it was interesting reading everyone's pre match posts of having their own ideas as to what players should play in which positions, but when you have four defenders "standing" in front of Torres when he shoots you have got no chance, not one of them was prepared to throw their body in...and Neal has got to start coming off his line more often!!
Smith started coming off his line too much and lost his starting place There seems to be an issue in defence this season which is odd being as the two CBs played well togther last season
I think we need to swap Sharps for Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaandison. He excelled against Torquay(but arguably because he was facing a fat useless lump in Rene Howe.)
What, and have Sharps at right-back? Or drop Sharps, and play Goldson there? I have said all along that we shouldn't have changed our defence around when it was doing so well, although Hazell's injury has forced Turner's hand slightly, I would consider dropping one of the two CBs for young Connor; he is good enough regardless of his age imo.
see your all doing it again!!...............there is nothing wrong with our defense or defensive players(they've been fine all season), all they need to do is try a lot harder when they come up against a bit of quality...instead of standing there with their fingers up their bum!!
Based on what I've seen from them this season and if Regan will be fit Saturday: RB - Regan CB - Grandison CB - Sharps LB - Jacobsen
fingers up their bums or otherwise our defence has been unacceptable and continues to ship unnecessary goals affecting shrews highly valuable goal difference, and it may be gd that keeps us in L2 or aids promo. our defence needs sorting and soon particularly when those up front need to extract fingers as well or make way for our youngsters eagerly awaiting their turn
But they haven't been fine all season. The defence with Goldson and Hazell in it has been fine, Sharps and SCS have looked shaky; and not just against top opposition - Barnet as well.
I liked Hazell and Grandison in CD and it is a real shame Hazell is injured, but watch the goals from Saturday and for the first one Grandison is standing there in open space in-line with the ball path and watches it fly past him. He will get better with experience though. Is it the CD that is shakey or the players surrounding them? I think it is a mixture, but Sharps does not show full awareness in a game anywhere similar to what he was like last season and Sheriff perhaps needed that alongside him.
I meant Grandison-SCS and Goldson/Regan when fit at RB. I second the thought that Hazell-Grandison-Goldson has been the best we've seen(Sharps is looking jittery) but in all fairness that was against a blunt Torquay lumping it up to Howe. So much still to be judged then.
And against Arsenal and Vale in fairness, and I thought they did extremely well in those two games as well.
