Match Thread Most liked posts in thread: Away V Newport Tue 9th March. 7pm kick off.

So you want to change 5 of the team? FCD hasn't played for 6 games, Foulds hasn't played a single game, Clarke has played 2 sub appearances since coming back from injury, Evans should be ok but we don't know as he has only just recovered from his injury and Stevens who hasn't show a great deal yet.
I can understand making 1 or possibly 2 changes to rotate the players but you don't rotate 5, especially after the run they have been on.

 

Some people, especially on Twitter, need to get a grip. We were never going to go unbeaten until the end of the season.

Unlike many, I have always thought the play offs were out of reach due to the massive points overhaul required, leaving very little room for dropping points. I want to see a good strong finish to the season, not the end of the world if we dont reach play offs though. For me, its all about strengthening even further in the summer, especially central midfield options, and having a real go next season.

I have heard somebody has been abusive to Sutton on Twitter, that is a disgrace, and we could do without fans like that idiot.

 

That was like a night in cavernes thinking your going home with a stunner and waking up with a pig .

 

Blimey Trevor, that was a bit different to requesting to play elsewhere because their pitch is a bit muddy

 

The point you pick up on is interesting. I agree about Vernam and Crankshaw but i don't put it down to fatigue, more that they couldn't get into the game. And to be fair Bolton have very good players around that midfield, Isgrove, Sarcevic, Keiran Lee and MJ Williams have all played at a better level than this and are very experienced. Add to that the best player on the pitch West Ham loanee Afolayan and Doyle and its by far the best front 6 we've come up against. Don't forget our front 6 is pretty inexperienced when it comes to playing at a higher level and it showed on Saturday. Its good experience for them, only way you can raise your game is by playing against better players than you.

 

Yet the run we have been on suggests we are good enough to go up as a team. I think last nights game will see if we can change our mindset of the last couple of games where mentally we've looked defensive minded. To be fair we didn't do a lot wrong last night but a few on here had mentioned about us conceding too many free kicks near our own goal. On the face of it 2 moments of rashness have cost us points but in truth what cost us was our inability to look like scoring 2 or 3 when we have the opponent rocking.
I agree we do still need recruitment especially in the front six as the back four once again did its job. Too many 6 out of 10s starting to appear and the balance at times seems slightly off. Test of Trueman and Sellars now is how to get that front clicking, we have a few options in the squad.

 

Lots of possession but created little. Poor game management second half. Should be winning games like this if you want to go up.

 

Think that's a result that's been coming for a few weeks, albeit we absolutely threw that game away. We're a team who sits on 1 nils which is a criticism I have of T&S because again tonight we created absolutely nothing. Two chances in the game handed to us by Newport is a poor showing especially after Saturday's attacking performance.

Lessons learnt though, Rowe isn't a 10 and Clarke simply isn't good enough.

 

You probably did Briggus. When we played there before the first Lockdown they definately shared with Newport Gwent Dragons and Newport RFC who I think are a junior club. Rodney Parade has always been a Rugby ground, in the old days County played at Somerton Park but left there when they lost their League status and for some time played 'over the border', hence their nickname The Exiles. They came back and have been at Rodney Parade for a few years. I don't know if the two Rugby clubs still share, the Dragons certainly do. Even in Rugby only times the pitch was always poor due in part to it being next to a river, as is the National Stadium in Cardiff which also suffers.
The ground is owned by the Welsh RFU, everyone else is a tenant, although from what I saw the Dragons rule the roost, everything corporate is branded Dragons.
The pitch was poor last season and I was told they would replace in the summer but that has clearly not happened and it will be impossible now as there are too many games planned, as opposed to Leeds and another two League teams (can't remember who) replacing mid season.
Personal opinion only but I doubt the EFL Board Meeting Thursday will allow a change of venue, it will create a very dangerous precedent, plus by the time the change is announced, if they allow, it will be Friday and playing somewhere else when hotel bookings made for the team will be very difficult given a lot of hotels are closed or part operating,
I would feel the pitch is not dangerous unless there is a frost, just difficult which won't help us but we just have to get on. Having seen the pitch at Harrogate this week, there isn't much difference to Newport and there are plenty of others not in good nick so just get on with it I think will be the EFL attitude.

 

What no Crankshaw, arguably one of our better players yesterday.
I don't get the love in with Clarke, offers very little offensively or defensively IMO.

 

How I expect Crankshaw to look in our beautiful away kit on a perfect pitch

 

No not really, Newport do like to play good football but they don't get much chance on their home pitch. Look at the goal they scored on Saturday and a decent surface at Cardiff, they'll benefit from a good surface just as much as us.

 

Despite what some may think, we got away with one on Saturday. It wasn't anything to do with tiredness or any other excuse you can think of, in fact both Evatt and Truemans post match comments alluded to it and thats what i find refreshing about Truemans post match comments after every game, he see the same game i see. Parkers match review and player scores were bang on too, we are getting big games every week from the likes of Paudie, Canavan, AOC and Sutton. Cooke had his first quiet game for a fair while but Watt, Vernam and Crankshaw were also quiet and we need to see more from these three in the next coming games. The trick on tuesday is to get the balance upfront right. Get it right and we have a chance of the three points.

 

Boltons midfield was the best I've seen at this level. I thought ours was good this year but we've yet to see a performance like they put in against us. That second half was as dominant as you get.

 

I disagree with you disagreeing! ;-)

Fatigue is a real thing. Accumulated muscular fatigue does impact on performance. I think some people read fatigue as being about a lack of energy or general tiredness, but its more complex than that. Given the influx of recent games we've had, I can see it having had an impact. They've been victims of their mini success in a way, as the teams probably needed freshening up before now, but you can't really mess with a team that's been on the run we have. I think what we need, is a free midweek. A chance to give the players a couple of days off and have one or two proper training sessions. I'd imagine that all their midweek time at the moment is spent on recovery.

 

For all the great work tonight, and let’s be honest Newport spent 75% of the game chasing shadows and appealing to the ref, it the onion bag that counts. Flynn must think it’s Xmas!

 

These two clowns on Radio Leeds are questioning the pen, are they for real, Stevie Wonder saw that hand ball.

 

For all that chasing shadows Newport did, we created little of note. And in truth that's what really counts. As Bolton found out.

 

Again can't fault our back four tonight. Silly mistakes from Cook and Sutton undid them. Without Cooke tonight we looked toothless in creating anything. Rowe was anonymous. Cook took his chance well and if he gets the first one it's an assist for the much maligned Clarke. Hard thing to take tonight was it was ours to lose. And we did. Seem to. Lose our shape in the last ten to fifteen minutes of games as well.