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Post by Young Money on Mar 26, 2017 9:55:39 GMT
Don't think it's anything to do with the cruyff. He's immense in the air and has had many good games for us including vs. higher league opposition. You're right he is a liability too often and maybe he should only be 3rd choice at the moment, but he's only just turned 25 & considering the progress he's already made since being with us I don't see why he couldn't become an excellent asset over the next few years. Most of his headers go straight down the middle of the pitch and get picked up by the opposition. Winning a header is a false economy if you rarely do anything with it or get it away cleanly. It's easy to be blinded by him successfully making first contact, but it's where the ball goes that separates him from better defenders. Sometimes it's actually better NOT to win a header, depending on your awareness and ability to read a situation. Wright was an absolute master of knowing when and how to challenge and when to let someone aimlessly flick it on or bring it down; Dunkley is often like a dog chasing a tennis ball. Everyone seems to forget that he was doing very well for us earlier in the season - even in the Luton game I think it was the TV commentators were saying he was immense and the best player on the pitch. Yes he's hit a run of bad form, but it's interesting that people are using that to say he's not good enough rather than just not in form. You can salivate over Ledson all you like, but if/when he hits a run of bad form will people stop saying he's a future full England international and start saying 'get rid'?? As for the headers, I'd subscribe to the idea that it's his job to win them, and if he heads it to the middle of the park we have two centre midfielders who should be scrapping for the second ball. I've rarely seen a defender who can accurately direct a pass from a headed clearance under pressure from a forward... Like any player I'd happily drop him if we signed a better centre back, but we really should be focusing on two full backs and a striker before we worry about a centre back. Put it this way, the same team next year with an amazing striker would do a lot better than the same team with an amazing centre back.
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Post by oufcyellows on Mar 26, 2017 10:04:15 GMT
Most of his headers go straight down the middle of the pitch and get picked up by the opposition. Winning a header is a false economy if you rarely do anything with it or get it away cleanly. It's easy to be blinded by him successfully making first contact, but it's where the ball goes that separates him from better defenders. Sometimes it's actually better NOT to win a header, depending on your awareness and ability to read a situation. Wright was an absolute master of knowing when and how to challenge and when to let someone aimlessly flick it on or bring it down; Dunkley is often like a dog chasing a tennis ball. Everyone seems to forget that he was doing very well for us earlier in the season - even in the Luton game I think it was the TV commentators were saying he was immense and the best player on the pitch. Yes he's hit a run of bad form, but it's interesting that people are using that to say he's not good enough rather than just not in form. You can salivate over Ledson all you like, but if/when he hits a run of bad form will people stop saying he's a future full England international and start saying 'get rid'?? As for the headers, I'd subscribe to the idea that it's his job to win them, and if he heads it to the middle of the park we have two centre midfielders who should be scrapping for the second ball. I've rarely seen a defender who can accurately direct a pass from a headed clearance under pressure from a forward... Like any player I'd happily drop him if we signed a better centre back, but we really should be focusing on two full backs and a striker before we worry about a centre back. Put it this way, the same team next year with an amazing striker would do a lot better than the same team with an amazing centre back. Yet the commentators in the over TV games against mertsham or who ever said that his last ditch tackles or throwing himself in front of the ball looked great and dramatic, but were caused by himself being caught wrong footed or out of position in the first place. He has had some great games, he has had some poor games. Surely that points to what everyone is saying, that he's not quite at the level we need at the min, like with Nelson who does have a poor game here and there but on average are out weighed by very very good ones.
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Post by Young Money on Mar 26, 2017 10:07:24 GMT
Everyone seems to forget that he was doing very well for us earlier in the season - even in the Luton game I think it was the TV commentators were saying he was immense and the best player on the pitch. Yes he's hit a run of bad form, but it's interesting that people are using that to say he's not good enough rather than just not in form. You can salivate over Ledson all you like, but if/when he hits a run of bad form will people stop saying he's a future full England international and start saying 'get rid'?? As for the headers, I'd subscribe to the idea that it's his job to win them, and if he heads it to the middle of the park we have two centre midfielders who should be scrapping for the second ball. I've rarely seen a defender who can accurately direct a pass from a headed clearance under pressure from a forward... Like any player I'd happily drop him if we signed a better centre back, but we really should be focusing on two full backs and a striker before we worry about a centre back. Put it this way, the same team next year with an amazing striker would do a lot better than the same team with an amazing centre back. Yet the commentators in the over TV games against mertsham or who ever said that his last ditch tackles or throwing himself in front of the ball looked great and dramatic, but were caused by himself being caught wrong footed or out of position in the first place. He has had some great games, he has had some poor games. Surely that points to what everyone is saying, that he's not quite at the level we need at the min, like with Nelson who does have a poor game here and there but on average are out weighed by very very good ones. Other players who've had some great games, some poor games: Maguire, Hall, Lundstram, Edwards... And again I would take replacements for those as well if better players were available, but that doesn't change the fact that there are other positions that we need to focus on first (striker, left back)
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Post by oufcyellows on Mar 26, 2017 10:12:30 GMT
Yet the commentators in the over TV games against mertsham or who ever said that his last ditch tackles or throwing himself in front of the ball looked great and dramatic, but were caused by himself being caught wrong footed or out of position in the first place. He has had some great games, he has had some poor games. Surely that points to what everyone is saying, that he's not quite at the level we need at the min, like with Nelson who does have a poor game here and there but on average are out weighed by very very good ones. Other players who've had some great games, some poor games: Maguire, Hall, Lundstram, Edwards... And again I would take replacements for those as well if better players were available, but that doesn't change the fact that there are other positions that we need to focus on first (striker, left back) Agree. But it could also be argued that dunks lack of positioning isn't helping skarz down the left. I'm not having a pop I'd be more than happy to have dunks here next season doing what raglan is this, while improving and learning. And unlike last season where we lost a few and had to replace, it would mean we just bring in 3/4 first choice players, with those currently here then becoming squad players to challenge for a spot and cover injuries
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Post by bigronaldo on Mar 26, 2017 12:31:52 GMT
On another note, i thoroughly enjoyed the ultras starting up singing the 'Mc Alena'. With the actions too... Brilliant!
