bluehobbit

My problem with it was is he any better then Mellor? Who while not being a full back per se has done ok there more often than not... and I didn't see anything to suggest he was - certainly doesn't look to be a mills like LB but that was a difficult game to throw him into

This... Technique wise Baxter is fantastic - Physically he poor. He's no natural athlete, doesn't have great top speed or work rate for that matter and doesn't win anything in the air so he cant play as an out and out forward. If you play him center mid again he can be bullied out of it and his not a tackler He plays best behind an out and out target man and if you can get him the ball 20 yards out hes a great striker of a ball. As sly has said you kind have to play him as forward as you can but hes doesn't really fit any position ideally. Id much rather have a team of 11 that gels and works well rather than trying to force JB as good as he is into a team. I feel this season we are much balanced at the mo.

There was a headline on the official earlier that id thought id seen about signing on trail. http://www.oldhamathletic.co.uk/news/article/20131108-dickinson-1161924.aspx

I find it strange how we have taken him on trial days after corney says we have enough forwards and some people aren't performing I remember him running our back line ragged when he played upfront on his own one year but he's never really progressed. A target man wouldn't hurt but where do the other forwards then fit in. |I still think DP and Charlie Mac are the way forward with JCH to be swapped in when needed.

im saying being to run about and close down is the minimum i expect from our players. Then they need to have something else in thier locker. Be it power, real top line speed, the ability to take a man on, a good finisher what ever it might be and they need to be able to do with some regularity. He did ok at the back end of last season he came on against tranmere and did well in a tame match we should have got something from he looked livley. He produced a great bit of skill and cross for us to beat Bury he did OK against Carlisle but he has to do more for me to warrent a first team place and yesterday he was found wanting like it or not he will come up against big powerful defenders at this level and he has to try and find someway to make his attributes work against them - he has improved but im not sure its enough.. I dont think he can produce quality on a consistant basis. he shouldn't be starting in front of Philikirk or JCH as a striker I hope he proves me wrong i really do but i just dont see him being a goal scoring striker. He might get 5 or 6 a season if he plaed 40 games but we need more from our front line. People say give young players time thats fine to a point. Tarky was hammerd at times last season but this season has seen him develop the mistakes are becoming fewer, distrobution better... i see some progression in MIllar but its minor i dont think he has enough that is all..If people think he was great against Carlilse they are fully entited to that i hope he scores a hat trick and everyone can say i told u so but at the minute i think we have better players than him in the squad...

If the best thing we can say about a player is he worked hard god help - yes he runs aboyt makes an annoyance of himself but he inst strong enough with his back to goal and his touch often lets him down. Think he would be better served out wide but would be hard to remove Philiskirk who has done well there - still think we should have him upfront where his touch and crontrol can bring others into play JCH held the ball much better when he came on and created himself a good chance just by being able to power through challenges

in fairness I think some of the blame has to lie with the forwards. Sid played against someone earlier in the season put 3 good balls into the box and no one was on the end of it. Is that a poor cross? or poor forward play? Millar did put in two great balls and they weren't converted...

Oxley Grounds ( I do like him at CH tho) Tarky Kunsunga Lanzoni Monty Smith Wes Dayton Danny Philiskirk Charlie Mac

I actually think Charlie Mac could be out top scorer if we can keep him fit. He gets himself on the end of things a lot I know he hasn't finished all his chances and has missed a few sitters but at least he was there. If the chances keep coming and hes fit I can see him getting 12-15.

Ground was MOTM for me passed it well which is my usual critcism of him and won everything in the air. Also a great clearence after Oxs save MIllar worked hard 2 decent crosses and one good shot but although i want him to come good im not conviced and we didnt hold the ball late when he was on the pitch unless he plays off a target man i cant see him becoming a full time forward which Johnson wants him to be his work rate is good but there something of a headless chicken about him as well. He has a bit of ability but im not sure he can use it consistantly. Danny P had a good first half Defence all played well

hmm not so sure i want him to come good and did have some decent moments but hes still to leightweight and his decion making and passing arent great for instance Kusunga goes up for a header if he wins it the ball is on the edge of the 18 yard box. Millar runs out wide and Carlisile easily clear or Roonys flick is has ages of time but hits a first time shot with out looking. I would have rather have clarke harris for his strength on today. Still we won maybe with a run he will improve but if he and ronney start we are going to have to rely on not using high balls because neither can win it

