Mark McGhee's Master Stoke

[Easy 10]

BIG respect to MM today for taking a risk and playing Virgo up front - it turned out to be a complete and utter success. Virgs won header after header, and with a little more luck he might even have nabbed one himself in the first half - he got in front of his defender superbly a couple of times in the first half and forced their keeper into a couple of saves and was none to shabby on the ground either, with one first-time flick with the outside of his boot coming within an ace of putting Leon in before it was blocked.

I thought Virgo was a thorn in the side all afternoon for Preston. Even when he wasn't winning the ball cleanly, he was making enough of a nuisence of himself to ensure they didn't have an easy job clearing it, forcing them to lump it out or hurry into a misplaced pass. This helped so much in keeping Preston on the back foot for long spells, and made a massive difference to our pattern of play. Leon thrived in having someone to feed off of as well - he ran his socks off, there was always a chance of him picking up one of Virgos flick-ons, and that kept Preston fully occupied worrying about BOTH our strikers.

A bold, brave decision by McGhee. The team kept its shape as a direct result of it, and chiselled out a deserved, hard-fought and vital win. Virgo MUST start up-front v Leicester.

 

[Kryten]

Virgo MUST start up-front v Leicester.

 

[Knightsworld]

And Adams is probably wetting himself worried about Virgo

 

[Easy 10]

He was a bull in a china shop wasn't he ? Leaping around, crashing into defenders, didn't really know what he was doing but carrying on doing it cos it was working. I think Leon enjoyed playing with him, as he saw so much more of the ball than he usually does. After living off scraps, Virgo provided Leon with a full Chinese takeaway - pork balls, sweet and sour, crispy chilli beef, the lot. Its only a matter of time before Leon latches on to one of those flick-ons and sticks one away.

Sorry Molango, but your partnership with Leon is already dead in the water. I think Mahete might still have a part to play coming off the bench, but as a starting strike partnership, there really is only one choice now. And I would NEVER have forcasted a Virgo-Leon combo.

It does at least give McGhee some breathing space to go out and find the out-and-out target man we have desperately needed. But who knows....in half a dozen games, we might already have found him.

 

[Scotty Mac]

virgo will get 30 goals this season - just watch and see

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Please don't too many posters go making fools of themselves over this. Adam Virgo is NOT, repeat N-O-T, the solution to the striker problem. Got away with it today, but a goal never looked likely to come from open play.

 

[London Irish]

Easy, when Molango was signed, McGhee specifically said he did not see him as a partner for Leon, they were too similar as players. Mahe has been filling in as much as Hinsh and Kerry has been, and now Virgs is.

There has been a lot of carping about McGhee on NSC on the basis that at his previous clubs he experimented with selections and formations.

Well, that experimentation worked today. Will any of his critics hold their hand up and give McGhee his due?

McGhee is a thinking manager and he is also brave enough to try the unorthodox, and I think that's great given the difficilties we find ourselves in.

 

[Inkerman]

How will Virgs fare against Martin Keown?

 

[B.M.F]

Please don't too many posters go making fools of themselves over this. Adam Virgo is NOT, repeat N-O-T, the solution to the striker problem. Got away with it today, but a goal never looked likely to come from open play.

I agree but he will suffice until A) we get someone else in or B) Mcphee gets himself fit as I think he could be utilised well as a target man or C) Molango gets some coaching from Virgs about how to win a header.

Virgs was still my joint MOM with Nicholas.

 

[perth seagull]

If only we had done more to keep Chris Iwelumo, looks like he was more valuable to us than we realised.

 

[B.M.F]

If only we had done more to keep Chris Iwelumo, looks like he was more valuable to us than we realised.

I mentioned this on a previous thread and will do so again. Chris did OK for us at best and the way he treated the club during the Summer was bang out of order and I hope he rots in the reserves at wherever he has gone. He agreed to talk to the club but did not bother showing or to even have the dignity to let the club know. Bearing in mind we saved him from the scrap heaphe should have at least listened to our offer.

Good riddance to bad rubbish in my book.

We do still need a target man though

 

[Yorkie]

Virgo played better yesterday than Iwelumo did (on average)

Agree we still need a target man.

 

[Easy 10]

Obviously I'd still prefer us to sign an out-and-out target man, but Virgo looks very capable of standing in for the time being in that role, and he should continue up front with Leon until McGhee finds the target man he is after. As for not looking likely to score during open play - Virgo had 2 headers in the first half, one of which the keeper did very well to get down to, and in general we looked far more likely to create something in open play than we have done all season, just for the fact that Preston were not having an easy time clearing the ball with Virgo winning so much in the air.

There wern't many chances in the 2nd half, as we again went back to our tendency of dropping too deep for comfort to defend our lead (this is still a cause for concern). But for the time being, I think McGhee deserves a pat on the back for having the balls to try this out, and Virgo deserves credit for applying himself to the unfamiliar role with such relish and enthusiasm.

 

[The Large One]

As I understand it, when Virgo intially joined Albion's youth ranks, it was as a forward. So it wasn't completely alien territory for him. It was just the first time he has done that in the professional game for 90 minutes.

Well played, fella!

 

[b.w.2.]

Virgo was awesome yesterday... really shook up the PNE defence with his aggressive style... winning the headers that all of our other forwards are incapable of (except McPhee, I hope)...

I have been saying since big Chris chose to look elsewhere that we needed a target man, and we still do... despite his height, Molango is basically a similar player to Leon and Robinson...

I hope we land this target man soon... I just don't think Virgs will quite make it in this position long-term; central defence for him...

That said, I hope Virgo plays brilliantly up front in the short-term...

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

chris sutton maybe?=