Re: Played well for 6 months? Wrong on all counts. Not injured. Took a whack to the foot in pre-season, but that healed ages ago. Not gone to Bournemouth.
Re: Played well for 6 months? He was at Oakwell today. The squad travelled to Bournemouth yesterday. It's all irrelevant anyway. Fella won't get a look in under this manager. Which is a shame, but the manager makes the decisions and rightly so, as it's his job that rests on those decisions.
Hassell and Foster are prefect for games where we're on the back fook and defending deep but they won't be as effective when we're attempting to play a high line to get on the front foot. I would hazard a guess that Wiseman may only be second to O'Grady in the MOTM polls and there should be plenty of players dropped before he is. Wiseman vs Henderson is a mismatch in the air, I don't think it was a case of him 'switching off' but more a case of him not having the physical attributes to cope with him. Not every goal we concede us down to bad defending, there's just some situations you struggle to deal with.
There was no mismatch in the air as wiseman didn't leave the ground. He's had a very good start to the season though.
"I'm not discounting the work done by Wiseman, Cranie and Kennedy either. They too were superb" Didn't you read that bit?
I would probably go for cog but wiseman next in line. He shouldn't have been picking him up, but he could have jumped to at least try and put him off.
Wiseman has been great this season. The whole of 2013 in fact. Great may actually be underestimating him. Whoever put Wiseman on Henderson for corners got it wrong. But that doesn't change the fact that Wiseman didn't jump. The fact that he didn't jump doesn't change the fact that he has been great this calendar year. He made a mistake, we all do it. You're right that not all goals conceded are down to bad defending, but the third for Forest was.
Henderson didn't jump either. He just owned Wisey. Which I would expect him to do. Scott has many strengths, but being physical isn't one of them. O'Grady said this t'other day: "I don't lift weights. I don't need to. I just squat defenders." And he does. Which is why if I was making tactical decisions I'd have probably had COG on Henderson at that corner, or perhaps Ramage? And Henderson would still have scored knowing my luck.
Loyalty to Kennedy and Dawson Just as dangerous. Not wanting them bombed out, just not picked at all costs. Why was RNL dropped v Forest btw ? Tinkering = thin ice.
Re: Loyalty to Kennedy and Dawson Got to admit I've been very surprised that Dawson name has only just been mentioned in this thread. Seems he's the new scapegoat.
Re: Loyalty to Kennedy and Dawson I'm not scapegoating him for owt - you know what I think about him, have done from day 1. A decent spell lasts eason hasn't changed my overall opinion - useful squad member but not the midfield lynchpin. The manager's team selections are more worrying this season than any one player.
Re: Loyalty to Kennedy and Dawson Wasn't a dig at you mate, I know you've been wrong about him from the start. Perkins & Kelvin should be the midfield two with either wingers at the side of 'em or Mellis/Polish Tom in front. We will be relegated if we shoe horn on Perkins/Dawson & Kelvin into a midfield 4 or 3.
Re: Loyalty to Kennedy and Dawson In fainress much of that is to do with the poor form of Mellis. I'm certain if he had been playing well the decision would have been 2 from 3 between Perkins, Etuhu and Dawson. And both Perkins and Etuhu have missed games this season because of injury. I still have no issues with all 3 starting against teams like Forest away though. So long as we don't then just lump it upfront to O'Grady.
Having a large squad brings pressure on the manager to pick the right team we're having this debate because he has options and its ultimately his job to make sure he gets the right 11 on the pitch to get results. Thats not necessarily the same 11 each week I accept, but from a defensive point of view history shows that teams with a stable back line are more likely to be solid defensively. Flitcroft is picking the wrong back 4/5, he must be cos we're still conceding too many goals. He has to get this right soon because if it continues, the board have every right to consider alternatives that can. First thing a new manager would do would be drop Wiseman. FACT.