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Match Day - Luton Town v PNE - 20/06/20 - KO:15:00 - Championship

I don't really understand his signing of Stockley, if he's not going to play him and persist with Maguire. No wonder Trevor seems reluctant to spend.

Stockley was a cheap option with a release clause, playing in the fourth tier. Signed 12 months after we’d sold Hugill. Is it any wonder that the manager is struggling to improve our strike force when that’s the market we’re shopping in?

Meanwhile, the club still expect him to deliver a play-off spot.

AN’s first choices for that position, the summer before Stockley arrived, were Kieffer Moore and Cameron Jerome.

The management team also worked extremely hard that summer to try and get the deal for Adam Armstrong done but again we missed out.

AN isn’t perfect and he’s still a young manager, but looking at the market we shop in, the quality of players sold since he’s been here, and the shocking quality of our strike force, it’s a miracle that we’ve even in contention for the play-offs.
 
I mean... is it more physical than league 1 or 2? I'm not buying it, if anything that league should have less technical players and more cloggers? He's come from the lower leagues, not a U23 academy.

On another note, The one game we played Bodin up front, didn't he score? Can't hurt to give him a try there for as long as he can stay fit, he can swap about with Barkhuizen too?
I was thinking the same with Bodin in the middle up front he does have on eye for goal
 
I’m sorry have you actually just called Pearson and DJ old, underperforming stalwarts?

Haha of course I'm not, because they aren't, but Potts ledson and bayliss are, and there's no questioning of their chronic lack of contribution yet you're questioning gally who has 6 goals and 2 assists.
 
Stockley was a cheap option with a release clause, playing in the fourth tier. Signed 12 months after we’d sold Hugill. Is it any wonder that the manager is struggling to improve our strike force when that’s the market we’re shopping in?

Meanwhile, the club still expect him to deliver a play-off spot.

AN’s first choices for that position, the summer before Stockley arrived, were Kieffer Moore and Cameron Jerome.

The management team also worked extremely hard that summer to try and get the deal for Adam Armstrong done but again we missed out.

AN isn’t perfect and he’s still a young manager, but looking at the market we shop in, the quality of players sold since he’s been here, and the shocking quality of our strike force, it’s a miracle that we’ve even in contention for the play-offs.
I don't entirely disagree with what you say. Moore and Jerome are, in mine and most other people's opinions, far better options than Stockley, albeit more expensive. My point is, why persist with a badly, out of form Maguire, when you have Stockley waiting for a chance.
Another point I was attempting to make, was his stacking up of midfield players at Norwich, and hardly playing them. Why sign Potts, Bayliss and Ledson, all for big, by PNE standards, fees. Surely one of them would've been enough.

Lastly, do the club expect him to achieve a play off place? If so, I agree that Alex has worked a miracle with the budget available to him. That, or he has been very lucky. I'm sorry, but I was losing faith with him pre lockdown, and Saturday hasn't done a lot to change my mind.
 
I don't know why we keep laying Gallagher or Nugent and why are we not pressing the opposition defences we keep attacking then going backwards sideways so slow pedestrian football ,why play like that it gives them time to cover with there defence and our attackers get crowded out .
Pearson is a good player but he is one of the main culprits for playing back and sideways he should be surging forward and attacking them .
That game we gave away and I don't get the tactics from our manager I think if we fail because of his tactics we need to part ways and get a new manager

He should but if he ran or surged at the opposition, what happens if he loses the ball? There’s nobody to stop the resulting counter attack because he’s now out of position and there’s only Gallagher, other than the defenders, to stop them - and that‘s not Gallagher’s strength. The answer seems simple, Browne alongside Pearson even if it’s not his preference and five Pearson the license.

Of course, if he’s surging at the opposition he needs Intelligent runners either side to give him options ....
 
I don't entirely disagree with what you say. Moore and Jerome are, in mine and most other people's opinions, far better options than Stockley, albeit more expensive. My point is, why persist with a badly, out of form Maguire, when you have Stockley waiting for a chance.
Another point I was attempting to make, was his stacking up of midfield players at Norwich, and hardly playing them. Why sign Potts, Bayliss and Ledson, all for big, by PNE standards, fees. Surely one of them would've been enough.

