[h again]

hilly81, on 24 January 2022 - 10:28 AM, said:

Disagree. Asante is a finisher. Get him the ball in and around the box and he will score a hatful at this level.

He's certainly a finisher, and on the odd occasion has made a run from midfield and terrified the opposition, but it's a long way from that to playing as a regular midfielder, with the job of breaking down defences with decent balls to strikers, and it showed.
It worries me now, as it did as soon as Asante was fit, whether we can play with two such similar strikers together. Sure, they'll get the odd goal, but against packed defences stopping a reduced midfield from giving them a decent service, I can see us struggling.
Best would be to play them together but keep a big striker to replace one of them after 70 if it isn't working.

[rodney]

Fascinating debate….. even if we had scrapped a 1-0, the system and player selection was awful. We desperately need a central midfield who can pass a ball and dictate play ( if he’s allowed based on the plan….. Weston playing sweeper was another bizarre thing to watch)

I also think Rowe needs to keep a settled side subject to injury. 3 and 4 changes every game will not help.

[sophocles]

Wooden Spoon, on 24 January 2022 - 11:52 AM, said:

Your playing a guy who is arguably our best all round striker behind a front 2 - in an attacking midfielder position. To me this says we lack a top notch attacking midfielder

That I can agree with, we desperately need a Clarke replacement sharpish.

[dim view]

h again, on 24 January 2022 - 12:41 PM, said:

He's certainly a finisher, and on the odd occasion has made a run from midfield and terrified the opposition, but it's a long way from that to playing as a regular midfielder, with the job of breaking down defences with decent balls to strikers, and it showed.
It worries me now, as it did as soon as Asante was fit, whether we can play with two such similar strikers together. Sure, they'll get the odd goal, but against packed defences stopping a reduced midfield from giving them a decent service, I can see us struggling.
Best would be to play them together but keep a big striker to replace one of them after 70 if it isn't working.

My plan is to sell one for £1m clear + add ons, rely on the second and third best strikers in the division who are already on the books, and strengthen other positions.

Job done.

[h again]

dim view, on 24 January 2022 - 12:52 PM, said:

My plan is to sell one for £1m clear + add ons, rely on the second and third best strikers in the division who are already on the books, and strengthen other positions.

Job done.

Excellent plan too, and not forgetting that Tom Denton at one point was the top striker in this league.

[Westbars Spireite]

As an aside, and without wanted to debate the merits of it, how come there was a mass knee-taking before kick-off? Does the referee just turn up and say 'I fancy doing it today lads, how about it?'.

[Humpalumpa]

rodney, on 24 January 2022 - 12:49 PM, said:

Fascinating debate….. even if we had scrapped a 1-0, the system and player selection was awful. We desperately need a central midfield who can pass a ball and dictate play ( if he’s allowed based on the plan….. Weston playing sweeper was another bizarre thing to watch)

I also think Rowe needs to keep a settled side subject to injury. 3 and 4 changes every game will not help.

Spot on this but Rowe wont admit it.

[DIFH]

azul, on 24 January 2022 - 11:53 AM, said:

Huge difference between a striker happy to come deep to collect the ball so he can run at defenders and playing as a number 10.

Off topic I know but do you think JR was thinking about upcoming Stockport in trying to rest midfielders and confuse Stockport scouts at the game.

[Tonycfc]

DIFH, on 26 January 2022 - 08:18 PM, said:

Off topic I know but do you think JR was thinking about upcoming Stockport in trying to rest midfielders and confuse Stockport scouts at the game.

I thought at the time he may have done it to prove a point to the board and because of the state of the pitch, maybe recruitment wasn't moving in the right direction or quick enough. We defo know he had an issue with the pitch. Unfortunately, probably thought we could still win that way by matching them up (also with the way Aldershot play), as he says he can set the team up in many ways to win. Unfortunately, it back fired. He's done it before with the number of subs etc when light in numbers and then Williams came in.

What ever the reason, it was strange to watch.

This post has been edited by Tonycfc: 26 January 2022 - 09:15 PM

[Looker-on]

DIFH, on 26 January 2022 - 08:18 PM, said:

Off topic I know but do you think JR was thinking about upcoming Stockport in trying to rest midfielders and confuse Stockport scouts at the game.

Where's the gain? Let's say we confuse Stockport and come away from Edgeley Park with a very decent point. To do that, we've jeopardised the chance of all three against someone else. I suspect JR sends a team out to win every game that he possibly can. Sometimes, he doesn't get it right.

[JonB]

Looker-on, on 27 January 2022 - 08:55 AM, said:

Where's the gain? Let's say we confuse Stockport and come away from Edgeley Park with a very decent point. To do that, we've jeopardised the chance of all three against someone else. I suspect JR sends a team out to win every game that he possibly can. Sometimes, he doesn't get it right.

He's always said he puts out what he thinks is the best team to win that game based on what they've seen in scouting and analysis. I very much doubt he's picked teams in three games just thinking of one other game.