Post Match Reactions - Round 3

[JB@Norwich]

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Errors - No error watch until R4
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Error in conditionals (line 2)!!
Reason: Condition type missing after IF

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Error in conditionals (line 5)
Reason: Sign missing after SCORE

[Hoa@Forest]

Nottingham Forest 4-0 Leicester City

Reporter: A dominant 4-0 victory against Leicester City. What was your tactical approach to outgun a team that, on paper, is stronger than Forest?

HD: Today's result was a blend of tactical discipline and seizing opportunities. We knew Leicester City had the edge in terms of individual quality, so we focused on a compact defensive structure with a 5-2-1-1-1 formation. Our strategy was to stifle any of Leicester's attacking play and exploit the counter-attack. The team executed this plan perfectly, maintaining shape and breaking quickly when the opportunity arose, consistently and ruthlessly.

Reporter: You made a bold move by benching star strikers Mavididi and Hudson-Odoi. What was the reasoning behind this decision?

HD: It was a tactical decision based on the opponents we were facing. I'm not afraid of benching our captain if the opposition is such that I think it would increase our chance of winning. Nobody is bigger than the team - and both Stephy and Callum understand that. We wanted to strengthen our midfield and defense to counter Leicester's attacking threat. By bringing in more defensive presence, we aimed to control the central areas and disrupt their play. It allowed us to be more dynamic in our attacking transitions, proving effective as seen in the goals scored and the clean sheet maintained - and Stephy made an impact when he was subbed on. The fact that it is only us and Roma (and Galatasaray in EFL3) left without conceding a goal in the league is a very proud achievement for us.

Reporter: Your team managed an impressive 26 attempts on goal, with a dominant possession statistic. How did you manage to be so effective in attack against a strong Leicester side?

HD: Our midfielders and defenders played a crucial role in our offensive effectiveness. They were not only solid defensively but also contributed significantly in transitioning the ball quickly from defense to attack. This created numerous scoring opportunities. Our players showed great composure and decision-making in the final third, which was key to converting those chances.

Reporter: Joe Worrall and Danilo both scored today, continuing the trend of defenders finding the net. Can you comment on their performance and the overall contribution of your defense in this match?

HD: Both Joe and Danilo were outstanding. Their goals were a result of their ability to read the game and join the attack at the right moments. It's extremely rewarding to see defenders contributing goals. Defensively, the entire backline was exceptional. They were disciplined, organized, and showed great resilience. That being said, Leicester didn't really offer much goal threat because of our tackles going in.

Reporter: Looking forward, how does this victory shape your approach for the upcoming fixtures?

HD: This victory gives us a lot of confidence moving forward. It shows that we can compete and succeed against top-quality opposition. We'll continue to focus on our strengths and look to be tactically flexible depending on the opponent. The team is showing great unity and understanding of our game plan, which is crucial for the challenges ahead. We're 2nd in the league and face a tricky Luton side next - I'm looking forward to it!

[Freddie]

Brum 3-0 Ipswich

Much tighter game than the score line suggested. Goals from Dodgson, Burke and Azmoun gave us the three points but on another day the result could have been very different. When both teams play C it's always going to be a bit of a lottery as to who will win but thankfully it was us today. Up to fifth, good start to the season but a long way to go.
Played Ash.

[Timbro]

WBA 0 Bristol City 0

Very close game this one, not exactly a thriller but these away points are important, actually we're playing better away than home tbf. Selection nightmare with new signings Undav (injured) and Pinnock (left behind in the car park) not included, so we will look forward to them being in the line up soon and will make us a lot stronger. Bentley kept us in it again with 11 saves and marches on to being 23 rated with his captain abs. Frank read the tactics right and we reverted back to C after being brave last week.

[Gary@Millwall]

Match Day 3

Windebank Shell Shocked Following Defeat To Nine Man Fulham

Fulham 3 Millwall 0

Scorers

Cash 13th Minute
Cash - Sent Off (45th Minute)
Jed Wallace (54th Minute)
Veretout (80th Minute)
Posch - Sent Off (83rd Minute)

Millwall fans were expecting an improved result following their shock defeat to Luton Town in the previous game in this London Derby. Those expectations were ripped to shreds despite Millwall yet again dominating their opponents and with them playing with 10 men for over 45 minutes and 9 men for over 7 minutes.

Fulham took a 13th minute lead following some great football with Cash latching onto a great Pjanic pass unleashing a shot that James Trafford had no chance in reaching.

Fulham then started to give Millwall a footballing lesson controlling the match until the 29th minute when the Millwall players started to wake up. From this moment on Millwall started to create chances but the Lions had no bite in front of goal but the Fulham players were getting frustrated culminating in Cash getting sent off for a 2nd bookable offence just before half time.

Millwall started to make the extra player count but in the 54th minute Pjanic became creator yet again when he found former Millwall favourite Jed Wallace who connected from a cross that James Trafford clawed off the line but in true FFO style the referee awarded a goal without consulting VAR.

Millwall fans were enraged with a crescendo of "we always get SHIT refs" bellowing out of the away end.

Millwall then unleashed wave after wave of attacks but could not get a goal. Craven Cottage then erupted in the 80th minute Veretout took a shot from outside the area to make the score 3-0.

Despite being 3-0 down the Millwall players kept attacking Fulham and in the 83rd minute Posch got sent off for a 2nd bookable offence and Fulham were now down to 9 men.

Despite seven minutes of injury time attacking from the Lions they could not get a goal and the game ended 3-0 to the home side.

Millwall had 57% possession and created 24 chances to Fulham's 17 with Millwall having 14 shots on target to Fulham's 11.

Windebank's Post Match Comments

I am furious with that result and yet again we have ended up with zero points despite creating and having enough shots on target to win two games.

We are dominating games creating chances but dont have the gonads to either hold on to leads on in this case actually score a goal. We are a very young side and perhaps we dont have the composure due to that youthfulness and lack of experience.

We always new this was going to be a tough season and it is looking like this is going to be the case collecting only 3 points from a possible 9.

What I have told the players is that I cant fault the effort and they are playing the sort of football I want to see us play so they have to keep doing what they have been doing and the results should turn around.

Well played Joe and best of luck for the season.