Chester40

My feeling is this is the kind of game where with Warne as manager there is greater cause for optimism than for many a year.

We don't over commit, we have a really good physical presence, we don't feel we to need go toe-to-toe and would be happy to nick/s***house it and have the individual players to win the game with a moment of magic. 

Barnsley need the 3 points, so they will come on to us and that's perfect for the way we will set up.

We have a good keeper,  Adams shielding the back 4 of Niambe, Cashin, Nelson and Elder looks solid. Plenty of pace and ability out wide.

I'd start ;

            Wildsmith 

Niambe Cashin Nelson Elder 

              Adams Bird 

               Thompson 

Wilson        NML        Barks

With Gayle, Sibley,  CBT to come on....

Feel weirdly confident.

"That's very sad news, I say that's very sad news, eh Ashley lad"..

 Never really watched Coronation Street but he still managed to find a way into my and the nation's collective consciousness.

Aged 88. 

On 22/02/2024 at 09:24, David said:

Dani Alves trial: Ex-Brazil player guilty of nightclub rape

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68368372

This as a thread for discussion is possibly a recipe for disaster. 

Either you shake your head and say he should have got longer... or some may start to speculate about the circumstances etc.

At best he's a completely deplorable drunken menace at worst an extremely dangerous sexual predator. 

Plenty of lives ruined, and imo the fact he tried 'to pay her off' shouldn't go in his favour. 

11 hours ago, Henrycav81 said:

Joe Root as always scored quickly he as no need to play any differently to how he’s always played 

The 'Bazball' way of playing has made the whole game much better viewing...but there's a big difference between being aggressive and being ridiculously reckless where there is very little benefit to outweigh the risk. Crazy shot in the circumstances.

Argylle 

I wasn't fully concentrating on it .....but it was decent enough.

Closest I could compare it to was 'True Lies'. 

Throwaway family action comedy with some clever scenes.  Never particularly cared about any of it but was definitely worth watching.

6.5/10

Really interested in this,  surely Gayle is more like eg Washington than Collins.  Pace, plays on the shoulder, will work down the line sometimes. 

Wickham is more obvious as a Collins replacement? Big, strong, likes to back into defenders and lay the ball off. Definitely injury prone though.

Gayle would work well with Waghorn I think. But would be a real change to get both of them of them into the squad.

Struggling to see how he works with the way we currently play because he's not a hold-up, get free kicks and work the back 4 player.

Shefki Kuqi keeps getting mentions for how someone with a poor recent record can do a good job, Kazim-Richards the same...but they are Collins type players!

Gayle undoubtedly is the better player but I'd be thinking Wickham if I were Warne, so I'm fascinated how he utilises him.  Hopefully he doesn't expect Gayle to do what Collins does because that could be a poor move.

10 minutes ago, May Contain Nuts said:

Again, the point has never been that they're bad players, it's that at best they provide competition for players Warne didn't bring in and have not yet proven themselves any better that those who were here, despite the outlay on wages.

Including Bird in the list of his signings yet excluding Fornah? Hmmm, ok?

They all played today and we are 2nd. My point is that some people have totally dismissed his ability to sign decent players. 

He also made the decision to take Bird back...and a lot disagreed.

Your point is that Fornah didn't play. Ok..  that's not mine.

Warne's signings have taken some criticism...

But.... Bradley, Niambe,  Wilson, re-signing Bird, Elder, Nelson,  Adams....  not so shabby...

13 minutes ago, Comrade 86 said:

You've been told the EFL are blocking it?

Not really 'news' is it mate...

Warne says we are 'working with the EFL'... which means we are having to run things by them, explain, beg..  depends on your perspective.

26 minutes ago, CapeTownRams said:

I have and I did….

And it’s a forum for opinions. And opinions i will give. As per anyone else- just feel free to ignore or debate them….. or move on 😎😎👍

It really was one of those games where hindsight puts a very different perspective on things.

First half we set up to outfight them. Pretty dire match with the only chances from our defence making a mess with headers. 

Second half we started to make attacking changes and became the better team.

Still created precious little until NML burst through and Sibley neatly finished what was barely a half chance.

So...was it a tactical masterclass where we won the game pretty much exactly as Warne's tactics aimed to?

Or were we overly negative, forced to make changes and then a moment of magic won us a game we barely deserved to, against a bang average team at home?

Hindsight now says the former,  but it could very easily be that the alternative was the over riding emotion.

