Reply With QuoteThat game at Derby when we lost 2-0, was that the game that Jimmy had a scuffle with Brian Clough?
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That game at Derby when we lost 2-0, was that the game that Jimmy had a scuffle with Brian Clough?
Yes I think it was - don't think ex Newcastle man Scoular was ex Sunderland player Clough's best mate somehowOriginally Posted by Llanedeyrnblue
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Agree with the main thrust of your report Bob. I feel a lot more optimistic about our performance than many others reflecting on last night's game. We are a tiny footballing nation and have no right to feel disappointed about out playing a team like Ukraine in their own back yard.
Big plus points for me over the two games include:
The emergence of Danny Ward as a capable deputy for Hennessey and it can only be a matter of time before he breaks into the Liverpool first team.
Seeing Joe Allen emerge as a genuine talent to rank up there alongside Ramsey
Witnessing a glut of decent defenders but especially Chester who's style of football will suit the euro's perfectly.
On the downside we are clearly lacking fire power up front. Vokes looks slow and ponderous, Church tries hard but is out of his depth, and Lawrence is experiencing a dip in form.
Still, overall the picture is rosy and I'm confident we will get out of the group. I don't think we have a chance of beating England even with a full team so I'd be tempted to drop our key players and keep them fresh for the Russian match. Controversial but worth considering?
England were good against Germany, but will they be so effective against a team which sits deeper and looks to play on the counter attack themselves?
When you see some of the players who are candidates to miss out on selection for the squad (e.g. Vaughan, Dummett, Matthews, Lawrence and Church), I'd say we have a bit more strength in depth than we do normally and so Coleman may be able to rotate things a bit, but I wouldn't be inclined to virtually concede the England game by fielding an obviously weaker team.
I'm with you when it comes to our forward options - historically, there's always been areas where we have been weak even in the better teams of the past forty or fifty years and I'd say that we are the weakest of the four home nations when it comes to specialist forward players. We struggled for goals with Bale and Ramsey in the team during the qualifying phase and we don't really have the aerial power to be much of a threat from set pieces - if we are going to win any group games, I can only see it being by 1-0.
I thought Bradshaw did well when he came on. He deserved more game time and looks a better bet than either Church or Vokes.
Huws looked neat and tidy and Allen was excellent.
The big headache for Coleman is which defender will miss out. I reckon Gunter and Taylor will be the full backs and that he may play three central defenders in Williams,Chester and Collins meaning Ben Davies is the unlucky one. Dummett looks like missing out too. So we do have some depth there.
I ask don't think Ledley is guaranteed a starting place ahead of Huws.
If we are to play 5 at the back we might be better off with Richards and Davies at Full Back as both offer more going forward.
Harsh on Taylor and Gunter who never let us down, but we really are awful going forward and do we really need to be so defensive all the time ?
Maybe against England, but against Russia and Slovakia we surely must look to win at least one.
Some sides which play with three central defenders use very attacking wing backs who virtually justify the use of the description wingers. On the other hand, under Chris Coleman, three centrebacks has meant us playing with five "proper" defenders on the pitch because our wing backs are more at home when defending than they are attacking.
On the evidence of the qualifying group, Jazz Richards offers more going forward on the right than Chris Gunter does, but I'd be amazed if Coleman would consider leaving out the latter - I believe he's one of the first names on the team sheet. As for the left, I'd say Ben Davies edges it over Neil Taylor going forward, but there's not much in it and I'd prefer to keep the man who did not let us down at all in the qualifying group to stay on the left - I'd use Davies as one of the back three alongside Williams and Chester.
If, say, we needed to beat Russia to qualify, would Coleman look for wing backs that offered more in attack? If he did, then David Cotterill on the right might be worth trying, but, for me, the best of the specialist full backs when it comes to an attacking wing back role would be the Adam Matthews of a few years ago. This is why I'd favour Matthews as the final defender in the squad over someone like Paul Dummett who tends to be a regular starter in the Premier League for Newcastle if fit.
Pearcey mentions Joe Ledley being left out for Emyr Huws, but I'd say Ledley is an almost certain starter against Slovakia if fit. I've always thought Ledley was liked by virtually every manager he's played for because he'll follow any instructions he's given to the letter - I don't believe this is as common in the pro game as you might first think it is. In saying that, I would not be too concerned with us starting the tournament with Huws in the line up because he has impressed me every time he's played for Wales . I think all City fans are guilty to some extent of advocating we go after players who are in the national squad, but my main reason for saying I wish we had tried to get Huws when he left Man City is that he is a talented young player who I can see eventually making it back into the Premier League.
Last edited by the other bob wilson; 30-03-16 at 08:31.
Bob I believe our inability in the final 3rd during our last three games has come from a lack of bravery in the way we have set up.
We look comfortable in the games for the most part (it was only the world class robben who tore us apart against Holland) but I believe we are far too deep in midfield and afraid to commit men forward.
I was at the Holland game and the gap between the midfield and Tom Lawrence was huge.
Lawrence done really well but was essentially feeding off scraps in the same way Fraizer Campbell used to for Cardiff.
The recent games for Wales have reminded of watching Cardiff earlier on this season before we kind of took the chains off and starting scoring a few goals. I think if we are gonna come out of these championships with our head held high we may as well play against teams on the front foot, and of course having half a team back may well help.
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