Just back

Pretty good tonight apart from Hooper & Kelly - Vale fans must be laughing their heads off. I'd be tempted to play Asante or Vernon on one leg on Saturday because Cardwell isn't the answer either. Dembele very good and Rose & Berrett were pretty good too. Wouldn't go over the top about the penalty - it was a clever turn by Vydra, too good for Clarke and he bought the challenge. We are in desperate need of a striker though.

Indeed OC, the 2 aforementioned were extremely poor again, idk what RS has seen in training from JJ Hooper but i am not impressed, there seems to be no spark in himnat all

Apart from a moment of madness I thought we played some good football, bolawinwa and dembele outstanding. Was in the main stand and looked to me as if the derby manager had some influence in davies' second yellow.

Listened to the worst ever call in from a fan on the way home. Didn't even know Davies was sent off! Said he was on Facebook!

I thought it was Chris kamara that called in.. "Davies sent off...was he?..i thought he was being subbed" doh

He had a proper Kammy moment, he thought we were bringing a sub on'

I do find it slightly unforgivable that a player who had such bad reviews has somehow found himself not only here, but walking into the side. I'm struggling to see how much research was actually done and how desperate we got.

We sold a striker for £750,000 and replaced him with JJ Hooper.

Quoted from pontoonlew

I do find it slightly unforgivable that a player who had such bad reviews has somehow found himself not only here, but walking into the side. I'm struggling to see how much research was actually done and how desperate we got.

We sold a striker for £750,000 and replaced him with JJ Hooper.

Where has all that money gone Mr Fenty ?

I know we were playing a Championship side, but coupled with the last 2 league matches I belive a fairly decent number of players aren't good enough for the way Slade's formation/way he wants to play.

Agree that we were decent tonight but no goal threat. Sounds bizarre but is Vernon due back on Saturday?

Like i said in another thread. all the main targets turned us down , and we waited that long on them, others got snapped up too  leaving the ,,, no one else wants  up for grabs .  I for one am beginning to fear for this season already.

Quoted from Cloudy

Agree that we were decent tonight but no goal threat. Sounds bizarre but is Vernon due back on Saturday?

Never thought I would type this but I flippin hope so!

With Kelly and Hooper on the field it was like playing with 9 men. In fact we played better with 10 men than we did when they were on. Hope RS and PW can get something out of them otherwise we are lumbered. Great stuff from Dembele and Tom playing out wide, but no goal threat.. Thought Berret did pretty well tonight. Their lad just too good for Clarke to draw the pen. Given the Davies professional foul was in the middle of their half I was surprised to see a red card.

Quoted from pontoonlew

I do find it slightly unforgivable that a player who had such bad reviews has somehow found himself not only here, but walking into the side. I'm struggling to see how much research was actually done and how desperate we got.

We sold a striker for £750,000 and replaced him with JJ Hooper.

He's played 2 games. He's clearly not a target man, but I think people are being a little unfair, there were some good touches and he did well backing in at times. Bit early to be judged on a half away from home and 60 minutes against a championship side as a lone striker. He's a 4th tier player, what are folk expecting?

I thought we were decent tonight. Slade set us up well and we were having the better of it until the pen. Thought Berret was excellent in the middle of the park. Dembele is great to watch, he has unbelievable quality and is one of those players that don't end up at Town very often. He is Oster and Bonnetti level of exciting.

Quoted from Mariner Ronnie

Listened to the worst ever call in from a fan on the way home. Didn't even know Davies was sent off! Said he was on Facebook!

Chris Kamara eat your heart out!!!  

Performance was much better than the last two games and for a change it was entertaining to watch.
Cannot understand why Davies got his second yellow it should have never been a foul.
Dembele is class, not only his skill but also his work rate and attitude.
Severely lacking up front and when our best chance was from a Mckeown header, that says it all.
Early days but no where near promotion standard yet.

Quoted from headingly_mariner

He's played 2 games. He's clearly not a target man, but I think people are being a little unfair, there were some good touches and he did well backing in at times. Bit early to be judged on a half away from home and 60 minutes against a championship side as a lone striker. He's a 4th tier player, what are folk expecting?

I thought we were decent tonight. Slade set us up well and we were having the better of it until the pen. Thought Berret was excellent in the middle of the park. Dembele is great to watch, he has unbelievable quality and is one of those players that don't end up at Town very often. He is Oster and Bonnetti level of exciting.

