Andy Cook

And in answer to not scoring and being dropped that’s most out and out strikers. If we have other choices….

 

Hope he plays Oliver tonight we need competition so he needs to get off the mark and build confidence which is what all strikers require

 

Looks like. 443 line up

 

Is 12 on our side the only way we will beat them? Or playing without a keeper?

 

One extra player! That's the answer.

 

It would help

 

How far is yours buried in if you think Oliver is going to dislodge cook ?

 

Like this lad Young direct and pacey with a bit of attitude

 

Impressed with a defensive header too.

 

And, he's ours..

 

Might as well sell or let Oliver go then.

 

Aye. Let's just have 11 players in the squad. That'll work.

For a self professed footballing oracle you don't half post some daft stuff sometime.

 

Oliver signed a 3 year contract. If he isn’t going to get into the team what do you think will happen?

He will want to leave or be sold? He didn’t come here to sit on the bench.

 

Or he could just fight for his place in the team. Radical but true.

 

Maybe if our full backs actually put some decent balls into the box for him he might just score a few. Oliver's strength is in the air and most of his goals for Gillingham came from decent crosses for him to get his head onto.

 

Chapman put 2 in for him last night, one he didn't bother running for and one he got completely wrong. It's not the first time he's not bothered this season either. To me he looks like another for the graveyard

 

I'm pretty sure he didn't come here to sit on the bench and no doubt saw himself as the number 1 striker. However, he needs to somehow earn that as he has got off to an underwhelming start with us and right now I would have him as 5th choice!

 

Oliver will find use at some point, probably when Cook drops off the boil. Hughes isn't daft and neither is Hodges. They'll have done their homework on him and Cook and seen the pattern throughout Cooks career and know at some point they'll need another physical forward when they got Oliver. Cooks career is one of a bursts goal scorer, but managers before give him those extra few games to find form before dropping him whereas Hughes is a known tinkerman and wont give a forward that many starts if he's failing in the league. I did a run down of his last few seasons, noting how many games he scored goals in, rather than the tally itself, they always paint a similar picture....

21/22 - He scored in 2 of 9 games before end of Sept. Then 3 scoring games out of 5 appearances before end of Oct. Scored in 3 of his 6 in January. Then scored in 2 of his last 18.

20/21 - He started at Mansfield he scored in 2 of his first 6. Then just 1 in his final 14 games. Joins City and scored in 3 of his first 7 appearances and finished with another 3 goal scoring games in his final 14 appearances.

19/20 - No goals in his first six at Mansfield then scored in 4 of his next 9 apps. Got 2 scoring games in his next 8 appearances then got injured before Covid ended that season.

18/19 - At Walsall, scores in 3 of his first 7 appearances. No goals in his next 7. Follows with 2 scoring games in his next 8 starts. Scores in 4 of his next 7 appearances. Doesn't score in his next 8 appearances and finishes the season with 2 scoring games in his last 6 outings.

Its a very similar run down throughout his career of patchy form. Fingers crossed this is a different season.

 

He’s not as controlled on the ball as compared to Banks, but fair do’s to the lad he had a good game last night and finished really well.