Service

[Piemonte]

I lot of people seem to think we need the "classic 20 goal a season striker" to get promoted.  I dont. I think we already have the strikers cabable of getting the goals to send us up.

It would help if Fola connected with crosses from 2 yards out though  :x

For me, the problem is poor service to the strikers. We all know shakes cant cross the ball, and although Jack Smith has a decent right foot on him he is normally too deep and the oppposition defence is already back in place to defend the ball. We all know crosses from deep are much easier to defend than ones from near the touchline.

On the left, Vincent has put a few decent balls in, but again normally from too deep. It dosnt help that he seems very relectant to get forward. Monky is clearly our best crosser of the ball and possibly our most creative player. Sadly his hamstrings last about 2 weeks before going ping again.  Aaron Brown was shit on saturday. considering he is capable of putting a decent ball in I've no idea why he looked so fucking reluctant at times.

In centre mid Pook and Weston have been doing alright, I really rate Weston and Pook has looked much less clueless recently. The trouble is neither really have the vision or ability to deliver a defence splitting pass like Evans does

To summarise my jibbering - our strikers get very little in terms of though balls (I'm not counting semi-hoofs into the channels - yes I'm looking at you vincent) and generally only crosses from deep.  So is it any surprise that they dont score many - All season we've not been creating bucket loads of chances although I admit some have been spurned.

As much as I like Shakes for his workrate - he is a major part of the problem for me. He cant pass, cross or shoot which turns our right side into a black hole of creativity. We have no-one to replace him as Brownlie is shit on the wing, Weston is wasted there. Sadly, I dont see anything changing here in the near future.

[janaage]

Shakes is atrocious, possibly the worst player in the first team squad by a long way.

[Batch]

The only problem is that if Shakes doesn't play we seem to prefer to Brownlie as his replacement. Which is probably worse. Not a criticism of Brownlie, more that he is not a right sided midfielder/winger.

Evans in for Pook for me any day, even though Pook has played reasonably well. Evans goal contribution is invaluable if we are to go up without a 20 a season goal machine.

[janaage]

I'd rather play Brownlie than Shakes.  

Actually I'd rather play David Blunkett at tennis play watch Ricky Shakes play in a swindon shirt again.

[PHIL!!!!]

Dare i say it, but we could do with Sammy Igoe, or even Brian Howard! They both had a good cross on them and Igoe was great at counter attacking and then playing the ball off to the strikers.
I think Monkhouse provides good service into the box and we have seen the likes of Peaocck benefit from this. Shame he's always injured  :|

[Spud]

Shakes is atrocious, possibly the worst player in the first team squad by a long way.

Agreed, he makes a fat drunken Sunday League player look Maradonna-esque.

[McLovin]

Thanks

[Reg Smeeton]

We know Ricky is limited, if he wasn't he wouldn't be here, but he does do a lot of work for the team, and although he's frustrating, I'll  continue to offer him support.

   There's always some poor sod who our fans get on the back of.....sometimes with little real justification.....

[santini]

There's always some poor sod who our fans get on the back of.....sometimes with little real justification.....

Such is life. Fans need a scapegoat who they can vent their frustrations on. If enough join in it don't matter who it is and there's no need to justify it. The momentum can even suck in otherwise right thinking folk who ought to know better but are desperate to be seen as part of the bandwagon.

[Piemonte]

I'm not starting some kind of witch hunt against shakey here, like I said he works hard for the team, despite his failings.

The lack of worthwhile options on the right wing is a worry to me though, especially when we are not getting any quality in the box for two six foot plus strikers

[Frigby Daser]

Am I completely alone in thinking Holgate deserves a go there from the start? He's back at the club after getting injured at Newport.

[Piemonte]

He might be woth a go. He'd struggle to be as ineffective as Brownlie is there

That said, I think most will agree that by far his most impressive performance has come in central midfield

[santini]

The lack of worthwhile options on the right wing is a worry to me though, especially when we are not getting any quality in the box for two six foot plus strikers

Has been the problem on both wings all season.

[Simon Pieman]

Westons runs on Saturday convinced me enough that he could cause teams problems on the right. Fair enough you lose something in the middle but he does tend to run for a bit then look for an outlet to pass to. With our wingers being ineffective this means when they get the ball from him often the move gets broken down.

I'd give him a go on the right especially as he's hit a bit of form, although the risk is that he loses his form by playing on the right instead of the middle. Then we're back to square 1.

[Cookie]

Vincent put two or three really good crosses in from deep on saturday but the forwards don't attack the ball.