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Post by stevek192 on Apr 10, 2016 10:55:04 GMT
Before the game I would honestly have settled for a point given that Northampton hadn't lost a game since December and though my heart was going for a win by the odd goal my head was telling me that generally we have not been good enough against the top teams and a lost by the odd goal or two was far more likely. I was surprised at the unchanged team for the main reason being it is an unusual event and also thought DC might have gone with wing backs. My main worry was the midfield area where I felt we lacked the attacking creativity but mainly the defensive strength of the players in there. I almost feel that we may as well go with an attacking midfield of Bodin, Lawrence,Lines and Monty. Anyway I will look at yesterday's game and team performance through the individual players performances.
Mildenhall 6 Badly at fault for the first goal, for his height he should have confidently taken the cross especially considering there was not a big man in sight but that aside did very well and made one excellent save in the second half that had it gone in there would have been no fight back. His lack of command of his six yard box makes me think that whatever the outcome of this season we should be looking for a more commanding keeper but being honest it is not going to be that easy replacing a keeper who, taking away the command aspect has been excellent in all other parts of his game since his return.
Leadbitter 7 Very strong defensive performance although he went to sleep on the second goal allowing his player to drift away from him and score unchallenged. His pace is a great asset and for me the majority of the game he did a very good job at defending and also managed to get forward on a number of occasions. His crossing was not always good but the cross for Matty's goal was brilliant and overall I feel a lot safer with him at right back than James Clarke. I can see why DC plumps for Clarke on many occasions because he is physically stronger and probably would not have allowed his man to get away from him so easily on the second goal but there again would James have played as well as Leadbitter on other aspects of yesterdays game- I think not.
Lockyer 7.5 For me it was between the ever reliable Tom and Mark for overall Man of the Match yesterday although for the second goal they both seemed to be absent without leave. In truth if you watch goals conceded it is very easy to forget the good parts of a players game and mark them down. For the majority of the game Tom was his usual self, in control of situations and taking into account the terrible battering he got from their centre forward in the first half hour without much in the way of protection from the referee I felt he stood up to the physical challenge and came out on top of most challenges and battles.
McChrystal 8 MOM Back to his best yesterday and just sneaked Man of the Match for me because he stuck to his task and made very few mistakes but also because I thought it would be unfair to give it to Ellis for the short time he was on the pitch. Although Ellis was on in our best period of the game this was very much about the complete 90 minutes where it would have been easy to forget the fact that we were the better team in the first half and probably unlucky to be a goal down. Whilst Marks distribution is never going to be good yesterday he made sure that his clearances generally at least gave our players a chance of chasing the ball and where necessary the ball went into row Z out of harms way.
Brown 6 I am very much one who rates a defender primarily on his defending and I really think this is the key to these top of the table matches where it is easy to allow a defenders part in our attacking moves to overlook how they have done their defensive work. The first goal Lee should have been making an aerial challenge on the player who scored as it was clear Mildenhall was never going to come for the ball and in my view in these tight matches he should be concentrating on his defensive duties far more with Lawrence in front of him and I would blame him as the main cause of the second goal getting caught up field and failing to be back to mark the player who crossed then ball in. People have to remember that for every attacking run that Lee does there is another more attacking player who has to do a defensive job to cover- IMO Monty is far more able at doing this job and then if you have a winger on the pitch you have to question whether Lees runs down the wing are really necessary. The equaliser though probably answers that question as he kept his head and put an inviting ball across which Ellis finished perfectly.
Bodin 6 Started off the game like he was going to be a key influence on the game with his clever movement and ability to beat a man be it more inside than on the outside and then faded badly. He was very much involved in the good opening spell we had when we looked much the better team until the Cobblers scored against the run of play and in all honesty Northampton didn't really create much in the entire first half and I would have put us down as the slightly better team in that period. It was clear that the final ball was our main downfall and far too often it was us creating our own problems with a poor pass rather than Northampton being good and very often the poor pass was down to our entire midfield where Lines and Ollie Clarke were particularly wasteful.
