If Stevens gets the nod over Pritchard and Hughes then promotion is in serious jeapordy. Can't tackle or head and just passes the buck by giving the ball to two centre backs when in possession. Hides when we are under the cosh.
Think thats a little harsh! On his day Stephens is the best centre midfielder we have and his passing can really open teams up. Also his tackling is not the issue, it's his not tracking his runner that is his issue. However, I think the issue with Stephens that he has started to play too deep rather than getting forward and dictating play. This probably started when Hollands was allowed more freedom playing with Hughes/Pritchard and so he is still using this same freedom, which in turn means Stephens has to 'sit' slightly more than he was doing when he was at his most effective for us. To be honest I would not have a complaint with either Stephens or Pritchard starting on Sat, both will bring something different to the team and both have proved they have what it takes to get our midfield ticking....which we really need to find again now.
Think apart from the fact he hasnt found his form since his injury, i think stephens has struggled when teams sit on the edge of their box and defend in numbers. The Colchester game was a prime example, and Stephens was left to pass Sideways most of the game, meaning he wasn’t at all effective. He then got frustrated and started to force it and lost possession a number of times.
I really like Stephens don’t get me wrong, especially when the game is open and the opposition has to come out….Exeter away when they were 1-0 down he came on had a bit of time and space and looked quality…..but It looks like we are gonna play Kerm upfront with BWP for the rest of the season, and employ that diagonal to him…so having Pritchard & Hollands picking up the second ball would be a major part of our game, and Stephens would be too deep and the game pass him by.
It is strange why Hughes fell so out of favor with Sir Chris, Preston at home was one the best displays i've seen from the team (apart from the late two goals of which 1 was a goal of the season contender). Think his last game was Hudds at home when he came on for Russell.
Personally i agree that Stephens is a luxury player and should we get up into the Championship I feel he will reach his full potential and we will see a much better player more regularly. League One teams stop you playing so players of Stephens calibre don't get as much time on the ball. His eye for a pass is excellent and his shooting range is good, although not always accurate, so i think he will be a great asset in the Championship as long as we get there and will just get better and better.
Pritchard is a battling player but inexperienced at this level, but he certainly has the will power and passion to get us through the tougher games. I just think he tires quickly which is understandable considering the effort he puts in. Maybe an option is to start with him and then bring Hughes on to stabilize things with about 20 minutes to go.
Hughes would be my choice overall if fit because he has experience and stability. Can tackle and do the simple things well. He helped the defence during his run and allowed Hollands to get forward and score goals.
However i feel the more likely choice by Powell would be to re-instate Stephens which i think is wrong, not because he is a bad player by any means as i have stated above i do rate him, but our current style of play (which lets be honest lately has been just hoofing it up field to Kermorgant) doesn't suit a luxury player. If we kept the ball on the deck i think he would be excellent but we are not.
Sorry can't join the Hughes love in. Experienced pro with great dyed hair and a flamboyant warm up routine and err.. that's it. Great as a flexible option for the bench, maybe.
Pritchard brings more energy but less creativity than Stephens. If we have Pritchard though we could afford the luxury of Danny "never tackles" Green which might help BWP and Yann the French Mann.
It is strange why Hughes fell so out of favor with Sir Chris, Preston at home was one the best displays i've seen from the team (apart from the late two goals of which 1 was a goal of the season contender). Think his last game was Hudds at home when he came on for Russell.
who says he's out of favour?, says above that he's been injured!
It is strange why Hughes fell so out of favor with Sir Chris, Preston at home was one the best displays i've seen from the team (apart from the late two goals of which 1 was a goal of the season contender). Think his last game was Hudds at home when he came on for Russell.
who says he's out of favour?, says above that he's been injured!
Sorry can't join the Hughes love in. Experienced pro with great dyed hair and a flamboyant warm up routine and err.. that's it. Great as a flexible option for the bench, maybe.
Pritchard brings more energy but less creativity than Stephens. If we have Pritchard though we could afford the luxury of Danny "never tackles" Green which might help BWP and Yann the French Mann.
At 34 Hughes is not a longterm answer and would almost certainly need replacing if we do go up.
However at the moment going up is the ONE AIM and, if fit, I think we need him.
As Len says, at the moment, we just need to get across the line. And to do that we need the team full of grit and resolve.
Stephens range of passing when he's on song or allowed to play, is a joy to see. And maybe at home to an out of sorts Orient is the right game for him.
Personally, at this time I feel we need to control that centre midfield and deny opponents space and time on the ball. Pritchard's harrying, ball winning and simple passing range might well be the answer for the next few matches.
Alternatively, despite what some say, Hughes can still the do job because he provides that platform which enables other more talented players to perform.