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Post by yellowmania on Mar 26, 2017 12:54:36 GMT
On another note, i thoroughly enjoyed the ultras starting up singing the 'Mc Alena'. With the actions too... Brilliant! Agree and thought the Ultras were excellent all game, well done to them.
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Post by dubaiyellow on Mar 26, 2017 18:24:43 GMT
Just watched the highlights, thought we played most of the best football and both Lundstram and Rothwell looked the stand outs and were very good, Lunny goes without saying but Rothwell also, definitely one to keep for me. Dunkley was at fault for the penalty, as IMHO was Eastwood, although left exposed, thought he should have not committed himself as much as he did but he made up for it with the save. As for Dunks, has made some silly mistakes this season, still think he can get better and hopefully he will learn to minimise those mistakes. Definitely need someone to challenge for that position though. Hemmings has to put that away. The keeper has turned away and its bounced back off him, commentary said great save but after watching it again, he's so lucky! ultimately its a bad miss, Hemmings surely would agree. He wasn't the only one though. Martinez, Sercombe maybe others? all had their chances.
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Post by lincolnyellow1 on Mar 26, 2017 19:24:06 GMT
Just watched the highlights, thought we played most of the best football and both Lundstram and Rothwell looked the stand outs and were very good, Lunny goes without saying but Rothwell also, definitely one to keep for me. Dunkley was at fault for the penalty, as IMHO was Eastwood, although left exposed, thought he should have not committed himself as much as he did but he made up for it with the save. As for Dunks, has made some silly mistakes this season, still think he can get better and hopefully he will learn to minimise those mistakes. Definitely need someone to challenge for that position though. Hemmings has to put that away. The keeper has turned away and its bounced back off him, commentary said great save but after watching it again, he's so lucky! ultimately its a bad miss, Hemmings surely would agree. He wasn't the only one though. Martinez, Sercombe maybe others? all had their chances. The whole game had the feel of an end of season game with nothing to play for, which was strange really as we still have a carrot to chase and the Cobblers are still some points away from being mathematically safe from relegation. I am not sharing the same opinion about Rothwell as yet and his positioning encroached into Marvin Johnson's space going forward yesterday and when he did venture inside the simplest of passes went astray, although he wasn't the only one lacking in the final ball and he did nearly win the game for us late on and if Northampton's keeper had have cut his finger nails before the kick off the ball would have gone in off the bar instead of clattering into it.... It is very clear that Maguire and Ledson are very important players for us and the "so called" cover players in Ruffles and Rothwell, although different players in their own right do not give us anywhere near the same threat going forward. Team selection was probably forced however I think the starting line up should have had Robbie Hall starting on the right, Sercombe moving into the middle to partner Lundstram while being given the role to bomb forward when possible, Skarz at the conventional left back with Marvin in front of him, I would have also put Hemmings on from the start as a loan striker with McAleny playing off him, this way would have given all our front and wide players chance to overlap and take it turns getting into the box thus more of a chance to not just win the game but win it comfortably....
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Post by arthurturner on Mar 27, 2017 9:20:07 GMT
MAPP said recently that the team has one more big game in them this season and we all know he was talking about Wembley. Whatever your view is of this tainted competition it was obvious on Saturday and will be at home to Bury on Tuesday, the final is the only thing on the players minds. Will I be in the squad? Will I get on the pitch? Will I be fit (ie uninjured) to play? This is not a criticism. The team has been magnificent all season and it's perfectly natural that to a man they want to play in a Wembley final. However, you cannot argue that recent performances haven't suffered as a result. Might we have made the playoffs ( I accept it is still mathematically possible but exceedingly unlikely) without the distraction of Wembley and all the extra games getting there entailed? On the other hand, are we better off having secured a good finish in League 1 and the additional £500,000+ that Wembley has brought us and the chance to go again next season when off the pitch issues will hopefully have been sorted and we are better set up to go for promotion and be sustainable in the Championship?
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