We’re back! Nick and Stu return after a winter break to evaluate how the squad is shaping up ahead of a tough second-half of the season, following a dodgy spell of just one win in 11 games. We review the games with Stevenage, Exeter, Leyton Orient, and Wycombe; mourn the departure of Danilo Orsi; weigh-up the pros and cons of starting Junior Nkeng; and wonder whether our forward options are strong enough. There’s also the usual rages against the dying of football in the modern day, and a fun game of ROFHOG. We finish with a look ahead to Saturday’s huge game with Doncaster.
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2 Responses
mxaxw7
Smith frustrates me more than Browne. He’s 6’4″ but loses headers to players eight inches shorter. He can’t tackle and is always looking to pass the ball as soon as he receives it. Compare to Maycock, who isn’t any more or less physical than Smith but who always looks to move the ball forward and seems to have more awareness and an ability to find a pass that goes to a blue shirt.
Lewis is not the player he was last season. Whether that is due to his injury and not being fully recovered from his rib injury I’m not sure, but he is struggling this season and for me, shouldn’t be starting.
JJ has a free pass for me this season and next if we stay up, but even a blind man can see that playing Stevens or Hackford as lone strikers against two centre backs is not going to work. I don’t understand why Harbottle isn’t getting any game time at all given his ability to play in, and therefore cover, multiple positions. It seems as if JJ doesn’t want these sort of players as he has now let Harbottle leave and he joins another similar player, James Ball, who didn’t let us down when he played but didn’t play enough. When you are limited by budget, these sort of players are worth their weight in gold, but won’t play if the manager won’t drop players that are out of form.