Looked very classy today. Moncur had his best game in a reds shirt. Reminded me of Butterfield and Hourihane at times, but has a burst of pace to get away from the opposition. Looks a completely different player to the one who played against Northampton earlier in the season. James was his usual self. It would be great if we could get him on loan again next season but I can't see it. Similarly it would be great if we could keep hold of Scowen, if only to replace James in midfield. I'd be happy with a midfield two of Scowen and Moncur. He can do a job anywhere on the pitch though. Kent has done very well the last few games. He's lost his way at times this season but it's clear he's going to have a very good career. He can beat players for fun and was our brightest attacking spark today. Had Moncur's effort gone in after Kent had beaten three players the club would have to redo the goal of the season nominations. Shame we can't turn some of these home draws into wins though.
Dead right. We looked good today against a decent side. Poor finishing let us down but were creating chances which is pleasing. All is not lost as some doom mongerers think. Things are bright at Oakwell. I took my 4 year old daughter today for her first match and she loved it...or should i say she loved Toby!!
Moncur was good on Thursday and superb today. As the season draws to a close, I'd prefer to stop thinking about Josh and Marley 'possibly' going and instead think about building again with the likes of George. And if Mowatt can kick start next year after a good pre-season ............. new heroes!!! Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk
Josh Scowen could be THE major loss this summer. I think he'll be the hardest player to replace. His work rate is sensational, he has pace, can carry the ball, covers brilliantly, wins the 50/50 balls, wins the second balls etc etc. He's a natural footballer and his work-rate and ability to cover so much ground makes him a perfect player for a team like ours. I see very few Scowen-type players around currently and I worry our midfield would look rather static without him. Agree about George Moncur, looks very classy and a real footballer. He appears to be adding defensive attributes to his game which suggests he may be able to play in a midfield two next season. I'm also looking forward to seeing if Sessi D'Almeida can build on the impressive cameos we saw last August. He will be like a new signing this summer.
Our midfield were outstanding today and created enough chances to have won three games but unfortunately we (not just the strikers) were profligate in front of goal.
I think midfield's looking quite strong going into next season even considering who we're likely to lose. Mowatt and Moncur look very promising in terms of the attacking side to midfield. I don't think they could play in a 2 because there's not enough defensive thinking between them but I'm very encouraged by Moncur and think Mowatt will come good with a pre-season behind him. Then we've got Sessi who will be like a new signing being one defensive option. Would love Scowen to stay but can't see it, so I think we'd need 2 new central midfielders; one attacking and one more defensive. Hopefully we'll be looking at McGheehan from Luton, would also like to look at Mallan from St Mirren who seems to have done well in the last few months. Then a James or Morsy-type player to complement this attacking option. Generally I'd like to see us play with just 2 in the middle but for some games I think playing 2 more defensive minded midfielders with someone like Moncur ahead of them could be effective.
Not convinced that Moncur, Mowatt and Sessi looks a 'quite strong' midfield, at least not compared to what we've had this season. We've been treated with Hourihane, Scowen, Morsy and James and even if we're lucky with a couple of signings our midfield is still going to be weaker. I'd say we need at least one top quality box to box midfielder to play alongside Moncur, plus additional cover.
Credit where it's due - I've been very critical of Moncur but he was outstanding today. I agreed with Hecky's comments when asked about him after the game. He said that he was upset with Moncur after he shirked responsibility leading to Wigan's goals on Thursday and that he needed to be more positive with his passing. In the games I've seen him in before today, he's been a sideways and backwards merchant who's always looked for the ball and been very pretty on it but never actually been productive. Like what Hill called a 'handbrake'. That style of play added to an unwillingness to get stuck in made me think he was a good footballer who simply was never going to fit into the way we play. However, after today I hope he can bevome an important player for us and it seems he is taking onboard the guidance from Hecky about being positive with his use of the ball and driving forward. Well done George.
Of course we're going to need more players, but the players we've got I think are pretty good. I think we need 2 central midfielders
