Why change a winning team?

[TerryPHELAN]

Four changes today, one enforced admittedly with Mannings injury. Why drop cooper? He’s the only one who presses with real energy. And when he presses, the team press too, shifting up the pitch. Also, Sorinola not a left wing back, coupled with Cabangos lack of pace made our left side really week.
Something drastically wrong if ogbeta can’t force his way into the squad.

 

[Nocountryforoldjack]

He admits he fucked it up in his post match interview, took full blame don't side throwing the players under the bus again.

 

[Jak365]

Ogbeta's doing his very utmost in training, many of the players see it and appreciate his qualities in defending and driving fwd both wide and inside. He likes to push on and not check-back in the way Russ is coaching.

Therein lies the Ogbeta dilemma - play to the ways and values inculcated in him at Man City, or listen to Russ' instructions to check-back, tuck in and play safe.

I know what I would do.

 

[LeonWasTheDog's]

You've answered your own question. With Manning out, who else would you have played at LB? There is nobody else, except Naughton. But then who plays the anchor role in defence - there is nobody else.

Cooper is the only choice we could argue over, but then who thinks Cooper is a better player than N'cham yet? Nobody, I'd expect. Starting Cooper wouldn't have changed a thing.

Sadly, we are scraping around to pull a half decent team together and today just showed the gap between the best resourced in this league and us with a threadbare squad.

 

[Cinio Dydd Sul]

Ogbeta's doing his very utmost in training, many of the players see it and appreciate his qualities in defending and driving fwd both wide and inside. He likes to push on and not check-back in the way Russ is coaching.

Therein lies the Ogbeta dilemma - play to the ways and values inculcated in him at Man City, or listen to Russ' instructions to check-back, tuck in and play safe.

I know what I would do.

How do you know Ogbeta is so good in training and that the players love him then? Out of interest.

 

[Jak365]

Ogbeta's doing his very utmost in training, many of the players see it and appreciate his qualities in defending and driving fwd both wide and inside. He likes to push on and not check-back in the way Russ is coaching.

Therein lies the Ogbeta dilemma - play to the ways and values inculcated in him at Man City, or listen to Russ' instructions to check-back, tuck in and play safe.

I know what I would do.

How do you know Ogbeta is so good in training and that the players love him then? Out of interest.

Good question Chief.

Clearly unable to reveal my sources (as mentioned elsewhere). Suffice to say my sources have impeccably delivered over the past few years. Much to the benefit of some particular outlet(s).

Ogbeta's been champing at the bit, and still is to his credit despite repeated knock backs. He 'keeps the faith', religion is big for him and his family, by all accounts. He's almost too nice for his own good.

 

[Niigata Jack]

Ogbeta's doing his very utmost in training, many of the players see it and appreciate his qualities in defending and driving fwd both wide and inside. He likes to push on and not check-back in the way Russ is coaching.

Therein lies the Ogbeta dilemma - play to the ways and values inculcated in him at Man City, or listen to Russ' instructions to check-back, tuck in and play safe.

I know what I would do.

And I do, listen to the manager and knuckle down and learn more to add more strings to my Bow

 

[monmouth]

Naughton. But then who plays the anchor role in defence - there is nobody else.

Cooper is the only choice we could argue over, but then who thinks Cooper is a better player than N'cham yet? Nobody, I'd expect. Starting Cooper wouldn't have changed a thing.

1 Harold Darling.
2 Me. Cooper is much more effective as a starter than Ntcham

 

[Nocountryforoldjack]

Naughton. But then who plays the anchor role in defence - there is nobody else.

Cooper is the only choice we could argue over, but then who thinks Cooper is a better player than N'cham yet? Nobody, I'd expect. Starting Cooper wouldn't have changed a thing.

1 Harold Darling.
2 Me. Cooper is much more effective as a starter than Ntcham

Ntcham is nothing more than a wonder sub and even then only sometimes.

 

[PSumbler]

1 Harold Darling.
2 Me. Cooper is much more effective as a starter than Ntcham

Ntcham is nothing more than a wonder sub and even then only sometimes.

I’d agree with this. There is a reason Ntcham plays at our level and it’s evident from his performances

When he wants to play he’s brilliant and almost impossible to contain at this level. The problem is we don’t see that very often

 

[Risc]

The team looked a disaster before the game, no idea why Darling was overlooked again, lati at rwb just won’t be enough at this level and ntcham starting away form home against one of the top sides is asking for trouble. Not enough energy.

We are still woefully short at wing back, both sides imo.

 

[K23]

Ntcham is nothing more than a wonder sub and even then only sometimes.

I’d agree with this. There is a reason Ntcham plays at our level and it’s evident from his performances

When he wants to play he’s brilliant and almost impossible to contain at this level. The problem is we don’t see that very often

I'd agree with most of that but my take on Ntcham is that he's only at his best when we're really going at teams, going forward at pace, passing quickly, pressing high, etc. He simply can't play pedestrian football which is normally how we start games but bring him on as a sub when we've upped the tempo because we're chasing a game and he's brilliant and airways looks capable of scoring. He'd have been great as a starter in some of Eddie Howe's Bournemouth teams because they always started at 100mph but an RM team rarely does, (although, before anyone mentions it, I acknowledge that we did start better than Burnley yesterday).

 

[Pegojack]

The team looked a disaster before the game, no idea why Darling was overlooked again, lati at rwb just won’t be enough at this level and ntcham starting away form home against one of the top sides is asking for trouble. Not enough energy.

We are still woefully short at wing back, both sides imo.

I agree with the wingback point, this is why we'll be mid table at best again this season. Lati's lack of pace was cruelly exposed yesterday and cost goals. The whole defence was woeful. But Martin's line up was all wrong. I'd have started Cooper and Cundle in place of Piroe and Ncham, and started with a back four, not five, to include Darling. You can decide who the other three defenders would be, but Martin needs to be more flexible and more defensive when playing the top teams away.

 

[Risc]

The team looked a disaster before the game, no idea why Darling was overlooked again, lati at rwb just won’t be enough at this level and ntcham starting away form home against one of the top sides is asking for trouble. Not enough energy.

We are still woefully short at wing back, both sides imo.

I agree with the wingback point, this is why we'll be mid table at best again this season. Lati's lack of pace was cruelly exposed yesterday and cost goals. The whole defence was woeful. But Martin's line up was all wrong. I'd have started Cooper and Cundle in place of Piroe and Ncham, and started with a back four, not five, to include Darling. You can decide who the other three defenders would be, but Martin needs to be more flexible and more defensive when playing the top teams away.

Yeah unless we somehow stay in the hunt until the window opens and bring a few players in, then we’ll fall a long way short I think.

 

[Dr. Winston]

It is quite bizarre how we are persisting with Lati (who I actually quite like as a CB) at RWB. He possesses almost none of the skills required for the job.

What was the purpose of borrowing natural wide players like Stevens or Oko-Flex if we're going to almost totally ignore them?