The myth of tinkering?!

Quoted from ginnywings

Nothing wrong with changing personnel and players, as well as formations. I just don't think he is very astute at it.  I also think that he is very slow to make changes and never to my knowledge has made a change at half time. Think ljl  should have been on sooner on Saturday for instance. Get the feeling he is 're-active rather than active.

Then again, I'm a joiner, so what the hell do I know?

We said the same. Oates had gone before the hour mark....

Quoted from ginnywings

Nothing wrong with changing personnel and players, as well as formations. I just don't think he is very astute at it.  I also think that he is very slow to make changes and never to my knowledge has made a change at half time. Think ljl  should have been on sooner on Saturday for instance. Get the feeling he is 're-active rather than active.

Then again, I'm a joiner, so what the hell do I know?

On the same wave length as you . Slow to change , Oaks was running on empty on 60 mins . Regarding the formations of 4 5 1 0r 4 4 2 or 4 3 3 . It was mentioned on tv that even in the premier it takes them , who are better quality and more skillful than us, a few games to get accustomed to that particular style

Then again I'm old and don't know what I'm on about !

Quoted from ginnywings

Nothing wrong with changing personnel and players, as well as formations. I just don't think he is very astute at it.  I also think that he is very slow to make changes and never to my knowledge has made a change at half time. Think ljl  should have been on sooner on Saturday for instance. Get the feeling he is 're-active rather than active.

Then again, I'm a joiner, so what the hell do I know?

Totally agree with the OP but this is a very valid point, it often frustrates me when players who look exhausted have to play on until the 70th minute or when we're losing and the changes aren't made until the 65th minute, often 10 minutes too late.

Perhaps the point being missed about Oates is he hadn't had a lot of game time and needed mins under his belt.
So still think Hurst did the right thing keeping him on for a bit longer, giving him a good blow out.
Hopefully it will have done him the world of good and he will strip fitter in the future.

That is a good point. The only way Oates is going to gain fitness and experience/knowledge is to get game time under his belt and we need him to do that to get the best out of him. That said, I think it's almost a dead cert that he will be replaced by LJL on Tuesday (seems to be a consensus that this is what we should do too) and will have to be content with coming off the bench. I think, if you see Oates coming on as a sub at 60 - 70 mins or so, you'd have some confidence that he could score a goal or cause problems for tiring defenders, especially big, slow-turning types like Macdonald.

Quoted from barralad

We said the same. Oates had gone before the hour mark....

True but the game was won, the lad needs minutes on the pitch to get fit and Lenny was coming back from an injury, it wasnt an urgent situation.

Quoted from headingly_mariner

True but the game was won, the lad needs minutes on the pitch to get fit and Lenny was coming back from an injury, it wasnt an urgent situation.

Agree, different if we were losing

Quoted from chaos33

That is a good point. The only way Oates is going to gain fitness and experience/knowledge is to get game time under his belt and we need him to do that to get the best out of him. That said, I think it's almost a dead cert that he will be replaced by LJL on Tuesday (seems to be a consensus that this is what we should do too) and will have to be content with coming off the bench. I think, if you see Oates coming on as a sub at 60 - 70 mins or so, you'd have some confidence that he could score a goal or cause problems for tiring defenders, especially big, slow-turning types like Macdonald.

Good points in return !

Have to say I don't think it would necessarily be so terrible to see the same lineup.
What I'm wondering is whether LJL is the type of player who could change a game.
On the one hand he's big so maybe this constitutes a "Plan B".
On the other, he's not what you'd call a "grab you a goal" player per se. (though judging by when he came on Sat looked unlucky)

I suppose Oates has certainly fitted into the "change a game" category though.

Quoted from Garth

You may be able to advise him on draws

.......or dovetailing a team together!

This thread is getting plane daft.