Didn't want to use the words Berrett and excellent in the same sentence for fear of the Berrett bashers but he was exactly that.

Quoted from oldun

With Kelly and Hooper on the field it was like playing with 9 men. In fact we played better with 10 men than we did when they were on. Hope RS and PW can get something out of them otherwise we are lumbered. Great stuff from Dembele and Tom playing out wide, but no goal threat.. Thought Berret did pretty well tonight. Their lad just too good for Clarke to draw the pen. Given the Davies professional foul was in the middle of their half I was surprised to see a red card.

Disagree about Kelly at least he tried to get us up the field attacking wise had a few decent runs with no striker around him in sight, I'm more concerned about Clarke gifting another Goal away that's 3 in 3 games now He had a chance before the penalty to clear the ball and dallied on it which seconds later became a penalty thate worrying a goal a game at the moment and oh another red card that must be some sort of record other than that was a good game against some very good quality players UTM

Cardwell was much better up front and puts himself about but without players pushing past him we just invite teams onto us again.

Dembele and Bolarinwa were excellent tonight and I thought Berrett was too. Rose looked off the pace but it was Championship opposition.

What does Karleigh Osborne have to do to get a game?

Well that was far, far better than Saturday. We matched what was essentially a Derby reserve side in every department except pace for large parts of the game. Lack of pace got Davies sent off and a bit of quick thinking forced Clarke to concede the penalty. Dembele is the sort of player who can fill grounds. Tonight he was worth the admission fee on his own. Great performance culminating in a shot their keeper did really well to keep out. I'll be amazed if he is still with us in January such is the gulf in talent between him and any of his team mates. Both Berrett and Rose did well using the greater space Derby afforded them. Bolarinwa caused all sorts of problems out wide but still lacks a consistent end product.  Collins and Clarke (penalty aside) dealt well with just about everything to the extent I can barely remember Macca making a save.
It's well documented but tonight reaffirmed that our problem is going to be scoring goals. Dembele aside Town posed little threat going forward. Hooper did very little again and Cardwell tried really hard but was really up against it with the ball continually being played to his head. I forgot Kelly was playing. The sending off made a difficult job virtually impossible but we did get a decent cameo from Jaiyesimi. Macca might have earned extra time when he got his head to a last minute of time allowed corner but that was as good as it got.

Dembele has a lot of skill and talent and looks dangerous but he can be as brilliant as he wants but the others around him simply aren't good enough to allow us to exploit his brilliance. Berrett and Rose were our best players and Bolarinwa looked dangerous, thought we missed Jones who needs to play further up field and Vernon must play if fit (which shows how badly it's gone since last January).

Quoted from oldun

With Kelly and Hooper on the field it was like playing with 9 men .

Me and my mates were saying exactly the same thing. It's obvious that neither of them give a toss about the club! I don't know what the hell Slade was thinking when getting them!!!

Quoted from Mariner Ronnie

Apart from a moment of madness I thought we played some good football, bolawinwa and dembele outstanding. Was in the main stand and looked to me as if the derby manager had some influence in davies' second yellow.

Listened to the worst ever call in from a fan on the way home. Didn't even know Davies was sent off! Said he was on Facebook!

Yeah heard that. Totally cringeworthy

Really enjoyable game that. We looked much improved in sections of the game and caused Derby some problems, Dembele and Bolarinwa in particular.

It's clear to see though that we are pretty much playing without a centre forward. No disrespect to JJ Hooper but he looks a million miles short of the required standard. Some strikers can make up for that by being physical, quick or having a high work rate, Hooper doesn't seem to have any of these qualities and I can't for the life of me see why he warranted a 2 year contract.

The back 4 didn't have an awful lot of defensive work to do really, Davies looked good at full back and was probably a victim of circumstance for the red. Dixon, despite the odd misplaced pass looked better, and Collins dealt with Chris Martin very well. Clarke had a decent game until a moment of madness for the pen. He got far too tight and the player just rolled him easily, he should have given him half a yard as it was obvious what he was going to do.

The midfield 2 of Rose and Berrett were excellent in my opinion. Rose does all the ugly stuff, intelligent positioning, intercepting and tackling. Berrett tracks midfield runners very well. Craig Bryson is well known in the championship for his late runs into the box, but he didn't get a sniff today as Berrett went with him step by step.

