OK, I know that at least 50% of posters will disagree with me but here goes anyway.... It was a good win on Saturday, and in spells (when we got the ball down) we played some really good attacking football, however... When we did not have the ball we dropped deep and let Preston have posession, we lacked a ball winner in the centre of the park to break up their play. We go away with it on Saturday because Preston are rubbish and rightfully at the foot of the table. Whilst I am a regular critic of Harper, one thing he does well is get his foot in and break up the play. I for one think we look a more balanced team with him in it, just need to go to a 4-1-3-2 to get the best out of the other midfielders.
I like Harper but I reckon while he is out, Corry Evans is capable of stepping in. They seem to be rather similar players (Evans just lacking in experience) and both do un-noticed, good jobs in breaking up play while getting forward at the right times. I think there will be a challenge for the CM positions when he's back fit and it'll be interesting to see who NP goes for. If Evans plays well then I think he may nick the shirt from Harper (even with NP's like for him). Its a nice problem to be having I suppose...
I agree to soem extent with both of you posters, however, against Preston, our midfield could have had a nap and we would still have mopped up the ball from their mistakes and continued to press. They never really looked like scoring other than when they pushed on in the last 5 minutes or so (desperate i guess) and we looked comfortable letting them have the ball, dropping deep and mopping up the mess they invariably made of it. That said, better teams would have been more difficult and we do need to get in their faces faster. I thought McLean and Fryatt defended well from the front and will continue to do so...McLean has the patience of a saint cos most strikers who got the treatment he did by their agressive play and had the ref allowing it to happen to a point where he decided after getting a smack in the face warrented him to be told to get up and ignored would have caused most strikers to 'lash out' at the nearest player. We will be more aggressive against Ipswich, we will need to be but in parts on Saturday we played some good neat football and looked at ease both going forward and defending....Ipswich will be a different proposition and we will have to defend much more at times and further up the pitch if we are to get something out of the game.....expect a 1-1 which will be a decent result for us and for them. The next 5 games will decide our season....all tough but we could go unbeaten if we play to our potential....the hard part is we need to win at least 4 of them if we are to compete for 6th...can we do that, I am not so sure, I think 2 wins and 3 draws are likely. UTT
Feel this as well. Preston are the cannon fodder of the league and will go down. Yet they had too much of the ball for my liking. They never looked like scoring yet another team will. We need more possession and maybe Harper gives us this. On the flip side we are still not getting beat(watch this space).
Harper does his job whenever he plays, I can see it though a lot can't, saying that I like to see a more creative midfield even if it does give us a softer centre. Koren could easily have got two or three goals on Saturday playing more centrally.
People moan when Harper's in the team and now are moaning that we miss him? Still thats the beauty of a discussion board i suppose! For me, he will b a bench warmer and a bit part player who comes on when we are defending leads.
