On the penalties Vinney, from memory: Cody won both against MK Dons Hollands won the pen against Carlisle Mousinho won the one against Stevenage and i'm pretty sure that Keds won the pen at Crawley after taking an air shot. So he's won 1 out of 5 basically, but I agree on both points he does still need to score them and is very good at it, but who knows if Cody is or not, or anyone else in the team for that matter. Just to pick up on a point that Pegleg made about Cody being 'nowhere near as prolific as he used to be' well, this is going to cause controversy, but I actually think he's more prolific this time. On his first spell, we were in a poor league and our game plan was all out attack due to our horrendous defence. Yes Cody therefore scored 26 goals, however if you were at most of the games then you would have seen him miss at least 2 or 3 guilt edged chances every single game, sometimes as many as 4, and im not exageratting or talking about half chances. This season however, I've seen him miss probably really good chances, 1 on Saturday, 1 against Stevenage and 1 against Brackley at home, other than that a couple of semi half chances. I genuinely think however that his finishing has actually improved and what he needs is game time to start scoring on a consistent basis.
Well in the season he scored 26 goals he was getting into the positions to go on and take the 1 on 1s with keepers but he's only done that twice this season and i've seen him miss in two more of those cases. He looks heavier and more lumbered than last time and doesn't seem to have the pace that he did in his last spell.
Yes, more chances against much worst defences, my argument is that he is finishing a higher percentage of chances this time around. I agree on the weight thing, he certainly does look heavier at present but again games will help that, from memory again I don't think he scored his first goal for us until October the first time round (a header against Burton at home i believe) because it took him a while to get going, he hasn't had that opportunity this time round yet has still managed 5 goals largely from the bench, not bad if you ask me. The pace is still there, look at Saturdays goal, the run v Sheffield United and the MK dons second penalty win as examples, admittedly it's not as much as his initial spell, this is clealry down the weight which in turn is clealry down to games. I have absolutely no doubt that Cody is our best and most prolific striker, if we gets more opportunities then he'll score more goals. Mix it up PT, let's take away the predictability.
I don't think that Cody is a good enough player to build a team around, at least not the team we need at the moment. I think we can agree that McDonald is a more natural finisher than Kedwell, unfortunately he hasn't had a chance to show it yet, but Kedwell offers more than goals for the team, his workrate, positional awareness outside, defensive capability,and dare I say it, footballing brain far exceed anything Cody has to offer. When we are struggling at the lower end of the table, we need everybody to scrap and fight for every ball, so it would have to be Keds over Cody for me.
For me the individual players mentioned are good in their own right but it's forming that as part of a consistent team that I see as the problem. Hence why comments are stating quite rightly we need to mix it up a bit. For that you need a strong manager. One that is brave enough to take the armband away from the skipper. MA at the beginning of his reign showed some of that mixing up in his team in the early part of his tenor but then he fell into the ever predictable human trait of favoritism as i saw it. This comes back every time to the experience he built at league two level. But sticking with individuality, Keds will score whatever position he plays, even if that is by penalties. So regardless of whether he is striker, midfield or filling in at a centre back role. Keds will step up to the spot and each time hammer the ball with such force, its going to take a keeper brave enough to stick to centre of goal and hope for a wicked deflection or full weight of body front on to keep it out. DK hits the ball with such precision and power, I just don't see how any diving keeper is going to keep them out, with out-stretched arms. Cody i enjoy hassling the opposition keeper, you can draw lots of mistakes in this manner and break down a teams pace in such a manner, if the rest of the team do their job. Do we have to many balls coming down the wings instead of being played through centre for them to benefit McDonald. The wings are good with the right type of player and with the exception of Martin, I don't see who fits that role. Weston is not the player in my opinion. Yes, opposition supporters have previously said Weston is our best player but that's no good if his final ball does not suit the strikers. Basically when the opposition defenders are all back! Weston does not have the strength to apply the finishing touch required on the wing, keeping ball on grass. Hence why i've always insisted his agility is better suited to centre but he has to be there, he does not have the required strength to break in from the flanks. Bayo, plays for Cody better than Keds ever will, so if we are to stick with these three, it has to be a combination of Bayo and Cody with Keds mixing it up in the middle. Keds done what i've been screaming for against Stevenage from other players, get stuck into them, make them fearful of you, make them want to release the ball as quickly has possible. Instead of holding onto it and tearing us to shreads. Personally I like to see the ball kept on the ground, this will suit Cody, Weston and young Dacks, maybe even Daniels. It plays to Harriman's style too, so why do we insist on lumping it. A bad trait of both our centre backs Legge and Barrett, yes, it is needed at times but not every bloody ball. However, Legge gets my shout over Barrett due to height and ability in the air. Keep Nelson to rolling it out from the back and building up our attack, pull the opposition in if possible and create our pace players the space they need. Move the ball fluently and fast. We get done by pace sides every time and now time to turn the tables. However, this is where Bayo faulters in my view. Although he can draw players in, if the players are already back and all over him, they are also not far off position and then the same ole has to come over the top. We never did build a team for League One only for League Two. I know some blame Scally but i don't. I'd rather get walloped 4-1 with young legs, then tired old one's. It's not even defeat that bothers me but the manner of them. Mix it up and PT that means doing unfavourable changes or would that put him in a difficult position if he upset the wrong one's. No manager should worry on that score and supporters should get behind him, if the changes bring the desired results. That was a League Two trophy last season, this season it's survival and its going to take some brave to decisions to do that, otherwise you take the easier route of just sitting back and hope. We've got we got and i repeat in their individual right they are good enough but time to take out the lumpers and bring in the pace. That's just my opinion and what do i know as mere spectator, feel free to pull it to bits.
If we can sign better quality midfielders in January then we can play four players in midfield and play two up-front, I just feel with the players we have got at the moment we have to play five in midfield because we do lack pace, quality and creativity in midfield and we do need the added protection of a fifth player in midfield to protect the back four because last week at Rotherham, Rotherham tore our static four man midfield to pieces. But if we are going to play five in midfield then freshen things up, give Jake Hessenthaler a run in the side and see what he can do, and play Bradley Dack in the number ten role which is where he scored 27 goals for the youth team, and maybe give Nathan Nyafli a runout on the left or right wing because he really impressed me at Burton Albion Away last season. You could release every senior first team midfielder we have got at the club and look to bring 5 - 6 quality midfielders into the club, because even players like Charlie Lee and Chris Whelpdale ( who you expect to see do well in League One) have not hit the mark this season. I think the short term Danny Kedwell has to start as a isolated centre forward, But in January and the long term, we need to sign better quality midfielders so that we can play two up top and start playing with combinations of Kedwell, McDonald and Akinfenwa.