I thought Sam Kelly was better than he has been but he still flatters to deceive. I think he's lacking in a bit of confidence. Bolarinwa is such a pain in the backside for full backs when he plays like that, and deserves to keep his place.

Dembele... what a player we've got ourselves here. He gets me off my seat every time he gets the ball and is almost worth the entry fee alone. I always think "he'll get tackled this time" but he still manages to wriggle free with the ball. He's only 20 and if he can add a goal or 2 to his game then we could have our most valuable asset since John Oster.

Quoted from headingly_mariner

He's played 2 games. He's clearly not a target man, but I think people are being a little unfair, there were some good touches and he did well backing in at times. Bit early to be judged on a half away from home and 60 minutes against a championship side as a lone striker. He's a 4th tier player, what are folk expecting?

I thought we were decent tonight. Slade set us up well and we were having the better of it until the pen. Thought Berret was excellent in the middle of the park. Dembele is great to watch, he has unbelievable quality and is one of those players that don't end up at Town very often. He is Oster and Bonnetti level of exciting.

The 'he's in this league for a reason' type of comments often make me cringe. It's such a urine poor excuse. if you got a terrible service in a shop, would you accept the excuse 'well that's why he works in Tesco and not at NASA, what did you expect?'

Dembele is mint though.

Quoted from pontoonlew

The 'he's in this league for a reason' type of comments often make me cringe. It's such a urine poor excuse. if you got a terrible service in a shop, would you accept the excuse 'well that's why he works in Tesco and not at NASA, what did you expect?'

Dembele is mint though.

That's fine, but he didn't really do anything wrong tonight. He's the victim of his reputation from his time at a woeful relegated side. Surely it is too soon to have made a judgment on him. He hasn't even had a chance to miss yet.

Quite pleased with the performance tonight in the main. The defence played pretty well, Clarke's errors leading to the goal aside. Berrett's best game for an age, but he won't get that amount of time on the ball in League Two and I think that's where he struggles. Rose did OK as well and, of course, the two wingers played very well and caused lots of problems to Derby. Bolarinwa had them worried with his pace, power and running with the ball and, of course, Dembele turned them inside out at times. My main worry as regards Dembele is that, for all the men he beats during a game, we don't see enough chances created or problems caused. He did very well in the second half with that chance their keeper saved, however. More of that, please!

Was it actually a 'reserve' Derby team? Five of the starting players had shirt numbers between 1 and 11 and seven of the starting 11 were international footballers, including three of the defenders. Considering this, expecting too much from any of our strikers tonight seems a lot to ask.

Also, for all the criticism of our lack of goal threat, we still managed more shots on target than our opponents who played against ten men for half an hour and who also committed a lot more cynical fouls than us in defensive areas! As for the red card, it looked incredibly harsh for me as I thought Davies had actually kicked the ball for the second yellow. Even if not, it was a very borderline decision for the booking. I assume the first yellow was for dissent so I suppose he has himself to blame to some degree. Wouldn't mind too much but their number 4 was booked earlier on then cynically took Bolarinwa out when he was on a run not too far from the end. The referee chickened out and just awarded a free-kick when it was a clear second booking. Yet another bad refereeing decision against us, yet another red card.

Quoted from Mariner Ronnie

Apart from a moment of madness I thought we played some good football, bolawinwa and dembele outstanding. Was in the main stand and looked to me as if the derby manager had some influence in davies' second yellow.

Listened to the worst ever call in from a fan on the way home. Didn't even know Davies was sent off! Said he was on Facebook!

Agree about Bolarinwa and Dembele, I also thought Berrett did ok first half but went missing in the second.

Hooper, Rose and Kelly weren't up to much in my opinion and very poor play by Clarke for their penalty.

Again one man up front even when 1-0 down in a cup game is barmy in my opinion, and to make matters worse McKeown looked more like scoring than Hooper or Cardwell.

Thought he was a decent ref tonight. Their 4 might have had a second booking, but that would've been a little harsh.
Dembele is a bit special. His first real spark set The tone. He controlled and turned by the Findus, leaving the defenders looking silly. Continued in that vein through the rest of the game. We need a 9 and a 10 who are able to play Sladeball. Vernon might be the former, but I don't yet see the latter. Jones? Osborne? Clements?

Unable to make the game but it sounds like the application and heart that appeared missing on Saturday came back and the performance was better than Tondours commentary suggested.