O. Clarke 5 Ollie had an average game and got in some good challenges but for me he is in the team because DC failed to make a signing before the deadline despite what are proving to really be long term injuries to Mansell and Sinclair and without these two our defensive qualities in the midfield are severelly handicapped and I would say to the extent that we might be better off playing one of our better footballing players in there ie playing Lawrence or Easter centrally either together or one or the other with Lines and bringing Monty in on the left . Far too often Ollie ruins his good play with an awful pass when a straight forward pass is on and the opponents seem to be able to get past the Ollie/Lines combination far too easily.
Lines 5.5 Quite a disappointing performance from Chris overall and was summed up when he went on a brilliant run from deep at the Cobblers defence in the second half and at the vital moment where one thought he might go on to shoot himself he spotted Ellis in a better position but then proceeded to give the ball straight to a defender. There were far too many of these wayward passes or nonchalant flicks straight to opponents which stood out. I am not sure in my own mind whether it is him performing badly or his partnership in the central midfield just not working. Age wise he should be in his prime and his experience at playing above this level should really be shining through but yesterday he just didn't seem to be at the races and yet there were still moments where he picked up the ball and you thought what a good player he was or could be.
Lawrence 5 In possession he seems calm and authoritative but the question really is can we afford the luxury of this over a player who can run around and cover ground. My own feeling is that he is definitely wasted playing wide left and should either be the main man in the central midfield alongside Ollie Clarke (or preferably a fit Mansell) or can we afford to play him alongside either Lines or Easter and bring in Monty.
Taylor 6 By his standards yesterday was a poor performance overall but his excellent Vardyish finish for our opening goal showed why we should always keep Matty on the pitch when we are chasing a game. The 30 goal target is now looking a distinct possibility and that would be an absolutely amazing achievement. Many are asking "Can we keep hold of him?" My opinion is that he needs to ply his trade the next step up ie League 1 next season and if we do manage to go up is there a better option for him? I Think Championship might be too big a step up and if there are any truths in the Hearts rumours (I think not) I actually think this would be a step down for any English player as overall it is a Noddy League with maybe 3 good games a season. To be honest at the start of the season I was thinking if he could score 15 at this standard then that would be an achievement but now I am looking at possibly the best striker in this division who I believe is capable of doing the same next season if we go up.
Gaffney 4.5 Worked hard but has not looked the same player since his injury. One excellent run apart where he looked like he would get a shot at goal but was eventually blocked for a corner this was very much a subdued Gaffs. I was hoping before the game that DC would start with Mc Burnie as Gaffney has been struggling recently and this looked another performance where he looked like he needed to have a rest from action and recharge his batteries. Next week for me is one where I think Ellis deserves a chance to show what he can do or maybe McBurnie to do the same.
Subs: Harrison 7.5 Came on and gave the complete performance that our play had been missing up until then. Northampton's defence suddenly looked anything but Top of the League class as Ellis's first touch was sublime and his pace and movement threatening every time the ball went forward. It was the substitution that I felt should have been made at half time as was Montano's for either Lawrence,Lines or Ollie Clarke!!
Montano 7.5 Not everything he did when he came on, came off but the mere fact he has a bit of skill and pace about him made us an immediately better side and one which with Ellis added as well suddenly looked so much better. The last fifteen minutes was really a different game with Northampton looking second best and every attack we had started to look dangerous. Monty was doing what he does best which was running at opponents and looking capable of beating two or three and getting crosses or shots in. Surely there is a way to find a place for him in this team every week? He stretches opponents and also has the ability to track back and can be a match winner-something I think we really need in these final five games. I almost feel that we have nothing to lose by really going attacking in the remaining games because whilst unlikely it is not beyond us to win all five.
Easter 6 Another who came on and did little wrong. Possibly didn't have long enough to actually mark but was on in such an influential part of the game and was involved in a lot of link up play. Surely he is another player who can play a part in the last five games which could in fact turn out to be 8 games!!
