Match Thread Chesterfield - Coventry City Match Thread - Saturday 2nd Sep (3 Viewers)

Nick

Administrator
Discuss the Chesterfield - Coventry City match, tactics and predictions :)
 

SlowerThanPlatt

Well-Known Member
Didn't really get to follow much last night, who's injured? I read Kelly, Stokes, McDonald, Stevenson and Willis in the match thread I think?
 

oucho

Well-Known Member
If all of those are injured then we don't have a central midfield. I look askance to those who said we didn't need another CM in the squad...
 

Sky Blue Harry H

Well-Known Member
Tickets sold out - Chesterfield sending 200 more (why that few?). Hope it's pay on the gate - their end can hold more than 1200 ?
 

Nick

Administrator
I thought Andreu also played there and changed the game?

Also against a midfield from the League above.
 

SlowerThanPlatt

Well-Known Member
Exactly - not a senior pro. Remember his efforts at Oxford away last season? I still wake up screaming in the night at that one....

He played 22 minutes as a sub when we were already 4-0 down? Most of the fans agree last night he had a solid game and so did Robins.
 

oucho

Well-Known Member
He played 22 minutes as a sub when we were already 4-0 down? Most of the fans agree last night he had a solid game and so did Robins.
Nonetheless, the fact he's our first choice CM after others are out, only reinforces my view that we are a man short in this dept.
 

Nick

Administrator
Nonetheless, the fact he's our first choice CM after others are out, only reinforces my view that we are a man short in this dept.

He isn't first choice if he is only going to play behind 4 or 5 others. That's about 5th choice.
 

Rory83

Well-Known Member
Is any of the back line or midfield actually fit to play?

By all accounts Maycock and Shipley looked lively when they came on last night.
 

oucho

Well-Known Member
He isn't first choice if he is only going to play behind 4 or 5 others. That's about 5th choice.

The point is that we are a man short in CM. I said we needed 3 seniors, we have three with Kelly, Doyle and Stevenson. IMO we are a man short without a 4th senior as cover/competition for the other three. It's not an unreasonable precaution to have 2 players for each position. We play 2 CMs so need 2 spare, but only have one spare (excluding kids) at present. I don't count Vincenti, Andreu etc as they're cover for other areas of the pitch....if they're being moved to cover CM, who's replacing them in the areas from which you've just moved them?
 

Nick

Administrator
The point is that we are a man short in CM. I said we needed 3 seniors, we have three with Kelly, Doyle and Stevenson. IMO we are a man short without a 4th senior as cover/competition for the other three. It's not an unreasonable precaution to have 2 players for each position. We play 2 CMs so need 2 spare, but only have one spare (excluding kids) at present. I don't count Vincenti, Andreu etc as they're cover for other areas of the pitch....if they're being moved to cover CM, who's replacing them in the areas from which you've just moved them?

Not really, both Andreu and Vincenti have both played at CM. If you play them at CM you cover them with players like Duke, McNulty, Jones, Beavon etc or adjust the formation a bit to suit.

It's not as if we are on about sticking Willis or Biamou into centre mid.

There's no point having the fringe players like Shipley and Maycock to not even have them 5th and 6th choice.
 

oucho

Well-Known Member
Not really, both Andreu and Vincenti have both played at CM. If you play them at CM you cover them with players like Duke, McNulty, Jones, Beavon etc or adjust the formation a bit to suit.

It's not as if we are on about sticking Willis or Biamou into centre mid.

There's no point having the fringe players like Shipley and Maycock to not even have them 5th and 6th choice.

I agree to a point. I'm not saying "never pick academy boys" - but they shouldn't be expected to fill in when needed; if they can fight and win a place in the team then all well and good, but they shouldn't be part of our 22 "first team squad".

What I'm saying is that if you move Tony Andreu or Peter Vincenti into CM, then there are fewer options elsewhere. If we are to play 6 players in midfield/attack than we need a senior reserve for each (IMO). The current list reads: Doyle, Kelly, Stevenson, Jones, Andreu, Vincenti, Nazon, Biamou, Thomas, McNulty, Beavon. That's only 11 and thus we are one man short, that man being a CM not a wide man or attacking midfielder.
 

