Best XI now transfer window closed

Sarc looks like he's blowing out of his arse after 5 minutes! Doesn't stop him from starting when fit.

 

The latter is getting few and far between at the moment sadly. As I said last week, I’ll be stunned if he gets another deal here next season based on game day availability alone these days ?

 

Tilt was definitely motm against Blackpool and for me completely nullified Salech in the home game. He had poor games against Town and Lincoln but who didn't I suppose.

Rather surprisingly for you all I still think Pennington/ Tilt/ Touray represents our best back 3 and has a good mixture of attributes.

 

Agreed, he had a good game against Cardiff. Sometimes people can be over reliant on statistics in football. I felt like we deserved to win against Donny, and other than the balls up from Walker, they offered little. Yet the stats say it was bang even across the board. Sometimes you have to just watch the game and not look at a sheet of paper, it is why scouts still go to games and actually watch players.

 

Ahah

 

Tilt shouldn’t be playing on the left of a three Touray is better there with wright or Sibley as wing backs

 

The 80s band and music forum is over on www.clarinetbanter.com m9.

 

I'm Alan Partridge.....

 

Pennington looks like he's been taking tips from Kelly with his recent distribution. Tilt had another shocker yesterday. I'd have Touray LCB, Baldwin in the middle and Pennington RCB ideally but I'd much prefer it if GA picked the three that he prefers and stuck with them for a run of games.

 

I do agree somewhat. Every game there seems to be so many changes (although some are to accommodate better players returning from injury - Sarc, Bobby etc). Choose your best players and leave it at that.

 

I find it worrying that we are into February and we still don't know our best defensive lineup

 

I know, it all seems a bit makeshift.

 

I'm hoping the team settles down (injuries permitting) as we get to the business end of the season. Unfortunately for me, I think we've already settled for league 1 football next season and will look to bring in better players in the summer. The recruitment this January smells of having a look at a few potential signings via loan and shifting out the league 2 players early, leaving less to do in the exit category in the summer. Sharpe has already alluded to the number of transfer windows Lincoln have had, to get their squad to where they are now. The only other way to achieve that, in the shortest time possible is to spend, spend, spend and we don't have the owner to do that.

 

I was just thinking about this season this morning. Funny how things work out and expectations change.

We'd have snapped hands off to be in this position at this stage of the season if offered over the summer. But because of the start we had.... we're now probably going to be disappointed if we don't make the playoffs.

Think finishing close to the playoffs is still a success, but will definitely feel like a missed opportunity.

Hopefully we will see a settled side now, and we can kick on. Away from home needs fixing.

 

I think the thought at the back of everyones mind was could we keep up the high pressure tactics as without that it was clear football wise there were/are better technically adept sides in the division. Still a great start to life back.in league one, we have to look out our limitations and how we can improve to the next level.

 

I've seen teams lower down the table look better at playing through the thirds than us, teams like Exeter for instance. But as you say our high press worked a treat and we were clinical to boot.

Luton were good value for their win, but we missed chances and if we'd been clinical could have actually won on another day. Two examples were our first games against Huddersfield and Cardiff. Both teams looked a level above us in the first 15 minutes but didn't take their chances, we were clinical in those games and came away looking like world beaters. On another day however, both score first and we lose comfortably as we did in the respective second games.

Ultimately, we've overachieved for a number of reasons; nothing wrong with finding your level. If Sparks is correct and our budget is 12th, then anything above that is technically an overachievement, even though there will be frustration after where we found ourselves naturally. As you say, the big question for everyone at VP towers is how to improve us to the next level, stand still in football and you are going backwards, and after the good work the club has put in over the last 18 months, it would be a shame to waste the momentum.

 

I agree and that was my preferred approach. We clearly haven't the financial resources at this stage to buy our way to promotion so we have to develop in stages. My only gripe is that we are still playing a system that doesn't suit the players we've brought in, or some already here, but in the long run that won't matter this season. I'm worried about our only permanent signing in Jackson though. Hope he doesn't become Vadaine Oliver mark 2 but I've a horrible feeling he might. We'll see.

 

As you rightly allude to, budgets play a big part in football, finishing in or around the playoffs with a mid table budget can be judged a success even if it doesn't feel like it after challenging the top two.
If we don't achieve promotion via the playoffs, and I suspect we won't due to what I've seen of the team, our expectations as fans will be somewhat higher next season and rightly so. We ain't there just to make up the numbers, I await with interest how we approach the the summer transfer window as I think it will give a decent indication as to the clubs mindset.

 

We are punching above our weight at the moment. But it's only going to get harder next season as higher salaries continue to trickle down the leagues. We may improve our team / squad in the summer, but can't help but think we might get to January 27 and find ourselves a solid mid-table team. It will be hard not to look back at where we were January this year and not see it as an opportunity missed. That said I haven't given up on us yet. The autos might have gone but a couple of good results and we look a solid play-off bet again.