Crowd 8 Great atmosphere and I would have given 9 but for the idiot who threw the plastic bottle at the goalkeeper. There is no place for idiots like this. The comeback which looked so unlikely twenty min minutes earlier was the least the support deserved and whilst I am sure if there had been another five minutes we could well have scored a winner I was not disappointed to hear the final whistle as there could also have been another "Carlisle" where we were caught on the break and this point could be far more important in the final reckoning.
Ref 4 Definitely a "homer". How many nasty challenges does a player have to make before being booked and yet we make one challenge and see an immediate yellow card. The worst decision was for the free kick that hit the underside of the bar - the referee blew before the tackle had even been made in a challenge by Lines that clearly won the ball and was in no way dangerous. To be fair he was not helped by a Linesman who must have been cross eyed to not see several balls that went out!
Northampton 7 What can you say about a team who have absolutely walked the League barring a miracle? A strong unit with good individuals yet for long periods we edged the game if not the score. They are in my opinion worthy Champions and there were times in the second half where I looked at John Jo O'Toole and thought what a great player he could have been in our present team. There was nothing complex about his game just the ability to be in good positions and available to receive a pass and lay the ball off.
DC Did he get his initial team selection right? Who knows but this was a valuable point and his substitutions were what gained that point. Personally I would have made the first two substitutions at half time but as regards initial selection to be fair we were the better team before Northampton scored and questionably edged the first half. Did I expect us to have 72 points at this stage of the season? No. Did I think we would take 25 points out of the last 33? No. This is an incredible achievement and a remarkable season to date with the Play Offs pretty well a nailed on certainty and the Automatics not in our own hands but not beyond possibility and who would back against this remarkable Manager orchestrating five wins out of five and if he did that and we didn't go up automatically then you would have to say that those who went up would deserve it because it would probably mean they had won all their games too.
For now it is on to next week and the potential banana skin that is Yeovile. It's a very winnable game but you know it is not going to be easy and although we may today look at some of the other teams fixtures and say they are easier you can imagine quite a few other teams looking at our fixtures and wishing it was theirs. For me personally due to the teams we have left I would go for an attacking team and let the opponents worry about us and I think my starting line up would be:-
Mildenhall
Leadbitter Lockyer McCrystal Brown
Bodin Lines Lawrence Montano
Taylor Harrison
Subs Puddy McBurnie Gaffney Easter Parkes O Clarke J Clarke
We must make the Mem an intimidating atmosphere in the remaining 3 home games starting next week. UTG
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eppinggas
Administrator
Ian Alexander
Don't care
Joined: June 2014
Posts: 8,181
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Post by eppinggas on Apr 10, 2016 11:20:08 GMT
Thanks Steve - I couldn't go yesterday and always appreciate your words of wisdom. I'd have Mansell / Sinclair alongside Lines in mid-field as soon as one of them gets fit. If not then keep O.Clarke there. I just don't get Lawrence at all. UTG.
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kwoodgas
Joined: September 2014
Posts: 675
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Post by kwoodgas on Apr 10, 2016 11:47:59 GMT
Good report as always Steve, I wrote my thoughts below prior to reading your's, but it seems like we largely agree:
I thought we started well and played some really good football without really creating an opening. We were definitely the better team prior to Northampton scoring, but after that we really did collapse at that point and I was glad we got to half-time just the one behind and confidence that a good team talk and maybe a change or two and we’d be back at it in the second half.
Well we might as well have not come out for the second half as we were second to every ball and allowed the Cobblers to get a simple second. We were really offering nothing, but to give credit to Cobblers you can tell they are a decent side. They’re exit strategy was always good under pressure and whilst sometimes there was an element of luck about it, almost every defensive clearance they made fell to a maroon shirt.
Taylor was largely anonymous but in the form he’s in you have to have him on the pitch for every minute of every game and his goal was a bit of quality that a few weeks ago I doubt he’d have had the confidence to try. I don’t know if he was carrying an injury, but that’s the poorest I’ve seen Gaffney play, when you’re up against top of the league in their own backyard you need your ‘number 9’ to be holding the ball up and he did nothing of the sort. Harrison was excellent when he came on, won a number of headers against the centre halves Gaffney was getting no change out of and was always looking to get in behind or run the channels. The only think that would stop me playing him from the start next week is because of how good Yeovil are at the dark arts and I can see them targeting his petulant side.
