If he can't do the business then Adams shouldn't have signed him. We will never know what he can do if he isn't played and doing 15 minute cameo appearances isn't worth him being here. So I repeat the answer is Nardiello until proven otherwise.
Nardiello coming back from injury....plus hardly any matches this season....must be in the same situation as Reid who has returned from injury and cannot score at tiddly winks let alone at football at present........WE NEED a striker on loan fast who is in some sort of form.........and we're do we find one of them ???
We don't because you won't find a striker in current hot form as an emergency loan. We can however get our shape right and get more bodies into the box at the right time. Adams has said as much himself today: http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Der...h-Argyle-did/story-28842277-detail/story.html He went 4:4:2 to match Bury's physical style. I'm not going to be wise after the event and say he shouldn't have: we are where we are because of him. I really don't know what people have against Reuben Reid: he's done the business for us for 2 seasons now and if that doesn't get him first chance versus a 33yo semi-retired player, I don't know what would. A better question might be why we signed Nardiello in the first place. I assume after the attempt to sign Alan Smith, it was firstly to have a wise old head in the dressing room and secondly a few cameo substitute appearances when the need arose. I don't think he's suddenly become first pick. We had everyone scoring not so long ago: Jervis, Tanner, Carey and McHugh as well as Brunt and Reid. Somehow that's stopped and it's a bigger problem than who plays centre forward. Is it lingering disruption from the injuries? Winter pitches? Are we physically not big and strong enough? Have our best tactics been rumbled?
Or maybe we miss Boateng more than we think... Don't know how I mistook Bury for Barnet. One is a long established league football club and the other didn't have a stretecher handy. God knows whether they had a doctor or Entonox.
Wasn't it standard once to half medical transportation standing by at league matches.....or was that just the St Johns Ambulance Brigade. Waiting an hour for an ambulance is a long time.......I do know that the London Ambulance Service is under great pressure regarding available staff......my son-in-law is a senior officer running a Ambulance Station....plus a training officer.....and they are recruiting in Australia at present. Barnet are a small club with a small fan base....2209 turned up last night and half of them where greens.....so everything is on a shoestring budget......but medical services for a physical game such as football shouldn't be compromised surely.......where did that leave Brunt a few minutes later.....just a cup of tea from the char lady......it just shows the ever increasing gap between Premiership and the lower leagues.
Right nowhere did I say Nardiello was first, second or even fifth choice for anything. I would advocate him playing alongside or just behind Reid. As for Reid I think he is a decent striker when on form. The main words there are "when on form". His problem is he gets injured too easily and takes too long to regain any confidence or form. There is not a cats chance in hell of us signing an in form striker from anywhere because of the reasons already stated above. If Adams doesn't think Nardiello can do a job then he has wasted money on signing him and shouldn't have. If he does then play him because we will never know what he can do unless he is given a go. It's either that or play the kids and Plymouth are not renowned for that. Options are limited.
Obviously desperately unlucky to lose Brunt and Forster, hopefully DA can bring someone in to replace at least one of them. However, putting things into perspective it was the first away loss since October (I think) . 8 points clear of 4th with 12 to go is still an outstanding place to be and finishing 3rd is all that matters, Cant see anyone making a sustained bid from the pack although not loosing against Accrington and Portsmouth might end up being crucial. Not going to even start worrying until we drop out of the top 3 so that is at least 3 games away. Keep the faith.
I spent Tuesday evening reading streams of Tweets calling for Nardiello to come on (even though 2 of the 3 subs had been used after 34 minutes becuase of the injuries) and slagging Reid off none too politely. It's a raw nerve, I'd have thought Adams had done enough to be trusted at this point in time but he does need to revitalise the team somehow. We just aren't taking enough of the chances we make and from the games I've seen, it's not about the individual players but the fact that not enough of them get into the box at the right time. That's about shape and tactics. Fingers crossed for Saturday although regretably they haven't lost an away game since before Christmas.
Jordon Forster's jaw is not broken....and he could be available within a month.....obviously needs time to get over being KO'ed plus bruising of course.....so the news isn't so bleak on that front. Ryan Brunt's injury hasn't fully been assessed as yet......but Brunt did the other knee a few years back and had follow up work done on it a year or so back......he says that it felt just like the last time.....but it still needs to be confirmed.
