
The Famous 6 in 8
Shane Murphy1. After a fifth consecutive defeat, it’s impossible to avoid becoming repetitive. Some of these points could be copied and pasted from previous weeks. Losing has become a habit and the team look bereft of belief. Waterford have only scored one goal in those five defeats and have conceded ten. Have they created ten good chances across those games? The St Pat’s game was the only one when they had a proper go. Tonight was similar to the Galway game in how Keith Long set up to nullify the opposition and hang in there for as long as possible. It seems to betray a lack of belief in his players and it looks as if that has transmitted itself to the team.
2. Caution is welcome, but it can’t be the defining motive of a team that badly needs to win matches. The return to five at the back was to be expected. Rovers in Tallaght is a tough prospect and teams can be carved open by their slick passing on a big pitch. We played five at the back in the 3-1 win in Tallaght last May when the team and management were lauded so it would be deeply unfair to criticise its use now. The difference last year was that there was an attacking outlet with the pace of Asamoah and Parsons tormenting Rovers and with full backs pushing forward. Tonight, there was rarely a break for the defence. From the very start, the ball was just being hacked clear with no relief. While Dean McMenamy and Sam Glenfield were given the mission to support Pádraig Amond, to all intents and purposes, it was a 5-4-1 with two midfielders rooted in front of the back five. Given the poor delivery from set-pieces, it’s very hard to see in what circumstances that could have seen the Blues ever threatening to score a goal.
3. If Waterford were to get a result with that set-up, then they needed phenomenal discipline. It needed to be a masterclass in digging deep, fighting for every ball and giving nothing away cheaply. That didn’t happen and I don’t think it’s in our young team’s nature to produce a catenaccio classic. Teenager Glenfield picked up a needless yellow card after just 17 minutes and rattled into another foul minutes later. One more and he would likely have seen a red card. Did that affect his thinking in a weak attempt to win the ball in a 50/50 with Dylan Watts that led to the opening goal? That booking saw him substituted at half time, but Glenfield certainly wasn’t the only one guilty of indiscipline. The visitors collected five yellow cards, gave numerous free kicks away in dangerous positions and were guilty of slack marking at times.
4. Defensive lapses were critical yet again. It is extremely frustrating to watch because this team can defend brilliantly for long stretches and then make a sloppy mistake. The Galway and St Pat’s losses were cases in point when the gameplan had worked perfectly until late mistakes. Tonight’s first goal will be unbearable for the players and staff to watch back and see so many blue jerseys and not one of them picking up McEneff’s run. There’s a lack of communication and responsibility which makes Andy Boyle’s absence all the more glaring.
5. Another piece of déjà vu was the difference in depth between the two squads. Nobody can realistically expect Waterford to match Shamrock Rovers here with their years of experience and income from league wins and European successes. The Blues are missing Boyle so badly as well as Conan Noonan tonight and the cruel blow of not seeing Matty Smith all season. It limits Long’s choices greatly and it is obvious that he only considers some of his substitutes as legitimate options. Meanwhile, with a 1-0 lead, Stephen Bradley was able to send Jack Byrne and Danny Madroiu on as a double substitution. That’s a different league to us and makes it very difficult to compete with a handful of teams in the division.
6. So that’s the first round of games complete and the Blues have three wins and six defeats. The team that drew the fewest games last year (six) haven’t drawn one yet this year. It’s win or bust and that is certainly true of next weekend when Waterford play the only two teams below them on the table. Sligo Rovers come to the RSC on Friday and it looks like a must-win game already. The season won’t be over or the sky fall down if the Blues don’t win, but the attendances would surely slip, and then income falls and future budgets are affected. A win is essential to lift the mood and carry it into the Munster derby away to Cork City on Easter Monday. Pressure makes diamonds.
Photographs thanks to Paul O'Brien and Kevin Hogan