The full-backs offered their usual threat down the flanks. Lines also his usual mix of doing things no-one else on the pitch would be capable of, but also guilty of overplaying at times. Ollie Clarke was okay, always seems like a nice lad with a smashing attitude, but he looked like a boy compared to the man of O’Toole who played more of a deeper role similar to what he did when he first came in on loan. As I said top lad, great attitude, but I think we’re getting to a point when we have to drop the ‘he’s only young’ excuse he’s played a lot of games now and I’m not sure he’s going to be good enough for the upper echelons of this league/the one above. I can see what DC is doing with Lawrence, trying to recreate the effect Monkhouse had on us last season, but his excellent free kick last week aside I see what he’s done to justify his place. Montano looked far better when he came on. Bodin occasionally looked busy, but didn’t look a touch on their like for like players of Holmes and Marquis. His goals to minutes on the pitch ratio must be pretty good for someone who doesn’t play up front, but not sure he offers the team enough overall.
Another decent performance from Lockyer, whilst I’ve criticised DC a lot I think we’re starting to see evidence that he’s encouraging the team to play out from the back which is what we should be doing. Tom has said before his work on the ball is what he needs to improve on and I really think that will be the deciding factor as to whether he becomes a lower league stalwart in this league and the one above or he does go onto become a regular in the Championship.
So I guess you can’t complain about a point after being two down at top of the league, Accrington getting three out of a tough away game was unfortunate, but we just have to go out to win every game now and you’d like to think 5 wins would be enough. Anything less and I feel we might be in the playoffs.
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syg
Joined: June 2014
Posts: 1,010
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Post by syg on Apr 10, 2016 11:58:36 GMT
The bottle thrower. Was he/she ejected? If so, were his /her details taken and thus banned?
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Igitur
Joined: June 2014
Posts: 2,294
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Post by Igitur on Apr 10, 2016 13:34:00 GMT
Funny bit of déjà vu, I was sat in the Northampton supporters' bar having a pre-match beer and there were some very knowledgeable chaps on the same table, and one said the ref was a homer. I don't know the chap, but is he a homer wherever he goes?
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kingswood Polak
Without music life would be a mistake
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 10,263
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Post by kingswood Polak on Apr 10, 2016 13:38:19 GMT
Before the game I would honestly have settled for a point given that Northampton hadn't lost a game since December and though my heart was going for a win by the odd goal my head was telling me that generally we have not been good enough against the top teams and a lost by the odd goal or two was far more likely. I was surprised at the unchanged team for the main reason being it is an unusual event and also thought DC might have gone with wing backs. My main worry was the midfield area where I felt we lacked the attacking creativity but mainly the defensive strength of the players in there. I almost feel that we may as well go with an attacking midfield of Bodin, Lawrence,Lines and Monty. Anyway I will look at yesterday's game and team performance through the individual players performances.
Mildenhall 6 Badly at fault for the first goal, for his height he should have confidently taken the cross especially considering there was not a big man in sight but that aside did very well and made one excellent save in the second half that had it gone in there would have been no fight back. His lack of command of his six yard box makes me think that whatever the outcome of this season we should be looking for a more commanding keeper but being honest it is not going to be that easy replacing a keeper who, taking away the command aspect has been excellent in all other parts of his game since his return.
Leadbitter 7 Very strong defensive performance although he went to sleep on the second goal allowing his player to drift away from him and score unchallenged. His pace is a great asset and for me the majority of the game he did a very good job at defending and also managed to get forward on a number of occasions. His crossing was not always good but the cross for Matty's goal was brilliant and overall I feel a lot safer with him at right back than James Clarke. I can see why DC plumps for Clarke on many occasions because he is physically stronger and probably would not have allowed his man to get away from him so easily on the second goal but there again would James have played as well as Leadbitter on other aspects of yesterdays game- I think not.