From what I have seen so far I think Russ's only option is to go into the U23 loan market and try and bring in a young striker from a big club who has lots of energy and enthusiasm at the very least

Looking forward to Saturday versus a bit of a bogey side for Town so a good challenge

To play a game with a lone striker means that striker has to be pretty good at several aspects of the game. "At the moment" we don't appear to have anyone capable of filling that role,so why do we persist with it. I feel Slade should bite the bullet and try to get a different formation going. A good manager has different plans to suit the situation. At the moment the future looks pretty bleak if Slade persists with the present system. I have supported Town for over 60years and want them to do well but cannot see it happening with the present ideas. We are obviously limited with the players we have but this cannot be put down to Slades predecessor.  

A loan striker/target man has to be clever with his runs, hard working and have the ability to win balls lofted to him.
The only person we have now who does a half decent job is Vernon who had he played alongside Jones last night we may easily have scored a couple, sadly it wasn`t possible.

IMO on the discipline side experienced older and slower defending players get frustrated more at how they used to perform and no longer have the speed of youth to do it anymore so, resulting in fouls and cards.

If the Derby defenders could have nobbled Dembele last night for making them look fools they would have done, fact is they could not catch twinkle toes, too quick, too clever.

What's worrying me and I'm sure plenty of you, is where are the goals going to come from this season.

Although we played okay last night it was a damning indictment on the match, that the closest we came to a goal was McKeown's header at the death.

I'm sure that Dembele's close-range shot which their keeper did well to save was closer to a goal than McKeown's header!

Don't disagree that the one up top formation isn't working out at the moment. It doesn't help that Hooper doesn't appear to have the necessary attributes to play as a lone striker and I'm not convinced Cardwell is quick enough or experienced enough to play the role either. Might be different if we had a dominant midfield but, with the best will in the world, you can't really see us getting well on top in the middle with our current set of players.

Dembele aside we have nothing going forward. Bolarinwa ran his bloody heart out but never really troubled them, especially when he spent most his time chasing lost causes. Tactically we're set up completely wrong. The fact we're down to the bare bones up top doesn't help but I don't see goals coming from midfield either.

The lad from Norwich showed a few brief moments when he came on. I would like to see him and Bolarinwa wide with Dembele playing off the frontman.  No long balls either. Utilise the quick movement we have rather than expect them to win it in the air.  I know he's derided by some but we miss Vernon, he was key at Chesterfield in linking it altogether. We also miss his experience in an otherwise un-experienced attack.

Quoted from diehardmariner

Dembele aside we have nothing going forward. Bolarinwa ran his bloody heart out but never really troubled them, especially when he spent most his time chasing lost causes. Tactically we're set up completely wrong. The fact we're down to the bare bones up top doesn't help but I don't see goals coming from midfield either.

The lad from Norwich showed a few brief moments when he came on. I would like to see him and Bolarinwa wide with Dembele playing off the frontman.  No long balls either. Utilise the quick movement we have rather than expect them to win it in the air.  I know he's derided by some but we miss Vernon, he was key at Chesterfield in linking it altogether. We also miss his experience in an otherwise un-experienced attack.

i thought Slade was spot on tactically last night. We were set up to counter and not allow them to play in our half. Had he gone for that much pace against Coventry we might have seen a different result. We were the better side against a top championship outfit.

To be honest, I was referring to the season overall (especially since losing Vernon to injury).

Quoted from headingly_mariner

i thought Slade was spot on tactically last night. We were set up to counter and not allow them to play in our half. Had he gone for that much pace against Coventry we might have seen a different result. We were the better side against a top championship outfit.

I'd love some of what you have been smoking.

Quoted from denni266

Like i said in another thread. all the main targets turned us down , and we waited that long on them, others got snapped up too  leaving the ,,, no one else wants  up for grabs .  I for one am beginning to fear for this season already.

I dont fear for this season yet as I still have faith in Slade but granted he can only work with whats in front of him and after the Coventry game I wasnt that impressed apart from Dembele. Having said that I can forgive lack of talent as long as the effort is forthcoming.  

Like you have alluded to players didnt want to come here possibly due to money/location and other teams offering better.Having said that least we have the history of our proud little club .Further to that on matchdays it feels like a traditional small professional club with the stadium and good fan support.That has to be a plus in our signing of players

Quoted from Rick12

I dont fear for this season yet as I still have faith in Slade but granted he can only work with whats in front of him and after the Coventry game I wasnt that impressed apart from Dembele

Like you have alluded to players didnt want to come here possibly due to money/location and other teams offering better.Having said that least we have the history of our proud little club .Further to that on matchdays it feels like a traditional small professional club with the stadium and good fan support.That has to be a plus in our signing of players

Players couldn't give two hoots about history. They no more care for our history than you or I care for the history of Newport for example.

