Akpan

Agree. I cannot believe how somebody his size is constantly outmuscled and outfought in the middle of the park every week.

His strolling demeanour each week will never endear him to City fans

Another one I hope is never seen again after this season

 

I actually like Akpan and he has improved BUT if as captain you duck out of challenges, get beat in the air and just generally do the bare minimum then as the leader of your team your setting exactly the problem that we currently have.

On the way to the game on Saturday we were listening to the Pulse who had Lee Duxbury on. We don't have a Duxbury. We don't have a player that can stick his boot in, put everything in to his game and go beyond what's needed for 90 minutes. He wouldn't put up with this shower.

 

Nice to see someone actually defending Akpan, but it's true he's not really captain material. However, he was the better of a very bad bunch and he will be just what we need in L2

 

We don’t even have a Darren Morgan

 

I like the bits of the player that Akpan should be, the driving forward with the ball, getting challenges in and making more of a presence. He shows it in bits but not for 90 minutes.

 

Akpan is frustrating he has the ability to drive forward with the ball yet he moves a yard or so and gets rid. He looks like a player who could do so much more yet never does

 

The thing with akpan is he strolls around the pitch in the same sort of way Yaya Toure used to, but obviously with nowhere near the same ability. In his defence I think for the majority of the season he's been too isolated in midfield either because we've played him in there on his own or because he's had a partner nowhere near good enough to be on the pitch (Wright, Anderson) so he's ended up having to do the job of 2 players. When he plays next to LOB he looks a much better player.

 

The isolation point is actually the key problem. He's actually very good doing that Pogba / Toure driving forward - he's an excellent passer. I'd be amazed if his pass completion rate was less than 90% and they are often good passes.

The problem is that he's actually not a DM and needs to playing alongside one. Put him with Cullen all season and we'd probably be where Burton are, at the very least

He'll be excellent in L2, provided he has the correct partner

 

I'm not sure what anyones seen from Akpan to say he's 'just what we'll need in league 2' what we'll need is players up for a scrap, not afraid of a challenge, will take games by the scruff of the neck, will play with intensity and passion for 90 minutes and won't be scared to get stuck in on the fancy dan players.


Akpan isn't that player.

 

One thing for sure, When the opposition break he is never going to catch or keep up with them and for this alone he should be out

 

Him and Payne should be working really together. Akpan winning the ball, and getting it to Payne as much as he can. Unfortunately, Payne seems to have totally switched off, and can't even get in the team (after getting taken off at haf time, do you think we'll see him start again?). Butterfield should easily step into his shoes. Simple remit. Akpan win the ball, give it to Butterfield, who plays balls through to our fowards. Simple. But alas, we only play one up front, and Doyle's confidence and effort have gone. Ball seems to be trying to operate as a winger now, yet keeps coming back for the ball or coming inside, leaving Butterfield (or on Saturday Payne) having no options once he gets the ball.

Connor Wood? Luca Coleville? Where are they? They are players who can get up and down the channels, yet aren't even in the squad. Caddis showed brief glimpses what can happen if the ball is spread wide and put into the box. On Saturday however, he stopped those runs, trying to plug the huge leaking gaps in our defence. Akpan winning or holding the ball in midfield, could at least have a few more options if we had width. And if we did have width, then there would also be more space in midfield for him to make those runs which he looks good at, but doesn't have much opportunity to make.

Whole thing is a shambles. Still not sure what Bowyers tactics are. For me, bringing Wright on, shows he has about as much clue as the other previous managers who failed before him.

Really need Rupp/Rhodes...even our club skipper to give us fans a little insight into what the hell is going on.

 

Why's that? Can you get away with strolling though games in that division?

 

He may be fantastic but I bet you he's on a big whack. Can we carry on with these big money players in L2? Not sure we can.

 

The thing is it is going to cost a lot of money to get rid so if we can get a tune out of the best of them possibly players like Akpan and Mellor we would be better doing that. Along with some of the younger ones like Connor Wood Colville and Robinson if he comes back

 

He didn't pick the Captains armband up.

 

Don't understand your reasoning? If he's been pretty much an ineffective passenger in League One, then he'll be even more of a liability in the league below. There'll be no room in the team for the likes of Akpan if they're hoping to be successful. He's the very antithesis of what I'd hope to see in a League 2 midfielder.

 

I see his physicality been exactly what works in L2. But I don't see him as "ineffective passenger", as in order for that description to be true - you must think there's someone else doing the driving. There isn't and that's the problem - we have no solid defensive midfield players to go alongside him

We've had others who've started their careers poorly and then had a satisfactory following season and Akpan will be in a lesser division (we think)

We can't write him off or any of the contracted ones because of this season - we have to see if they'll be of benefit in L2 and if so keep them, if not try and get rid

 

I don't see him strolling through games. He has a typical languid Afro / Caribbean style, that divides fans as they mistake that for a lack of effort. He made two very good runs and passed the ball well to create an attacking opportunity -one of those times O'Brien decided he'd stop the ball, rather than running into the open space with it

He's not been perfect, but we're talking about L2 here. And I think he's got a better manager who believes in him

But he must have a defensive partner

 

Pretty certain, that Riley, Wright, O'Connor, O'Donnell, Akpan, Scannell, Doyle and Mellor will all be there next season - unless sold / offloaded, with McCartan coming back as well

Some of course will scoff, but that isn't a bad set off players if they can stay fit and get their mentality correct