Tuff game. Charlie Mac going off was a blow. Carlilse didnt have enough weapons to really hurt us. No pace and they didnt have enough quality upfront to unlock the defence who were largely excellent. Grounds MOTM for me. Millar the wrong player to bring on. Couple of decent moments but would have rather he either went on the right or Clarke Harris should have been on, Penalty was a kind of played for an got. Wasnt a great shooting position hink he was just stretching for it a bit - felt a hand or nudge went down. Took it well 2nd were the better side but as tired they came into the game Allen (there number 9) came on made himself a nuisence for a few minutes it all got panicky from a couple of corners and poistions in the box. We really needed to make changes. Rooney was shatterd. Smith barely saw the ball in the last 20 mins and Philiskirk who was a constant outlet first half barely got in the game. Still we held on great save from Ox near the head (yeah lets have ruchubka in!?) and Grounds reacted to get the ball away. I do think a better team would have got a draw today we needed some reinforcement and they didnt come which does worry me slightly but we won and thats all that matters and the lad in the blue polo - moron how he didnt get kicked out i dont know

oxley hasnt down a reet lot wrong and has made some good saves as well....not sure what the push for chubs to come in is

id swap rooney out for Charlie mac but other than that id keep this

We tried to use him as the wrong type of player towards the end of us time with us. He was going to play behind the striker but then ended up being used as a physical target man - at this point he just seemed to kick people or give away fouls His best spell for us was wide on the right he's not a winger, he isn't the quickest but he gave us some height could hold the ball and bring others into play and nick a goal here or there I really think Dickov was responsible for his down turn maybe Simpson himself knows he isn't a target man so his work rate dropped. When on form he was useful. Most people couldn't wait to sign him up... but after that initial period he was in and out of the side and asked to play about 9 positions... Ill be surprised if he signs for Blackburn he isn't and never has been prolific and he can be a bit slow on the ball.. decent player for our level though

Hard to fault the players today. First half awesome. Ran the league leaders a merry dance and should have had 3 and sadly thats cost us that we havent put our chances away. They came more into it 2nd half. We tierd a bit but they didnt really create anything clear cut untill bat touched in the other guys shot. definatly offside although our defending was poor in the first place I thought Kusunga had a good game. Mills excellent but i think Wes should have been MOM. Rooney a concern the guy cant jump - and once DP went off we struggled to hold the ball. If Rooney plays he needs to be with DP or JCH Our luck has to change there werent any obvious silly errors today sooner or later someone is getting bounced - lets hope its soon DIdnt think much off Orient physcial and thats about it - hard to see why they have been so succesful

He played there 2nd half against crewe. setup the goal and had a shot well saved did OK but drifted in and out which seems typical for him. he's a decent player with the ball but he's a bit one paced and lightweight. Against some of the more powerful aggressive teams he can dissapear

Rooney and Charlic McD up front for me. Both will get goals with service I like JCH but Port Vale apart I haven't seen him threaten too much

Johnson doesnt know his best strike line at the minute. He needs to choose one if its Rooney and McDonald fine but he needs to stick with it for a bit. I actually think McDonald will probably get us more goals then Rooney as hes the 6 yard predator we havent had for a few years. Rooney does seem slow and his control let him down more than once for me with have several forwards with good attributes but none that really gel well together. Rooney isnt a target man to play the ball too, neither is JCH though he had pace and some ability on the deck. Mcdonald is your fox in the box. DAnny P i havent really seen enough of but he played deeper today and Millar wasnt in the game. We need to settle of a strike force and play to thier strengths we got some balls in the box today but i dont think we have the ariel threat to convert them

Kusunga looked poor positionally at Rotherham and he didnt domintate in the air like i thought he would. Probably not match fit either. The first goal today came from both Mills and Dayton not working hard enough to force crewe mistakes they just tapped it around while we walked to challenge and then heavily defelected shot. Mills had a tricky day today as thier number 11 was really really quick. Grounds passing was awful at times today and its why hes a liability as a FB. Sid is frustrating one trick to many at time but he did put in 2-3 decent crosses that no one was on the end of and for me thats our problem when we cross the ball the forwards arent getting on the end of it. Rooney himself played a great ball in but no one charged into the box once he went to the wing,. DAyton is lightweight and drifts out of games but is useful with the ball - good lobbed pass for the goal (if he meant it), good shot 2nd half couple of useful through balls The team as whole were flat today we carry on

I thought something similar. Mills brings a good balance between defence and attack at LB Grounds has done OK at CB got the build for it and if he stays there all season fine. At Rotherham he was criticised a bit for loosing a header on the edge of the box after JCH had "given away" a foul but both Mills and Kasunga (Sp? sorry) could have dealt with it. Keep the same team as started v the millers and see what happens (bar wes for mellor obviously) we can create chances with this team what we really need is to score first and a clean sheet Schmeltz is still adapting to league one but he's getting there if we can get him 10 yards further forward we have seen he can get past people and put decent (if a bit erratic) balls in - then its up to the forwards

seen not heard.....no wonder your still alive

we are going to be 6-0 up by half time so we can afford to give a few pens and red cards out

a bit harsh something has gone on somewhere probably that he expected to walk into the team and didn't looks to have ability on the ball but Montano is flying at the mo and Sid is improving so unless we played him off a front man or CM not sure where he was meant to play. Not really bothered either way but the big build up now looks a bit OTT

yeah i agree he was hitting them with venom but to many favourd the keeper if he could get them with that kind of pace and dip just a little outside the 6 yard boxes for players to attack I think we would be a real threat from them