Lockyer 7.5 For me it was between the ever reliable Tom and Mark for overall Man of the Match yesterday although for the second goal they both seemed to be absent without leave. In truth if you watch goals conceded it is very easy to forget the good parts of a players game and mark them down. For the majority of the game Tom was his usual self, in control of situations and taking into account the terrible battering he got from their centre forward in the first half hour without much in the way of protection from the referee I felt he stood up to the physical challenge and came out on top of most challenges and battles.
McChrystal 8 MOM Back to his best yesterday and just sneaked Man of the Match for me because he stuck to his task and made very few mistakes but also because I thought it would be unfair to give it to Ellis for the short time he was on the pitch. Although Ellis was on in our best period of the game this was very much about the complete 90 minutes where it would have been easy to forget the fact that we were the better team in the first half and probably unlucky to be a goal down. Whilst Marks distribution is never going to be good yesterday he made sure that his clearances generally at least gave our players a chance of chasing the ball and where necessary the ball went into row Z out of harms way.
Brown 6 I am very much one who rates a defender primarily on his defending and I really think this is the key to these top of the table matches where it is easy to allow a defenders part in our attacking moves to overlook how they have done their defensive work. The first goal Lee should have been making an aerial challenge on the player who scored as it was clear Mildenhall was never going to come for the ball and in my view in these tight matches he should be concentrating on his defensive duties far more with Lawrence in front of him and I would blame him as the main cause of the second goal getting caught up field and failing to be back to mark the player who crossed then ball in. People have to remember that for every attacking run that Lee does there is another more attacking player who has to do a defensive job to cover- IMO Monty is far more able at doing this job and then if you have a winger on the pitch you have to question whether Lees runs down the wing are really necessary. The equaliser though probably answers that question as he kept his head and put an inviting ball across which Ellis finished perfectly.
Bodin 6 Started off the game like he was going to be a key influence on the game with his clever movement and ability to beat a man be it more inside than on the outside and then faded badly. He was very much involved in the good opening spell we had when we looked much the better team until the Cobblers scored against the run of play and in all honesty Northampton didn't really create much in the entire first half and I would have put us down as the slightly better team in that period. It was clear that the final ball was our main downfall and far too often it was us creating our own problems with a poor pass rather than Northampton being good and very often the poor pass was down to our entire midfield where Lines and Ollie Clarke were particularly wasteful.
O. Clarke 5 Ollie had an average game and got in some good challenges but for me he is in the team because DC failed to make a signing before the deadline despite what are proving to really be long term injuries to Mansell and Sinclair and without these two our defensive qualities in the midfield are severelly handicapped and I would say to the extent that we might be better off playing one of our better footballing players in there ie playing Lawrence or Easter centrally either together or one or the other with Lines and bringing Monty in on the left . Far too often Ollie ruins his good play with an awful pass when a straight forward pass is on and the opponents seem to be able to get past the Ollie/Lines combination far too easily.
Lines 5.5 Quite a disappointing performance from Chris overall and was summed up when he went on a brilliant run from deep at the Cobblers defence in the second half and at the vital moment where one thought he might go on to shoot himself he spotted Ellis in a better position but then proceeded to give the ball straight to a defender. There were far too many of these wayward passes or nonchalant flicks straight to opponents which stood out. I am not sure in my own mind whether it is him performing badly or his partnership in the central midfield just not working. Age wise he should be in his prime and his experience at playing above this level should really be shining through but yesterday he just didn't seem to be at the races and yet there were still moments where he picked up the ball and you thought what a good player he was or could be.
Lawrence 5 In possession he seems calm and authoritative but the question really is can we afford the luxury of this over a player who can run around and cover ground. My own feeling is that he is definitely wasted playing wide left and should either be the main man in the central midfield alongside Ollie Clarke (or preferably a fit Mansell) or can we afford to play him alongside either Lines or Easter and bring in Monty.
