Denis Adeniran
I notice he’s been posting ‘show reels’ on Twitter. Frustrated he’s not getting games? Showing management what they are missing. Shop windowing himself for post Wycombe.
With him, Nnamdi, Gape and Curtis playing that high energy central role currently occupied by Knight and with Bloomfield and Pattison waiting in the wings too I wonder what he and his parent club think of this loan.
0
Comments
To be playing regularly, Adeniran needs to demonstrate that he is better than Knight, Thompson, Gape and Nnamdi. I am not sure he is.
When written down like that we have one heck of a number of defensive mids!
Couldn't buy one at the start of the season!
I always thought Dennis was actually a ACM rather than a DCM but was asked to sit more due to all our injuries.
Can't see how he gets in based on that list of midfielders. Especially when you add Mehmeti and Wheeler too. Not saying he's a bad player but he hasn't blown me away and stood head and shoulders above the rest.
Worried by Thompson's absence though. He is a big miss for our defensive shape
Surely it's for the loanee to force themselves into the team by weight of performance above those around them.
If he can't dislodge Knight, Thompson or Gape then he isn't going to play - simple. Add to that Mehmeti, Wheeler, Ofoborh and Bloomfield and we have an good set of centre midfield players fighting for the positions.
Bring back Lambert so we can play 4 centre mids, I say.
Lambert will be available as soon as the Ipswich takeover is completed!
And will benefit handsomely I should think as a result of his unbelievably generous 5 year contract.
Rotation of those two centre mids could be key with Saturday/Tuesday a regular feature from now until the end of the season.
I'm not sure Knight and Wheeler can continue to play 90 like this for much longer. I thought both looked exhausted on Saturday in the first half, let alone the second. They were both excellent but I fear an injury to one or both is not far around the corner.
Question is, is it better to play Wheeler & Knight for 90 on a Saturday and then swap them for tow of Gape/Thompson/Adeniran/Ofoborh on a Tuesday OR is it better to do 60 of Wheeler/Knight and 30 of the other combinations in every game?
Given we can do 5 subs, we could even start with Wheeler/Knight, after 30 move to Gape and Ofoborh, then final 30 with Thompson and Adeniran but that might be overkill!
Just shows how difficult it is to come up with the right combination of players for three games every seven days, especially at this level where you need to be at your best for every match. You also have to factor in injuries during the game, tactical switches dictated by the score, opposition etc. The manager’s job is a lot harder than it looks!
I realise that this may be one of those stupid questions I regularly moan about...but do people think we've made the best use of the five subs given we have some decent players on the bench? It's very rarely more than three quite late on even when some players look cream crackered.
Simple answer from me - no. On Saturday Millwall had made 4 subs at 62 and 85 minutes (2 and 2) in the same time we made 2 (75 and 85 minutes). Subs of course can be disruptive but that applies to your opponent too. I hate to use rugby as an example but coaches in rugby use subs to continually keep the pace and energy of their team up. We seem to use subs to fix holes and I think this is a little backward thinking dare I say.
We have rarely used five subs but do other sides?
On Saturday we were coping but the players were tired and I think GA was concerned that making a change may negatively impact the result. I have to agree I was worried about that to, but I was also worried about Reading tonight.
As they've now played 3 games in a row, they could be really tired tonight and have a below par game (if they start), which then means you then need to introduce players who have hardly played for three/four games.
Worse case is you have to start with players who haven't played for three/four games.
On the balance, I would prefer to see us use the subs more if the quality is there, which undoubtedly it is, if all of them are fit but equally I completely understand why Wheeler and Knight played so long on Saturday.
@TheAndyGrahamFanClub I just think sometimes the players we have on the bench are experienced have all played regularly with the team at some point and would easily slot into the gap of a knackered player without too much 'disruption' so I am often left puzzling as to why it does not happen to speed up a game or sharpen up the defence. Of course, the caveat is I am not and have never been a football manager...
David Wheeler is possibly my favourite footballer around right now, but he looked shattered last night. Considering where he has played the last few games it could be an opportunity for Adeniran to play that position on Sunday?
I agree with your thoughts about Wheeler.
It's quite unusual for a technically competent player to do so much off the ball unselfish running.
Due to the one camera situation with Ifollow you cant fully appreciate the workload Wheeler gets through.
Wheeler another excellent bit of recruitment. It is true he reacts so quickly that the ball has often loved on before the commentators notice who played it.
Wheeler is already a legend, to my mind, and comes across like an absolute gent too.
Watching games in person I never quite got what David Wheeler offered but remotely I can see it clearly. And that’s despite what @ChasHarps rightly says about the single camera.
I guess it proves that on match day at Adams Park, I’m no student of the game!
Where do you normally watch from?
As a half way line watcher I've always seen a totally different game when we go away and end up behind the goal or in a corner.
As an aside I always prefer watching NFL games from the endzone rather than side on.
Wheeler - could be our player of the season...work rate and team spirit
He’s in outstanding form at the moment. The ‘nice’ to Knight’s ‘nasty’. Can’t see Gaz changing the current formula. I think he has high natural fitness. I’ve also been impressed with him in warm up. His shooting is first rate amazed he doesn’t get more goals.
@Right_in_the_Middle Woodlands block Q. Despite having watched football every week in the ground for about 35 years I realise I am no student of the game, unlike others that I sit with.
My match memories are all incidents, daft comments from the crowd, goals and cock-ups. Someone will turn to me and say we’re playing 3-5-3 and I just wouldn’t have noticed.
You can tell from the exchanges on here that we all watch the same game in very different ways. Emotional vs analytical I suppose (understanding that some can do both).
Also, at the ground one is more likely to be about five pints in, which helps no-one when making a tactical analysis
I'm with you though. I think back on the hundreds of games I've seen over the years and the overwhelming memory is how they made me feel
If I was five pints in at a game I'd miss the whole thing, spending the entire 90 minutes in the loo.
This is me as well. I will be the first to admit I don't really understand football.
I can usually recall the season as a whole and players who have done well and some games stand out but often have to be reminded by the Gasroom about particular games/goals from the past and as I drive to games I cannot even claim my memory lapses are down to being five pints in. I find Wheeler does catch the eye in the live match setting though...so he must stay pretty close to the Beechdean touchline considering my poor eyesight!
You have something in common with the sadly lamented Mr Cummins then!
No need to be disrespectful to former Prime Ministers on a football forum. Disgraceful stuff.
He will start on the Tories 3rd female PM next !!