Seems I say this every week but Friday is certainly last chance.
Beat Southend and you go above them. Also a chance to get close to Scunny, Wimbledon, Rochdale depending on what they’ll do.
Would still pick strongest 11 and then fringe players for last 3 as then the task will be too great.
But he picked the BEST 11 today? and by all accounts it was the worst display of the season, i would pick the 11 that wants to play for the club and the shirt irrespective of ability.
He probably didn’t.
If Norman isn’t better than Devlin at RB then you have another player on a long term contract that the new manager will probably want rid of but can’t.
Now Johnson is back in the fold I’d give him a start ahead of Scarr.
Edwards is better than Osbourne etc.
There wasn’t as many changes today as I wanted tbh. Think M O’C gambled on 5 at the back being enough to be more solid defensively but still can’t defend crosses and very few changes created either.
Why didn’t he revert to the line up that started against Barnsley? Why?
I got the impression that he picked the team on what he saw in training?
I don’t think so. I would start with rebuilding defensive line, cause other four defenders would be probably better. They’ve never get chance to play together, some names are undroppable despite conceding a lot.
Doesn’t really matter because the defenders just can’t defend or enough of them can’t. Ther aren’t 4 strong good enough defenders in the squad to make a defence.
Yeah you’re probably right, there is no Butler style commanding defender at all. Half this season’s goals conceded would’ve been averted if he was still at the club (he’s been a regular in a team who’ll finish in the top 6 which suggests he’s as good as ever at this level).
CBs are really all about gelling together. Butler-Downing was always nice combo but Downing massively struggled when he had to be the lead defender as winning header after header wasn’t his thing.
Personally I’d drop Guthrie as him playing week in week out over last 18 months sums up the decline of the club. He’d have been a 3rd choice CB in the Smith era.
Just because of how they were treated under DK I’d start Fitzwater and Johnson.
Also give Norman a run at right back. He’s going to be the first choice RB in league two you assume so might aswell give him some starts to get ready for that.
I know what you are saying but there’s the problem because what I’ve seen of Norman is another defender who can’t defend. I quite liked the look of Johnson but to come in now after hardly playing since before Jan isn’t going to be easy for him. The fact that defenders as poor as Guthrie and leahy have played so many games shows how our quality has dropped because neither would get anywhere near some of our previous teams
Guess the plan in the scrambled heads January window was for Laird to come back and be regular LB with Leahy benched and playing the odd game at left wing.
Sadly anyone who went to Coventry away will know Lairdy is miles away from his 16/17 form and shouldn’t have come back.
So leahy becomes an undroppable LB again.
Selecting known players showed, they can’t. They simply can’t defend. So new manager could play them and expecting they will play better or play different players. With more time I would say it is good time to dissect how defence should be sorted. But we don’t have that time. Rather it’s time for extreme decisions. If not Leahy or Laird, there should be somewhere Callum Cockerill-Mollett. Loaned and not playing? Always can be recalled. Guthrie played 100 games. Leahy one more and still he is not a set-piece taker. But if after so many games no one wants to change tactics to suit them, to find theirs best position, I don’t get it. That’s not players fault then.
Not the players fault? - sorry mate but are you joking?
They have no pride, no passion and no connection to the fans - those traits are personal so how anyone could say some of this mess isn’t down to the players is beyond me…
Just an opinion and nothing personal…
If manager haven’t found way to use them and allow them to show they are good, it’s not players fault then. But after 2-3 such games, there should be changes in the squad. DK bought defenders, but used them once if I remember correctly. Hard to blame players not playing in the squad. And if they are weaker than current players, question why they have been bought can be asked.
Oh well, I have to add a disclaimer. Of course it’s an opinion, nothing personal 
I have played. These lot are pathetic, in every department. Get them gone.
My Player of the Season vote will be going to Josh Ginnelly. In no way will this be an ironic, or protest, vote- it will be very much meant.
Worst defence since OJ Simpson.
The old ones are the best 
It is obvious we are down. Based on O’Connor’s comments, they don’t care and why would they? A fair few won’t be here next season so they are not bothered. Although it is not the same as our jobs, if your boss hinted that they were getting rid of you at the end of the year because he had inherited the staff and thought you weren’t good enough, what would you do? Would you try to prove him wrong or think ‘Well stuff you?’ I would drop all the players deemed to have bottled it yesterday and play reserves or youth. At least they may put some effort in. If we lose well it can’t be any worse.
Seriously though, they can’t be a " player of the season " ??? That really would be taking the pee, but I suppose there is enough pee from the bog floors to go round!
you should all vote for swifty, he has been the only consistent performer.