Mandeville

[Filo]

Was bone idle when he came on, did he touch the ball?

[donnyallday]

Yes, he gave it away at least twice

[anne honemous]

He was one of Oldham's best players when he came on.

Absolutely terrible performance by him up to stoppage time anyway when suddenly he looked a bit more interested.

If he's not careful, he'll be below Longbottom in the pecking order soon.

[Akinfenwa]

He'll pop up with the odd penalty / tap-in every now and again. But does he actually offer anything to the team otherwise?

[Alan Southstand]

No. But try telling Selby!

[selby]

  . can take that Alan, he came on when we had already decided to see the game out, was distinctly told to play up the pitch by the manager, when our midfield were tired and treading water.
 Do not mention the sitter the apple of your eye missed from six yards (again) in the first half. That cost us two points(again).
   I will repeat what I said earlier in the week, If Alfie does not improve in front of goal, we will go down and Fergie will be able to thank him for losing his job.
   If you cannot see that you are blind, and I would play Mandeville as a starter over Alfie every day of the week knowing he will score more goals, and he may just play some one else in or hold the ball up, which Alfie seems to find difficult.
  A great tryer yes, and thats it mate. I hope he improves, no one wants our players to do well more than me, but he misses chances.

[esdailles left foot]

Fair assessment

[RoversAlias]

What sitter was this? I only remember a chance May did very well with, in behind the defender with some nice touches and tried to loft it over the goalie who played like a sweeper keeper. Unless I'm forgetting another chance I don't see what May did wrong today.

[selby]

  Oh I didnt realise he did so well.

[RoversAlias]

Is that the chance you're on about then Selby? Cos you've brought it up in three threads now and I'm baffled because he did as well as he could there and the keeper saved it because of his unusually advanced starting position. It wasn't anything close to being a sitter, I've seen dozens of worse misses from better players this season .

[selby]

  Alias I would like to see your comments if Mandeville or Marquis had done the same thing, eight yards out,with only the goalkeeper to beat, and no defender near is a sitter to me mate.

[Alan Southstand]

Funny, but I don’t remember your star man carving out anything for himself. I do remember him giving the ball away needlessly.

[dickos1]

Not sure changing the subject from mandeville to may is the correct way to try and defend mandeville.
I've really no preference, I think they're both decent with different attributes.
But mandeville was poor today and it was mays first game back from injury.

[RoversAlias]

  Alias I would like to see your comments if Mandeville or Marquis had done the same thing, eight yards out,with only the goalkeeper to beat, and no defender near is a sitter to me mate.

You're joking aren't you? Funny how we all see the same things differently. He had to beat a defender to even get the shot away. Marquis has missed about 10 easier chances this season minimum, and Mandeville barely ever gets in to a good position to even have chances like that.

Alfie May is not the reason we didn't win today's game.

[GazLaz]

  Alias I would like to see your comments if Mandeville or Marquis had done the same thing, eight yards out,with only the goalkeeper to beat, and no defender near is a sitter to me mate.

You're joking aren't you? Funny how we all see the same things differently. He had to beat a defender to even get the shot away. Marquis has missed about 10 easier chances this season minimum, and Mandeville barely ever gets in to a good position to even have chances like that.

Alfie May is not the reason we didn't win today's game.

May is not good enough, that chance he had in the first half should have been buried.

[steve@dcfd]

We need better than Mandeville and May if we are to progress further. They both have different attributes but strikers need to have a good work rate and be able to take chances. With our midfield they have to work hard to create for themselves.

[5minstogo]

The fact of the matter is we don't take our chances and that is down to the front line not being good enough.

Fergie dropped a huge bollock thinking Alfie and Mandeville were ready to step up

[selby]

  Alan I was sat behind the dugout, he was signalled to stay up field by Fergie when he was drifting into midfield to get involved,as was Marquis, no doubt to put pressure on their defence.
  We dried up in midfield the last quarter,  because the youngsters were tired, we should probably have gone to one up front, but that is with hindsight.
  I  didnt think we played badly today, and things are going against us,that as a team we probably do not deserve.
  Again we missed a really good chance in front of goal,and let in  a poor goal, caused by a slip by a player who was one of the best players on the pitch.
  I accept that Mandevilles first two touches were poor, but you jump straight on him.
  It gives me no pleasure at all to have posted four days ago in reply to you that Alfie misses chances, and if he plays I want him to prove me wrong.
  Compare their stats of goals to minutes on the field,
if my job depended on results,as Fergies does, I know who would play for me.
  Also look at the other players goal tally when comparing the two, Marquis had his best period when playing with Mandeville,

[Bentley Bullet]

Perhaps May made the wrong decision and should have hit it low, but his effort was still on target and required a good save from the keeper.