Taylor 6 By his standards yesterday was a poor performance overall but his excellent Vardyish finish for our opening goal showed why we should always keep Matty on the pitch when we are chasing a game. The 30 goal target is now looking a distinct possibility and that would be an absolutely amazing achievement. Many are asking "Can we keep hold of him?" My opinion is that he needs to ply his trade the next step up ie League 1 next season and if we do manage to go up is there a better option for him? I Think Championship might be too big a step up and if there are any truths in the Hearts rumours (I think not) I actually think this would be a step down for any English player as overall it is a Noddy League with maybe 3 good games a season. To be honest at the start of the season I was thinking if he could score 15 at this standard then that would be an achievement but now I am looking at possibly the best striker in this division who I believe is capable of doing the same next season if we go up.
Gaffney 4.5 Worked hard but has not looked the same player since his injury. One excellent run apart where he looked like he would get a shot at goal but was eventually blocked for a corner this was very much a subdued Gaffs. I was hoping before the game that DC would start with Mc Burnie as Gaffney has been struggling recently and this looked another performance where he looked like he needed to have a rest from action and recharge his batteries. Next week for me is one where I think Ellis deserves a chance to show what he can do or maybe McBurnie to do the same.
Subs: Harrison 7.5 Came on and gave the complete performance that our play had been missing up until then. Northampton's defence suddenly looked anything but Top of the League class as Ellis's first touch was sublime and his pace and movement threatening every time the ball went forward. It was the substitution that I felt should have been made at half time as was Montano's for either Lawrence,Lines or Ollie Clarke!!
Montano 7.5 Not everything he did when he came on, came off but the mere fact he has a bit of skill and pace about him made us an immediately better side and one which with Ellis added as well suddenly looked so much better. The last fifteen minutes was really a different game with Northampton looking second best and every attack we had started to look dangerous. Monty was doing what he does best which was running at opponents and looking capable of beating two or three and getting crosses or shots in. Surely there is a way to find a place for him in this team every week? He stretches opponents and also has the ability to track back and can be a match winner-something I think we really need in these final five games. I almost feel that we have nothing to lose by really going attacking in the remaining games because whilst unlikely it is not beyond us to win all five.
Easter 6 Another who came on and did little wrong. Possibly didn't have long enough to actually mark but was on in such an influential part of the game and was involved in a lot of link up play. Surely he is another player who can play a part in the last five games which could in fact turn out to be 8 games!!
Crowd 8 Great atmosphere and I would have given 9 but for the idiot who threw the plastic bottle at the goalkeeper. There is no place for idiots like this. The comeback which looked so unlikely twenty min minutes earlier was the least the support deserved and whilst I am sure if there had been another five minutes we could well have scored a winner I was not disappointed to hear the final whistle as there could also have been another "Carlisle" where we were caught on the break and this point could be far more important in the final reckoning.
Ref 4 Definitely a "homer". How many nasty challenges does a player have to make before being booked and yet we make one challenge and see an immediate yellow card. The worst decision was for the free kick that hit the underside of the bar - the referee blew before the tackle had even been made in a challenge by Lines that clearly won the ball and was in no way dangerous. To be fair he was not helped by a Linesman who must have been cross eyed to not see several balls that went out!
Northampton 7 What can you say about a team who have absolutely walked the League barring a miracle? A strong unit with good individuals yet for long periods we edged the game if not the score. They are in my opinion worthy Champions and there were times in the second half where I looked at John Jo O'Toole and thought what a great player he could have been in our present team. There was nothing complex about his game just the ability to be in good positions and available to receive a pass and lay the ball off.
DC Did he get his initial team selection right? Who knows but this was a valuable point and his substitutions were what gained that point. Personally I would have made the first two substitutions at half time but as regards initial selection to be fair we were the better team before Northampton scored and questionably edged the first half. Did I expect us to have 72 points at this stage of the season? No. Did I think we would take 25 points out of the last 33? No. This is an incredible achievement and a remarkable season to date with the Play Offs pretty well a nailed on certainty and the Automatics not in our own hands but not beyond possibility and who would back against this remarkable Manager orchestrating five wins out of five and if he did that and we didn't go up automatically then you would have to say that those who went up would deserve it because it would probably mean they had won all their games too.