Quoted from mariner91

Players couldn't give two hoots about history. They no more care for our history than you or I care for the history of Newport for example.

Some do though Mariner.Ive spoken to them and can testify to this

Quoted from Rick12

Some do though Mariner.Ive spoken to them and can testify to this

You believe the platitudes players give when speaking to fans or the media? They would say "the history was a big plus" or something along those lines whoever they signed for.

Quoted from mariner91

You believe the platitudes players give when speaking to fans or the media? They would say "the history was a big plus" or something along those lines whoever they signed for.

I do yes although money will play a bigger factor.Put yourself in their shoes for example as a lower league player and you have the chance for signing for Grimsby or say a Morecambe with respect and both are offering you similar money(Liam Hearn said something similar about our stadium and it impressing him) .Least when you hang up your boots you can say you played for a half decent traditional club like Grimsby.

Quoted from Rick12

I dont fear for this season yet as I still have faith in Slade but granted he can only work with whats in front of him and after the Coventry game I wasnt that impressed apart from Dembele. Having said that I can forgive lack of talent as long as the effort is forthcoming.  

Like you have alluded to players didnt want to come here possibly due to money/location and other teams offering better.Having said that least we have the history of our proud little club .Further to that on matchdays it feels like a traditional small professional club with the stadium and good fan support.That has to be a plus in our signing of players

I really don't think the history of the club has any relevance whatsoever. The truth is that we are a club in debt, in an old stadium in a rundown area with a bunch of grumpyoldtwat (I'm one) supporters who dip in their pockets in the vain hope of seeing a team bring back some footballing glory to the town.

Quoted from Rick12

I do yes although money will play a bigger factor.Put yourself in their shoes for example as a lower league player and you have the chance for signing for Grimsby or say a Morecambe with respect and both are offering you similar money(Liam Hearn said something similar about our stadium and it impressing him) .Least when you hang up your boots you can say you played for a half decent traditional club like Grimsby.

Hearn had never played about the sixth tier of English football, of course Blundell Park looked good compared to the likes of Chorley. Players talk about history and being impressed by the "setup" whoever they sign for.

Quoted from mariner91

Hearn had never played about the sixth tier of English football, of course Blundell Park looked good compared to the likes of Chorley. Players talk about history and being impressed by the "setup" whoever they sign for.

I would argue that nobody ever would say that about the MKDonuts  

Quoted from FishOutOfWater

I would argue that nobody ever would say that about the MKDonuts  

They just say, "Ever since I was a child, I've always loved roundabouts..."

Jesus, never thought i'd see the day that several posters are praising Berrett! maybe people will get off his back a bit more now and hopefully he'll crack on as it's obvious Slade is a fan.

I attended the game with my Dad and partner.
My Nan had died at 5am in the morning, and my Dad and I had been in her hospital room all night with her from 7pm the previous night so we were a bit tired!
We were saying on the way in they owed us a good performance, and I think apart from a very toothless showing upfront we did get a decent show.
I asked her to have a word with someone about us not getting a tanking, I think she did ok. Given it took them a penalty to beat us.

Berrett got stuck in, and I think played well. Dembele is a real find, the ball just seems to stick to his feet. I hope he can be a big part of our season.
Rose looked steady too, he seemed to in be in the right places. Bolarinwa ran his legs off and had a good game.
It's just like I said, we just looked a bit toothless in front of goal. Nothing stuck. I don't want to single people out, but Hooper look ineffectual and Cardwell looked no better (yes, they were up against higher league defenders, so I will reserve judgment until I've seen them properly against defenders in our league)

I think things might have worked out a bit better with Vernon up there. Either him scoring or his good link up play and application.

Quoted from sam gy

Jesus, never thought i'd see the day that several posters are praising Berrett! maybe people will get off his back a bit more now and hopefully he'll crack on as it's obvious Slade is a fan.

As he made clear in his post-match interview!

Quoted from Les Brechin

What's worrying me and I'm sure plenty of you, is where are the goals going to come from this season.

Although we played okay last night it was a damning indictment on the match, that the closest we came to a goal was McKeown's header at the death.

