Most liked posts in thread: Players out of contract in June 2023 including Retained List

Can anybody remind me of our last 'goalscoring' centre midfielder? Are we going all the way back to Dave Syers over a decade ago? He had a few goals in him.

Seem to see quite a few kicking around but we always overlook them. KD Davis, Pattison, Williams, Moncur, Kemp etc. Christ, even Matty Daly has a few in him....

 

10/10 for originality.

It certainly beats the far too easy "he does all the work that goes unnoticed" excuse.

 

Can't you say that about any style though?

There isn't just 'one size fits all' in football and 3 points is 3 points, regardless of how pretty (or not) getting them looked.

 

You've missed the point. Those 15 points cam purely from conceding 9 less goals. That's the fine margin.

 

But that makes it sound like the issue was our defence when it wasn't. For god sake, don't let Hughes see this, it will make him want to go safety first even more.

 

Or we could score 9 more. It doesn't really matter.
Either way we were 9 goals from winning the league.
Probably 4 goals off the Auto's.

 

I would think the only hard luck story would be Mansfield who carried a lot of injuries after Xmas. To finish 1 goal outside the play-offs carrying up to 11 injuries was a good effort. I can't imagine we would have got anywhere near in those circumstances.

 

Hughes will be well aware (I hope) that centre midfield is a weak point. He has had his hands tied a bit with Sutton and Songo not been up to standard and leaving, Osadebe out for a long period and East our only other real option. Clayton came in, but him going is a bonus, he will need to be replaced. And I see us getting another on top of that.

TBH we wouldn't really need goals from midfield if we had a winger that could get us into double figures (we lost Vernham) and a striker that could relied upon when Cook is injured, rotated, out of form. Walker is also good for double figures if he plays a full season.

 

Its an improvement, but doesnt make it ideal. Im saying we have had key players out injured - some for long periods and some for key periods.

 

I don't agree. We've got off very lightly on injuries.
Are you classing Walker as a 'key player'? He's just about the only significant injury we had.
I don't think you could class Odasebe as a 'key player'.

 

Who? Walker for 4 months.
That's it?
Or are you saying Osadebe is a key player?

 

You think we've had a poor injury record this season?

 

We got off lightly. Banks made 20 starts because he was dropped when we went to the diamond.
Foulds came in for a few months for Ridehalgh, when he was injured.
You'd be hard pressed to say Osadebe, Derbyshire, Chapman or Oliver were 'key players'.

If you don't believe me read the article again. 63% drop in injuries sustained in a game.

Northampton & Mansfield went into the run in with 8-11 players injured.
Stevenage had to use 4 GK's as 3 got injured.

Other clubs had it far worse than us.

Our Head of Sports Science is literally bragging about the stats.

 

We can't go all season without any injuries. No team does that.
What would you expect?

 

Don't think injuries had an adverse effect on the season at all. Osadebe we'll never know what he could or couldn't have done but our two best players played all season. None of the back four were out for more than the odd day, and our midfield was virtually the same all season.

 

Don’t forget Mansfield “ invested” heavily for the second season on the spin , yet still blew it. I’m sure Mrs Botox will find plenty more from hubbys wallet?

 

Clough's got a new contract so they they agree that with a reduction in injuries, they would have been right up there.

 

Comparing ourselves with other clubs is key, although not a direct like for like comparator.

 

That’s not bragging, he’s highlighting improved performance. That’s his job!

 

It doesn’t mean anything whatsoever.