Doncaster match thread

Payne is just like Billy Clarke - a very skillful player who you struggle to fit into a team at this level. Both can only really play behind a lone striker but you rarely find such a thing in League 1. Hanson couldn't do it, Wyke couldn't do it and Doyle can't do it which is why the various combinations of Clarke/Hanson, Clarke/Wyke and now Payne/Doyle don't work. Unfortunately, the type of player that Clarke and Payne are just doesn't suit our level, which is why you see such players move around so often. They're not good enough to be in the Championship or higher, where they really belong, and too much of a luxury lower down. Because they are so lightweight you daren't play them in a midfield two, so you have to disrupt the shape of the team to accommodate them and eventually the penny drops and they move on. At present we could only fit Payne in if we play (as Hopkin wants) 3-5-2 but that depends on having two mobile wingbacks which we haven't got. And if we do that there's no place for Scannell. If we play 4-4-2 there's no place for Payne. If we play 4-4-1-1(or a variation of it) to accommodate Payne it means we have to have someone to play as a lone striker and we haven't got one.
Conclusion. If they're both fit we can't have Payne and Scannell in the same team and I'd go for Scannell, keep Payne as an impact sub and perhaps send him back in January.

 

Payne's our only player that can score in open play! It would be mental to leave him out.

 

Can, or has? Massive difference .

 

Interesting comment if both are fit I think Hopkin will play both at Doncaster, as daft as it might sound both game winners because both posses skills that many others in our squad don't.
Ironicaly the two games we have won this season they both played.

 

The game where Scannell and Payne worked was when both played out wide in a flat 4 4 2. Our only home points of the season.

 

ATM

 

Yes, but that was only down to horrific finishing from burton.

 

I don't think we should leave out Payne. he's the best player we've got, and we need to fit him in.


that said, I was a massive Billy Clarke fan aswell, so I don't suppose I'm in the majority.

 

You say that Payne would struggle to fit into a team at this level. That's absolute nonsense.
Payne has had very successful loan spells at Southend, Oxford and played in a Blackburn side that gained promotion from this level

 

He's had five clubs already and he's only 23. You might wonder why.

 

I'm quite confident that David Hopkin will get the best out of this squad. We have a fair to decent starting 11 when all are fit but the absolute shambles that 1 man created from the turn of the year cannot be fixed in 2 weeks. I'm sure you've all seen the comments about no ice baths and no protein, a fitness coach who was sacked for causing injuries and poor fitness first time around ( Yes i know the official word was going to be with his wife and it's untrue ). It was inevitable along with a supply teacher as coach and the worst organised pre season we've had, that injuries were going to cause us problems and with no depth it's why we are where we are. Our recovery is still a few weeks away yet and Hopkin has a real job on his hands but unless you're writing off the next 4 games you're going to be quite disappointed. My prediction is a good spanking by3 of them and a point from Bristol Rovers. The defeat to Sunderland will leave us bottom of the league but I'm sure some of you will be ok with that as you're happy just to have a club.

 

*slits throat*

 

Oxford were poor, and he was nothing more than an impact sub at Blackburn.

I suppose if we want to be like Oxford, we're doing just fine - if we want to be more like Blackburn....

 

Doesn't alter my opinion that he has been our best player so far this season and dropping him wouldn't make sense to me

 

It's alright, he was just trying something different...

 

Are they streaming the match tomorrow

 

Who would want to ruin their day watching that shite ?

 

Thought this was a forum for City supporters

 

1000 sold and pay on the day too. Great support given the circumstances