|
nathan r
|
i was surprised with the team selection today, especially playing guinen with mckay as they haven't played together pre-season. Also from the performances of jacobs pre-season i thought he would warrant a place in front of rodgers?
Sammo has siad he probably got the selection wrong and i think he'll get the right reaction out of the players. After all it is early days and after looking at the results today i think it there are a lot of teams of the same standard and it eill be a very open league.
however after today and also watching the goals on tv i think we need a good centre back to partner beckwidth and i'm not convinced with holt as he gets pulled out of position too often. to be fair to holt he's not a centre back but would we be better trying to develop harris in that position than trying to teach an old dog new tricks??
|
|
|
|
|
|
MK_Cobbler
|
Sampson must have been on drugs to start that 11. Lets hope things change for next Saturday
|
|
|
|
|
champ.man
Newbie
 Offline
Posts: 3
 Badges: (View All)
|
Having travelled down today from Oxfordshire I thought the lads gave a terrible performance. Jacobs looks lively but apart from that we were s***. Sort you selection out Sampson.
|
|
|
|
|
|
saturday banana
|
Glad I went to Alton Towers instead....my only dissapointment yesterday was the over hyped 13 ride and listening to the results on Talk Sport on the way home...... Listening to the comments on todays game, I am glad I missed it and look forward to seeing the right selection play on Tuesday night against Brighton. We can still get 135 points this season you know!!!!  |
|
|
|
|
|
Vintage Cobbler
|
I wasn't at Torquay but to concede goals just before and just after half-time is worrying. I imagine the the thinking about playing Guinan instead of Purcell was to put an experienced player against the tough Branston but this backfired badly. Guinan continues to disappoint and I doubt that he will be with us by the end of the month. We need a fast physical front man but we have been saying that for years. On Tuesday we should see Purcell, Jacobs and Wedderburn start. Like others, I have doubts about Holt at centre back.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Insider
|
What on earth was Gilligan doing on that first goal and Osman on the third? They're supposed to be the mdifielders who break up play and close players down. Gilligan's arm waving was comical, I thought he was trying to flag down a taxi. Osman was nowhere near anyone for the third. But my real beef is Holt. I was a lone voice in questioning Holt's re-signing as he was defended almost universally on here as our central defensive saviour since e couldn't be justified in any other position because he lacks pace, can't beat a man, isn't creative, and increasingly gets the head to the ball but they are skimming headers these days. And we've offered not one but two years. Now everyone seems to agree. And as for suggesting that we'll soon be able to sell Johnson for something north of £250k is utter tosh; not as a full back we won't. He like Rodgers may look very good going forward, but both have worrying frailties defensively especally against a proper winger. We can sort the midfield and attack out with what we have IMHO, but not the defence. |
|
|
|
|
|
Fred_NTFC
|
Yeah, Johnson is crap at full-back, no matter the fact he was outstanding there for months last season - we should only judge a players career and future prospects based on their last performance. F*#k off Johnson, you're s*** son. (Note - opinion may be revised significantly if he has the game of his life against Brighton.)
|
|
|
|
|
Insider
|
Outstanding, really? Johnson was torn apart at home to Aldershot and Hereford last season, the latter to the point where Jordan Mutch looked as if he was taking the piss out of him. Balls threaded behind him or over the top he's very prone too. I happen to think he's excellent going forward, and may be needs to play in a back 5 rather than a flat four, or if it's a four he needs someone behind him with pace. And that ain't Holt and Beckwith. Frankly I don't give a s*** about Brighton or any other mickey mouse cup for that matter, it's league performances that are everything. The commentators on Radio Northampton were delusional yesterday, saying "cannot understand why Boro let him go, cannot understand why no-one else came in for him, we'll be able to sell him for £250k in a couple of years, if not £500k". FFS, cut the crap.
|
|
|
|
|
|
borders65
|
i agree with Insider , he was average at best yesterday, never got forward at all but in his defence he is the only person in that defence that has got some sort of potential !!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fred_NTFC
|
I don't mean to sound presumptious, but have you had a bad week by any chance?
|
|
|
|
|
Grove
|
That Geoff bloke on radio northampton reckoned there was nothing to worry about, its only the first game.That is a shocker of an opening day defeat, floating fans may be thinking nothing has changed and not bother next week.There is plenty to worry about when was the last time they had an opening day mare like that. Im a floating fan these days, money is still tight, crowds could plummet early on if the 1st day trend continues i may well be there on saturday. if it is s*** ( like Burton last year) i may take some persuading to come back.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Insider
|
Too fooking right I have. Any week when the Cobblers lose is a bad week in my books. But what makes me angry is this was all so bloody predictable: We'll probably opt for the tried and trusted......that has failed us so badly for the last couple of seasons. A conservative, even negative selection next Saturday will have echoes of England's World Cup campaign. I'd hate Jacobs to come on each week with 15-20 minutes left with an expectation that he's going to save a game every week.
