The Voice - Match preview Leyton Orient vs Bradford City Saturday 3rd December 2022 @ 12:30pm

And yet there are still posters telling us that Andy Cook is the problem? It seems a stretch in my mind.

 

Don’t think we’ll find anyone like that who isn’t a first teamer though. Unless we pick up an older player from higher up who isn’t getting game time.

 

The owner and Sparks need to review the objectives for this year. If it was promotion then time for some answers Mark Hughes. If it was stabilisation then time for some answers Sparks as the fans all got the promotion message

 

Hughes is wrecking the confidence of the players, We have better players than those picked sitting on the bench and even in the stand that must be thinking how the fook players so bad are picked in front of them,

 

Not helped by Cook. The 1 up top which is him does nothing to help the 3 behind him.

 

They aren't a perfect match and that 3-1 has never been a prolific set up so far this season. Despite that Andy Cook still remains our best outlet for a goal by some distance.

 

We’re not quite at halfway yet so promotion isn’t out of the question. Worryingly there’s been no talk of strengthening in January or sending players out for game time.

 

Still in the big smoke but my take is we are powder puff in midfield, Platt is lost without Critchlow and we are lacking general quality. Btw Leyton Orient to say they’re flying at the top, their atmosphere was awful!

 

Angol - Played out of position on the left, probably best hold up player we have.
Oliver - wins most headers but given very little game time.
East - Looks to play forward but a little lightweight, but surely deserves a start.
Young - Capable and willing to take people on, scores great goals. Must have fallen out with Hughes.

It could be said that they haven’t taken their chances, but when you know that you’re not going to make the starting 11 next game, what’s the point? Hughes clearly has his favourites and whilst we’re in the playoff positions it’s hard to argue against him, but we could and should have more points than we have. It’s becoming a chore to go down and watch and that wasn’t what I expected at all.

 

You've mentioned Angol and Oliver as good target man, problem is they don't look like scoring. MH is going to persist with 1 up top, so Cook is a no brainer for me because of his goal threat.

The goals output from the midfield 5 is poor and we haven't seen a centre back score yet if I remember rightly, now that is truly shocking when a great deal of goals scored at our level come from set pieces.

 

Take Cook out and God, where would we be

 

Would the midfield score more if they had someone who could help bring them into play and set them up? I’m not sure how many assists Cook has but I don’t recall many. If we took Cook out would the goals be spread more evenly? It’s a risk that Hughes doesn’t seem willing to take. Lee Mills would be perfect in this team. Scored and made his own goals, but also set plenty up for Blake.

 

If the rumours about signing Nichols from Crawley are true Dennis (he was left out of their team yesterday and according to Etherington, he wasn't injured but was told to leave him out) then surely Hughes has to change his tactics and play Nichols alongside Cook? Nichols is a striker after all - and not a lone striker either.

 

The most telling thing in that chart is Chapman’s minutes per goal.
For an attacking player to have a goal every 1641 minutes is a truly awful return and if he’s to be a regular starter and we are to do anything this season this number has to improve markedly.
It’s been mentioned before that a few of the early chances in games have fallen to him and how it could have been so different if we’d gone in front early(especially at home)

 

He’s not the problem on his own far from it, it’s the formation for me now, which doesn’t suit him or other personal.

Using existing squad members

Back four is self explanatory of Halliday, Pratt, Crichlow and marginally Foulds
Middle three of Smallwood, Walker, An Other from East/ Gilly
Front three

Xx-Cook-Xx

 

Young is far too lightweight at the moment, doesn’t like a tackle and importantly doesn’t track back like Wright.

 

That's around 1 goal every 18 games! WTF??? I think I would have a better return than that just by putting my ars* in the way of a miss-hit cross, not only that but I'm 78 too!!