After yesterday's match, where we conceded 2 in the first match but then looked better with Westwood on and Winfield off, I was wondering which should be chosen for the next match. Its a difficult decision as both have different qualities. Winfield is young and will improve and he is already a force in the air. However, his positioning is sometimes suspect and his delivery up field is poor. Westwood on the other hand is small and slow, but he has great positioning, is a great communicator. He has also been around a long time now and has been promoted from the league before, so he has the composure and experience the rest of the team could benefit from. Personally, I would choose Westwood, what do you guys think?
I would play Westwood too. He showed a very calm head yesterday, as he has done all season, and passes the ball out of defence intelligently instead of aimless launches. Winfield has his merits though, he is excellent against direct and physical teams. But looking at our remaining fixtures, a pairing of Johnson and Westwood looks the best option.
FIIIIIIIGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHT Thanks Ron. I reckon it's a tough one, appreciate Westwood (is he anything like the hip hop radio 1 dude?) is quality and has gone up before, but can he do it again at his age? Winfield may have a brighter future but if (And i think this is a bigger and bigger 'if' every week!) we do go up, should he be a first choice yet? I think it comes back down to what a few people have been echoing on a few threads... we are not good enough to stay in League 1 if (it's that big short word again) we go up. A radical overhaul of the team is required - Ainsworth and Betsy, arguably two of our best players when on form - won't be regular starters next season, same prob goes for Westwood. Apart from the god-like Bull, Rendell (Who I will back to the ends of the earth), Donnelly if he should stay, LJ (maybe), I'm not sure there are many other players in the squad capable of holding our own in League 1.
the last two games we havent played at all in the first half but second half we were much better and bossed the game.yesterday we had enough chances to have won convincingly and thats without the 3 penalties we never got,but in division one we wont be able to give 2 goal starts away and expect to come back into the game,it amazes me how we cant seem to be up for these games when we are fighting to get promoted not relegated,the players have let the fans down badly.the support at oxford was very good and yesterday the terrace was very noisy so its a mystery to me how the players dont seem to be up for it from the start
Westwood simply for due to his experience. Age shouldn't come into it right now, we have 4 games left to get us promoted and right now I think Westwood is the right man for the job. If he isn't good enough/too slow for League 1 then that is a problem we should address once we get there. Winfield may have more 'quality' but right now that isn't what we need, just get more points than the Shrews from the last few games!
For me there is only one winner and that is westwood. The question you have to ask yourself is who would be best against a bit of pace and i think that is westwood by a country mile. I know he is slow and is not a spring chicken anymore but he is the best reader of a game out of the four centre halfs we have and that can give you a yard start on a pacy forward plus he is an organiser at the back and that is something we lack as time and time again we get caught out and looked very vulnerable. Winfield i thought at one stage had the capability to be able to play at championship level but based on recent form i might have to rethink that. His reading of the game, his distribution are very poor at times and like many have said against a big domineering forward he is in his element but the higher up the leagues you go the less you get of them.
westwood reads the game so well and when he was out injured look at the amount of set piece goals we conceded as soon as he was back in the team we stopped conceding from corners and free kicks.as he proved saturday he is very cool at the back and brings others into the game and very rarely launches it out of defence.its a shame he is not about 27 but i guess if he was he wouldnt be playing for us.
Westwood and LJ for the run in...both players have come in after being dropped and done well. To be fair, Winfield was getting a lot of elbows in the head in the first half...the referee was a shocker I thought.
Winfield please, Westwood did well 2nd half on Saturday but Northampton sat back and didn't take advantage of his distinct lack of pace enough for it to be exposed. Torquay have a fast forward line and could make him look silly. He has experience but at L1 his lack of pace was taken advantage of on many occasions. Winfield to start with LJ as has been the norm in the past few matches (assuming he can play after getting a broken nose)
