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The squad/ starting x1


darren1810

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Fans are being a tad tough on David Worrall, I agree he's not got going this season, don't know if it's a loss of confidence, a loss of form or not getting game time but he was an important player last year. He isn't an out and out winger but neither were Martin Peters or Alan Ball, he's an industrious wide midfield player who gives 100%, I anticipate he'll come good again.

 

I think it's s been forgotten how good he was last season. He was surely player of the year after Pope.

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I think it's s been forgotten how good he was last season. He was surely player of the year after Pope.

There was a spell last season when Worrall and Gibbons were really good together and as the season progressed it got broken up a bit. IMO those kind of relationships on the pitch are really important. It seems to me that the constant changes in personnel and playing people out of position don't allow those things to develop in the side. Certainly playing a centre half at full back won't see that happening. Playing Clark or Pugh on the wings won't see it happen either. I think we should be getting back to the basics of people playing in the right places, not giving them a game and dropping them.

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We're massively paying the price for not signing a recognised left back. So far we have tried Montano, Clark, Vassell and Hannant there, as well as playing 3-5-2 with wing backs.

 

Montano was class last season and I still believe he can come good in that position. However him being injured shouldn't be a surprise - he does has a bit of an injury record even before joining us. This should have been planned for and wasn't. We don't have anyone comfortable enough playing on that left side because everyone's so one footed.

 

Injuries aside the strongest XI in my mind is:

 

4-4-2: Brown; Clark, Rawlinson, Legge, Montano; Worrall, Oyeleke, Conlan, Hannant; Pope, Miller.

 

Miller is greedy and blows hot and cold, but is a nuisance. It will be interesting to [hopefully] see Pope and Kanu up front to see if that partnership works better.

 

Clark just edges it from Gibbons, but when he is fit I would like to see him and Worrall down that right because their interplay (along with Montano/Hannant on the left) was such a positive last season. With better footballers in the middle and more legs we should be able to build on those partnerships.

 

But partnerships take time, so Neil needs to stop with the constant changes. Changes can be necessary - but one or 2, not 4 or 5!

 

As another point, I feel for Dodds. One of my favourite players - but without any pace he's pretty useless. Him and Pope works as proven in the promotion season but they still need wingers around them - and we have none unless you count Montano.

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We're massively paying the price for not signing a recognised left back. So far we have tried Montano, Clark, Vassell and Hannant there, as well as playing 3-5-2 with wing backs.

 

Montano was class last season and I still believe he can come good in that position. However him being injured shouldn't be a surprise - he does has a bit of an injury record even before joining us. This should have been planned for and wasn't. We don't have anyone comfortable enough playing on that left side because everyone's so one footed.

 

Injuries aside the strongest XI in my mind is:

 

4-4-2: Brown; Clark, Rawlinson, Legge, Montano; Worrall, Oyeleke, Conlan, Hannant; Pope, Miller.

 

Miller is greedy and blows hot and cold, but is a nuisance. It will be interesting to [hopefully] see Pope and Kanu up front to see if that partnership works better.

 

Clark just edges it from Gibbons, but when he is fit I would like to see him and Worrall down that right because their interplay (along with Montano/Hannant on the left) was such a positive last season. With better footballers in the middle and more legs we should be able to build on those partnerships.

 

But partnerships take time, so Neil needs to stop with the constant changes. Changes can be necessary - but one or 2, not 4 or 5!

 

As another point, I feel for Dodds. One of my favourite players - but without any pace he's pretty useless. Him and Pope works as proven in the promotion season but they still need wingers around them - and we have none unless you count Montano.

I think it’s a good point you make about the interplay with wingers and full backs. We’ve hardly seen any this season from them, maybe not keeping a settled side or playing players out of position is the reason.

If everyone was fit I’d go with Gibbons Legge Rawlison Clark across the back. I just don’t think Montano is going make it defensively.

 

We may see Aspin try Clark and Gibbons as wingbacks again at some point. Personally I think thats a more difficult role for them to play as we are more reliant on them to be creative and we may not get the best out of them. If we do play 3 at the back I think we should have more mobility with Pope, by going 3-4-3 with players like Worrall and Whitfield playing off him and basically giving those 2 a bit more freedom.

 

Dodds is better IMO when we play through him, by giving him the ball and allowing people to get around him. Not by putting balls in front of him to run on to, or firing long balls up in the air, thats not how you get the best out of him. He could be a good option as a number ten for us with the right players around him.

