Do we actually want to win the league?

[Canary 0]

i was at orient last night, and there was almost no passion, no one seemed to give too much effort (except korey as always)

Lambert made the wrong decision to play the diamond with elliot and johnson who clearly were well off replacing hoolahan or grant holt. We needed macnamee from the very start, and as soon as he came on he made a good contribution down the left, which lappin completely failed to achieve.

Finally, we have the defence, drury and doc had perhaps shaky games, but you cannot defend down only one side, and the right hand side was crap. Martin was rubbish, nelson even worse. Its time to see spillane and askou or whitbread in the team. A good defencive preformance would have sealed the win and almost sealed our spot in the championship next season, but we was far from a good defensive preformance.

I can really sense the chance of a defeat on saturday, if we play like we did last night. And perhaps we will end our run without back to back defeats which satands at something around 40 games.

[urdie_Canary 33]

I was there, very poor performance.If it wasnt for the alcohol consumption it would of been worse.

[Romantic 0]

So the team were pissed! that explains a lot. Woeful lack of ale at Orient last night. I wish i''d known that before I trundled through the turnstiles.

[Canary 0]

our fans do know how to enjoy themselves.

[Duffman 0]

I think you''ll find Nelson plays left side of defence so to say we were poor down the right hand side because of Nelson and Martin would make your whole post invalid.

[Canary 0]

didnt notice that, either way, there is no hiding from the fact that two out of our four defensive players are rubbish and need replacing.

[morty 0]

[quote user="Aza Hoolahan the Magician"]didnt notice that, either way, there is no hiding from the fact that two out of our four defensive players are rubbish and need replacing.[/quote]With who?

[Duffman 0]

So you''ve been found out as talking rubbish but still continue to blindly bash two players just cos you don''t really rate them.

[Canary 0]

I''d replace nelson with askou or whitbread, and i''d replace russell martin with spillane. and look at buying a new right-back in the summer.

[Jacko 0]

[quote user="morty"][quote user="Aza Hoolahan the Magician"]didnt notice that, either way, there is no hiding from the fact that two out of our four defensive players are rubbish and need replacing.[/quote]

With who?
[/quote]

Exactly with who? Askou who I believe still has major problems with his foot? Whitbread who gave the goal away against Stockport, looked ropey and was bailed out by wait for it Nelson! I am not Nelson''s biggest fan, but I don''t see at the moment quite what Whitbread has done to warrant walking straight into the team. People just seem to have it in their heads that Nelson is cack and Zak is the best thing since sliced bread. Is Whitbread even fit at the moment anyway? Seems odd he has dropped out of the squad altogether. Spillane might be a shout to replace Russell Martin though. I think he is looking very shaky at the moment.

[Canary 0]

i take your point that whitbread may not deserve to go straight into the team, but its the final phase in the season where silly mistakes (such as the second goal at orient) will just make it harder for ourselves. I konow that every defender we have got has made mistakes, but we need to go with the most consistant and reliable defenders, and i dont see nelson as being one of them.

[morty 0]

[quote user="Aza Hoolahan the Magician"]i take your point that whitbread may not deserve to go straight into the team, but its the final phase in the season where silly mistakes (such as the second goal at orient) will just make it harder for ourselves. I konow that every defender we have got has made mistakes, but we need to go with the most consistant and reliable defenders, and i dont see nelson as being one of them.[/quote]So what two changes are you making in defence then?

[Canary 0]

thats the tough bit, i''d say askou in for nelson definately. but im not sure about spillane. He had that one great game before his injury, where (if i remember rightly) he had relitively little to do defensively, that wont be the case against charlton, bristol rovers and perhaps even carlisle, so im not sure whether he could do such a good job.

[TIL 1010 5,246]

[quote user="morty"][quote user="Aza Hoolahan the Magician"]i take your point that whitbread may not deserve to go straight into the team, but its the final phase in the season where silly mistakes (such as the second goal at orient) will just make it harder for ourselves. I konow that every defender we have got has made mistakes, but we need to go with the most consistant and reliable defenders, and i dont see nelson as being one of them.[/quote]

So what two changes are you making in defence then?
[/quote]

Let''s not be too hasty here Morty,i think i will wait for Smudger to tell Lambert what to do but having said that i think his answer will centre round Lappin and a certain little black wide man.Maybe wrong but let''s just wait for the wise one to appear on here shall we?

[morty 0]

[quote user="TIL 1010"]

[quote user="morty"][quote user="Aza Hoolahan the Magician"]i take your point that whitbread may not deserve to go straight into the team, but its the final phase in the season where silly mistakes (such as the second goal at orient) will just make it harder for ourselves. I konow that every defender we have got has made mistakes, but we need to go with the most consistant and reliable defenders, and i dont see nelson as being one of them.[/quote]

So what two changes are you making in defence then?
[/quote]

Let''s not be too hasty here Morty,i think i will wait for Smudger to tell Lambert what to do but having said that i think his answer will centre round Lappin and a certain little black wide man.Maybe wrong but let''s just wait for the wise one to appear on here shall we?

[/quote]

I really hope that his computer is broken, we have more than enough of the "I told you so" doom mongerers on here today.

[Jacko 0]

Do you not think the midfield was to blame for us creating few chances and been outplayed for large chunks of the game? I am not a Lappin basher, but I would go to a flat 4-4-2 in which McNamee starts in his favoured position on the left hand side. I would play Korey Smith and Darrell Russell together in midfield and Stephen Hughes out on the right. That should give us a solid base in midfield to work from and McNamee can hopefully provide the spark.

The centre forward position is interesting. Martin has to start but who with? Elliot just has not cut it all. So I think the only two realistic options are to play Johnson as a centre forward or to possibly shove Doherty up there (if there is sufficent defensive cover to give us some prescene up there). I think I would prefer Oli because we need Doc to shore things up at the back.

[Yella Fella 0]

Cody Mcdonald Simples he is quick and will test the Charlton defence.

Oli is a fantastic sub to bring on mid way through the second half this has been proven has it not?

All the same i would be happy with a draw at the Valley!!

 

[ROBFLECK 134]

[quote user="Good Touch For A Big Man"]

Do you not think the midfield was to blame for us creating few chances and been outplayed for large chunks of the game? I am not a Lappin basher, but I would go to a flat 4-4-2 in which McNamee starts in his favoured position on the left hand side. I would play Korey Smith and Darrell Russell together in midfield and Stephen Hughes out on the right. That should give us a solid base in midfield to work from and McNamee can hopefully provide the spark.

The centre forward position is interesting. Martin has to start but who with? Elliot just has not cut it all. So I think the only two realistic options are to play Johnson as a centre forward or to possibly shove Doherty up there (if there is sufficent defensive cover to give us some prescene up there). I think I would prefer Oli because we need Doc to shore things up at the back.

[/quote]

Exactly my view...but we''re not PL... I think he must have seen this too!

[ZLF 335]

We have got to where we are on a base of hard work and the diamond.

Yest we had nothing up front,  no focal point on the diamond and a passionless base in midfield.

I expect a much better performance from the team,  so would keep the back 8 the same and controvesially go with WLY at the fulcrum of the diamond.   Unlike Ollie he will and can pass and knows that he will need to want the ball so look for space and make himself available - this will avoid the long ball and encourage the back 8 to pass again.

Up front use Oli in the way he has best - from the bench.  Start with Elliott or Cody - neither have a good record starting so it does not matter - prob just prefer Elliott - and change it with McNamee if its not working.

We are not used to playing 442 anymore and it looks a poor plan b.    WLY has two quick feet and can play in forwards with good movement and pace.  It cant be any worse than last night after all can it??