Is the squad physical enough?

[warsaw]

It's a bit quiet on here so thought I would float this poser

For the first time for ages last night we were 2nd best in the physical department. They obviously came to intimidate us and stop us playing, and won most of the aerial duels, they clattered into Dicker as soon as the ball came to him and then launched an aerial bombardment. I think we dealt with it very well and when we were able to break out played some beautiful football.

So are we vulnerable to physical teams, do we need more muscle and height?

Or should we just get on with it and play them off the park

 

[Brighton M]

i see where you're coming from.

only virgo can really bully a player.

Crofts and Navarro go in hard but don't have much presence.

Calderon is quite strong I guess. but offensively we have bugger all in physical strength.

oh well, maybe Gus will look at that in the summer. Hasn't been much of a problem the last few weeks!

 

[Lewes' best seagull]

Possibly, but at times we completely played round them and they had no answer other than to hoof it.
Maybe with a better ref we might encounter less physicality.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Reckon there needs to be an FA investigation into the secret referees website (which patently exists) where they can go and look up in advance which players they're not going to give anything to, no matter how much the player gets clattered. You're not telling me they don't compare notes. Forster never got anything off a ref in the box, despite only diving for 75% of the time, and it seems to be open season on clattering Murray. The boy rarely gets a single decision off a referee and indeed more often gets a booking. Can't be right if the referee comes out for a game with pre-set opinions on the players he's about to referee?

 

[Meade's Ball]

We need a hardman figure at the back certainly. The Elf is elegant and full of beans, but not macho enough to brush a burly striker off the ball and can be muscled out of things. El-Abd is hard, but always like a new fighter in his first bear-wrestling match, never quite sure when to just stand still and let some ursine backbreaker bounce off him. The Calderon of Fear is endeavourous, but slight. Painter is strong enough certainly, but we can't be sure to keep him in or out of injury. It's the centre, though, that needs some injection of rock, impossible to go through.

 

[turner25]

We need a hardman figure at the back certainly. The Elf is elegant and full of beans, but not macho enough to brush a burly striker off the ball and can be muscled out of things. El-Abd is hard, but always like a new fighter in his first bear-wrestling match, never quite sure when to just stand still and let some ursine backbreaker bounce off him. The Calderon of Fear is endeavourous, but slight. Painter is strong enough certainly, but we can't be sure to keep him in or out of injury. It's the centre, though, that needs some injection of rock, impossible to go through.

Totally agreed. The rock we are missing in the centre is Tunnicliffe. Strong in the air and is a real threat against any striker. Get him back from MK Dons and inject him into the strating XI.

 

[Brighton M]

People who want to change a defence that has conceded 4 goals in 8 games really have a screw loose, especially when they are campaigning for a defender who was a regular in the utterly shithouse defence at the beginning of the season

 

[hans kraay fan club]

We matched Colchester who are the roughest, strongest team in the WORLD...

 

[warsaw]

I think my view is that we can afford to lose the odd heading duel and midfield clatter (so long as we continue to defend well) because when we do have the ball we are creating havoc. I don't think we will come across a more physical team the Saints

So no big lumps just for the sake of it, although well as El-Bad is playing he is a bit short for a centre back

 

[murphy's law]

Summon Jake 'the boy kitten' Robinson immediately.

 

[Meade's Ball]

People who want to change a defence that has conceded 4 goals in 8 games really have a screw loose, especially when they are campaigning for a defender who was a regular in the utterly shithouse defence at the beginning of the season

I don't want to get all argumentative about things or slag off a defence that has done acely over recent weeks, but i think what sturdied them especially was that change of formation. Closed avenues for those on the attack, limits possibility.

I wouldn't have the Tunn back in there necessarily. I'd get an experienced pro rather than a player on the rise.

 

[El Turi]

Spain are a team full of midgets and they seem to do alright.

 

[Skaville]

Hmmm, let's have a look at our disciplinary record and decide...