Jalo, Cotter and Nwakali

I think Nwakali shares the same problem as Matty Craig. Both are very good players... who play in Connell's position. Clarke has tried playing two of them together. It didn't go well.

 

I think that's too early to say yet, mate. I get he plays deeper, but he has a much better passing range (also early, but seems a fair assessment so far) than Craig. I think Craig & Connell want to do the exact same thing, so playing them together is a tough ask, where as I think Nwakali & Connell/Craig would both be playing deep but with different roles

 

I realize Craig is on loan, so not sure what he’s costing us, but he’s not had a look in for ages.

It seems now, that if fit, we have the same starting eleven, and the same useless like-for-like substitutions, at the same game times. I really hate the 89th minute subs, too.

 

Maybe the 89th minute substitutions are so the player gets a bonus - Clarke trying to be "one of the boys"?

 

As some have mentioned nwakali plays in a 6, like Connell should. When we played in the FA cup last week I said from the off, nwakali should have been the 8 and Connell should’ve been the 6, not the other way round. I think his ability to take a touch past a man and never really lose the ball by passing or dribbling is a trait that would suit him as an 8.

Someone mentioned DKD and Phillips in the same team might have run its course, I’d agree to an extent. Since Phillips came back in we've looked imbalanced, when it was DKD behind the strikers we had a good run of form going. But then you’re left in a conundrum if you drop one of them, do you drop someone you paid 750k for or do you drop your top scorer?

I’m in the camp of pushing Jalo for a run of games. His shoulder injury might have hampered his chances earlier on in the season. But I think there’s a player in there, some disagree, but in order to unearth a gem you have to give him a run of games and not 20 mins here and there. There’s a difference between nurturing a young player and developing him sufficiently.

I’ve never managed to get along with o’keefe as RWB, I’ll concede that he’s better than cotter defensively, and put a good ball in 1 out of 5 times, but for me, a bit like Jalo, I like players who are raw, direct and can beat a man. At the end of the day football is an entertainment sport and the RWB running to his opposing player then turning back and passing it inside or backwards isn’t really my idea of entertainment.

I don’t think Clarke should be outed, as some are saying. When are we, as collective fans, ever going to be happy? Terrible football last year but winning often, not happy. Better football this year but not winning as often, not happy.

Just get behind the boys, irregardless of the board, the manager, the team selection or whatever else annoys you about the club. Come kick off there’s really only 11 pair of legs that can do the business, get behind em. You reds.