I know football is often like that, but today really was an occasion where the result trumps everything.

Bradley was immense. Adams... Cashin....

Our match winners did very little but that's the way it goes.

3 minutes ago, Phoenix said:

I don't recall any criticism about the ref's handling of the match today, or have I missed something? Usually the main topic

Thought he was bloody terrible tbh. Get giving free kicks for nothing and the game deteriorated as a result.

Really dull 2nd half so far.

Back 3 are spreading, looking up the line and Niambe and Elder are too deep and just not giving the outlet to get us up the pitch.

Niambe is definitely a right back not a wing back.

What's weird is we have a ton of midfielders on the bench..  and Fornah and CBT are nowhere near the team ... balance is awful. Need a striker fit ASAP 

Niggly, scrappy game.

Derby not getting a foot on the ball. Barks, Wilson and NML all having very quiet games.

Bradley, Cashin, Adams and Niambe look big and strong... half the strategy is working,  the other isn't.

Bradley looking a really good presence so far.

NML worryingly looks out of place not on the wing so far.

Derby really getting stuck in.

Definitely been told to take the fight to them.

12 minutes ago, sage said:

Opinion close down alert !

Opinion close down alert!

Seems a little condescending and puerile... 🤪

He's obviously decided a powerful team is needed.  Three at center back, Adams... no Hourihane.  

Bit of pace and tricky out wide. Bird as play maker.

Can see the logic. 

Can also see us not retaining the ball very much...

What's your thoughts?

      Nelson Bradley  Cashin

Niambe                         Elder

                   Adams

    Wilson     Bird      Barks

                     NML

???

3 5 2?

1 minute ago, FlyBritishMidland said:

And maybe BT’s sources has said he’s fine but go and put it out there that he’s done for the season.  All mind games 🤞.

 

Has his scope grown to the opposition management taking into account what he says now? Wow

1 minute ago, MackworthRamIsGod said:

If it turns out Collins is fit then it could turn out to be just the tonic for fans to fall in love with him.....

 

.....and fall out of love with @Big Travwho said he was out for the season.

Torn....if our number 1 itk has it so wrong, then there's no one left in the world to trust.

54 minutes ago, David said:

Is anyone else leaning towards the idea that any injury Collins has, isn't that serious, could even be on the bench today with an injection ready to go if needed?

As a journalist going into a pre match press conference knowing the only fit senior striker was due in for a scan on his knee, knowing that, would that not be the first question you would ask?

Looking over on X, both Dom (Radio Derby) and Leigh (DET) have put nothing out there, the last thing said on the 15th is.....

29 hours later all we get is.....

If he's touch and go for today, would make sense to stay quiet on it, leave that doubt a question for Stevenage to ponder over in their pre match preparations. 

If it was serious in that we're expecting him to miss 3, 4, 6 weeks, no real point in delaying the news. 

I'd stick a cheeky fiver on him being sat on the bench today.

I love that interview tbh.

So much sense spoken by Warne.

Made a good point to Dom about the effect of criticism and more importantly he avoids the obvious/easy answer in claiming that he knew things would turn.... and admitting he/you don't.  You do what you can and see how it goes and hope it all comes good.

Disregarding the style of football,  I struggle to see how anyone can find fault with his attitude towards management here.

15 minutes ago, Archied said:

So if we were in for them why did we pull out ? Perhaps we wanted to pay only a figure that fitted in with our business plan , care to tell what that figure is ? , perhaps we wanted to pay only a percentage of theyre wages 🤷🏻‍♂️

Everything coming out about Clowes/Pearson says we are hugely aware of finances and  are determined not to re-make the mistakes of the past.

If other clubs are making OTT demands for 'bit part' players then I can totally see why in consultation Warne said 'Don't do it'... 

It's what I'd  have been thinking! Washington and Waghorn are supposedly close to a return,  Collins is a workhorse who's unlikely to get 'fast twitch' injuries. NML and Barks can do a job in an emergency and we now have options to cover them out wide. In an absolute disaster we can recall Brown from his loan.

No way would I have been thinking we need Wickham. Gayle at a push may have interested me... but now I'd be thinking Wickham fits more into how we play... so I'd then be lumbered with 2 players who are rusty as anything, and one of them breaks down as often as a Morris Minor.

Tiny gripe...but really is getting on my t**s that the bowling speed is shown in km.

136 km or whatever means nowt. It's 90mph that has meaning to me