The Hotel End

https://www.ntfc.co.uk/news/2018/january/joe_bunney_signs/

Signed from Rochdale on a 2 1/2 year deal. Fee as always is undisclosed but I can't imagine it was huge given he was out of contract in the summer.

Welcome to Ntfc Joe Bunney! Not only has he scored against us at Sixfields in March 2014 but he has also has the rare accolade of being a substitute that was substituted in the FA Cup First Round tie against us on the 8th November 2014!!!!

There's more Bunnys on here than in Watership Down..

Another name for people to get wrong...

Joe Bunney not Bunny.

Got this one in early  ;D

Attacking full back and an excellent crosser of the ball? Sounds very exciting and look forward to seeing him play.

Easy Cecil..I know his name is Bunney. I was referring to the fluffy ones on my other post. :P

Was looking at the Dale messageboard last night, most of them were of the opinion he wasn’t very good at defending!  Maybe something to do with him having converted from a forward??
Think of a faster player, better crosser, and more creative Buchanan circa 2016?

That said....Welcone Joe!!

I am sure I read that he is Rochdales top assist man so far this season which is a heck of a feat from left back. The difference Facey has made in terms of retaining possession has been huge and I expect Bunney to do the same on the left. Welcome aboard!

Its got to be coppers. We are skint!

An interesting signing, which I think gives a real indication of how JFH wants us to play going forward: 4-2-3-1 with attacking full backs bombing forward and providing width on the overlap.

The concern, which Dale fans might be overplaying, is his ability to defend. We looked solid with Turnbull at left back so there will be some interesting competition for places.

Might be worth keeping Turnbull at left back for the time being and giving him a go on the left side of midfield to see what his attacking prowess is like.

Atleast he didnt sign for burrow.

I can see the headline now if he scores or assists against Charlton on Good Friday

Welcome Joe. Hopping you fit right in.

He did, I’ve gone off him already.

https://youtu.be/UPquUzEib0w

Welcome Joe.

I take your point but I was thinking it gives him the option of playing the dreaded three at the back now that we have true wing backs and good holding midfielders .
Either way , we should now see some goals ( probably at both ends admittedly )

Welcome to our basket case of a club Joe.

Welocome Joe.

#skint

;D

Have we also signed the master mixers as part of the deal??

Welcome Joe,

Rochdale fans appear to agree that he is one of the best crossers of the ball they have seen at Spotland.

Just need a big lad up top then.

Needs to be dropped asap. Very poor footballer got skinned almost the whole game. Thank fook Poxford couldn't cross the ball..

He looks like a non league striker who's been asked to cover at left back.

He's bloody awful, can't tackle, can't win a header and all he does when he gets the ball is smash it as hard as he can. Bout time jfh swallowed his pride and recalled Buchs.

At least with him at left back you know where the other team are going to attack. It's an old Chinese ( I think) war tactic where they would leave one door of a castle they were defending open.

Poor player........get Buchanan back....quick!!

Buchanan past it. Put McWilliams left back.

Let’s not beat around the bush , he is f**king rubbish .
For Three home games running and against Sc***horpe he was appalling . Cross after cross came in from their right side and tackle after tackle was missed .
His heading and distribution were also poor .
The bloke is total cr*p

He's the worst player we've had since Daniel Alfei. Absolutely embarrassing and leaving him in the team will only cost us more points.

Hasselbaink needs to swallow his pride and drop him - fat f*cking chance of that happening though so I guess we're stuck with him.

Unbeleivable to think we paid a fee for him.

Love it - about the only laugh I’ve had all afternoon!

Regardless of his natural position, he looks like a boy playing man's football to me. He has got a decent left foot given time, but he doesn't seem capable of competing generally.

Ok Pope Gregory it is then because that is definitely your best suggestion to date.

About time you actually watched the game. Bunney made several good tackles second half and he won a couple of good headers. Bit it of a luxury at times!