Nick

Administrator
I agree to a point. I'm not saying "never pick academy boys" - but they shouldn't be expected to fill in when needed; if they can fight and win a place in the team then all well and good, but they shouldn't be part of our 22 "first team squad".

What I'm saying is that if you move Tony Andreu or Peter Vincenti into CM, then there are fewer options elsewhere. If we are to play 6 players in midfield/attack than we need a senior reserve for each (IMO). The current list reads: Doyle, Kelly, Stevenson, Jones, Andreu, Vincenti, Nazon, Biamou, Thomas, McNulty, Beavon. That's only 11 and thus we are one man short, that man being a CM not a wide man or attacking midfielder.

That's exactly what 5th and 6th choice players are for though, to fill in when required. I could understand if they were our 1st and 2nd choices but they are there for extreme emergencies. Last season people were pinning their hopes on Stevenson saving us from relegation, now he is on the bench and you are suggesting to get somebody else in front of him in the pecking order.

If you were to put Andreu in midfield you would just change the formation slightly to something like a 4-4-2. You could then have Jones / Duck or even Vincenti on the left / right with McNulty / Beavon / Biamou / Thomas up front with Ponticelli on standby.

It's where a decent manager earns their coin in the lower leagues, where they can't have the luxury of hoarding loads of players.
 

better days

Well-Known Member
Maycock is even younger than Jones but he's taller & bigger physically than most lads his age so has some of the strength to cope in League 2
Like all kids his age he's learning the men's game so could see him coming on as sub in games where we need legs in CM late on
It's a bloody long season so I think Robins have another look at him in remaining Checkatrade rounds
 

oucho

Well-Known Member
That's exactly what 5th and 6th choice players are for though, to fill in when required. I could understand if they were our 1st and 2nd choices but they are there for extreme emergencies. Last season people were pinning their hopes on Stevenson saving us from relegation, now he is on the bench and you are suggesting to get somebody else in front of him in the pecking order.

If you were to put Andreu in midfield you would just change the formation slightly to something like a 4-4-2. You could then have Jones / Duck or even Vincenti on the left / right with McNulty / Beavon / Biamou / Thomas up front with Ponticelli on standby.

It's where a decent manager earns their coin in the lower leagues, where they can't have the luxury of hoarding loads of players.

We don't agree on this. I just think we ought to have someone competing with Kelly, Doyle and Steve (not necessarily at any particular place in the pecking order). I feel like our midfield is a body light, and playing someone out of position as cover won't properly make up for that and will leave us without cover elsewhere. A luxury? Maybe, but that's what I'd prefer to see.
 

Mucca Mad Boys

Well-Known Member
I agree to a point. I'm not saying "never pick academy boys" - but they shouldn't be expected to fill in when needed; if they can fight and win a place in the team then all well and good, but they shouldn't be part of our 22 "first team squad".

What I'm saying is that if you move Tony Andreu or Peter Vincenti into CM, then there are fewer options elsewhere. If we are to play 6 players in midfield/attack than we need a senior reserve for each (IMO). The current list reads: Doyle, Kelly, Stevenson, Jones, Andreu, Vincenti, Nazon, Biamou, Thomas, McNulty, Beavon. That's only 11 and thus we are one man short, that man being a CM not a wide man or attacking midfielder.

Isn't that the point of having a squad? If players get injured players can fit in elsewhere. For CM you have Andreu, Kelly, Doyle, Vincenti and Stevenson who can play there before the academy boys. Wingers you have Nazon, Jones, Vincenti and Andreu before DeKE and Finn. Then we have 4 strikes so if midfield is that depleted, we could switch formation to 4-4-2. We have the squad to do this.

We're not a prem side who have the resources to stockpile players, we have to be intelligent with our resources. I feel like we've done this well enough.

