Time for change

[alex_ncfc 649]

I think after last night''s display it''s pretty obvious now (well to everyone but Worthy but maybe he''ll see it too one day) that too many team members are past it. Mackay, Roberts, Holt - why does he have his favourites? What''s Mulryne doin starting on the bench, id much rather see him and Francis in the middle instead of Holt, who gets chosen game in, game out however good or bad he is playing. He even gets chosen when we don''t have a right back! Whats going on there?

Mackay, too slow and fouls a lot. Enough said really, but maybe it was a good thing that he got sent off, as now Shackell will undoubtedly get a run a game playing in his proper position (unless Holt gets chosen which wouldn''t surprise me!) and maybe it will show Worthy just how bad Mackay is now, was a decent player whos scored some important goals for us, but I feel his time as a first teamer may be up.

Same with Roberts - Crouch seems to get substituted every game for Roberts, why is this? Even when Crouch is playing well he still gets taken off for Roberts to get on. I dont have anything against Roberts - hes a legend, but hes not upto it anymore, and lets face it he wont get 100 goals (which i personally think is the reason why Worthy continues to put him out there, to try and reach this target - there''s no room for sentiment in football and we should be playing the best team out there) Give Jarvis a run while the loan players are still here, which isn''t long now (2 or 3 games?)
If we played so badly last night with the loan players, i dont want to think about what the situation would be like without them. That and the size of our squad when they do leave will leave the club seriously short on first team players, and with injuries and suspensions (3rd red in 7 games last night, i read) mounting, then we could be in trouble.

That''s why we needed to get the points from as many games as possible while the loan players were here. 2 points from the last 9 is not good enough, and I cant believe we are still 2nd (everyone must be slipping up this year!) but im hoping for a return to form on Saturday against Crewe. Rant over.

[a1canary 0]

I agree a change should be made soon. although i do also believe in giving players the opportunity to put right their wrongs and i think worthy believes this too. he has in the past put the same players out for a match who have performed abysmally 7 days earlier and sure enough, they pull out a performance.
equally, if they persistently underperform, a change is needed. i''m not sure where we''re at right now. It''s worryingly familiar at the moment - feels like we''re warming up for the christmas slump! but i have a little bit of hope for the one reason that i believe SOMETHING will happen once the loan spells are up. be this keeping crouch and harper, or signing a new bunch of loan players. we know, worthy knows, and now - because they''ve seen the evidence first hand - the board knows. Just letting the loanees all go back and plugging on with what''s left is just not an option. So something will happen.
In the meantime, the malky sending off could be a blessing in disguise. Shackell needs to be given his chance. I just hope NW doesn''t do anything stupid like put edworthy in the middle and play holt at right back. He seems reluctant to give shackell his chance. Mullers and Francis have to be tried in midfield. NW is again too reluctant to give francis holt''s role as opposed to Mulryne''s. Francis has the ability to do Holt''s harrying, 110%, 3 lung etc etc role, AND score goals. Also, i''d like to see room made for Jarvis up with crouch, as an early sub at least, even if that means playing him in place of Huckerby. If Hucks is having a game like yesterday and things just aren''t working, we have to try something new. We have the personnel (at the moment at least) to change things around within a game without neccessarily compromising quality. Come on Nige, take a chance!

[Intenso 0]

An excellent rant Alex, and you are so right. As you say why is Crouch always taken off to allow Roberts on the pitch when despite the Welshman''s dreadful performance against Watford he was kept on for 90 minutes. For Worthy to say when Roberts was given his last contract he expected him to only play 20/30 minutes per match this season is beyond belief. Surely the manager''s logic of paying a player an alleged £8,000 per week for one third of game should justify the club paying the going rate for class players like Huckerby, Crouch and Harper.