The II!  Pope Gregory was more of a rugby player.

You are right evers. He was slightly better today but from a very low starting point.

Buchanan is our best defensive left back. Bunney has been converted to a left back and is still learning the position. When we played Rochdale at home last season he was outstanding with his attacking play, we couldn't handle him. Don't forget he had two assists in his first two games for us, so lets try and give the lad a chance - he's just moved to a new club down south it may take a while for him to settle.

But we don't play an attacking game so he's knackered!!

That's exactly the problem he and we have, plus the fact he was played as a wing back mostly at Rochdale allowing him to get forward more.

Yet more tripe .
He looks like he has won a reality show competition to play in a football match .
That wasn’t a one off yesterday , he has played that badly in the last two home games and against Sc***horpe .
Proper rubbish

Bunney did make a couple of tackles in the second half, but missed dozens throughout the game and his positional play was awful. He looks OK going forward but we can't carry a non defensive fullback. We payed money for him and presumably was well scouted so he must be a decent player, I just hope he hits some form soon.

I agree he was better second half, but he did not win (or even put in) a single tackle in the first half and was beaten time and again with great ease. Against a better side that would have cost us severely. He does offer us something in attack, but should not start as a defender in my opinion until he has improved that aspect of his game. Buchannan is not the player he was a couple of years ago, but is still a long way ahead of Bunney defensively. As far as I know we don't have any other options at left back, as George Smith was sold.

I think in the long term Bunney could prove a useful player for us in a wing-back role, but there's no doubt he's in a poor run of form at the moment. Similarly to Buchs though, I don't think he's being given a great deal of protection in front of him.

If JFH is insistent on playing Bunney I would rather see him at left wing, with Turnbull at LB - it worked very well away at Blackburn.

That's looking like another poor decision right now.

Bunny was brought in to play in a 3 5 2. Just not really happened yet.

Played like he had Myxamatosis yesterday

It was the 74th minute when Bunney won his first tackle, closely followed by a second one.

How many crosses did he stop?
How many times did he get caught out of position?

I'm really not a Buchs fan at all but at the moment Bunney is just pur s*** and will cost us goals.

;D

Have to agree with most that Bunney has been very poor.
A left back is there to be able to defend above anything else and this appears to be beyond him at present.
He may well be a good attacking player but even this has disappeared after his debut.
Time for JFH to take him out the firing line for a while and bring back Buchanan who must be chomping at the bit after being ignored by Hasselbank.

I thought Aryibi was doing a tremendous job of both going forward and providing cover for Bunney who was clearly our weakest link and has been for a number of games now. That was my biggest concern with replacing Aryibi with Hilda - hilda will never do the defensive duties like Aryibi was.

This was not the only match in which Bunney has been shocking . Rochdale , Gillingham and Sc***horpe were as bad if not worst.
At least Turnbull had a better game against oxford because he has also been terrible .
Unless we are going to play 3 5 2 I don’t see why Bunney should play .
He is simply incapable of stopping crosses.

Hanley....

I had literally forgotten that he existed.

Turnbull was ok at Skunny! Bunney not as bad as you make out at  Skinny! You don’t like the Cobblers at all do you?

They were both poor against Sc***horpe , Bunney was given the complete run around by Holmes .
I say it as it is . Lots of players and performances get praise from me .

Football is a game for progression and comparisons.

Bunney is 10x the player of Hanley and 20x the player of a previous LB I can think off by the name of Ashley Corker (signed cause he was mates with John Johnson)
Perspective. When we were down in the dullards of L2. I'd dream of having players like Bunney.

 Can't argue with that.

Bunney is a tall player....but very rarely if ever goes up to try and win the opponents long punts forward. There were two or three occasions on Saturday where he watched the ball drift over his head, and then he tries to set himself to make the challenge once the opponent has picked the ball up......
He needs to try and stop those balls in the first place......not leave them and then get skinned!