Lastly, do the club expect him to achieve a play off place? If so, I agree that Alex has worked a miracle with the budget available to him. That, or he has been very lucky. I'm sorry, but I was losing faith with him pre lockdown, and Saturday hasn't done a lot to change my mind.

So you agree that Alex has worked a miracle by getting us to sixth place but you want him gone? I’m struggling to understand that logic. Please could you explain?

The fact we are sixth with no striker all season is a miracle. If we make play offs Alex Neil deserves a statue of him outside the ground. But yet some fans want him gone even though our strikers have only
Scored five goals between them.
 
If we're taking potshots, I still think DJ is coasting on the pens padding his stats.

He's supposed to be the creator in our team right? 3 runners ahead of him.

Whilst including games from before the break isn't ideal, in the last 10 games he's scored 3 and made another. This is in a side that lets not forget is struggling for form just before the break. He's our top scorer and was top of the assists until Barkhuizen got one on Saturday. I think there are other problems to sort before DJ comes out.

There is however an argument for Harrop to play more. At 1-0 up Neil brought Potts on, an apparent worker and strong runner rather than Harrop who perhaps might have created or got us a 2nd goal to kill it off. A negative move. In the run of 5 games that Harrop had (Norwich to Swansea) he scored 3 and created 1. He's barely been used since.

The issue in the side remains the continuing picking of Maguire as the main front man.

Since September 21st he's started 26 games, came on as sub in 4 more and scored 1 goal and created 2 more. I'm not surprised by stats like that when he's very rarely in front of goal when the balls are coming into the box. He's dropping deep to try and get it or spending all his time out wide. Presumably on instruction from the manager otherwise he'd stop doing it or be dropped. He needs to start operating within the width of the penalty box.

10th December he got his last goal. Nugent also scored that day. Stockley scored the game after. None have scored since.
 
So you agree that Alex has worked a miracle by getting us to sixth place but you want him gone? I’m struggling to understand that logic. Please could you explain?

The fact we are sixth with no striker all season is a miracle. If we make play offs Alex Neil deserves a statue of him outside the ground. But yet some fans want him gone even though our strikers have only
Scored five goals between them.

Not entirely true. We have strikers but they are either injured (Moult), completely out of form / not up to it (Maguire / Nugent) or AN for whatever reason doesn't want to play him (Stockley).

You could argue Maguire isn't an out & out striker but whilst he's playing up there that's how he will be judged. Same to an extent with Barky.
 
10th December he [Maguire] got his last goal. Nugent also scored that day. Stockley scored the game after. None have scored since.
Sobering stuff.

And we've only won 5 games in the 16 games since Stockley's last goal - all against teams in the bottom 8.

On Saturday, we couldn't even manage that.


Postscript: and of course, Stockley's last goal came against Luton, also in the bottom 8. In fact, both of Stockley's goals this season came against teams in the bottom 8.
 
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Having watched Baadiff yesterday if AN fields the same starting 11 they will batter us.
Gally should be used in the last 20 mins to see games out or try to unlock a defence if we need a goal.He hasn't got the legs to drive the game forward from the start.
if Sinclair is wide left there's no room for Maguire to start.
The key thing is unshackle the players and let them run; at 1:0 we broke and had 3 v 2 ,DJ got into their half, stopped, turned and went backwards.
You don't kill teams off like that and it has to be instructions from the manager.
The plan has reverted to try to nick one then don't concede; it won't keep us in the top 6.
 
Haha of course I'm not, because they aren't, but Potts ledson and bayliss are, and there's no questioning of their chronic lack of contribution yet you're questioning gally who has 6 goals and 2 assists.

again though 5 of those goals are only relevant if you believe no one else in the squad is capable of scoring penalties. Don’t think DJ has ever missed in a regular game, so without gally the only change would be 5 more goals on DJs tally.

Also, 2 assists is just a poor number given he has all set piece duty. His delivery from corners is probably the worst in the league at the minute, and really isn’t an asset like it used to be.

Browne or Potts hopefully start against Cardiff
 
The game on Saturday was realistically screaming for Harrop to give us some impetus, spark and decent set piece delivery.