Wasn't it the Derby cup match last season when Macca nearly scored with a similar header right at the death. I think he brought a good save out of the keeper on that occasion.

I don't rate Hooper at all but to be fare neither he nor Cardwell got any service from midfield or the wings for that matter. How many good moves have been produced from a "Slade instruction". The only excitement so far has been from individual efforts. It's teamwork and team movement that wins matches. A lone striker is no good unless you have people prepared to run off him. Perhaps Cardwell could do the running off Vernon when he is fit

Quoted from Mariner56

Wasn't it the Derby cup match last season when Macca nearly scored with a similar header right at the death. I think he brought a good save out of the keeper on that occasion.

It was, at Pride Park, right at the death, and again that was one of the best chances of the game that night.

Just listened to Slade's post match interview and in addition to Dembele he singled out Berret for praise. I was a bit disappointed that JT chickened out of further questioning the lack of goals and the lack of effectiveness of the strikers. Slade said that we just made wrong choices with the final ball and expressed no concern about the front players.

Quoted from golfer

I don't rate Hooper at all but to be fare neither he nor Cardwell got any service from midfield or the wings for that matter. How many good moves have been produced from a "Slade instruction". The only excitement so far has been from individual efforts. It's teamwork and team movement that wins matches. A lone striker is no good unless you have people prepared to run off him. Perhaps Cardwell could do the running off Vernon when he is fit

A lone striker runs the channels between full backs and central defenders to allow space for midfielders to break. If you watched Chris Martin last night, you would see that he would try and occupy the space between Collins and Dixon rather than the space between Collins & Clarke. That allowed Lawrence the freedom to use the space between our back 4 and midfield - it's only because Rose & Berrett were very good last night that Clarke didn't get isolated.

In comparison, Hooper didn't run the channels at all and therefore created very little space for either Kelly or Dembele. You say it's teamwork & team movement that wins games - absolutely correct - there was no movement in front of the midfield. What was clear is that Hooper should not play as a lone striker.

I was very scathing of Hooper and Kelly after the Stevenage match, but thought they gave much more effort last night; Kelly in particular chased and closed down requiring their defence to retreat to the keeper perhaps more than they might have expected to. However, I don't think Hooper is a natural No 9 and will probably be much more comfortable running at defenders than playing with his back to goal. In his defence, he was marked very tightly last night and given little space to manoeuvre. I also thought both Berrett and Rose played well and gave Town some assertiveness in the spine of the side.
I also wish, somewhat wistfully perhaps, that Slade could find a way of including Dembele, Jaiyesimi and Bolarinwa in the same team. Both Siriki and Diallang are mercurial figures and can really embarrass defenders and might also complement each other. Bolarinwa provides muscle, power and pace too and is undaunted in the tackle. Whilst I've no idea what the formation would look like (easy to be a spectator isn't it?), I just think it's a crying shame that this terrific trio can't be given their freedom to pillage opposition defences together.
Overall, though, I really enjoyed the match and whilst Derby seemed to find an extra gear in the second half, showing some terrific pace on the counter, Town were always in with a chance, even with 10.  

Quoted from Hertsmariner

I was very scathing of Hooper and Kelly after the Stevenage match, but thought they gave much more effort last night; Kelly in particular chased and closed down requiring their defence to retreat to the keeper perhaps more than they might have expected to. However, I don't think Hooper is a natural No 9 and will probably be much more comfortable running at defenders than playing with his back to goal. In his defence, he was marked very tightly last night and given little space to manoeuvre. I also thought both Berrett and Rose played well and gave Town some assertiveness in the spine of the side.
I also wish, somewhat wistfully perhaps, that Slade could find a way of including Dembele, Jaiyesimi and Bolarinwa in the same team. Both Siriki and Diallang are mercurial figures and can really embarrass defenders and might also complement each other. Bolarinwa provides muscle, power and pace too and is undaunted in the tackle. Whilst I've no idea what the formation would look like (easy to be a spectator isn't it?), I just think it's a crying shame that this terrific trio can't be given their freedom to pillage opposition defences together.
Overall, though, I really enjoyed the match and whilst Derby seemed to find an extra gear in the second half, showing some terrific pace on the counter, Town were always in with a chance, even with 10.  

Bolly and DJ on the wing and Dembele behind the striker where Kelly was last night?

