When will Leon Legge play?

[TheSage]

I still can’t fathom why the hell he is put on the bench though.

 

My understanding, as I've said before, is that he has to be in the starting line-up, not on the bench, to qualify for his 12 month extension.

 

That said, although it would be silly to bring him on after 10 minutes and "waste" a sub I don't know why we wouldn't perhaps stick him up front for the last ten if we're chasing the game.

 

The other point I've been banging on about is Howkins not playing which I find staggering. I actually think he's better than any of them - good in the air, composed and can pass a ball. He was our best defender in the run in last year. It's even more daft that he isn't playing.

 

I know they try hard and put in the yards, I recognise their 100% effort, but our current centre backs are not as good. Legge and Howkins are taller and can head the ball further. Legge has got precisely what our young defence need - experience. And Howkins has more composure and class than any of them.

 

I've been really puzzled by us not picking those two lads. It doesn't make sense to me.

Not wishing to be over critical and unfair on the lad but Rawlinson has had two very poor games for me and looks as if a rest from the firing line would do him good. The same with Clark, Hannant & Conlon.

[TheSage]

I’m pretty confident in a few things I’ve heard about the players aren’t happy because of the owner and what he’s doing to the club.

 

It's been the same for years. Grant in particular was very critical of him behind his back, but so were a few others.

 

It dates back to the contract dispute with Pope (Dicko too) and the fallout with Page. Things have never been the same since.

[PV1973]

There’s a lot of calls for Howkins to come in, but no ones seen him play in ten months and the lad himself hasn’t played a proper game for that long either. There’s no way he’s coming back in straight away and will be of the same standard he was in those last few games he played last season. Don’t forget when he came in to the side he wasn’t at it straight away either. He’s behind Legge smith Rawlinson and crooks it seems. The problem is that as the season ticks down and the number of games reduces and the pressure becomes more intense I don’t think Askey will be willing to risk playing the loans who all have very few, if any, league games under their belts. If we go 4-4-2 it’s out of smith Rawlinson and Legge as to who plays at centre half. Personally I’d go smith and Legge. No nonsense centre halves and experienced too.

[The Kalamazoo Kid]

Not wishing to be over critical and unfair on the lad but Rawlinson has had two very poor games for me and looks as if a rest from the firing line would do him good. The same with Clark, Hannant & Conlon.

 

Rawlinson is simply not good enough, even for the crap level we're now at. For most of the season I gave him the benefit of the doubt due to being shunted out to right-back by Aspin, but even when played more as a centre-back, he's just nowhere near up to it.

 

As I feared when he was signed, he's proven to be a poor gamble of a non-league signing by Aspin - same with Vassell.

 

I also agree with The Sage that Clark, Hannant & Conlon have been dreadful recently.

 

I've said all along that, despite having bags of energy & effort, Hannant has very little quality in terms of end-product (scoring, creating, passing) & his form has bombed even more so since Aspin left. I always thought that newspaper talk linking him with The Championship was ridiculous (......wouldn't be surprised if Smurthwaite was behind the tabloid 'tip-off' - similar to the 'Tottenham interested in Enoch Andoh for £2M' joke of a story?!)

 

Clark has nosedived in form after a promising start (....dragged him down to our level?!) while I posted on Tuesday's match-thread that Conlon offers nothing, and its clear to see why Stevenage released him last Summer.

[Andyregs]

Maybe he’s been made to sit on the bench so we al think that’s he’s simply not playing because it’s the managers choice and nothing to do with instructions from the owner who’s hell bent on destroying and relegating this club.

 

Which he will have achieved in a few weeks.

 

It’s obvious.

 

If two managers are happy to give up a palace on the bench to a player he can’t play then I don’t know what to say anymore.

[cheshirevaliant]

Rawlinson is simply not good enough, even for the crap level we're now at. For most of the season I gave him the benefit of the doubt due to being shunted out to right-back by Aspin, but even when played more as a centre-back, he's just nowhere near up to it.

 

As I feared when he was signed, he's proven to be a poor gamble of a non-league signing by Aspin - same with Vassell.

 

I also agree with The Sage that Clark, Hannant & Conlon have been dreadful recently.

 

I've said all along that, despite having bags of energy & effort, Hannant has very little quality in terms of end-product (scoring, creating, passing) & his form has bombed even more so since Aspin left. I always thought that newspaper talk linking him with The Championship was ridiculous (......wouldn't be surprised if Smurthwaite was behind the tabloid 'tip-off' - similar to the 'Tottenham interested in Enoch Andoh for £2M' joke of a story?!)

 

Clark has nosedived in form after a promising start (....dragged him down to our level?!) while I posted on Tuesday's match-thread that Conlon offers nothing, and its clear to see why Stevenage released him last Summer.

