Rochdale (H) 2nd Feb, 3pm

My team for Blackpool
Roberts
Edwards RB
Laird CB
Fitzwater CB
Leahy LB

Blackett Taylor RM
Dobson CM
Kinnsella CM
Jarvis LM

Cook FWD
Oteh FWD

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Good shout there Gavin.

I’d go:
Cook Oteh
Jarvis Dobson Edwards Blackett Taylor
Laird Johnson Fitzwater Norman
Roberts

I think DK quickly needs to establish a preferred starting 11 and stick with it for 3 or 4 games. The influx of a high volume of players gives him more options but I sense is unsettling to any chance to find the right balance to the team.

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Slightly cryptic message from Kinsella if what the above poster says is true regarding a turned down contract offer

Yeah good shout also just think we need that little terrier in there Kinnsella to win the ball

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I like Kinsella. Question is how to accommodate him with Dobson and Edwards all in CM

Edwards right back ? But maybe iam being a little unfair on Norman after 1 game . Just think we have to have Kinnsella in there to win the ball . He has the energy we need can take no more of Osbourne please deano ■■■■ him off . He won 2 or 3 tackles Saturday and gave us nothing else.

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6 loan players in there. Can only have 5 in the match day squad. Ones got to miss out.

Laird CB, Why? really can’t get my head round that shout. He hasn’t played any Football for 12 months.

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Saturday was up there with the most limp, directionless performances ive seen. Especially as Rochdale turned up with nothing more than a basic defensive shape and we managed to make them look a solid league one outfit. Its was simply a must win and we only turned up in the last five mins. All they did was pack the wide areas to stop the ball into Andy Cook, Edwards had the sense to cut inside once and he scored.

The first half Guthrie was all over the shop, compounded by the ball hitting in the face when he tried to head the ball with no one around him. I’ve defended Leahy in the past, he is by no means the worst LB we have ever had but he made error after error on Saturday. Its past due to stick Laird in, if he his fit.

I love Dean Keates, proper man love, he will ultimately still be regarded as one of my favourites ever. Its clear though he is a bit out of his depth, and is trying to do the same things and getting the same results. 8 new signings smacks of desperation and throwing enough mud at the wall hoping it would stick. There is no game plan. He moaned about players going direct, I’ve seen nothing to convince me he has not instructed them to do this, even in the warm up they practising hitting it long. To play 4 4 2 you need discipline, and we don’t have the players to do that. It leaves us too exposed, and very easy to combat.

Its been said before but this club will only go down now,it will never go up. Edwards scored a fantastic goal and it was more of a “yay” than celebrating a goal. Its just ■■■■, it comes from years and years of decline. No offence, but look around the lower tier everyone was over 40. No younger folk there, and all this with a ticket deal on. Those extra tickets in the family stand wont come back after that pish either.

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Blimey, who came out with that peice of profundaty? Socrates, Confucius or Nietzsche?!:joy:

I said this earlier to a mate. If he wasn’t happy with us going direct for 75 minutes then why didn’t he change it?!

Unfortunately I think I know the answer, and it’s becoming clearer with every game, sadly.

Or even " profundity ":+1:

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A bit late with this one, but we seem in a right old 2 and 8 about marking/tracking back/playing between lines/hoofball. Shouldn’t it be the case that apart from the keeper, we need a team of five blokes who can defend and five who can attack and they meet somewhere in the middle? Seems that’s how most teams who come to Bescot decide to play. It’s only the 3rd division, after all.

Very late response - and i have gone through some of the comments, but apologies for any repetition that i make.

Team selection was wrong from the off - Devlin right side midfield, Osbourne in the middle and Guthrie. I cant understand what Kinsella and Dobson had done wrong - my thoughts initially when they were both dropped a couple of weeks ago was that they were both on their way. This has proved not to be the case - and didnt we look a different side when Dobson came on?? This was also due to the lad from the Villa taking three players with him every time he got the ball giving him 15 yards to play in! Osbourne just sat deeper and deeper during the game to the point where he was playing as centre half!

I think we have got the players to get out of it - but im not sure if DK can get the performances out of them. It’s beyond me the approach he took to defending corners - having a 6’7" guy unmarked at the back post is beyond me - ive never seen a ‘zone’ score a goal !! the fact that we had virtually 7 plus the goalie in the 6 yard area led to the first goal - no wonder it ricocheted to them - there were enough opportunities in there !! This has all come from the training pitch - unfortunately i question whether DK can actually coach the defenders to be better.

The games that i have seen this season where we have played well is where irrespective of talent or ability - we have rolled our sleeves up and competed - thrown bodies in front of the ball, wanted to win the second ball if we missed the first. A real us against the world approach. When we havent had that we look shambolic.

DK needs to sort out his best team and formation for the rest of the season and stick to it, but if he picks the likes of Guthrie, Osbourne, Devlin (right side midfield) for the upcoming games then there will only be one result.

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