Tyrone Shoelaces

Bravery comes in different forms out on the pitch. You wouldn’t see Berkovic flying in to a tackle but he’d always show for the ball no matter how closely he was being marked.

Perez was ok but didn’t stay long.

No way would I be signing Walker to play right back in a back four today. On the right side of three centre backs in a back five, possibly. When your pace goes it can go awfully quickly.

Hedges and De Neve - deary me. If you rolled them both together you wouldn’t have even a Craig Conway or a Noel Brotherston.

If we had anything like the squad we should have both Montgomery and Tijon would be going out on loan to the next tier or two down. As it is they’ll probably be on a very weak bench.

That’s big for a full back. Big guys don’t turn well. I’ll wait until I’ve seen him play but not many centre halves made good full backs.

Watching him playing against Kargbo will be interesting. Kargbo will be faster running backwards.

It was like losing two players in one. He’d have been perfect for the modern game.

That really is the issue. Get a very solid back four and two wingers who can make things happen and we’ll be no worse off. The secret is in getting those players in.

I remember that cup tie at Leicester JRC had that Harvey Barnes in his back pocket and we were cruising. JRC comes off, Brittain comes on in his place and Barnes ran him ragged. Leicester were shovelled the ball out to his wing. Another 5-10 mins and that game would have gone. A good attacking player who could usually put in a good ball, but for that he wouldn’t have been seen as good enough to get in the team as a pure defender. Keith Newton he wasn’t. Or Henning Berg or Kevin Hird etc etc.

There are basically two types of players - those who play to get you on top in the game and then there are those that play when the first type of players have got you on top. Buckley belongs in the second category.

Too right. If we don’t learn to balance aggression with a bit of grit and determination the Ashes will be staying in Australia.

We seem to produce players like this all the time. Very average. See Scott snd Hackney. They can do the basics but none of them have that game changing “ X “ factor that Wharton has.

He looks pretty ordinary to me. Another one who can run a bit, pass the ball a bit, tackle a bit, head it a bit, have a shot from time to time, look busy. if he wasn’t English nobody would be commenting on him. Wharton is twice the player he is. Wharton can make things happen.

Most of these players have been benefitting from professional coaching for the last 15 years of their lives and more yet they can’t be trusted to land a ball in the danger zone. The mind boggles !

Hackney looked deeply average to me whenever I’ve seen him playing for the young England team.

We have to play the guy who we bought to replace Brittain. The guy who came on yesterday at half time. If not why did we sign him ? Montgomery at right back is a ticking time bomb. You wouldn’t see a tackle like that yesterday on your local rec. I had the sound off on my TV and I thought he was grabbing the lad because the ref had blown up for something. WBA’s coaching staff will have watched yesterdays game and will be targeting him from the off.

We’ve got a board ? Wow. Who are the lucky people ?

The ball was crying.

Yeah I saw it live, a very similar situation.

Montgomery at right back after yesterday ? De Neve instead of Kargbo ?

Toth ?

Poor defending though. Two players tackle each other then the guys at the back must have been saying - “ just come inside and have a pop with your good foot “

Much as I rate Beck as a left back the lad Liverpool signed from Bournemouth is a better prospect. He’s got what Beck has got but more of it.

We were chasing shadows for 3/4 of the game. All their players were technically accomplished, fit and faster than us. Pass and move off either foot. Play in to runners. We play walking football, they played running football.