Why didn't hourihane play today?

I thought he was over his injury according to Johnson so why didn't he play today?

 

He did...

 

Did you listen or go to the game?

 

I know he walked onto the pitch with the other ten. I was just wondering why he didn't actually play.

 

Haha ok.... In you I trust!

 

Ah ok. You might have made that a bit clearer mucker...

You could ask the same of more than him today but I take your point.

I'm not his biggest fan anyway to be honest, I think his all round game is pretty average and is shown up in games he fails to score or assist - but hopefully he'll score or assist enough over the season to make up for it. There were many games last season which completely passed him by much like today.

However he's had practically no pre-season, he's bound to be a couple of weeks behind fitness and sharpness wise, so even though I wasn't one to heap endless praise on him last year I reckon we ought to give him the benefit of the doubt for a few games or so whilst he catches up.

I've more concern over right full back. I'd have Carl Regan or Dave mulligan back on today's showing.

 

Didn't think we played a RB on a flat back 4 yesterday. It was Scowen in a RWB.

 

We didn't play the first 55 mins with a conventional RB we played with two wing backs. Napoleon (aka LJ) obviously believed three centre-backs and five in midfield could do the job. To be fair it looked quite solid although there were clear signs in the first half that their lightening fast left winger was going to be the main threat. Scowen was played out of position and asked to cover their winger, it wasn't his fault that he was given the run around. Napoleon woke up to this fact and after 55 mins went to a straight back four but this seemed to disrupt things further because there still wasn't enough support from midfield when defending.

Again to be fair even the much lorded Holgate wouldn't have done any better against their winger. If any one reading this went to Colchester last year the same thing occurred we were very good first half and their. Colchester's left winger went around Holgate three times!

Holgate was told to leave last week, Bree was injured (again) and Williams has been handled poorly; his last 'serious' game was away at Guiseley so hardly great preparation for League 1 wingers. Napoleon knew he was losing Holgate, and don't forget his statement last year "I don't play centre-backs in full back positions", and knows Bree is fragile so effectively drops Williams in it through poor man-management; the lad actually did ok and put two good crosses over.

Did Pearson play yesterday (he did) but he contributed little.

 

I thought Pearson was particularly ineffective but he runs about a lot so it's probably ok.

 

He changed the shape to a back three with wing backs because we didn't have a right back.

Or at least not one he was prepared to pick.

 

I disagree. I think he did it to fit hourihane in. We played the same formation in friendlies with holgate playing the right wing back role

 

I agree, but I think we may have done a little bit better with Holgate in the team. I'm sure Ariyibi would've still run rings around Mason, but he knows the position more so than Scowen.

Hourihane and Pearson were both anonymous. The front two tried, but they were pretty isolated after Chesterfield took Crowley out of the game.