LCFCJohn

Yeah that or just keep Okoli in if he is benefitting from the experience of Lascelles or Vestergaard alongside him. He should be able to manage the remaining games. I just feel that Nelson’s head will have gone now so I’m wary about even risking him against Wednesday.

Good! Lascelles and Okoli obviously kept the clean sheet so worth sticking with. But Vestergaard and Nelson were quite good during the better run of results we had in early to mid December so could be a chance to use both partnerships over Easter. Or if it is just Lascelles that needs managing (well Vestergaard too) you could play Okoli in both and just swap in Vestergaard for Lascelles.

That’s what got me! Kept coming back to Iheanacho who’d I’d go already. Couldn’t for the life of me remember the other! Memorable player

Do we know if Vestergaard will be available by Easter Monday? I agree Lascelles shouldn’t play twice over 3 days but we also don’t want to be throwing away the Wednesday game with the Okoli/Nelson partnership.

I see this. Finishing is a skill and he did it for fun in Austria. If you go up a level, sure you end up against better keepers and it could be hard to get the chances with better defenders. But how do you explain some of the inexplicable misses where neither the opposing defence or keeper are the factor? Crushed mentality and literally no confidence. But as you say, all players have a choice. It gets made out that they get stuck here because nobody can pay their wages. No, they stay here because they won’t drop their wages. If a player like Daka had wanted to get out and reignite his career, he could have instructed his agent to negotiate a move on a lower wage. I don’t buy the short career stuff. Not at this level, lower leagues yes. I don’t pretend to know the tax situation around these levels of pay but I reckon dropping from £75k to a measly £40k or even less, would still set anybody up for life.

You can look at the performance and result as a stand alone and see it as a positive. It definitely one of those ‘would have won comfortably another day’ type of game. Clearly the negativity is because we are running out of ‘another days’. If we were to go and get 6/6 in the next 2, Preston and Sheff Weds, we’ll be likely looking in a much better position. But currently we are dropping too many points that are there for the taking.

I’d probably go Justin. I was quite vocal against him last season but clearly a player with a good head and attitude who was dragged down by the situation around him. It’s why I am hesitant to jump on the regular criticism of particularly Nelson and Stolarcryk who are in the first full seasons and for me, in the same boat where they will perform well once they leave us. Also Justin would be a huge improvement over Ricardo who is painful to watch at this point. Also trying to be realistic. The only strikers I could think of were Hirst and Cannon but I wouldn’t say I particularly called for either to go. In fact I specifically suggested we should consider not selling Cannon so we would have recognised striker in the Championship. Not that he’s particularly pulling up trees though.

We can forget about West Brom really. They are pulling away and playing well. Blackburn are grinding results out as well. Portsmouth and Oxford are the ones. We need to get the away win monkey off our backs at Wednesday. We’ve been playing well away but not converting the 3 points. If we can do so at Wednesday, that could carry us to do the same at Portsmouth. Realistically, if we can finish above them 2 in 21st by the final day, then it’s a sign of relief and disaster averted for now.

Got 65/66. Missed the ‘other’ Nigerian striker as my head kept thinking of the one we’d all get right away!

Yeah I agree with all that. Had Jordan James stepped up and took the exact same pen though? I think there’d be more understanding. I’m not saying that’s wrong. As a player, you gain or lose faith of the fans and Daka has had 4 and a half years of being crap so patience has worn out. It was more as I have said in my initial and subsequent replies to others, just a comment that I didn’t think it was a bad a penalty in isolation and credit to the goalie.

Yeah stuttered runs ups are shit. I know it didn’t always work but I quite liked how Vardy just uses to smash it and hope for the best! Remember Paul Gallagher back in the day? Turned his back before the run up. I don’t think I could deal with that now

I did say initially, you are asking for trouble when it is on the ground. I am just saying I don’t think if was a weak or central as I expected looking at the comments. Those go in every week around the country and are deemed good penalty. It was fairly powerful (or pace at least) and looked to have whip that was taking it further towards the corner. You could say about most penalties that if the keeper goes the right way they save it. Take the Bristol City penalty against us, that was awful. Even Jakub butter fingers held onto it. This one could of course have been much better. But I am just adding balance as given it is Daka, of course there will be a mass pile on. But that would take away from what was still a good save by the keeper in my opinion.

Obviously we have been so awful that any clean sheet is a positive day. We also created a number of good chances and would have comfortably won on another day. The probably is we are in the territory now where there are very few ‘another days’ to come. Add to that Watford were awful (whether that’s generally or just today I don’t know), it really is a missed opportunity. We still just about have enough games to do this by the margin for error has now gone. A win last week and converting either the Stoke or today draws into a win and we sit a lot more comfortably and can afford a game like this. The one thing that gives me some blind hope is Portsmouth being in awful form and if Oxford have peaked too soon. If we are due a little run, we may end up timing it just right. A win at Fratton Park is crucial.

Yeah I agree. It is not a defence of the decision to let him take the penalty. Crucial penalties at key moment require confidence and mental strength. Jordan James might not be a penalty taker but he certainly has more confidence and strength. Hell even Luke Thomas for his many many faults has shown some technical ability and is probably running off slightly higher confidence since his performances have improved under Rowett! Daka was a poor choice and I agree with your assessment. It was more just a comment that having not caught it in real time, I was expecting an absolute horror penalty. But looking at it, I just felt that it was one where you have to give the keeper credit for firstly going the right way and getting a strong hand to it.

Was going to say the same. I thought he’d wasted his career going to Chelsea but getting out promptly and joining a resurgent Everton has been great for him.

Just playing devils advocate, but if a player who was liked took that and the kick itself and outcome was identical, would they be getting the same abuse? Obviously I’m pissed off he missed and I think stepping up to take a vital penalty is a job for a player with a strong mentality and not without any confidence. But I actually missed the penalty and have seen it on the replay. Seeing the comments I was expecting a really weak kick right at the keeper. I didn’t think it was that bad. You’re always asking for trouble being so low as the keeper is more likely to get to it. But it looked to have pace and whip. It’s a very good save by the keeper I’d say. I’ve seen far worse go in and I’d say Maddison’s at Everton that it is being compared to was a far worse kick. Obviously cost us though. Just making the point I think it is one where I’d be inclined to give the keeper more credit than put it down to a terrible penalty.

Yeah, terrible. It was more a reflection that I don’t look around the team and see anyone who has a record of stepping up and taking penalties, let alone important ones. I look and see senior players, senior players with technical ability such as Winks and Ricardo. But where are they in these moments?

Don’t disagree. I just look round out team and think who do I think has the mentality to take a pen. James is the only one. But why doesn’t he step up? Perhaps just doesn’t fancy them.

I only name checked James as he is our only decent player. He’d have been a better bet than Daka don’t get me wrong but some players just don’t strike you as a penalty taker. Just seemed we were destined to miss it either way.

To be fair, I don’t think there is a single player on the pitch for us who I’d have had faith to score an important penalty like that, James included.

At least they lost to us. It’s when teams turn it in against us (well you know what I mean) and lose to the rest of the dross around us that is annoying. It is probably a case of just trying to be less crap than Portsmouth and Oxford at this point anyway.

Yep he needs away from this mess. We will get a couple of million at most and he’ll go on to have a career playing at a higher level that we will be at across the same timeframe…

A forward called Evans has scored in the Mansfield v Northampton game!!! Oh….

And Portsmouth 1-0 down. Cue Watford goal so none of it matters…

Oxford down early to Southampton