For now it is on to next week and the potential banana skin that is Yeovile. It's a very winnable game but you know it is not going to be easy and although we may today look at some of the other teams fixtures and say they are easier you can imagine quite a few other teams looking at our fixtures and wishing it was theirs. For me personally due to the teams we have left I would go for an attacking team and let the opponents worry about us and I think my starting line up would be:-
Mildenhall
Leadbitter Lockyer McCrystal Brown
Bodin Lines Lawrence Montano
Taylor Harrison
Subs Puddy McBurnie Gaffney Easter Parkes O Clarke J Clarke
We must make the Mem an intimidating atmosphere in the remaining 3 home games starting next week. UTG
Thank you Steve, A very interesting summary and one that makes me think that we are a better side when we actually take the game to the opponents. Can I ask. do you spell Yeovil wrong on purpose & is it just as a giggle that it comes out looking like one of the games that come from Facebook ? From the games I have seen, it seems to me that Easter still has the skills but is not the fox in the box that many of us thought and certainly not scoring for fun in this league, as many predicted. I can't help but wonder if we could play Easter in a midfield position, in place of Lawrence and use Montano from the outset
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kingswood Polak
Without music life would be a mistake
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 10,263
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Post by kingswood Polak on Apr 10, 2016 13:58:30 GMT
Bloody forum formatting, I have tried to post the above but it keeps on disappearing when trying to post and then to edit the post.
Anyway, thanks Steve. I was very surprised to see an unchanged side but in a good way. I can't help but see Lawrence as one of DC's favoured sons and it seems that, like Taylor, DC feels that persisting with him will pay dividends. I recall one poster saying that DC looked at the coaching staff, when Lawrence scored that sublime free kick, as if he was saying I told you so but that is pure speculation on our part. I have talked with a few others, people who have a much better grasp of the game and tactics and many have said they feel Easter has the makings of a decent and attack minded midfield player rather than a forward now. I see he is pretty good on the ball and is also good at holding up play and spreading the ball about. I just wonder how we would do if we had Easter in place of Lawrence and to have Montano start. From what I have seen this season, we are definitely a much better side when we take the game to the opponent and it certainly vindicates that opinion when DC made those changes yesterday. I have listened to a few who went to the game and who feel we should have won had we had the attacking formation that finished the game. I don't want to lay blame but it does seem that having Lawrence start, we play with less intensity and seem to try and walk the ball into the net at a times. I note what you say about O Clarke but he does have a pop from outside the box and I feel we still need to see goals from players other than our forward line. Thanks again fella. It's going to be a very interesting last 5 now and I think we actually hold an advantage over most of the others that are in or around the auto and play off slots and purely because of the experience we had last season, we have players now who have had that pressure cooker experience and who can deal with it. We now are sold out for our remaining home games but both Exeter & a resurgent Yeovil will not be easy games. Both have managed to get results out of games with us. I take nothing for granted but I really would love to be there when or if we manage to get the successive promotions that we have never done before, not in my lifetime in anycase. It's fantastic to be playing for something when we have had many seasons where this period was a period of dead runners in reality. It's good to be Gas right now.
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Bridgeman
Alfie Biggs
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 3,549
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Post by Bridgeman on Apr 10, 2016 15:01:37 GMT
Thanks Steve and KingswoodGas for your reports, your views mirror a lot of my view of the game. I know we all trust DC with his team selection but the only comment I would make is his apparent obsession with playing Lawrence when quite clearly we have better sat on the bench e.g. Montano. That obsession with supposedly getting him match fit has caused us to falter in games against the better teams like today, Portsmouth and Accrington plus Carlisle where whilst there was an improvement in the team performance after he came on we still lost ! We've not won against any of the top half teams when he has played a large part of the game, we've only won two games he has played a full part in e.g. a very poor Hartlepool and Crawley. He is just too slow even if fit and a luxury we cannot afford at this stage of the season, and I think I'm getting obsessed with his inclusion in the side, so I'll shut up. UTG !
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Post by stevek192 on Apr 10, 2016 15:07:19 GMT
My spelling isn't always great but the Yeovile was intentional. As regards Easter I have said all season that I would play him midfield as he has great ball retention and can pick out a pass and proved at Carlisle that he can still, from that position get into goalscoring positions.
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