For Cardiff, I'd be dropping Maguire with Barky up front, having Sinclair and Harrop wide with DJ through the middle and Browne and Pearson behind. Fisher back at RB and either Hughes or Rafu at LB. They both have their drawbacks and positives i.e. Hughes never loses a header, but Rafu has more pace and gets forward slightly more (not that there's much in it ofc). We need to go at Cardiff from the off and continue our good recent home record against them.

Rudd
Fisher Bauer Davies Rafu/Hughes
Browne Pearson
Harrop DJ Sinclair
Barky
 
The game on Saturday was realistically screaming for Harrop to give us some impetus, spark and decent set piece delivery.

For Cardiff, I'd be dropping Maguire with Barky up front, having Sinclair and Harrop wide with DJ through the middle and Browne and Pearson behind. Fisher back at RB and either Hughes or Rafu at LB. They both have their drawbacks and positives i.e. Hughes never loses a header, but Rafu has more pace and gets forward slightly more (not that there's much in it ofc). We need to go at Cardiff from the off and continue our good recent home record against them.

Rudd
Fisher Bauer Davies Rafu/Hughes
Browne Pearson
Harrop DJ Sinclair
Barky

My feelings about playing Barkhuizen as a centre forward hardly need repeating. Frankly if that were to be the eleven I would prefer Sinclair upfront. As it is I would go for that side probably with Rafferty at left-back and either Stockley or Nugent upfront.
 
My feelings about playing Barkhuizen as a centre forward hardly need repeating. Frankly if that were to be the eleven I would prefer Sinclair upfront. As it is I would go for that side probably with Rafferty at left-back and either Stockley or Nugent upfront.
Nugent did nothing to indicate he deserves a start against a better class of opposition in his 25 minutes on Saturday, and Stockley would be handled easily by Cardiff’s giant centre backs. Unfortunately it’s going to be one of Barky, Sinclair or Maguire up top again, most likely Maguire
 
Nugent did nothing to indicate he deserves a start against a better class of opposition in his 25 minutes on Saturday, and Stockley would be handled easily by Cardiff’s giant centre backs. Unfortunately it’s going to be one of Barky, Sinclair or Maguire up top again, most likely Maguire

6303233416_85f3bfb70d_b.jpg
 
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The game on Saturday was realistically screaming for Harrop to give us some impetus, spark and decent set piece delivery.

For Cardiff, I'd be dropping Maguire with Barky up front, having Sinclair and Harrop wide with DJ through the middle and Browne and Pearson behind. Fisher back at RB and either Hughes or Rafu at LB. They both have their drawbacks and positives i.e. Hughes never loses a header, but Rafu has more pace and gets forward slightly more (not that there's much in it ofc). We need to go at Cardiff from the off and continue our good recent home record against them.

Rudd
Fisher Bauer Davies Rafu/Hughes
Browne Pearson
Harrop DJ Sinclair
Barky

I agree with the team you've selected there, I'd go with this

Rudd
Fisher Bauer Davies Rafu/Hughes
Browne Pearson
Harrop DJ Sinclair
Barky

Harrop in for sure
 
[



I agree with the team you've selected there, I'd go with this

Rudd
Fisher Bauer Davies Rafu/Hughes
Browne Pearson
Harrop DJ Sinclair
Barky

Harrop in for sure
I’d like to see

Rudd
Fisher Bauer Davies Rafferty
Browne Pearson
Barky DJ Harrop
Sinclair

I’m not sure harrop will be effective on the right, but that’s Barkys preferred position
 
I’d like to see

Rudd
Fisher Bauer Davies Rafferty
Browne Pearson
Barky DJ Harrop
Sinclair

I’m not sure harrop will be effective on the right, but that’s Barkys preferred position
Understand, don't think we've tried Sinclair central yet have we? But barky has done well when we've had to play him there - harrop needs to take his chance where ever that maybe
 
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We're well into the 'if Brentford lose all their games, we get 24 points from our next games, the stars align, and it isn't raining a week on Tuesday we can make the playoffs'. We threw away most of our control of the situation back in February/March. It's all uphill now.
 
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