Match thread: Swindon Town

[Hoop Blah]

Snowball, Hunt, Howard and McAnuff not taking or scoring from many free kicks doesn't mean they can't. We've had two excellent free kick takers in our side over the last two years (Harte and Sigurdsson) and so their opportunities have rightly been limited.

I don't think they're as good as Harte or Sigurdsson when shooting on goal so it's no surprise they haven't scored many. Doesn't mean they can't (doesn't mean they can either mind).

As for Harte's lack of pace. He copes ok with it, however, it does mean that McAnuff has done more defending than we'd probably like and that Harte doesn't support our attacks in a way a quicker full back might. I think McDermott saw it the same way for a while when Harte got a bit lazier and was rightly dropped.

At that point Harte wasn't bringing enough to the table. Generally he's done alright though and the lack of goals elsewhere in the team has meant his goalscoring contribution was required despite his other short comings.

None of that quite covers IR's point that instead of relying on Harte to score a few we might turn our attention to others delivering a better quality into the box for others to scores. It's a pretty valid point although we do still need a bit of both options.

[oldebiscuit]

Just bot back, absolutely dire first half improved in second, will have to be much better for millwall. Really not a lot to get excited about.

It's a freindly youcock! It's ashame you have resumed where you never left off. How hob nob bloggers long for the news that you have "SADLY passed away".

[floyd__streete]

It's a freindly youcock! It's ashame you have resumed where you never left off. How hob nob bloggers long for the news that you have "SADLY passed away".

[Royal Rother]

[brendywendy]

and & and

[Ian Royal]

Possibly a touch on the harsh side.

[leon]

got to be said, he has a point

[FiNeRaIn]

I'm not taking his comment seriously, so no worries. No one is stupid enough to genuinely wish death on a member of an internet forum. Also, I've seen better grammar from a 9 year old.

[roadrunner]

Just bot back, absolutely dire first half improved in second, will have to be much better for millwall. Really not a lot to get excited about.

It's a freindly youcock! It's ashame you have resumed where you never left off. How hob nob bloggers long for the news that you have "SADLY passed away".

Sadly?

[rabidbee]

Manset's misses were quite, quite shocking, but I'm trying to be positive about it. At least he keeps getting into the right positions, with time and room to score. If the coaching staff can just teach him to head the ball, he'd get a hatful.

[Terminal Boardom]

:lol: Still utterly missing the point. Re-reading my post and engaging that (apparently) planet sized brain of yours might make you stop looking like an idiot. Play the post, not the poster.

For once, I agree with where IR is coming from. His original statement was about ability to take free kicks, not just putting the ball in the onion bag. It would be madness to just rely on one free kick specialist in a game. Ideally, to keep the oppo guessiing you would have 3 or 4 options on takers.

[rabidbee]

Actually, wasn't his point that what we might lose from free-kicks we might gain from open play?

[brendywendy]

I don't get excited about any of our players, youth or otherwise. They'll either improve and become too good for us or be average and stay at our level, either way I lose out.

[Royal Rother]

I don't get excited about any of our players, youth or otherwise. They'll either improve and become too good for us or be average and stay at our level, either way I lose out.

[Hoop Blah]

RB, I think the implication below is that both open play might improve as well as putting more 'good balls' into the box from free kicks instead of shooting so often.

Yes we'd miss Harte's ability to pop the ball in the net from a freekick, but perhaps we'd compensate for that by putting good balls into the box rather than shooting and being better going forward down the left flank and less susceptible to pace there.

Having someone with Hartes undoubted ability to score from free kicks around the box is quite a weapon. It certainly won us a few points last season (I'm sure someone else will be able to quantify it), how many we might've won by being a bit more dynamic down the left we just can't know.

The idea that someone else can't be any good at free kicks because someone else in the team takes the majority of them is just daft though. Were Ryan Giggs and Denis Irwin not capable just because Beckham would take all the free kicks if he was on the pitch?

[rabidbee]

The idea that someone else can't be any good at free kicks because someone else in the team takes the majority of them is just daft though. Were Ryan Giggs and Denis Irwin not capable just because Beckham would take all the free kicks if he was on the pitch?

Totally agree with this. But then, Snowball is daft.

[Ian Royal]

It certainly won us a few points last season (I'm sure someone else will be able to quantify it), how many we might've won by being a bit more dynamic down the left we just can't know.

About 8 without checking timings of goals to see if his was the last one which made the differnce. Doncaster (H) W, Norwich (H) D,Hull (H) D, Forest (A) W, Derby (H) W. Although actually he scored one from a corner didn't he... Not sure which game that was so it could also make a difference.

While I'm on my spreadsheet. Howard delivered 5 set pieces which resulted in goals, McAnuff 3, Harte 2 & Sigurdsson, Griffin & Mills 1.

I think Hunt's only taken half a dozen free kicks, but I think he's scored from two. Clearly by snowball rules this means he has the best freekick ability of anyone in the world and should take all of ours.

[Simon's Church]

We should sign Hargreaves to replace Harte, we wouldn't be able to give him much money but we could off him the best chance of not getting injured again. All he has to do is stand still for 90mins apart from the occasional jog forward to take a corner or free-kick, apparently he's good at those.

[bcubed]

I'm not taking his comment seriously, so no worries. No one is stupid enough to genuinely wish death on a member of an internet forum. Also, I've seen better grammar from a 9 year old.

I love this about HNA - where else can you find someone more upset about grammar than with a death wish!!!

[rabidbee]

Primary schools.