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Hartlepool could be without a Manager on Saturday

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  • With no possible game the following Weekend why do we need to rotate ? Put out the strongest team possible, everyone else can play in the pizza cup against Burton

  • Is the Pompey game definitely off?

  • We've got strength in depth; we should use it. Keep the injury risk as low as possible.

  • @our_frank Although I think it was supposed to be 'encouraging', what GA said post match about Saturday worried me. His reference to treating the competition with respect is good, his insistence that we will put out as strong a team as we can is kind of good, but when he clarified that any absentees would be for 'medical' reasons, which these days includes "we felt the lad was a bit tired" means that he has given himself carte blanche to put out a side with any number of changes, all sheltering under this 'medical' umbrella.

    I have no doubt that the team he puts out will give it their all, but I do wonder if we'll be strong enough if he selects what amounts to a 'Papa Carabao' side.

  • @YorkshireBlue said:
    A nice line up might be...Stockdale Grimmer Tafazzoli Stewart Jacobson Thompson Pendlebury, Wheeler, Kaikai, Horgan, Akinfenwa
    Subs: Pryzbek, Mccarthy, Gape, Parsons, Mehmeti, Vokes, (young cb whoever is available)

    Giving Obita and Scowen a rest.
    Assuming the injury to debarr remains.

    De Barr was on the bench for the last Pizza Cup game, so think he's OK to play now.

  • @ReturnToSenda said:
    We've got strength in depth; we should use it. Keep the injury risk as low as possible.

    We have and we haven't.

    There's not really a strong player to come in at either wing back position.
    Grimmer hasn't done as well as any of the other back 3 this season either, albeit is clearly a class right back.

    In centre mid, Gape is a big drop on Scowen/Thompson on this season's evidence.

    Arguably our main strength is depth is in attacking midfield / up front.

  • edited November 2021

    @Malone said:

    @ReturnToSenda said:
    We've got strength in depth; we should use it. Keep the injury risk as low as possible.

    We have and we haven't.

    There's not really a strong player to come in at either wing back position.
    Grimmer hasn't done as well as any of the other back 3 this season either, albeit is clearly a class right back.

    In centre mid, Gape is a big drop on Scowen/Thompson on this season's evidence.

    Arguably our main strength is depth is in attacking midfield / up front.

    You rotate as far as you can without taking the piss and seriously weakening the side - even our second-strongest 11, if you like, should be beating a League Two team. It's good for players to get a run out in a more competitive environment than the pizza nonsense anyway.

  • I don’t think we should be dismissing Hartlepool so lightly. They are just 3 points off 4th place in League Two and they have the best home record in the division, W6 D1 L0.

  • Grimmer has been excellent this season for me.

  • " even our second-strongest 11, if you like, should be beating a League Two team "

    Imagine our reaction if a championship side said that about us !!

    Have you never heard of cup shocks

  • @YorkshireBlue said:
    A nice line up might be...Stockdale Grimmer Tafazzoli Stewart Jacobson Thompson Pendlebury, Wheeler, Kaikai, Horgan, Akinfenwa
    Subs: Pryzbek, Mccarthy, Gape, Parsons, Mehmeti, Vokes, (young cb whoever is available)

    Giving Obita and Scowen a rest.
    Assuming the injury to debarr remains.

    I like this, except I think Thompson needs resting with his knock/fitness issue (whatever it is). I think Gape would be a better shout in there - he was pushing too far up against Ipswich, but would be fine staying back with Pendles being the one to push forward if needed.

    Tempting to rest JJ instead of Obita, too, as JJ is not getting any younger.

  • Gape looks way off the pace but he should be given time to get back to full fitness and form.

    Easy to forget what a superb player he is when he's been out for so long.

    (might help our understanding of the situation of course if we'd been given any sort of update on his condition all the time he was out. On the subject, anyone got a clue how Garath McCleary is?)

  • That would be a breach of the Official Secrets Act Eric!

  • I dream of winning the lottery purely so I could say to them "here's 10 million quid but you can only have it if you give weekly updates on the fitness of our players"

    (I'd probably throw a few other conditions in there as well)

  • @eric_plant said:
    I dream of winning the lottery purely so I could say to them "here's 10 million quid but you can only have it if you give weekly updates on the fitness of our players"

    (I'd probably throw a few other conditions in there as well)

    For £10 million you could probably have a say in picking the team.

    Re squad rotation. It is a long slog up and back to the Monkey hangers place. Anyone with a niggle isn’t going to want to sit on a coach for 8+ hours. I’d rotate with some quality off the bench if required.

  • I assume people are not playing for good reasons...it saves time.

  • Who is saying otherwise?

  • @eric_plant said:
    Who is saying otherwise?

    My lottery winnings will be going on finding out who is the best/worst dressed player, the joker in the Squad and who is the Dressing Room DJ.

  • @drcongo said:
    Grimmer has been excellent this season for me.

    But arguably not for Gareth as he's been out for a while now, and I'm not sure Mccarthy has come even close to his superb form from his first spell here.

  • @Shev said:

    @YorkshireBlue said:
    A nice line up might be...Stockdale Grimmer Tafazzoli Stewart Jacobson Thompson Pendlebury, Wheeler, Kaikai, Horgan, Akinfenwa
    Subs: Pryzbek, Mccarthy, Gape, Parsons, Mehmeti, Vokes, (young cb whoever is available)

    Giving Obita and Scowen a rest.
    Assuming the injury to debarr remains.

    I like this, except I think Thompson needs resting with his knock/fitness issue (whatever it is). I think Gape would be a better shout in there - he was pushing too far up against Ipswich, but would be fine staying back with Pendles being the one to push forward if needed.

    Tempting to rest JJ instead of Obita, too, as JJ is not getting any younger.

    If he's really having to be managed we have a perfect opportunity to give him a 2 week break while getting a few regular games in for Gape.

  • @glasshalffull said:
    I don’t think we should be dismissing Hartlepool so lightly. They are just 3 points off 4th place in League Two and they have the best home record in the division, W6 D1 L0.

    Don't think many would. Huge distance trip away to a team near the top of the division below, just after we've started conceding tonnes of goals...screams Cup upset doesn't it.

  • @HolmerBlue said:
    " even our second-strongest 11, if you like, should be beating a League Two team "

    Imagine our reaction if a championship side said that about us !!

    Have you never heard of cup shocks

    Agreed. Disrespectful to the competition and the opposition. Our squad rotations in the last two games have resulted in one point.
    If we want a cup run play a decent side. If we don’t, then we’ll don’t. Just be honest with us.

  • No worries posts about GA going to Hartlepool yet?

  • Anyone know what kit we will be wearing on Saturday?

  • @PJS said:
    Anyone know what kit we will be wearing on Saturday?

    I thought it might finally be a competitive debut for the gold and white?

  • That’s what I was thinking given the abundance of white in their home strip

  • I would go for leaving out as many as we can, especially if the Pompey game is going to be on.

  • Parsons and De Barr have travelled up

  • Are there replays at this stage (or any other, for that matter)?

  • edited November 2021

    @micra said:
    Are there replays at this stage (or any other, for that matter)?

    Only up to R4. Was rather hoping they'd get rid of them for good after last season.

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