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Originally Posted by Larry Lobster
That's a very harsh assessment of League 2 fullbacks. Where you expecting to see Ashley Cole? or perhaps Roberto Carlos?
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Don't be facetious. It's not about expectation. Watching Accrington Stanley for over a decade you learn not to be expectant of anything. However there is a definite gap between the best performances I've seen of Bateson/Winnard and the display they put on today. Winnard has certainly had a shaky start to the season, which is not helped by the lack of protection he's being given down his flank.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Larry Lobster
I thought both had good games and provided great attacking options, along with their defensive duties. Bateson I though had an excellent first half where he played a couple of great through balls to the forwards and put in a couple of excellent crosses. Winnard made two or three great surging runs that ended in attempts on goal.
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We must have been watching an entirely different game. I only saw Winnard's runs end in him being boxed in among the opposition's defences, simply because he's not an attacking midfield player; unable to spot passes like Putterill or Ryan. I'd lost count of the amount of Winnard's sideways and backwards passes today. It was like Anthony Barry playing at left-back. I agree that it's good to have forward looking full-backs, always looking to overlap and attack. However if they start to yield little from their attempts (as apparently only I saw today) then it may be better to simplify things. So often the best defences in this league are the ones with four centre half players across the back, rather than the more appealing inclusion of attacking full backs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Larry Lobster
You say we never played anywhere near our top levels. I thought some of the passing football, particularly in the first half was a delight to watch. Wycombe are going to be one of the better sides in this Division and Stanley where a match for them.
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There was a few flashes where Ryan and McConville in particular worked well with Gornell dropping deep, but overall I thought our play was scrappy in comparison to earlier games. Again, it's not about expectation; more of a will to force some kind of positive consistency that has been lacking in our Football League seasons.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Larry Lobster
All in all i think it was a terrific match with the team worthy of far more than the criticism aimed at them in your review of the match.
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A terrific match? Well that's just silly.
p.s. My admittedly harsh remarks in the original post may have been made with a slightly 'knowing cheek' that a certain fanboy would jump to the mentioned player's defence. Apologies!