The Sibley Enigma

[angieram]

12 hours ago, Carl Sagan said:

I will post in this awfully named thread. I am not convinced that Sibley is a number 10 striker, though McGoldrick doesn't half love dropping deep, so maybe Didzy is indeed really a midfielder. I think Louie's position is in midfield, from box to box, as he has such great ability to carry the ball at a terrified opposition. And, as Warne said today, Louie was specifically tasked with shadowing Brannagan "who's their best player by a country mile". But I certainly think that this Derby team is best when McGoldrick and Sibley are both playing in it, in attacking positions. We struggle to play McGoldrick and Collins together, so the obvious way to improve our attacking threat without two supposed out and out strikers, is to play McGoldrick and Sibley together. Louie is our future but I'd like to see him and McGoldrick playing off each other around the opposition box, for the remainder of this season and, hopefully, next year in the Championship.

I agree with this to some extent, but the way Warne plays with two wingers he'd have to drop Knight to allow Sibley into that role. He is different from McGoldrick in that he likes to start deeper and run at defences. We don't do enough of that, imo. I'd definitely see McGoldrick a bit further forward if that allowed Sibley back into his more natural role. Maybe sacrifice a winger? 

[Wolfie20]

6 hours ago, kevinhectoring said:

I think McGoldrick for all his talents might be a difficult guy to play alongside. 
 

Loved Sibley’s post match interview where he told everyone AM is where he wants to play. Sure Warne was pleased to hear that

Warne on the other hand managed to make Sibleys two excellent goals about Warne: Haha I told sibbo I wish he’d scored another because if he had I’d have been manager of the month.  More careless flippancy from Warne in his interviews - I wish he didn’t try so hard to be cute and quirky. 

Yet again! Give it a rest!

[Anag Ram]

22 minutes ago, angieram said:

I agree with this to some extent, but the way Warne plays with two wingers he'd have to drop Knight to allow Sibley into that role. He is different from McGoldrick in that he likes to start deeper and run at defences. We don't do enough of that, imo. I'd definitely see McGoldrick a bit further forward if that allowed Sibley back into his more natural role. Maybe sacrifice a winger? 

I’d see McGoldrick, Dobbin and Sibley as a powerful attack.

We would need the midfield to stay solid behind it.

[Carl Sagan]

20 minutes ago, angieram said:

I agree with this to some extent, but the way Warne plays with two wingers he'd have to drop Knight to allow Sibley into that role. He is different from McGoldrick in that he likes to start deeper and run at defences. We don't do enough of that, imo. I'd definitely see McGoldrick a bit further forward if that allowed Sibley back into his more natural role. Maybe sacrifice a winger? 

For good or ill (probably ill), I stiill hanker after McClaren's 4-1-2-3 formation with a quarterback defensive midfielder (Thorne) shielding the defence and often starting the attacks, with two more attacking midfielders linking with and often going past the main striker. And I think Sibley and Knight together could be very complementary in those more attacking roles. But Sibley and Hourihane promise more goals and do link well. And Sibley and Bird offer more skill. But Bird and Knight perhaps offer more defensive solidity, though Sibley has had half a season actually playing in defence. And Warne doesn't play this formation anyway.

Currently we mainly play with McGoldrick on his own without Collins, and I don't think we could play with Sibley on his own without Collins - that would be my main point as to why he's not a future McGoldrick replacement.

Speaking of Collins, scoring the winner at Wembley would indeed be the perfect end to his season!

[LeedsRam1999]

I think the real conundrum is who do you play in a 3 man midfield if you play Sibley. 
 

I feel you have to start Knight and Bird when they are fit. So it comes down to Sibley and Hourihane for the third spot.

[angieram]

Let's face it, Bird, Knight and Sibley are THE dream team.

It'll never happen under Warne! 

[sage]

10 minutes ago, angieram said:

Let's face it, Bird, Knight and Sibley are THE dream team.

It'll never happen under Warne! 

Didn't we play this once this season? maybe after a substitution?

[Carnero]

4 hours ago, angieram said:

Let's face it, Bird, Knight and Sibley are THE dream team.

It'll never happen under Warne! 

It happened at Accrington away in his 3rd game ?

[angieram]

7 minutes ago, Carnero said:

It happened at Accrington away in his 3rd game ?

Why didn't he repeat it, I wonder?

[sage]

9 minutes ago, Carnero said:

It happened at Accrington away in his 3rd game ?

I;m sure it happened again recently. I missed Accie away so i'm sure it's not that i'm thinking about. 

[InstaRam]

5 hours ago, angieram said:

Let's face it, Bird, Knight and Sibley are THE dream team.

It'll never happen under Warne! 

100 % behind this! Let the lads play togheter, they will do great. Hourihane is a great alternative since he can fill in when called upon.  