Guy Branston must have cracked open a beer before the game when he saw that Donkeyman Guinan was playing. we played Torquay at the back end of last season with almost an identical team, and there was nothing there to surprise them. All so mind numbingly predictable. Looking forward we have Accrington next up, but after that we have a run of games against so called promotion contenders all the way through to the end of September. So it needs sorting quickly. With no obvious central defensive cover (I'd play Harris alongside Beckwith in the absence of anything else) we simply have to identify someone with pace to play central defence. It was unfortunate we had Thornton missing yesterday, but in midfield I'd play Wedderburn, Thornton, Gilligan (OMG did I just say that?) and Jacobs. Up front McKay and Purcell. We simply have to change it. |
|
|
|
|
|
borders65
|
spot on Insider, when i saw the line up and formation i thought wheres the imagination , wheres the change to youth .
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ted
|
Agree with insider totally.We played exactly the same as we did last season when Bayo wasn't playing.Mind numbingly predictable and incredibly naive.This is a massive wake up call to Sammo, who I want to succeed with all my heart, but he has to learn quickly.It must also be mentioned that several players let him down badly, including Guinan, who amazingly got a pat on the back as he walked off.Possibly clutching at straws, the poor performance and team selection yesterday may well be a huge blessing in disguise.
|
|
|
|
|
|
NTFC Nut
|
We had three major issues yesterday: defensive communication, which was the root cause behind all three of the goals we conceded; creativity, with Rodgers being the only member of the starting midfield four regularly getting forward to support the attack, and trying to make something happen in the final third, and finally the finishing- although we didn't create much by way of chances there were one or two really good opportunities that should have been put away. Herbert's heading was atrocious and with an aerial threat up top (Harris?) we would have perhaps nicked a goal.
I think you have to give some credit to Torquay, they played a measured, patient game, employed the short and simple passes rather than trying killer balls over the top that are just too clever for forwards at this level (take note Mr Johnson) and when the chances came their way they took them ruthlessly. In short, they had everything we didn't and will surely be there or thereabouts at the end of the season.
It's difficult to judge where we'll finish this season based on that result because much like last season you'd suspect the starting line-up for the Morecambe game on the final day will look very different to the one that started yesterday. However, this result may act as a wake-up call for Sammo and Crosby and may make them realise that although playing a player based on form rather than ability (Guinan ahead of Purcell) may sound idealistic and fair it's simply not a good idea in a competitive league season where you need to be naming your best XI as often as possible, and hopefully it'll also alert them to the need to change things around in terms of tactics and personnel: personally I'd like to see a return to the 4-2-3-1 that looked so effective in pre-season, and I'd like to see a few fringe players given a chance in the Carling Cup game midweek.
|
|
|
|
|
Winslow Lee
|
Would be tempted to play 4-2-3-1 just to get someone with flair, vision, creativity and passing ability in the centre of the park. I never understand as soon we get a player with any technique like Guttridge or Thornton who are by no means wingers they get shoved out wide, meaning we're never able to control the game because the central midfield can't keep possession.
This is my main problem with Gilligan in a central midfield 2, he seems sort of an inbetween player not quite good enough defensively to play that role alongside someone like Thornton or without technical ability to play the attacking role with Osman or Wedderburn.
|
|
|
|
|
|
DustCobb
|
I'm just really glad i bought a season ticket.
|
|
|
|
|
|
PineWoody
|
But my real beef is Holt. I was a lone voice in questioning Holt's re-signing as he was defended almost universally on here as our central defensive saviour since e couldn't be justified in any other position because he lacks pace, can't beat a man, isn't creative, and increasingly gets the head to the ball but they are skimming headers these days. And we've offered not one but two years. Now everyone seems to agree. You weren't quite a lone voice. I was very sceptical the moment we resigned Holt. Don't get me wrong, I like the bloke and he has always given 100%. But I said all through pre-season from the second game I saw away at Kettering, that he didn't look good in central defence. I really don't understand the logic that 2 decent perforancs there at the end of last season justifies signing him as a first choice centre back on a two year deal. |
GTA Champion - Season 09/10
|
|
|
|
threeinabed
|
i think the problem is there for us all to see................we were in the play off positions last year with about 5 games to go.
we lost bayo, played guinan and fell out the top 7, we didnt even look like scoring.
this isnt solely the blame of guinan either.
we then move 4 months forward to the start of this season, and we end up with basically the same 11 that took us out the play offs while all the new signings sit on the bench warming it up.
if they werent better than what we had, dont sign them, although most on here will agree they are better and should have played.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Power Football
|
i think the problem is there for us all to see................we were in the play off positions last year with about 5 games to go.
we lost bayo, played guinan and fell out the top 7, we didnt even look like scoring.
this isnt solely the blame of guinan either.
we then move 4 months forward to the start of this season, and we end up with basically the same 11 that took us out the play offs while all the new signings sit on the bench warming it up.
if they werent better than what we had, dont sign them, although most on here will agree they are better and should have played.
Nicely summed up. McKay and Guinan as a front two are simply too weak to play together upfront in this league. Losing Thornton before the kick off was a massive blow, would have been interesting to know who he would have started instead off. |
|
|
|
|
|
