Thetownend.com

4-4-2

Go back to a Sturrock philosophy of hard work, determination and getting the ball forward early (getting it wide and putting in crosses)

Brez
Amankwaah  Ifil   Aljofree   Smith
Marshall  Pook   Easton   Timlin
Corr  Cox

Thoughts?

Timlin on the left? Macca everytime for me

Easton instead of marshall

corr is injured,marshall is raw,pook aint played all season and would get hammered by some of the crowd if he played.

No macca? Hes the only one who creates chances!

Easton to replace marshall,Peacock to replace pook,paynter in for (corr injured) macca in for timlin

Why Brez?

I'd have gone with Mark Scott :)

I'm expecting the same starting XI from Stockport. Keep it tight in midfield with effectively 4 central midfielders, try and boss the game and grind out a result.

Marshall at the moment looks like the kind of player who is only good against a shit team. Doesn't look like he stands up so well against better sides in the division.

Brez, Marshall, Pook, Corr

please no....

What samdy said we should also play that team at home

Why not try Amankwaah at RM?

because then you'd have to play jack smith at right back then play one of kennedy or casal at left back, neither of which appear to be good enough.

If Vincent was fit, then I would play Amankwaah at RM.

Then part of me thinks, fuck the wingers

Easton, Nalis, Peacock, Timlin

go narrow

How do we know Kennedy isn't good enough? He hasn't played a first team league game. Casal has only played 3 or 4 himself.

Interesting point. I think Malpas may have concentrated so much on playing attractive football that we've forgotten how to do the basics (well at home anyway). Problem is now the team looks so lost they can't even implement the attractive football philosophy.

I liked Kennedy in pre-season and I think is one of the few youths who deserve a chance.

Put me down for that too. Not seen him in a League game, but from what I have seen, he's got ability and commitment. I'd put Chris Allen in that bracket too. Not seen enough of the rest of the youth to join in with the "one of the few who deserve a chance" mind, sounds a touch harsh tbh.

In my opinion, our current full backs are about as poor as you get at league one standard.

If the youths cant start to challenge these then they havnt got a hope in other areas where we are much stronger.

Luke Garrard would be a regular starter in this team.

So would James Williams.

Brezovan, J.Smith, Ifil, Kanyuka, Amankwah, McGovern, Easton, Nalis, McNamee, Cox, Paynter

Subs - P.Smith, Aljofree, Marshall, Timlin, Corr (If fit)

And you still have the likes of Peacock, Morrison, Joyce waiting in the wings..

I honestly don't think our fullbacks have been that bad. Amankwaah was MOTM against Stockport and Smith was MOTM against Millwall.

Smith was Motm?!?! Dear oh dear

There's a Paul Fletcher piece on the BBC called The Hunt for Mpenza that I really recommend having a butchers at.

It looks at Plymouths season and how Sturrock dropped a lot of his flair players and those with a questionable attitude and fielded as he calls it “a very honest team” against Watford where they got their first win of the season.

I did laugh but tip the scotch nod a wink when he said  "I picked a team that if I was in a trench in the First World War and I blew my whistle, then they would all run out of the trench with me."   And I think Malpas needs to the same on Friday and pick a side that is going to battle for every ball and grind out a dirty result and then look to re-introduce some of the flair and creative players that have been lacking in form.

Peacock should be the first name on the sheet for Hartlepool along with Jack Smith and that Nalis character.

I would drop Mcnamee as he has been playing poor lately and perhaps a spell on the bench may give him focus, but I'd also drop JP so that would not give us any outlet out wide.

So instead I'd drop JP and put in 3 CM's and push Mcnamee up behind the front 2 with a licence to roam and cause problems and see how he get's on in that role.

I'd like to see Peacock in midfield but I think as Malpas has said he see's him as a striker he won't use him there.

Thats the formation malpas tried last season and by all accounts the platers did not know how it worked

Im going to disagree again.

There is no way in hell that Luke Garrard is any better than Jack Smith or Kevin Amankwaah.

Luke Garrard was complete and utter crap if he was any good he'd be playing league football.

Kyle Lapham on the other hand, I thought looked a good prospect!

Agreed Garrard would not get near this side.  My opinion was Lapham wasn't up to this standard either.  Both knocking about in the lower tiers of the English football pyramid.

I actually thought Jacko was our best player vs Millwall and Amankwaah is starting to show some promise.  I dont think these two are in any way the problem.

Alright well I haven't been muchbut if everyone was fit this would be my team: Smith; Amaankwaah (I haven't seen him play yet but he was good if I remember), Ifil, Vincent, J Smith; McNamee, Nalis, Eastie, Marshall; Cox, Peacock

I would go for a Midfield diamond sort of thing to keep things nice and compact we need to stop shipping goals and Mcnamee is a luxury player when you need to grind out results.

             Brez
Amankwah Ifil Morrison Smith
           Nalis
    Timlin       Easton
         Peacock
    Cox      Paynter

With Mcnamee,Marshall,Joyce,JPM,P .Smith

I know people like Jack Smith, and thats fair enough. But Man of the match!!!?? Are you having a laugh? He didnt get withing 3 yards of the scummer who created their first goal. To be fair, it is a bit dangerous being realistic about our players at the moment because we do look on the verge of meltdown. I wasnt at Stockport and Im glad Amankwaah had a good game. Good for him. As for Garrard, he was lightweight but he was a good footballer.

Weve got to give up this attractive football malarky. Its not attractive, its just embaressing from where Im sat. Our forwards hardly got a touch on sunday. Next home game lets focus on winning the first tackle, the first 50-50, the first header and see where we go from there.

Peacock in the centre of midfield, as captain, next home game. Battling his guts out. Ive written off friday night already, but good luck to anyone who goes.

This season is now just another get to 55 points season.

Its unfair to judge Marshall after coming on late in matches when the game is being lost....Iwould have Paynter and Joyce up front with Cox just behind them....oh and Pook in for one of the midfielders.....Morrison is coming on well so why not give Joyce a few matches,its not like weve got alot to lose is it.

I agree with Spencer.

Except about Garrard, although I thought he had more about him than he has showed since he has left us.

OK, I accept Garrard wouldnt get in the team. I thought he was good that game we won at Bradford on a bank holliday monday. He was far too lightweight.

How about a 21 year old Sol Davis?

Leefer, there is nothing wrong with the forward line, its just they hardly get the ball.

I think our forward line is quality. They've managed to get results with the very few chances being created. Think about MK, Cox basically made that first goal just from pressurising Is A Wanker.

Think we noticed even more how bad things can get when the forwards have an off day against Millwall. They got the ball so few times and failed to be as clinical as they have been.

This is why I've been stating that our attractive football has become myth. We haven't been creating enough or using the ball at all.

But away from home we've tried to be a bit more solid and it's paid off in certain games. Perhaps try it at home. I don't see what Malpas has to lose now.

In 2001 I thought our team was rubbish. But at the back we had

Mildenhall
Sol Davis
Reeves
Heywood
Mark Robinson

But now that team defence doesnt look so bad. Experience and youth. Managed quite a few shut outs, that defence kept us up. Just keep thinking I wish we could take that back 5 and attach our current front 6. Wouldnt do too bad.