Does anybody else think a contribution to our poor performances in 2 out of the past 3 games partly due to the absence of David Connolly? I for one hope that he's back soon, although I wouldn't be against Lee Barnard starting on Saturday, particularly if Rickie Lambert misses out through injury again. Our link up play hasn't been as good since David's been out IMO, and, despite his age, the return of Barnard and the likelihood of us buying a pacy striker in January, I think he still has an important role to play in our season. (And yes, I know a big part of us losing on Saturday would've been Lambert & Chaplow being out). So - is it a coincidence that our displays and form have slipped whilst the Irishman has been out injured?
I wouldn't single Connolly out. As you say, a big part of us losing was us being without Lambert and Chaplow. We miss all three of them, and badly.
I know one particular person who misses him in the team is Adam Lallana. He hasn't been as effective since Conners hasn't played and they seem to be on the same wavelength, as intelligent players often are. The only drawback with Conners coming back is, who plays on the right of midfield, Guly or Chappers?
I'm not gunna single him out - I felt he was quite poor just before his injury and was rightly dropped
We do miss Connolly, and because of his age and injury record, I think we need to bring in a younger model. It won't be easy to do though as his best qualities aren't immediately obvious in the stats.
I thought Connolly's return at the tail end of last season lifted the team. It was noticeable when he came on against Bristol Rovers ( replacing Barnard ), that he has a much sharper football brain. He was always half a yard quicker, simply because he thinks quicker ( probably as a result of playing at a higher level ). Sorry, but Barnard didn't have a great record elsewhere playing at lower level clubs, and haven't seen anything in his game to suggest he is up to Championship. When we played against Man Utd last season he looked like he was treading water against their defenders. I may be proven wrong. Infact, I would love to be proven wrong. But I wouldn't bet a penny on it. Lambert is missed. I rate Chaplow, but we were doing fine before he nailed down a permanent spot also. And yes, we do need another top striker IMO.
Yes, I think all three of Chaplow, Lambert and Connolly are missed. It amazes me how many people do not realise what important contributions Guly and Connolly make, just because the are more subtle.
I've got to admit I'm getting pretty hacked off with not knowing even rough estimates for how long our injured players are out. Connolly, Chaplow, Lambert, Barnard (we had no information on whatsoever). I understand why it is kept quiet but this is one facet of radio silence I cannot deal with.
If Lambert was limping and wincing on Tuesday getting off the bus (as reported by another poster) I doubt he will be back Saturday. Connelly and Chaplow probably won't be back either (based solely on staring at tea leaves as we get told nothing), so we're going to have to cope. We all knew we would have problems coping with injuries up front. I have been concerned by the fact that we use the fewest number of players..suggests either Adkins thinks you don't change a winning side or, more likely, we don't have the strength in depth that we like to think. We need to keep momentum going (don't care if it's a goal from Guly's backside) to see us through our mini-slump and into 2012 top of the league!
i agree - jaidi and seaborne also the club dont tell the fans anything - we have stuck by this club through thick and thin, we deserve to know what is going on at our club but its all secrecy these days and as a fan, it disapoints me as as fans, you want to be involved in whats happening
Sorry but I disagree. Just because we're fans doesn't give us the right to information that could be highly sensitive, and in any case, would definitely be useful to the coaches of the teams we are about to play. We get regular updates on long-term injuries like those to Jaidi and Seaborne. The players we really need back in the side as soon as possible, like Connolly and Chaplow, and especially Lambert, will not be helped, and neither will the team or the fans, by either rushing them back into the team, or by giving out day-to-day updates on exactly where they are in terms of recovery. Nigel Adkins knows better than most managers, because of his background as a physio, just how to rehabilitate players, and we should trust him to do his best for them.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I'm happy with not knowing every inside detail about a player's injury and when they are likely to return - because if we don't know, then it's highly likely that the opposition don't know (go and have a listen to Dean Saunders' post-match interview, he talks about how they preparing to deal with Lambert in the lead up to the game - if they knew he was definately going to miss out though, they wouldn't have needed to waste their time on that). And besides, how exactly does it affect us not knowing? Is the pain and frustration of not knowing if Chaplow or Lambert will be fit come Blackpool making you contemplate slitting your wrists? Keep up the good work Nicola and Nigel. Keep transfers prviate, keep injuries private, keep the club's daily business private.
Even the big clubs will just put a generic time on injuries, they don't have anything to do with when the player will actually be able to play again which depends on loads of things.
Last game of season..we need to win to gain promotion...Lambert with 2 broken legs and a head injury is fit to play..easy decision.
