Back From The Game - Nottm Forest

[Woodcote Royal]

Harper isn't the player you bring on when you're chasing a goal generall.

Coppell definitely had a weakness for experience and what he knew had worked previously

Well done, you're getting there.....................slowly

For all these injuries many of these players have played a part pre-season and you seem to dismiss the fact BR picked young players where ever possible and failed to bring on any senior players deemed fit to be sat on the bench......................I think you are in a minority if you see this as mere coincidence.

[Sun Tzu]

He also didn't bring on any youngsters.....

He's clearly undecided !

A team which was a straight 50/50 split between young guns and older players and the one sub a mid range product.

He's hedging his bets.....

[Woodcote Royal]

Shane Long?

[Ian Royal]

Harper isn't the player you bring on when you're chasing a goal generall.

Coppell definitely had a weakness for experience and what he knew had worked previously

Well done, you're getting there.....................slowly

For all these injuries many of these players have played a part pre-season and you seem to dismiss the fact BR picked young players where ever possible and failed to bring on any senior players deemed fit to be sat on the bench......................I think you are in a minority if you see this as mere coincidence.

My view hasn't changed in the slightest. I've always admitted Coppell wasn't perfect, just like Rodger's isn't.

Remind me which attacking senior players we had on the bench which were appropriate to bring on in a team who were playing well but not creating good enough chances?

Harper - not attacking
Gunnarsson - not attacking
Henry - youngster
Long - young and brought on
Siggurdsson - youngster
Hamer - not attacking & youngster
Armstrong - not attacking

Keep making things up to try and justify your stupid prejudice.

[Maguire]

I'd rather have a thumping shot go narrowly wide (Davies free kick for example) than a scuffed shot rolling into the keepers arms.

I wouldn't! Give me a shot on target any day of the week. Why would you want ball in the stands rather than going at the goal?

What shots did we have on target? I honestly can't remember any. Pearce's lofted effort that the keeper effortlessly caught doesn't count.

[Ian Royal]

I'd rather have a thumping shot go narrowly wide (Davies free kick for example) than a scuffed shot rolling into the keepers arms.

I wouldn't! Give me a shot on target any day of the week. Why would you want ball in the stands rather than going at the goal?

What shots did we have on target? I honestly can't remember any. Pearce's lofted effort that the keeper effortlessly caught doesn't count.

Davies hit from range, and possibly a Church header. And you can't rule out Pearce's effort, it was on target and could have gone in. If you prefer anything on target to anything off target you can't then just dismiss an on target shot.

[Woodcote Royal]

He also didn't bring on any youngsters.....

He's clearly undecided !

A team which was a straight 50/50 split between young guns and older players and the one sub a mid range product.

He's hedging his bets.....

Who was the oldest player in that team?

50/50 is just utter nonsense.

Rosenior and Cisse were the only senior players/regular starters from Coppell's era and how old are they?

It was nothing short of a "This is my team and very few of yours will be in it" selection.

Time will tell but even Rosy and Cisse look like they were picked for lack of alternatives (as much as I like Cisse and hope he has a future here) or we've just spent £2m on a defender who is going to sit on the bench.........................clearly a painful day for the Coppellites

[Ian Royal]

Not in the slightest, you mad old coot.

[Maguire]

I'd rather have a thumping shot go narrowly wide (Davies free kick for example) than a scuffed shot rolling into the keepers arms.

I wouldn't! Give me a shot on target any day of the week. Why would you want ball in the stands rather than going at the goal?

What shots did we have on target? I honestly can't remember any. Pearce's lofted effort that the keeper effortlessly caught doesn't count.

Davies hit from range, and possibly a Church header. And you can't rule out Pearce's effort, it was on target and could have gone in. If you prefer anything on target to anything off target you can't then just dismiss an on target shot.

Ah yeah, forgot about Davies ping, that's a fair call.

[Woodcote Royal]

Harper isn't the player you bring on when you're chasing a goal generall.

Coppell definitely had a weakness for experience and what he knew had worked previously

Well done, you're getting there.....................slowly

For all these injuries many of these players have played a part pre-season and you seem to dismiss the fact BR picked young players where ever possible and failed to bring on any senior players deemed fit to be sat on the bench......................I think you are in a minority if you see this as mere coincidence.

My view hasn't changed in the slightest. I've always admitted Coppell wasn't perfect, just like Rodger's isn't.

Remind me which attacking senior players we had on the bench which were appropriate to bring on in a team who were playing well but not creating good enough chances?

Harper - not attacking
Gunnarsson - not attacking
Henry - youngster
Long - young and brought on
Siggurdsson - youngster
Hamer - not attacking & youngster
Armstrong - not attacking

Keep making things up to try and justify your stupid prejudice.

I don't need to with you posting nonsense like this

As I'm sure you realise, getting a much needed goal isn't always about putting the most attacking players on the pitch.

However, having said that, why isn't attacking full back Armstrong an attacking option?

How many vital late goals has James Harper scored down the years?

Gunnarsson coming on might have allowed a more attacking option to get forward.

The fact remains, Brendan Rodgers, rightly or wrongly, used the absolute minimum number of Coppell's senior players with Rosenior being the most notable, who is only 25? and our other right back was injured.

