No gas shortages on Saturday. No doubt they’ll add a few more to that by the time the day arrives.
He went away, to Cyprus, and then came back for a few games three seasons later, but didn’t recapture his best form.
He was never the most consistent player, but could be a match-winner on his day and I thought he played a huge part in The Great Escape. We could do with a 31 year old Julian Gray now.
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I remember him coming back. Not sure what happened after that. Wiki suggests he finished playing.
Choice of Joe Willis or Perry in the middle for me.
We’ve heard a lot about style of play, when players are injured those stepping in should know their job and be capable of doing it within that “style” otherwise its all just talk.
Throwing Willis in from no where, big shout that.
Maybe Maher might get a spot on the bench. Whilst very young he scored a good goal at Romulus in the week and looks to have something about him
Sometimes when the best players are out, the performance is much better than you expect. I remember one game. I think against Doncaster Rovers who were a top team that year, when we had to play Chris Marsh at centre-forward. We hardly let the opposition have the ball and won 1-0 with Marsh getting the winner.
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We need a win and three points to get back on track. I’m still a little miffed about losing to Newport!
There’s not a thing we can do about players being out, we just have to get on with it.
Rovers have lost their last two so we need to take advantage of that. Maybe a Saddlers win will knock Barton of his pedestal.
2-0 Walsall.
It is. But I’m of the mind that if you’re say 3rd choice for a position, and the top two choices are out, its got to be your chance. I’d rather that than shoehorn an Oss or Mills in. Otherwise you just end up with a situation where you’ve got players in the squad almost for the sake of it.
Crewe have always been a good example, small squad but those waiting in the wings are square pegs for square holes and there is a philosophy of how they play that runs through the club.
I thought there was supposed to be one we were developing but I’ve not managed to discern it yet. A philosophy isn’t quite the same as a formation and/or tactics, more a style of play (e.g. silky smooth and composed on the ball; hard working/pressing the ball; tough tackling cloggers; kick and rush; etc). We do seem to have a rigid formation (4-2-1-3), and some “go to” tactics (play out from the back and hail Mary balls into the channels for the lone striker to run on to) but not a style as such.
You could see what Smith’s team were all about - what our fans refer to as “sexy football”. So what is it that JF/MT are aiming for?
I see some people are proposing a 4-4-2 formation or variation thereof, but every single game so far this season MT has gone for 4-2-3-1 with just the names in the allocated positions being varied. I get the stability thing (a lot of fans were begging for it after DC’s chop and change approach), and that the squad has to be given time to adapt to it, but if the players we have don’t suit it then you have to look at it the other way round and try something that does suit them. And most other clubs have a couple of alternatives (or hundreds if you have the badges to go with it) that they can switch to depending on the players they have available.
The problem with the rigid formation is not so much round or square pegs, but a lot of utility players that can be (or are even if they can’t) played in any of a variety of different positions without necessarily having a best one that they ought to stick to. And just because a player is better than anyone else we have at, say, the no. 10 role, do you play him there if his personal best position is as a wide player, lone striker or centre midfield?
On the assumption that he sticks with it yet again tomorrow …
It’s more or less a write-in that Rushworth will start tomorrow - although I don’t think anyone would be unhappy with Rose in goal (he was everyone’s choice of main keeper against Roberts/a replacement until we saw Rushorth).
MT’s first choice back 4 was Ward, Monthe, Taylor, White - but Menayese has shown himself to be the better option for either of the CH berths (left side if playing alongside Taylor, right if with Monthe). Should we continue with that or decide which is Rollin’s better side and select the a.n.other around that?
Some people are calling for Leak to be given a chance ahead of Monthe & Taylor but the only game MT has played him this season he was given the right back role. So is it Leak instead of Monthe/Taylor or Leak over White?
Zak Mills didn’t let himself down when he played at LB in the Papa John, but he’s also been used at RB and even centre midfield during pre-season. Is he good enough to be a starter, and if so where - LB, RB, CM?
No Kinsella or Labadie so the CM pairing choices are 2 out of Bates, Perry, Osadebe, Earing, and perhaps Mills - but Earing can also play attacking/wide midfield (as can Osadebe - or so MT believes), and see above for Mills. Who are the best 2 CMs and would they make the best pairing there?
Main striker is again more or less a write-in as being Miller so it’s just the supporting 3 alongside and behind him that are up for debate. If Wilkinson and Holden were fit (and up to their previous form) then that would be the right side and no. 10 sorted, but we have a mix and match of Osadebe, Shade, Phillips, Earing, Kiernan, and perhaps Willis (he played right wing in the Papa John but was a bit anonymous for me). MT has done his best to fit Phillips in regardless and moved everyone else around to accommodate. Maybe time to put him on the bench (to give us an attacking option to bring on that we had so far) and play Shade back on the right, Kiernan on the left? If he’s brave enough to do that (for the first time this season) will he also be brave enough to do the same to Oss and bench him too in favour of Earing and 2 of the other options at CM?
Or Matt wakes up and realises that the reduced squad might not be able to deliver his default formation this week so switches to one that bests suits their ability? 5 at the back, extra man in midfield, 2 rather than 1 up top - there are options!
I was thinking the same, it might be best to play the 3 centre backs at least they all have good minutes under them. However when I also reflected on that we have left back that will struggle in that formation 
First home match of the season for me, looking forward to it whilst at same time sort of dreading it. Against a team on poor run and desperate for a win, us with injuries and suspensions to key players… what could go wrong 
Kinsella will be a big miss, especially with that idiot Labadie still suspended. The latter needs to show his worth when he comes back, he hasn’t done much to back up his big player reputation so far. Injuries and suspension crippling us at the moment, especially as they have arguably hit our best players, so that has tied MTs hands to a degree. Up to him to find a solution. Very least we should expect is an end to this inconsistency in terms of performance. Hope we get in their faces early doors, an early goal or 2 will get their lot on their backs. 3 points please
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We’ve been very very unlucky with injuries. Not necessarily the number but they are all key players in Holden wilko and kins
If they were oss, Bates and say mills injured ( cus they aren’t key players and less influential I don’t want anyone to get injured ) we would be fine and imo in the top 10 at the moment
Midfield of perry Bates earring in number 10? That would be our best team on the ball passing wise as Bates is better passing than kins perry better than labs and earing way better on the ball than oss but would would be terribly outmuscled and no experience.
Would be interesting to see if their youth and passing ability would outshone the oppositions physicality and dirtiness
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If we don’t win tomorrow we could find ourselves in the bottom 2 if results go against us… I can see a long season ahead… no way are we gonna make play offs… clubs keep coming up from non league and passing us…only a matter of time before we end up there ourselves unless proper investment put in… if we did go into non league I’m not gonna lie, the only way we will get out of it is the league below… they say judge the table after 10 games… if we don’t get any points out next 2 then we could be bottom… how much time do we give taylor? By the way barrow beat the mighty Newport tonight
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Those were the days: we actually scored from set pieces!!
My team selection
Rushworth
Mills Menayese Monthe Ward
Earing Bates
Shade Osadebe Kiernan
Miller
White has been poor of late, worse than Ward.
We need 2 wide men who can track back and defend.
Bates is stronger than Perry and more like Kinsella.
Prefer someone else to Osadebe, but we have no one.
Yes - that’s me with the scarf going nuts at 1.20.
BOOM!
They have no confidence so they will be launching it
We have no midfield so we will be launching it
Lot of money to watch the ball in the sky
2-0