Only 3 CMs make the match day squad, with our strikers, we're already in a position where we have 1 senior striker playing in the U23s for game time. That's before Ponticelli... why sign a player just to start in the U23s?
 

Sky Blue Harry H

Well-Known Member
I feel we have cover in most areas of the pitch. Yes,perhaps we miss a big brute of a centre forward (let's see how MR shuffles his current forwards) and maybe a winger.; however, if Baker comes we will have a (very) poor man's Beckham - who can play wide (ish) and can put in a cross (if pace is lacking. He usually bags a few from distance, too.
 

ricohroar

Well-Known Member
They are not too confident:

So far for this game there has been 46 predictions
9 people going for a home win
10 people going for a draw
27 people going for a away win
 

CCFC88

Well-Known Member
We don't agree on this. I just think we ought to have someone competing with Kelly, Doyle and Steve (not necessarily at any particular place in the pecking order). I feel like our midfield is a body light, and playing someone out of position as cover won't properly make up for that and will leave us without cover elsewhere. A luxury? Maybe, but that's what I'd prefer to see.

You have to have a balance between a squad with depth and being financially viable, in a perfect world yes, youd have 2 full time seasoned pros competing for every position, this isn't a perfect world though, its league 2 football. You cant pay 4 seasoned CM's in league 2, its not like were having to call on 16/17 year olds these are 19/20 year olds who should really be looking to be part of first team football in the next season or two before a decision is made on their future, they are the competition for places.

For the majority of the season Doyle, Kelly, Stevenson will be fit and a fourth would be lucky to make the bench, you have to be resourceful and realistic.
 

COVKIDSNEVERQUIT

Well-Known Member
Be interesting to see if MR switches to 442 for this one.
Yes indeed , good mangers will play the right formation with players that are available !
In the second half against Shrewsbury Town 442 was the right formation, we put them under a lot more pressure which got us back into the game, let's hope MR sticks to it.
 

oucho

Well-Known Member
Do we know who is unfit for tomorrow? If we can get a list then I'll pick my starting XI now so MR knows who to play....
 

steve82

Well-Known Member
Do we know who is unfit for tomorrow? If we can get a list then I'll pick my starting XI now so MR knows who to play....

Be nice to have a idea...
going on Tuesday night there could be minor doubts over Stokes, Willis, Stevenson, DKE and Doyle.
Tho I'm assuming the only long term one maybe Mcdonald.
 

Sky Blue Harry H

Well-Known Member
Having taken in some of the above about squad size, we may start to see the advantage of MRs recruitment and our academy's quality during October - December, as other clubs hit injury issues and are having to scrape the bottom of their own proverbial barrels. That's the bit of positivity I'm taking from the new transfer rules !!
 

ccfcway

Well-Known Member
What I'm saying is that if you move Tony Andreu or Peter Vincenti into CM, then there are fewer options elsewhere. If we are to play 6 players in midfield/attack than we need a senior reserve for each (IMO). The current list reads: Doyle, Kelly, Stevenson, Jones, Andreu, Vincenti, Nazon, Biamou, Thomas, McNulty, Beavon. That's only 11 and thus we are one man short,

or if we play 5 at the back, we have too many in the squad already, without including the youngsters
 

steve82

Well-Known Member
Sod it I'm going for it. On what we know I'm gonna speculate on this.

---------------O'Brien--------------
Grimmer---Willis---Hyam---Stokes
--Vincenti--Doyle(c)--Andreu---JJ--
---------Beavon----McNulty--------

Subs: Burge, DKE, Davis, Kelly, Maycock, Nazon, Biamou,
 

Otis

Well-Known Member
Sod it I'm going for it. On what we know I'm gonna speculate on this.

---------------O'Brien--------------
Grimmer---Willis---Hyam---Stokes
--Vincenti--Doyle(c)--Andreu---JJ--
---------Beavon----McNulty--------

Subs: Burge, DKE, Davis, Kelly, Maycock, Nazon, Biamou,

I think it will be Burge.

I also don't think a Beavon/McNulty combination is working at the moment either.
 

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