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I genuinely feel we have a much better squad than last year, and by some way, and credit for that must go to Aspo, but in the same sentence you an only then question and point the finger at him and him alone, for not getting the best out of them, and most certainly for the one dimensional way he tries to get them playing, and to me if we could get the following gelling we have a seriously good upper half team on our hands.~

 

GK; Brown, an absolute shoe in, considering he has played all our league games has, by some distance this far, been both our busiest and most consistent payer of the season.

 

RB: To me, Clarke I know he has made a couple of costly mistakes, but who hasn't, but I think the lad has been a superb signing both defending and when allowed, going forward where he provides a real attacking option, but to me would be a much better and natural option on the right, and should be given the position permanently, especially with the recent blossoming of.....

LB; Vassell I know a few games does not a season make, but seems to be improving all the time, and predominantly a CH looks more than comfortable at LB both going forward and defending. Has pace, and physicality something our defence clearly needs at the moment.

CH; Legge Enough said, despite a 'mare' against Lincoln, then man is undoubtedly the linchpin of the back four, an absolute man mountain at the back, and as others have said previously, in my eyes, especially as CF's do not make good captains, should also be skipper.

CH; Rawlinson Not a RB, and far too slow ever to be one, and putting him there when clearly we have better options, is unfair on him, and an accident waiting to happen, but has shown more then enough in physical strength and commitment to the cause, to be Legge's permanent partner

 

LW: When or if fit Monty He has the pace, strength and ability to shine out wide, just blighted this season with injuries, so when he isn't fit, Hanno, or Whitfield are the logical alternatives. Hanno because whilst not really putting in inspired performances has put in many consistent ones, and we've the dire way we been playing, consistency is so vital if the team is actually going to get anything out of matches,and I say Whitfield because he can just as easily, in fact preferably he would play on the right.

RW; Whits and or Kanu Though the latter has at last come into the squad and done decently, he does not look like a natural CF but does look like a natural winger, and also appears to have a great engine. Whits just has to be a bit more consistent, which in his defence can prove problematic when we keep lumping ball after ball.

CM; Manny If only we can get him fit we would transform the team, and quite how, even allowing for his injuries, we haven't tied him up to a longer contract I don't know as undoubtedly he is the heart beat of the team, and if Aspin thinks he is getting some grief at the moment, how much stick he would take, if Manny was 'nicked' in January because we haven't tied him down is a very scary thought!

CM: Conlon Every batman needs a Robin and Conlon is becoming our Mr reliable, and along with Manny, can't even find an alternative. Some say he's a bit lightweight against the physicality of some of the teams we play, but to me that is rubbish, he is combative, fit one of the few that can spot that creative pass.

 

Would add, contenciously I know, that in my opinion, the above two are actually seen to best affect when Pope isn't playing and without the reliance on his aerial expertise are forced to carry the ball, and we create so much more when this happens

 

CF; Popey But do think, if the ball was fed into him and not at him, the whole team would benefit. With his strength, he is the one who could hold everything up and bring the midfield and his partner into the game a lot more and in a way that just doesn't happen at the moment. As Lincoln proved twice (and in other games) also has a huge, some may suggest as valuable a role, when defending set pieces. It's nt our talismans fault that like all our forwards he gets so few chances created for him.

CF; Miller To me, there isn't even another consideration, and what his last couple of goals have shown is that create chances for him, especially which enable him to run behind teams he actually appears to be one hell of a finisher, but they're chances that for many reasons, I guess, predominantly because of our aerial bombardment, we just don't do in the league. Not only that, despite his faults he also never gives defenders a minute and okay he plays on the edge a bit, but must be a nightmare to play against.

 

When fit, (which again demonstrates why it's vital to get a full time physio in ASAP) we also have some really decent squad alternatives, Kanu, Gibbo, Hardcastle, Worral, Joyce, Smith and even the much maligned Dodds, who has shown more than enough in the Checkatrade to secure a place on the bench.

The head scratching bit is when looking at what we could have out there how the hell we manage to put in so many real horror shows, but it is there

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we have been very inconsistent this season,but this squad is by far a better squad than the last two seasons so Aspin is doing something right,we have had some poor refs and some bad luck with key players getting injuries So far this season and thats knocked our confidence,but I'm sure with a change of luck we can get it right at some stage this season.

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