I think Kev can now be considered fully match fit.
Clearly wanted to see it to the end on Saturday.
I would not go that far yet, the body takes time to build up to full strength and it would be easy to push it too hard and see him suffer a muscle injury. I would not want to see him play a full 90 minutes yet, especially on the back of 80+ on Saturday, he’s too important for this team.
We are talking about that, yes, but I have previously mentioned reading a game and the need for intelligence. A bit of leading by example is no bad thing.
I completely agree with you but that didn’t seem to be the point you were making earlier in the thread with phrases like “drill sargeant” and “bawling his lungs out”.
Having taught in both the state sector and the private – I can tell you that, for me, the single largest reason why state schools get poorer results is that the independent sector is considerably less tolerant of failure.
Having been educated in both systems, I think this is much more down to the high quality of teaching & other resources in the private sector. A class of 15 is a very different beast from a class of 30. The private sector probably demands higher standards and sets higher expectations but it also has a far greater chance of achieving them. Failure is relative.
Just shouting at people as a motivational tactic is antediluvian.
I still think that promotion in 2014 was under rated not least because Wilcox had to pick up Laws’ mess and cope with a huge number of new signings. Yes he had some good players and in Winnall we had a really reliable goalscorer but we had 14 players in and 10 players out that season, coming on the back of a terrible relegation season. It was a big achievement to get us up, no matter how it was done.
But it set a pattern for just continuously signing more players. How many youth team prospects have become first teamers in Swann’s time? Adelakun, you could argue, though he came through before Swann I think. Anyone else I’m missing? There must be someone!
I agree that the midfield is the biggest problem at the moment but I don’t know how to go about settling that issue.
Maybe Bedeau could make a difference in midfield? I’ve not been impressed with him at centre back but he can play a bit and he could give us a bit of bite in there.
I have a theory that, at this level, the difference between a rubbish team and a title-winning team can just be having players who make a difference at each end of the pitch.
A really good keeper or centre-back and a really sharp (or Sharp?) striker and you can go from bumbling along to beating all-comers.
These difference-makers are so important because, ultimately, there is not much to choose between most teams at this level. So if you have a player who can take more chances than is normal or someone at the back who can stop more than is normal, you’ll turn a 0-1 defeat into a 1-1 draw or a 1-1 into a 2-1.
Who do we have that fits that bill? Van Veen? Possibly but I still think he’s best at making others look good rather than being deadly in front of goal. Eisa? Ditto. At the back? There aren’t really any candidates.
I’m genuinely interested in the thought process behind anyone who looks at the outcome of the last half a dozen manager sackings & thinks that sacking another manager will make a positive difference this time.
I don’t understand praise of being “honest”, what does that mean? Are you expecting a summariser who tells us we’re 4-0 up and haven’t conceded a penalty for 6 months?
Do people think Covid has made much difference to our league position (aside from the fact we’ve got games in hand) this season? Would it have been any different if this had been a normal season?
First time I’ve heard him but I thought he was pretty poor, seems to only be able to talk about running & “hard work”. Nothing else seems to occur to him like confidence, skill, vision, organisation.
I must have missed something SanFran, what you driving at?
I love the FA Cup but it’s hard to think of a match I’ve been less arsed about, given the situation in the country, given the state of the club’s league position, given the daft kick-off time.
It’s a great story worth celebrating. I hope the model they’ve got isn’t wrecked by the pandemic.
I could be wrong but I wonder if they’re actually better set up to survive. Ask yourself this: if you had an actual stake in the club, would you consider chipping in to help it through the bad times? I think I’d be much more likely to do so.
I was reading elsewhere that Exeter are doing well because their outstanding youth academy has seen them receive some big transfer fees, including a chunky sell-on for the striker Brentford sold to Villa (Watkins?). Sure, some of that is lucky timing but it comes from doing things the right way.
Spot on, out of the 30+ we have there are probably 7 or 8 that won’t figure in the match day squad unless we’re devastated by injury or Covid. Also some of those that make the squad will just be there to make up the numbers with little hope of getting on the pitch. A harsh assessment? Maybe but a genuine opinion nonetheless.
Sure, I understand in normal circumstances that fans would want more players but we have a squad of 30+ and we are currently not playing games in front of fans and we’re unlikely to do so for the rest of the season I would have thought.
