Doncaster Rovers 1 - 0 Huddersfield Town

[pigeonhole]

Remember in pre-season, when Huddersfield Town - the team that finished third in the Championship two months earlier - came to the EcoPower... and never laid a glove on us?  They passed from side to side, keeping the ball in the parts of the pitch you're happy for them to have it, and looked completely toothless.  I can't remember them creating anything in front of goal at all.  I do remember asking my mate who their manager was and thanking my lucky stars I didn't have to watch that bilge every week. 

I know Huddersfield lost some talented players in the summer, but the majority of the squad will have been the same.  They will also have had millions upon millions of pounds worth of parachute payments over the previous few years.  That style of play didn't work with a much better resourced club than ours.

I do understand 'the process'.  We are supposed to be picking up raw talented youngsters and moulding them into players drilled to play our system.  James Maxwell's progress this season suggest there may be something in that.  George Miller's regression suggests not...

What I don't understand, and can not forgive, is that we have absolutely no attacking intent or threat whatsoever.  In more than one game this season we haven't even forced a corner, never mind had a shot.  It's unheard of! There's no desire to get bodies in the box or the ball in the box and absolutely under no circumstances can we have both!

And then you have the lapses in concentration and basic errors at the back.  The Kryptonite that is a cross into our box where, no matter who the opposition, Harrogate, Barrow or even the might of King's Lynn, we look like we are going to concede.  From every single one.  I can't remember the last time a full back stopped a cross.  (This goes back way before Schofield)

Then you have the midfield.  Slow, ponderous, safe, nesh.  We're in a sorry old state.

We know that Anderson has been a solid 'head it, kick it, block it' centre half.  Play him as one.  We know that Rowe has been a dependable midfielder with skill and a goal threat.  The run he made against Northampton where he carried the ball 40 yards, taking a couple of players on and won a free kick on the edge of the box is the most exciting thing that's happened for weeks!  Let him do that!

Copps knows more about football than all of us.  His stints on co commentary where he called what was going to happen 30 seconds before they did were brilliant.  I just really hope he hasn't been blinded by (sports) science, that there is a plan and it will all bear fruit next season.

I dread to think what will happen if it doesn't.  We have made a series of gambles.  Butler was an educated, low stakes punt that didn't work.  Wellens, again, seemed like a reasonable gamble but the result was another loser.  McSheffrey was another failed gamble and our betting pot has now been seriously depleted.  Sticking with Schofield feels like we are putting our house keys on 0 on a roulette wheel.  It could be successful, but it feels unlikely.  And then what?  It's too late when you've lost all your possessions! 

It might seem like hyperbole to say we're in serious danger of losing our league status as we're 12th in the league.  But we are so much worse than 12th.

I do not know what about that abject 1-0 defeat for Huddersfield at the hands of McSheffrey's Rovers made our decision makers think that he's the man for us!

[Sammy Chung was King]

Listening to Danny it’s like Louis Van Gaal minus the haircut.

[drfchound]

Just a thought.
Could the word “process” be just another “experiment”.

[idler]

What disappoints me is that every team that we play, however lowly can find a player at the back post.
We can't seem to find any of our players anywhere in the box from corners and free kicks.