What other player on our books would have definitely buried it?

[Donnywolf]

Perhaps May made the wrong decision and should have hit it low, but his effort was still on target and required a good save from the keeper.

What other player on our books would have definitely buried it?

The truth is no player including Messi (who is not yet on our Books) would be guaranteed to bury it

If AM had gone low he may have scored - if he had scuffed it he probably would have scored. He hit what he (as a Professional Footballer) thought would be the best way to score and unfortunately he missed and we have to accept that as Fans

Marquis may have done the same - Williams too if fit - and Tommy Rowe ditto. Sometimes they go in and sometimes they dont

(No shit Sherlock post of the day I suspect)

Your question I would answer thus : Nobody on anybodies Books could be guaranteed to take that chance

[selby]

   There is only one fact,Liam Mandeville DID NOT miss THAT chance.

[anne honemous]

  We dried up in midfield the last quarter,

We never even got going in midfield.

I give the team the benefit of the doubt where I can, but we were abysmal in midfield from minute one to minute ninety.

[talksbollox]

Too slow, which I can forgive, but doesn’t work hard enough, which is unforgiveable.

[The Red Baron]

  We dried up in midfield the last quarter,

We never even got going in midfield.

I give the team the benefit of the doubt where I can, but we were abysmal in midfield from minute one to minute ninety.

Is the fact that we went back to the diamond significant? We abandoned it because we were getting over-run in midfield. Today I thought midfield was an area we struggled in throughout.

[selby]

 I thought Houghton,and Whiteman did O.K. and Rowe was very good, it was not a bad game, with two very evenly matched sides.
  Both defences were on top of the strikers however, and both goals came as a bit of a surprise at the time.
  Well ours did, the Oldham goal came in our usual poor last few minutes.
   Beestin started the game very well for twenty minutes,  and then only showed bits and pieces, and visibly tired the last half hour.

[RoversAlias]

  Alias I would like to see your comments if Mandeville or Marquis had done the same thing, eight yards out,with only the goalkeeper to beat, and no defender near is a sitter to me mate.

You're joking aren't you? Funny how we all see the same things differently. He had to beat a defender to even get the shot away. Marquis has missed about 10 easier chances this season minimum, and Mandeville barely ever gets in to a good position to even have chances like that.

Alfie May is not the reason we didn't win today's game.

May is not good enough, that chance he had in the first half should have been buried.

Agree to disagree on this one Gaz. I think criticism of May for that chance is harsh.

[anne honemous]

  We dried up in midfield the last quarter,

We never even got going in midfield.

I give the team the benefit of the doubt where I can, but we were abysmal in midfield from minute one to minute ninety.

Is the fact that we went back to the diamond significant? We abandoned it because we were getting over-run in midfield. Today I thought midfield was an area we struggled in throughout.

I think you have a valid point.

Until we've got past the next four league games we have no choice but to battle through with the players available in whatever formation is available to us, but in the longer term I'll be quite happy if we ditch the diamond altogether.

[Alan Southstand]

Selby, the midfield is our biggest problem - not May or Mandeville. I prefer the worker and you prefer the other one - so be it. We must have one of, if not the worst midfields in this league. The midfield protects the defence behind (and Jordan does his job ok) and then they have to provide the link through to the strikers and help create. If creativity is a rose garden in summer, then we are in the middle of the Sahara desert. No pace, no width, no strength, no guile (Tommy excepted but only in fits and starts) and absolutely no mental strength at all.

I know we have injuries, we have them every season it seems, but whatever the Club were thinking before the season started - well, let's just say it has been blown out of the water. We need action in January and it's not 1 or 2 players we need. Let's start with 2 full backs and then 2 midfielders and I don't mean kids! And I think we need someone experienced striker, but will we get anywhere near that? Will we hell.

[selby]

  Alan, if you look at my past posts I have said the self same thing about our midfield and fullbacks earlier this week,although we are playing better in that area now than we were earlier in the season.
I thought that Garrett after a shaky start got better as the game went on. Coppinger would have made a big difference today. 

[Bessie Red]

   There is only one fact,Liam Mandeville DID NOT miss THAT chance.

No the only fact is that May missed that chance!! Mandeville & 9 other Rovers players did not miss that chance!!