Pidge

I sometimes wish all Oldham fans thought the same. Passing forward is more difficult to get right. You are not passing to someone with lots of space. I have often seen players with a pass on, deciding not to make it. When a player does make a pass and miss it, fans jump all over it. Gardener had a game Sat where quite a few passes, corners etc went wrong. There have been a lot of comments about the mistakes. In fact, he was kept on the pitch too long purely because he as the only one looking for and making some decent forward passes.

The highlights view was the same as mine on the day. They both seem to get to the ball at the same time. The ball bounces away as if there was some contact from the defender. It is debatable and I’m not sure how you or the ref could be sure.

He was just coming on when we scored. He was sent to sit down again, so he would have been on 8 or 10 mins earlier.

I’m not sure your assumption that “coming on as an impact sub means you will necessarily score more and hence have a lower minutes per goal stat” actually holds up to scrutiny. That needs some real statistical analysis.

What about his character worries you to the extent it worries you? What do you know that we don’t?

He was fit last home game. Hopefully MM will play him for only 60 mins and continue to protect him. ST playing him far to much his first week back, considering his age and injury history.

I don’t think anyone cares where you are BP. It was you asking questions that the majority didn’t think worth asking, hence the suggestion you go ask them.

I don’t think that was what MM meant by “runners”.

There is plenty of time for this to happen. You really are jumping the gun BP if that’s your criticism of MM, (oh along with not using all his substitutes,)

Youth players can look good against other players of their own age, strength and experience, but when they step up to a competitive match against adults it’s too much. It isn’t really what we need now, to gamble with youth.

It’s not simply about meters run is it? It’s about wanting to get involved, even when the fatigue is kicking in. Eg If a ball breaks free, the person who reacts immediately, (because he really wants the ball) is going to be “running” and we will see that. He also is likely to get there. The player who hesitates ( “maybe someone else is nearer or will go, oh no it’s me, I better go”) is to late, or at best a yard behind. The manager has to work out how to get players wanting to be involved as much as poss.

Not very well worded, a lot of that. The FA has very similar head injury/concussion assessment protocols and return to play protocols. They are regularly reviewed and modified. I think we are on SCAT6 now! The real issues are that the referees do the first assessment and aren’t necessarily good at doing it. I have seen clearly stunned players assessed by the ref and after quite a long 30 seconds the physio is not allowed on. The player is saying “I’m alright” so he doesn’t have to go off. And other times when there was only a weak slap and the player it clearly putting it on. Really more should be seen by the doctor. Maybe having a 3 minute assessment by the doctor off the pitch will be enough deterrent to players faking head injury.

Because every time he plays we look poor? Maybe?

I very much doubt the sharing of this data complies with GDPR. Do you think initially Oldham when they collected the data informed everyone that their data could be used this way? Do you think they make an effort to check the accuracy of the data they are sharing? That Rochdale has checked that the data was collected in a way complying with GDPR? That Rochdale have identified the legal basis they will rely on before collecting the data, and how long they will keep it, and all the other things they have to comply with to legally use the data, including a written contract with Oldham detailing responsibilities. I have no grasp of GDPR, and I guarantee neither do Rochdale and Oldham.

The real issue isn’t fitness. The players who play regularly are all super fit. The real issue is how you perform when you feel tired and maybe have some discomfort, do you ease off, or do you shut it out and keep going hard. Ask the SAS how they get their mentality right. What makes you dig in and put that extra in? Love of your team? Love of your manager? Fear of your manager? Love of the game and winning? All questions for the job application form .

Sorry I’m confused. Are you saying if we also only train twice a week we could run rings around the opposition? I think you just showed how complicated it is.

Great idea! (Not) We have been playing twice a week for some time now and the team as a whole are apparently running out of steam in second halves of games, so clearly they aren’t fit enough, let’s cancel the rest day and work them harder? Strength and conditioning during an active season is not about, just work them harder. It is complicated. A match is the most intensive training session a player will have. Players need recovery. I remember hearing a Team Doctor, from a then recently demoted Prem League club, talk a few years ago. Every morning the 4 sport’s scientists and 4 Physios and Team Doctor would sit and discuss each player to decide what that players activity would be that day. This was then monitored by the GPS trackers and reviewed the next day.

Do we know that, or are you guessing?

I guess that’s what I want to see worked out by the manager. Get an emergency loan in. Try playing our best ball playing defensive CD there and give Sheron licence to roam. Dickenson as suggested by others. Try something, but don’t play Shelton. It doesn’t work!

That is the one thing that worries me about Tommo. Why does he start Shelton again? He has seen the same as us. Shelton and Sheron cannot be together. Again and again the Oldham performance has been terrible with those two. Sheron had done well when with someone else. I get it that there is not much choice, but try something different! Shelton has to be a last resort!

Some may say “why do some people respond to anything anyone else says, in a negative critical way, unless it’s for attention.”

When he does start, let’s hope they give work him back in, not just give him 90 mins straight off. Starting Gardener 3 games in a week was a bit naive or desperate. I agree with Yarddog that we need an extra body in midfield.

They say, “never put anything smaller then your elbow in your ear”

I will agree with you on Thomo when he spots that Shelton is not ready to play. Twice now when he replaced Gardner, we have looked poor again in the middle. When Thomo drops Shelton, I will feel better about him carrying on managing us.

Not sure what was ridiculous. When Shelton came on the performance (obviously the team) reverted to bad habits, and the trigger was him backing off. We needed him to come on and give us energy and keep us on the front foot.