 

I agree with much of that. When was the last time a player actually improved with us? At least under Foyle and Page, limited managers though they were, you got a sense that many of the players were better when they left than when they joined. I don't think we've been able to say that about anyone for 2/3 years.

[TheSage]

You're probably right.

But it's partly because we seem to stockpile non league players trying (largely unsuccessfully) to bridge the gap and very young inexperienced lads having their first taste of league football.

Our team is stacked with players like that and they really need introducing slowly into the team and resting now and again. We don't do that because they're all we've got. They get thrown in at the deep end and play every week, sink or swim.

 

It struck me the other night, our back "five" was Gibbons (20, 40 odd starts), Rawlinson (lower non league import, 28 starts), Smith (still young), Crookes (21, 5 league starts) and Clark (19, 29 games).

 

It must be one of the youngest defences we've ever had. It's now wonder we don't look watertight. These lads need help. Leon Legge has to play!

[PV1973]

You're probably right.

But it's partly because we seem to stockpile non league players trying (largely unsuccessfully) to bridge the gap and very young inexperienced lads having their first taste of league football.

Our team is stacked with players like that and they really need introducing slowly into the team and resting now and again. We don't do that because they're all we've got. They get thrown in at the deep end and play every week, sink or swim.

 

It struck me the other night, our back "five" was Gibbons (20, 40 odd starts), Rawlinson (lower non league import, 28 starts), Smith (still young), Crookes (21, 5 league starts) and Clark (19, 29 games).

 

It must be one of the youngest defences we've ever had. It's now wonder we don't look watertight. These lads need help. Leon Legge has to play!

And yet people want to put Howkins in there too with only 10? games under his belt.

 

When you look at their career totals of appearance Gibbons has more than Crookes, Clark and Howkins combined! Whilst Smith has nearly double of all those 4 combined.

 

An experienced dominant centre half is what we were crying out for and Legge fits that bill. Forget the contract talk for a second but the only other reason I can think of him not playing is because the 2 centre halves either side of smith in a back 3 will be on the ball more than in a traditional 4-4-2 and arguably Legge isn’t as good in that department.

[Phil]

My understanding, as I've said before, is that he has to be in the starting line-up, not on the bench, to qualify for his 12 month extension.

 

 

If that is correct then he is two short of the target 25, he's started 23 and come on as a sub in one.

[TheSage]

That's what I heard from someone at the club but it might be just rumour, I realise that.

Something is odd though because I'd imagine that 99% of fans on here and at the ground would say that a bloke of his experience and aerial power is just what we need.

Askey is on the radio tonight. I wonder if it will come up?

[PV1973]

That's what I heard from someone at the club but it might be just rumour, I realise that.

Something is odd though because I'd imagine that 99% of fans on here and at the ground would say that a bloke of his experience and aerial power is just what we need.

Askey is on the radio tonight. I wonder if it will come up?

Ring up and ask him.

[TheSage]

I have.

 

His answer is that he thinks the way we play better suits Smith, Crookes and Rawlinson.

 

Howkins he reckons isn't fit.

 

I'm sorry but if believes Legge isn't among our best three centre backs then he needs to go to Specsavers.

Just my opinion of course.

We know that Legge is dodgy when someone runs at him but so is Rawlinson [and Smith to an extent]. But we also know that Legge is the best header of a ball at the Club, has bags of experience and would perhaps be our best chance of scoring off a corner.

 

I find his omission very odd.

[PV1973]

I have.

 

His answer is that he thinks the way we play better suits Smith, Crookes and Rawlinson.

 

Howkins he reckons isn't fit.

 

I'm sorry but if believes Legge isn't among our best three centre backs then he needs to go to Specsavers.

Just my opinion of course.

We know that Legge is dodgy when someone runs at him but so is Rawlinson [and Smith to an extent]. But we also know that Legge is the best header of a ball at the Club, has bags of experience and would perhaps be our best chance of scoring off a corner.

 

I find his omission very odd.

Nice one. I can go along with his answer if he thinks the 2 wider centre halves need to be better on the ball, which is arguably Legges weakness.

[fraggle]

I honestly cannot believe what came out of Askey’s mouth tonight!!!! That was unbelievable, is he telling me that a man of the experience of Leon Legge cannot play in a back 3 and yet he puts in a youngster from Notts Forrest and a man who has very little league experience in Rawlinson?!?!

 

Unbelievable and such a well rehearsed politicians bullshite answer.

[fraggle]

I’d love to say, I’ll eat my David Beckham predators if Legge plays again! But they are worth a few quid these days, so I’ll save them for the hard up days :) maybe they will pay for the obligatory 12 month extension Leon gets if he starts a game between now and the end of the season