To be honest, in the imaginary formation with those three playing behind a striker, I think I'd prefer to see Bolarinwa in the centre for his extra pace and aggression. I think Dembele is still better coming in off the wing and we need to start to take advantage of the space he creates on his runs.

That said, I think we'd struggle a bit too much defensively with just the two defensive midfielders if we were to go with such a formation!

Quoted from Mendonca1995

Disagree about Kelly at least he tried to get us up the field attacking wise had a few decent runs with no striker around him in sight, I'm more concerned about Clarke gifting another Goal away that's 3 in 3 games now He had a chance before the penalty to clear the ball and dallied on it which seconds later became a penalty thate worrying a goal a game at the moment and oh another red card that must be some sort of record other than that was a good game against some very good quality players UTM

Clarke won a great tackle and then let himself down by trying to play the play out instead of passing. For all his experience I don't think much to Clarke and I think we let just as good a player go. The worrying thing is that if we achieve promotion this season then we will need to replace two " twilight years " centre-backs which wouldn't bode well for next season.
I thought town played quite good last night and certainly seemed better in mid-field than of late. The main cause for concern is up front where we seem quite ineffective , apart from Dembele.

If Wilki could convert Bolly into a target barnstorming battering ram similar to the Shop with Dembele and DJ out wide as plan B, we may prove more of a threat to apposing defences.

Quoted from TheRealJohnLewis

Bolly and DJ on the wing and Dembele behind the striker where Kelly was last night?

I think Tom or DJ would have offered more of a threat up front last night just simply because of their pace. I still can't quite work out what either Hooper or Cardwell offer to be honest other than Cardwell appears to put himself about more.

I don't understand why we have to have a big centre forward.  You don't see battering ram center forwards in the top teams or international sides.

Messi wouldn't get in the Town side as a centre forward because he wouldn't be able to get on to long punts from our back line or keeper.

If you got small nippy players play to their strengths not the opposition's strengths.

Why won't JT ask Slade about the front one, has he been warned off by his bosses not to upset Fenty etc as radio Humberside has already lost 'Ulls commentaries?

Quoted from mimma

I don't understand why we have to have a big centre forward.  You don't see battering ram center forwards in the top teams or international sides.

Messi wouldn't get in the Town side as a centre forward because he wouldn't be able to get on to long punts from our back line or keeper.

If you got small nippy players play to their strengths not the opposition's strengths.

You know that, I know that, most of the crowd know that but I presume our super experienced manager doesn't know that.

Buckley sumed my biggest worries up the lack of clear cut chances and movement up front is alarming. In pre season we had a largely successful warm up despite some poor opposition we scored goals for fun. I felt with Jones and Vernon we had players that could score goals. Debele is a great player but he is not a twenty goal a season man.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

I really don't think the history of the club has any relevance whatsoever. The truth is that we are a club in debt, in an old stadium in a rundown area with a bunch of grumpyoldtwat (I'm one) supporters who dip in their pockets in the vain hope of seeing a team bring back some footballing glory to the town.

  

Quoted from mariner91

Hearn had never played about the sixth tier of English football, of course Blundell Park looked good compared to the likes of Chorley. Players talk about history and being impressed by the "setup" whoever they sign for.

Thing is the player who I spoke to had other options to sign for other clubs yet choose Grimsby in part because of the history .Seemed quite proud to sign for us as well .I agree it may not bear true for all players but for some as in the case of the above it certainly was.Hence as fans wouldent we all love to play for Grimsby albeit once if we were good enough and on the way up

Quoted from mimma

I don't understand why we have to have a big centre forward.  You don't see battering ram center forwards in the top teams or international sides.

Messi wouldn't get in the Town side as a centre forward because he wouldn't be able to get on to long punts from our back line or keeper.

If you got small nippy players play to their strengths not the opposition's strengths.

Agree-but they have to like crisps or be a mate of someone who likes crisps or play for Hartlepools [when not on strike] or retire from International duties

Quoted from mimma

I don't understand why we have to have a big centre forward.  You don't see battering ram center forwards in the top teams or international sides.

Messi wouldn't get in the Town side as a centre forward because he wouldn't be able to get on to long punts from our back line or keeper.

If you got small nippy players play to their strengths not the opposition's strengths.

We'll certainly be seeing a BIG centre-forward on Saturday!

Quoted from golfer

Agree-but they have to like crisps or be a mate of someone who likes crisps or play for Hartlepools [when not on strike]Newport or retire from International duties

There you go Golfer,corrected it for you  .