[BramcoteRam84]

Agree with those saying Sibley could be best as a box to box as his ball carrying ability is excellent, he’s also got a knack for arriving late in the box and his finishing is quality. You couldn’t play him there previously as he couldn’t be trusted, not disciplined enough and a walking yellow card. With his stint at left back, he had to improve this area and he has, immeasurably 

Hopefully he gives Warne a conundrum now, certainly took his chance yesterday. Wouldn’t be surprised in the future if Warne played the boy band in a midfield three, although I think Smith, Bird and Sibley could be better.

I think the real enigma now is Jason Knight. I don’t know what he is apart from someone who presses and runs. I don’t know his best position. For Ireland he plays well playing wide. 

He’s got loads of ability but I’ve not seen it for a while for us anyway (he always impresses in an Ireland shirt).  To me at this level he should be bossing the league and he’s not. He drifts in an out of games, his energy is useful winning the ball back winning free kicks pressing the opposition but when I first saw him, doing all that as well as playing 60 yard raking passes, and getting into the box scoring goals with quality finishes, that goal against Morecambe (I think) shows his class, and he was unlucky not to score with a rasper at Barnsley, but we’ve not seen enough considering many of us were thinking he was going to get a move to the premier league. 
 

Of the 3, Max is by far the standout in my view now.

[jono]

11 hours ago, kevinhectoring said:

Agree with your comments about Sibley and apologies if you thought I was saying anything different 

I think we agree about Sibley, I just got about narky about what you felt about Warne which I thought was a bit of a low blow, But hey it’s all about opinions .. no offence taken or given ?

[kevinhectoring]

1 hour ago, BramcoteRam84 said:

think the real enigma now is Jason Knight.

There is little hope for us, if we can’t see that Knight is a must to start every game. 

[Blondest Goat]

19 minutes ago, kevinhectoring said:

There is little hope for us, if we can’t see that Knight is a must to start every game. 

For all those goals and assists you mean?   Sibley matched Knights total league goals for the season in one half of football on Saturday. 

I know there is a Jason Knight love-in on this forum and I think he's a great player but I think he's massively overated by some on here.  He should be having more impact on games in this league if he is anywhere close to being a premier league player.

[kevinhectoring]

6 minutes ago, Blondest Goat said:

For all those goals and assists you mean?   Sibley matched Knights total league goals for the season in one half of football on Saturday. 

I know there is a Jason Knight love-in on this forum and I think he's a great player but I think he's massively overated by some on here.  He should be having more impact on games in this league if he is anywhere close to being a premier league player.

You don’t pick Knight to score goals. Yes he and Cashin are imo our most valuable and marketable players and given his talent he should be having a much greater influence. Hoping Bird will return and it will restore Knight’s mojo 

[sunnyhill60]

12 hours ago, angieram said:

Let's face it, Bird, Knight and Sibley are THE dream team.

It'll never happen under Warne! 

Dream team but for reasons different to what happens on the pitch.

Hourihane's selection by the manager is justified by what I see and WhoScored

[Crewton]

For Jason Knight, see John Mcgovern. He's the oil that makes the machine function, the work that often goes unseen. That's the reason he can (apparently) be a great player, but also "overrated". Like Mcgovern, when he plays well, the team plays well. Like Mcgovern, he could do with adding some goals to his output just so that some of the fanbase notice him more, but thank God that Warne understands what he brings to the team, as he does with Max Bird and is beginning to with Sibbo too. 

[jono]

9 hours ago, Blondest Goat said:

For all those goals and assists you mean?   Sibley matched Knights total league goals for the season in one half of football on Saturday. 

I know there is a Jason Knight love-in on this forum and I think he's a great player but I think he's massively overated by some on here.  He should be having more impact on games in this league if he is anywhere close to being a premier league player.

I just don’t see that, or rather maybe you don’t see the through hardened alloy steel that knight puts in our team ? The ground he covers, the tackles he wins the drive and determination he gives to the whole unit for 90 minutes. It’s not goals and assists, he’s the energy source, the fulcrum, the beating heart across the length and breadth of the pitch. 

[Blondest Goat]

7 minutes ago, jono said:

I just don’t see that, or rather maybe you don’t see the through hardened alloy steel that knight puts in our team ? The ground he covers, the tackles he wins the drive and determination he gives to the whole unit for 90 minutes. It’s not goals and assists, he’s the energy source, the fulcrum, the beating heart across the length and breadth of the pitch. 

Of course I see that.  That is why I described him as a great player.  Goals win games though and Knight has been playing in an attacking position and has scored two goals all season in the league.  Hourihane and NML have got about 7 or 8 each.  They're not in the team for their goal scoring either.  

Knight doesn't take his chances though.  If those two chances Sibley took had fallen to him he would've missed at least one of them and we wouldn't have won the game.  2 or 3 less points.  As good as he is I just think he needs to do more to warrant the hero worship he receives on here.