is the underdog, the contrast is sharp. I can't remember other big City cup games where fans would have thought the best thing to do would be to moan like that, especially given that the players were lacking confidence at that moment.

To bring up just this one point for a moment a lot of the groans were coming from people that aren't usually there on a matchday ! There was a group of about 7 people near me who were moaning and shouting at City for the slightest little thing today and they weren't the only ones you could clearly hear on the BB Thank Christ they wont be there for the next home game.

For quite a few this will be their only time they watch a premiershiite club either because they cant afford to travel/watch or because the cant be a$$ed to get out of their comfy armchair for a few hours.

Looking forward to the next home game with a bit of space on the BB and talking with people who actually support City !

 

[Jam Doughnut]

Like most games we started half asleep and acted like it was a pre season friendly , you can sometimes get away with it in league 2 but not against a near full strength premier league team.
The first goal killed the atmosphere in the crowd ,we needed the drum to get the crowd going but heard nothing, so the first 40 minutes were played in near silence , it was only when they missed the penalty that we made some noise. To be fair though we were beyond bad with not a single shot on or off target until the stockley miss ,so nothing to get the crowd going.
The 2nd half was so much better ,why couldn't we start like this! Harley looked class at times with some great skill and passing on the left side in the 2nd half ,probably his best game since he re-signed. Holmes and pym also had good games . we obviously miss troy brown and JMT in defence ,it could have been a different story if they were both playing. Hopefully we will spend some money this month ,after losing watkins , wheeler , ampadu and now reid we need a few more flair players.