For me and a lot of others the problem was that the midfield of Hollands and Stephens wasn't working. SCP did eventually move to address they by bringing Russel in for Stephens-slightly surprising for me as I didn't think Pritchard did a lot wrong when he had his run in the side in Jan.
If we were away on Saturday I'd definitely like to see him in the side but as we are at home to one of the sides in the league who are currently in worse form than us it may be Stephens can come back in and run the show alongside Hollands.
We get the same thing everytime we have a couple of dodgy games.
Suddenly anyone who has been left out suddenly become the best thing since sliced bread.
.
totally agree, it's ridiculous
nope your right, heaven forbid football fans talk about what could be improved on a football forum, i mean whatever next.
Of course i trust CP, he's got us this far.
The point of the thread was that our style of play has changed because teams style of play aginst us has, and i was stating a squad member that could do a job seeing as another player has got suspended.
CM is the one position where we have not been able to find a consistent partnership. I am not sure what the answer is, but for now, we need to get the results to see us over the line and then re assess our options in the summer. As I said above, I would favour Hughes to get a run in the side but we have to trust CP to see us there.
If we are to gain promotion, then I can see us allowing Hughes to leave, Russell to return to Preston and maybe Pritchard allowed out on loan for the first half of next season.
hughes has more experience and he really impressed at centre park for me. pritchard over stephens tho. stephens hasnt been the same player since his ankle knock... pritchard could be a option when we need the 3 points (impact sub?)
Russell's all but gone and Jackson's injured. Our best midfield therefore is Pritchard, Hollands, Hughes, Stephens with Green and Wagstaff, Cook and N'Guessan in reserve. No one dare say that we are short of midfielders .. it's strikers that we lack. Pritchard has been a revelation, a very good signing. More use should have been made of him.
Comments
I really like Stephens don’t get me wrong, especially when the game is open and the opposition has to come out….Exeter away when they were 1-0 down he came on had a bit of time and space and looked quality…..but It looks like we are gonna play Kerm upfront with BWP for the rest of the season, and employ that diagonal to him…so having Pritchard & Hollands picking up the second ball would be a major part of our game, and Stephens would be too deep and the game pass him by.
Pritchard is a battling player but inexperienced at this level, but he certainly has the will power and passion to get us through the tougher games. I just think he tires quickly which is understandable considering the effort he puts in. Maybe an option is to start with him and then bring Hughes on to stabilize things with about 20 minutes to go.
Hughes would be my choice overall if fit because he has experience and stability. Can tackle and do the simple things well. He helped the defence during his run and allowed Hollands to get forward and score goals.
However i feel the more likely choice by Powell would be to re-instate Stephens which i think is wrong, not because he is a bad player by any means as i have stated above i do rate him, but our current style of play (which lets be honest lately has been just hoofing it up field to Kermorgant) doesn't suit a luxury player. If we kept the ball on the deck i think he would be excellent but we are not.
However at the moment going up is the ONE AIM and, if fit, I think we need him.
Sorry can't join the Hughes love in. Experienced pro with great dyed hair and a flamboyant warm up routine and err.. that's it. Great as a flexible option for the bench, maybe.
Pritchard brings more energy but less creativity than Stephens. If we have Pritchard though we could afford the luxury of Danny "never tackles" Green which might help BWP and Yann the French Mann.
And to do that we need the team full of grit and resolve.
Stephens range of passing when he's on song or allowed to play, is a joy to see.
And maybe at home to an out of sorts Orient is the right game for him.
Personally, at this time I feel we need to control that centre midfield and deny opponents space and time on the ball. Pritchard's harrying, ball winning and simple passing range might well be the answer for the next few matches.
Alternatively, despite what some say, Hughes can still the do job because he provides that platform which enables other more talented players to perform.
If we were away on Saturday I'd definitely like to see him in the side but as we are at home to one of the sides in the league who are currently in worse form than us it may be Stephens can come back in and run the show alongside Hollands.
http://www.englishfootball.info/leagueone/table/index.php?table=recent_form
Suddenly anyone who has been left out suddenly become the best thing since sliced bread.
CP knows his players and will bring in someone who will do the right job for the team.
If in the next game that's Hughes or Pritchard or Green that's who it will be.
Of course i trust CP, he's got us this far.
The point of the thread was that our style of play has changed because teams style of play aginst us has, and i was stating a squad member that could do a job seeing as another player has got suspended.
how ridiculous!
If we are to gain promotion, then I can see us allowing Hughes to leave, Russell to return to Preston and maybe Pritchard allowed out on loan for the first half of next season.
hughes has more experience and he really impressed at centre park for me.
pritchard over stephens tho. stephens hasnt been the same player since his ankle knock...
pritchard could be a option when we need the 3 points (impact sub?)
Pritchard has been a revelation, a very good signing. More use should have been made of him.