Match Thread Home V Stevenage Tue 17th Aug @ 7.45pm

Are you just skipping over the part he played in both the goals?

I'm just wondering if you're using poetic license on the bits you want to include (like the Hanson debate) and ignoring the factual parts that you don't?

To answer the question though, probably not as many as he lost or one of the Oldham center halves might have won the most aerial challenges that game week.

 

Some of us felt that Park's posts aimed at more than Cook's performance against Oldham.

 

Park has talked about Cook since pre season, I’m not specifically talking about Oldham. He’s a poster who doesn’t like to admit he’s ever wrong, and will just go quiet if wrong rather than back up his opinion or admit he’s wrong.

 

Let's be fair, first three games Cook did very little, most of the things upfront came from Angol. Last night was his game, he showed what he can do at league 2 level if chances come his way. Even on Saturday when weren't at our best we should have easily scored 3 or maybe 4.

 

He was wrong but did have a point over those first three games. I guess the difference was the chances fell to Cook and not Angol last night.

 

Where are these stats to be found?

The Hanson debate is a matter of opinion, not fact, just as it is about Cook's performance against Oldham.

I watched the game. I saw him be physically dominated by their CB for most of the game and get only the top of his head (despite being in front of the CB) to a load of directionless headers. If that counts as 'winning aerial duels' then the stat is meaningless.

I'm not skipping over the part he played in the goals. I've acknowledged that he laid on the first. His involvement in the second was a failed attempt to beat a defender. It was fortunate that the ball bounced away from the defender's tackle and fell straight to Angol, who won the penalty. Bugger all to do with any skill or deliberate build up play from Cook, who had lost the ball.
I'm entitled to the view that, by his high standards, Cook had a quiet game on Saturday. It doesn't mean I think he's a poor player. Far from it - I think he's a top striker at this level, but he didn't play like one on Saturday as far as I'm concerned. And most of those who sit near me had the same view, as do several other posters on here. If you think he was good on Saturday, knock yourself out, but I don't.

 

A lot of positives from yesterdays performance. I think a factor that has become all too common with city teams is that we start the game slow, we allow the opposition to grow into the game. Same situation regarding sitting back on one-goal leads. We saw a different approach yesterday, we never let our foot off the gas, I was worried after we scored the second goal that we’d simply allow stevenage to control an dictate the state of play but that wasn’t the case and thankfully so.

I can see Cook getting 25+ goals this year, he fed off scraps last year an still came out with almost 10 goals in half a season, with the way we play these days, a focus primarily on creating chances, I have no doubt that he can be up there for Top scorer in the league at the end of the year. Vernham looked like the player he can be, always attacking the fullback at every opportunity, an as someone said before we haven’t seen that since the days of Mark Marshall. The way he can go wide or can cut inside comfortably means he will be a big threat to the opposition whenever he plays.

Although most of the plaudits went to Cook an Vernham for the game, an rightly so, I do think we also saw yesterday how pivotal Cooke is to our teams performance, always dropping deep or finding space so he can collect the ball an keep the attack flowing. I do worry though if he gets injured that we may struggle, but its too early to say. A lot of players still remain in the wings waiting for their chance, Cranshaw i’ve noticed is very consistent with his delivery with crosses, an we are yet to see Eisa or Songo’o in action. Promising times ahead an roll on Saturday

 

I've just tried to watch Dmitry's full match video on my laptop. It's now stopped playing and told me I've exceeded my free allowance and I have to pay for a MEGA cloud storage account to continue watching. I wasn't aware of this. Is there a way around this or not?

 

How is she supposed to do the laundry then?

 

I bet those around you didn't know that he had 4 parecetamol on Friday night for a banging headache though.

You should let them know so he can barrow Hanson's free pass.

 

Nice dodge. Fordyesque.

 

I disagree with him to a point, he might have been poor against Forest had to miss it in the end so couldn’t say. But against Exeter he would have had a goal if not for a terrible pass by Angol then he got an assist against Oldham. In the league games I’ve seen I’ve noticed the CDM dropping back to help the CB out against him leaving a lot of extra space for other players like Angol, trouble is Angol isn’t as good as Cook at finishing as you say if the chances fell to him over Angol they’d have been his goals it’s one of those things. Under Adams he’ll be a bit of a battering ram and left isolated at times so isn’t going to always look pretty, but atm he’s got 1 assist in 3 and 3 goals in 3 them stats across a season we’d more than take. His third goal was another example of multiple players marking him but he powered through them. It’s unrealistic to expect performances like that every game though, but doesn’t mean he’s been crap by the same token. I’d happily bet anyone he’ll be our top scorer over the season, that’s what I want from my number 9 and if they’re marked out of a game then I expect others to pick up the slack.

 

That's weird that it's letting you view for free but when I try to restart the video I get this:

 

There’s definitely something to work with, with FCD. He’s spirited and he’s still developing physically. His defending is erratic at times, but that can be coached and improved with experience. His crossing is poor and needs to be something he focuses on in training. But as a deputy to Threlkeld, I think he’s a useful option. And he’s responded to the message from Adams well - he could’ve gone into his shell when Adams sent out a warning shot to the young players, but he didn’t.

 

I think if Oldham and Stevenage teach us anything it's that different teams will struggle with different players so those saying Angol was all that after Oldham and that Cook wasn't getting it done looked foolish after Stevenage

It's too early to say that Angol will suddenly be prolific but it's reasonably likely that Cook will score 15-20 goals which also would imply he'll draw quite a few blanks

That's how it goes

Personally not bothered who the best player is as long as we keep finding weaknesses in the opponent's and if we do that who cares who scores

 

The only thing strange on here is you. Just for your information for various reason it was after midnight before I got home last night and we have people staying so have had little time to come on here today.
The performance last night was probably our best performance in recent years and all played their part including FCD criticised by some.
My criticism of Cook was based on Saturday and several other games and pre match was a view shared by many. Just for the record in all my post I said Cook would always be in the team because of his finishing .
Last night not only his scoring but his all round play was great and shows how good he can be let’s hope he keeps up the standard

 

Is that on your phone or laptop?