Positives of season (23-24’)

Very true.

What I'm getting at is, we already have a fair few on the books that have taints for the "Rory role" of the partnership, we don't have any who are the commander or the central vocal guy. The best defensive partnerships we've had since the Davies McArdle days, the CBs are different players with different roles. When it was McArdle and NKP, he took on the leader role and NKP was the ball player who'd take the ball in the back line and play 5 yards further forward than McArdle. Same when Vincelot dropped back there, he took over McArdles role and was the first to challenge for the ball in the air and set the shape.

Same up and down the pyramid for successful teams, you need central defenders who compliment each other. City in big games use Dias and Stones, but neither would be able to do the others role. I think that's why Oyegoke had been getting praise over the last month or so because he was the different type of defender. He could play up a little, cover back with pace and was able to do something other than Platt & Kelly.

 

I think we will have to agree to disagree on this. In my view, we have absolutely no centre half on our books who is fit to lace Rory McArdle's boots, is in the same league as him as a centre half and let alone put in the dedication and effort to the club that he showed.

Rory offered so much more than Platt, Kelly, Stubbs or Taylor, who would the most similar to him.

Rory was very far from being a passive partner. I suspect your memory of Andrew Davies is rose tinted. He was good, very good, and I don't dispute that I would love another one of him, but despite a difference in bulk, Rory could and did do just as much as him to marshall what was a very good defence.

 

Again, you've completely misunderstood my point. I've not once said any of our players are worse than McArdle, better than McArdle or anything on those lines. Never compared McArdles ability to anyone.

I was trying to compare our current defenders to a successful partnership. We have a lot of defenders that seem to be comfy doing what McArdle did as part of that defensive partnership, in being a contestor, a sweeper, the saviour of the two. But we have no defenders who can do the Davies role of the successful partnership, to be the first to all headers, to organise, to be a voice. Not at all comparing roles or abilities to McArdle, Davies or others.

All I was trying to say is we have a lot of defenders that all seem to be of a similar mould, and we don't have the commander type defender at the minute.

 

• Bobby Pointon break through into the first team and some belting goals.
  
• Andy Cook with 19 goals and 10 assists is a decent return. Doesn't get enough credit!
  
• Sam Walker has been a great signing.
• Brad Halliday and his consistency.
  
• Positive end to the season with some great wins but also with some passion and fight added in.

That's it!

 

Also signing of Kavannah. Great prospect.

 

Complete oversight! Yes, I forgot him. Very good prospect

 

How can you forget our young Kav….

 

I agreed to disagree, but my point was you were saying McArdle wasn't a commanding defender and was very similar to what we have now, when clearly he wasn't similar in any way to any of them. He was the glue that held that back four together. A legend, never to be spoken of in the same breath as any player we currently have on our books, especially not any of the centre halves.

 

I wasn't saying that at all, i never once knocked McArdle and have no idea where that bit come from. If you read back, I said after Davies left, McArdle took on that commanding role and did it very well. I was purely talking about in L2, when that was the successful partnership, it wasn't McArdles role to be the units voice and leader. Both did their roles fantastically well in a great partnership and then McArdle went that next level in L1.

Maybe using names was where confusion came along, but my point was you need different styles of defender to make a successful partnership/unit and we seem to have recruited defenders who all play within the same lane, but we need something different in there next season.

 

We beat Wrexham and my son saw us win at Walsall.......

 

Rory was quality just behind Davis That body slam stilL haunts me...... VAR VAR VAR

 

My Wife still enjoys watching the video.

 

Body Slam ? that was a full on slam dunk. Legend.

 

Am I correct in thinking that shortly afterwards Stephen Darby was sent off ?