[Ian Royal]

[papereyes]

7 plus a header or 2 I believe. Not great but we had worse last season whilst playing ineffective hoof-it-down-the-channels football.

I don't think you can get much worse than zero shots on target. Did we have any?

Yes, a couple as I recall.

And you can get much worse than zero shots on target. Zero shots would be worse and initself a 'shot on target' as logged by the statisticians doesn;t mean a huge lot. I'd rather have a thumping shot go narrowly wide (Davies free kick for example) than a scuffed shot rolling into the keepers arms.

A keeper can always make a mistake - its a once-in-a-lifetime occurance when a shot off target counts as a goal.

[Southbank Old Boy]

Armstrong an attacking fullback WR?

Do me a favour. He may have played left midfield a bit as a youngster breaking through but he is very much a defend first full back these days, especially when you compare him to the more attacking Bertrand. Thats precisely the reason that Rodgers saw it worthwhile replacing our player of the season with a Chelsea reserve, because he is the more attacking player

As for picking youngsters

Rodgers 8 - very brave to play seven youngsters. Must stay brave when shit older players return to fitness and must be prepared to play more strikers.

Brave?

He didnt have a lot of other options did he? Which senior player (fit that is, ie not Harper, Marek or NHunt) did he leave out for one of these youngsters?

A knackerd old Gunnarson, the replaced Armstrong and SHunt are the only other options arent they?

I will give you the Bertrand over Hunt and maybe Karacan over Gunnarsson (which Coppell did himself anyway) but thats it

The rest picked iteself really, and it was youngsters through lack of alternative (I believe Rodgers wants it that way too, but dont get carried away)

[Royal Rother]

A keeper can always make a mistake - its a once-in-a-lifetime occurance when a shot off target counts as a goal.

When players shoot from distance are they just shooting at the goal in the hope it goes wide of the 'keeper? I hope not.

Is it not fair to suggest that a shot that flies just wide may well be a better effort than one that goes straight at the 'keeper?

[Maguire]

A keeper can always make a mistake - its a once-in-a-lifetime occurance when a shot off target counts as a goal.

When players shoot from distance are they just shooting at the goal in the hope it goes wide of the 'keeper? I hope not.

Is it not fair to suggest that a shot that flies just wide may well be a better effort than one that goes straight at the 'keeper?

Would you take a shot off target (which will never, ever be a goal barrring some peculiar refereeing decision) or one on target, no matter how scuffed, which may end up ina goal? No brainer.

Incidentally, and I realise you don't play football yourself, oftentimes when shooting from distance a player will just be aiming to hit the ball hard and at the goal. It's a nice notion that they are always pinging it at a one foot square space, but they're not.

[Royal Rother]

Often times I'm sure that is the case but surely at professional level they are normally trying to put it wide of the 'keeper when shooting from anything closer than 30 yards?

And on the other point I would prefer to have a shot that is somewhere 2 feet either side of a post than 2 feet either side of the centre of the goal because, even though 50% will go wide, the former will result in a goal far more often than the latter.

[Maguire]

Often times I'm sure that is the case but surely at professional level they are normally trying to put it wide of the 'keeper when shooting from anything closer than 30 yards?

And on the other point I would prefer to have a shot that is somewhere 2 feet either side of a post than 2 feet either side of the centre of the goal because, even though 50% will go wide, the former will result in a goal far more often than the latter.

You are now, quite literally, moving the goalposts

[Southbank Old Boy]

I realise you don't play football yourself, oftentimes when shooting from distance a player will just be aiming to hit the ball hard and at the goal. It's a nice notion that they are always pinging it at a one foot square space, but they're not.

Maybe at your standard, but at a decent level a player will always have a real idea of what they are trying to do, or, in TV parlance, "have a picture in their head"

[Woodcote Royal]

Armstrong an attacking fullback WR?

Do me a favour. He may have played left midfield a bit as a youngster breaking through but he is very much a defend first full back these days, especially when you compare him to the more attacking Bertrand. Thats precisely the reason that Rodgers saw it worthwhile replacing our player of the season with a Chelsea reserve, because he is the more attacking player

As for picking youngsters

Rodgers 8 - very brave to play seven youngsters. Must stay brave when shit older players return to fitness and must be prepared to play more strikers.

Brave?

He didnt have a lot of other options did he? Which senior player (fit that is, ie not Harper, Marek or NHunt) did he leave out for one of these youngsters?

A knackerd old Gunnarson, the replaced Armstrong and SHunt are the only other options arent they?

I will give you the Bertrand over Hunt and maybe Karacan over Gunnarsson (which Coppell did himself anyway) but thats it

The rest picked iteself really, and it was youngsters through lack of alternative (I believe Rodgers wants it that way too, but dont get carried away)

If the side picked itself, don't you find it a little odd that Harper and Marek are fit to play tomorrow night?

And yep, our player of last season is an attacking full back and the player I have most sympathy for in being left out of Saturday's starting line up.

That side was picked by the manager. Wake up and smell the coffee.

[TommyF]

Sometimes shots off target do count if judging the team - lets face it, 99 times out of 100 that Kebe shot would have been on target for other players, including Blue Square Premier ones! The move that led up to it was good and quite frankly should have resulted in a goal and says far more about Kebe than it does about the team that created the chance.

We're short on ability for putting the ball away and that needs to change to be successful this season, but I'm confident about the rest.