In the 12 games Rochdale have played since Bunney left them they've lost 3 to Bristol Rovers,Wigan and Spurs.
Surely more than just a coincidence..!!

He is not a left back... not in a million. play him left wing/midfield with a competent left back behind him you will all see a massive improvement in his game.   

yep

I like Bunney and I think he just needs a  season or two to settle in.
He will find things a lot easier next season in league two

Agreed. Someone suggested on another thread playing him in front of Buchs/Turnbull. Those 2 can defend with Bunney in front of them it would add some much needed balance to our left side. I personally think Bunney could do a decent job left midfield, to keep playing him as an out and out left back is doing him and the team no good whatsoever.  

thanks

So you'd play him in front of Buchanan/Turnbull in preference to the other options we have for left midfield?

I fear he may be the 2018 Paul Turnbull.  Homesick for barm cakes & tripe.

Anybody?

Can we not stick him upfront seeing as he is a striker converted to left back? It must be hard for any player who has spent x amount of years in an academy and then into the first team playing and training in an attacking position, and then out of nowhere suddenly have to re-learn an entirely new defensive position where you are expected to perform well week in week out.
This is probably the first time he has been in the firing line of supporters in his new position in a team not doing great, so although I can see the first goal is his fault let's try and support him.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/16679753

Great for Stockport, crap for us, back to Stockport. Have you ever used Google?

He's every bit as bad as Ashley Corker, as far as being a left back is concerned. He's terrible.

He needs to be taken out of the lime light for a game or two and brought back into the team as a left midfielder, a position I think he could excel in.

He's being hung out to dry, terrible terrible man management.

He'd be better as a wing back alongside a three, where his defensive skills would not be as vital.  I thought that bringing Bunny and Facey in was to allow us to play five at the back?

Id argue that even as a wing back he'd be useless. (defensive).

I cannot recall seeing a 'defender' worse at actually defending; other than the legend that Chris O'Donnell was. But he only played for 45 minutes!  ;D

I do feel for the lad getting all the stick when he's clearly out of position. Bench him for the next two and maybe bring him on left wing for the last ten mins or so. Needs a rebuilding job and surely Jimmy can see that...right?!

I feel sorry for him as it can't be nice to get a reaction like saturday but when he's as crap as he is sentiment can't get in the way.

We need to be doing everything we can to try and stay up and that means Bunney should be nowhere near the team.

I found it pretty embarrassing that the crowd started chanting Bu-Bu-Buchanan on Saturday, along with ironic cheering of Bunney.

It may have been embarrassing and not helpful but fans have a patience level and it has clearly been reached for many.

To think we always talk about how apathetic our fans are, certainly seem to be waking up lately.

I do wonder whether Rochdale played him as a left back or further forward. I feel sorry for him if he's playing completely out of position - would we boo JJOT if he played at right back and had a stinker, for example?

I remember Bunney playing left back for Rochdale against us last season. Was one of the best performances I'd seen from a rival player. He was up against Hoskins and Phillips that day though.

As far as I am aware he is a striker that they converted to wing back. Had an excellent season (last year) and had people knocking on the door for his services in the summer, which may have turned his head as he was awful for them at the start of the season apparently.

says it all really - a terrible left back up against probably the worst 'right winger' in league football.

Good energy levels though  ;D

Probably his best game in a Cobblers shirt playing at wing back. Pleased for the lad and fully deserved the fans chanting his name. Really got stuck in, gave it everything and provided a lot of quality when it was needed.

Yep, well done Bugs.

fine regarding his attacking play, how about his defending?

Bugs?

Jimmy was right with his post match comments about Bunny.  Credit to him for putting in a performance and turning up after all that had happened before.  Still lots to improve but fantastic delivery from crosses.  Defensively much better against a very tricky opponent and made a tremendous last ditch tackle in the first half.

Manager certainly did him a massive favour by playing wing backs which he is clearly much more suited to.

Bugs Bunny I expect!

            Very good.