Let's talk about the Lincoln City game

[selby]

  A cup game in a competition Lincoln have taken very seriously and consequently have made good money from in the past allowing them to get publicity nationwide and build teams partly on prize money and the crowds later cup rounds attract.
  Earlier this season in the football league trophy we were soundly beaten as they easily pushed us aside to reach the next round thumping us 3-0 and are more than capable of doing it again on their own patch.
 We have a number of players returning to fitness after long layoffs who need game time, and could feature at some point hopefully, also fringe players, although a fixed number of players from yesterday's side have to start the game, add some of the youngsters that are doing well in the u18s and it looks an interesting selection conundrum.
  The mixture seemed to go well in the last game v Newcastle and the game was quite entertaining and interesting, but I expect a stronger opponent both in this game and the Barnsley group game, another side that have done well in the competition in the past and could see us as easy pickings.
  How would you play it? another option is to pick the same squad as v Swindon and see if they can recover form, a big question.
   Lot's to discuss about this game, lots of selection options and opportunities for some players to put themselves forward in what could be a difficult game for us, please have your say.

[Panda]

How about giving Kuleya a start to prime his pace and fitness? Oh wait..........

Dead rubber. Same plan as the Newcastle game. Get it out of the way with no injuries. Result and performance completely meaningless.

My view but i know many fans still do value this completely devalued competition and they will have a different one.

[Sammy Chung was King]

I would use this game to try a new system as an alternative to the one we use. I would play the players likely to start the next game.

[roversdude]

Is Kuleya eligible, not sure how youth loans work

[sedwardsdrfc]

Play our best team try to find some form and actually dominate a game is how i'd like us to approach this one.

[roversdude]

This game at this time is merely an inconvenience at the very best a training game for the likes of Close

[scawsby steve]

Close and Olowu definitely need minutes in this one.

If Lincoln turn anything like a full team out, they'll murder us, but I doubt that they'll risk many first team players against us.

[selby]

 Close, Barlow, Seaman, and Olowu, if capable of getting game time need to want to play for their place surely.
  In fairness all have the ability to be in our team play well and improve it, and with other fringe players at least need to show they want it if fit enough to play some part in the game.
  A good result would be welcome, a good performance very important, and I am sure the players and the management want both just as much as us the supporters.
  As I touched on in the OP, a game with a lot of interesting aspects to it, the line up just the first conundrum.

[Panda]

I'd doubt the ability of the players to muster much motivation for this game given how little they showed against Swindon, which was a big home league game for us.

[Colin C No.3]

Close, Barlow, Seaman, and Olowu, if capable of getting game time need to want to play for their place surely.
  In fairness all have the ability to be in our team play well and improve it, and with other fringe players at least need to show they want it if fit enough to play some part in the game.
  A good result would be welcome, a good performance very important, and I am sure the players and the management want both just as much as us the supporters.
  As I touched on in the OP, a game with a lot of interesting aspects to it, the line up just the first conundrum.

I would give them all game time if they are fit.

They’ll be able to fit in seamlessly to our manager’s structure of play.

[steve@dcfd]

Whatever system we play we can’t have two central midfield players playing against three every game. Lincoln play 433 we need to ensure we have players to cover their work rate. GMC as stopped doing that. Saturday Taylor wide left wrong then Molyneux and Tomlin both skilful players we have been told and seen in glimpses but their workrate is poor.
So it will be a hard game they played a strong side in their first game and beat Barnsley easily so what ever GMC decides to do with players we must  ensure the workrate in midfield improves to give us any chance.

[Alan Southstand]

The midfield just isn’t functioning as a unit, either with or without the ball. This becomes more obvious when we don’t have it due to the large gaps at the front and rear. Swindon actually passed us to death on Saturday and we couldn’t get near them! I well remember our fantastic midfield, under SOD, dishing out such formidable beatings, bordering on humiliation.

Now, either the manager hasn’t seen this or he chooses to ignore it, as players are playing within it and contributing little, if anything, to the fight to get the ball back in our possession. If, by some miracle, we do gain possession, we’re all over the place and not finding the space around the man with the ball to give him options, hence 2 or 3 passes later we’ve lost again, or, even worse, we resort to passing it back for a defender to hit it long to the opposition!

Now this has become a pattern, throughout the season, but more obvious during and since the Mansfield game. It has never been corrected. Until it is, we’re just going to suffer ever more beatings. I’m not sure GM is really getting to the bottom of it, but someone needs to.

[Campsall rover]

Where is this box to box midfielder we have supposed to have signed.
Biggins we were told. Well he is starting to remind me of Bostock.

Very static, just sits ion front of the back 4 with Clayton and 90% of his passes go sideways or backwards.
We don’t need 2 holding midfielders especially at home. If this is GM”s master tactical plan then it is flawed.
Let Biggins off his leash and get him playing further forward.
We need midfielders who are going to give Miller the opportunity to do the job we have brought him in to do.
Play as we are doing and we will win very few games because we won’t score goals.

[ncRover]

Where is this box to box midfielder we have supposed to have signed.
Biggins we were told. Well he is starting to remind me of Bostock.

Very static, just sits ion front of the back 4 with Clayton and 90% of his passes go sideways or backwards.
We don’t need 2 holding midfielders especially at home. If this is GM”s master tactical plan then it is flawed.
Let Biggins off his leash and get him playing further forward.
We need midfielders who are going to give Miller the opportunity to do the job we have brought him in to do.
Play as we are doing and we will win very few games because we won’t score goals.

I think he only works if he’s the 3rd central midfielder. We basically play 4-4-1-1 with Tomlin.

[WarwickRover]

Can’t keep playing like we have been, no width, no pace, hoof ball. Who would want to be a striker for this coach. But there again an opportunity to improve our strikers running with the ball and shooting with his left foot. That will make the difference.

MCS should use this game to try different tactics and different players. He has nothing to loose. But I’m guessing it will be a similar performance to what we’ve had recently and last season. I’ll be delighted if he turns it around but I’ve nearly given up on this coach

[Colemans Left Hook]

Is Kuleya eligible, not sure how youth loans work

 i tried to find out if he and the other lad were allowed to play in the f a cup on Saturday (letting them play wouldn't have been the smartest decision  ) but couldn't

as for Lincoln for the last  2 to 3 years they have played their strongest team which strangely coincides with them doing very well in these competitions .

They have a new manager because Appleton peeled away from the club as he couldn't take them any further with the limited investment from a South African and his friends who were chipping in.

[Alan Southstand]

Didn’t he leave due to his health problem? I think he had cancer, didn’t he?

[roversdude]

He had cancer but left because he needed a new challenge
https://www.weareimps.com/news/2022/april/appleton-leaves-city/

[Chris Black come back]

Appointed head coach at Blackpool in June.

[selby]

  I expect lots of changes tonight with quite a few playing part of a game in their quest to get back to full fitness, and others who have been sat on the bench needing game time.
  It is a chance to rest Rowe who caught a knock on Saturday, and give Tomlin and Clayton a game off. Agard needs game time as do Close and Olowu, two players who could kick us on if back to anything like full fitness, Jones is a shoe in for this competition Seaman and Barlow again if anywhere fit enough to play need games, John Taylor should get more minutes.
  Ravenhill if he is going to make a fist of being considered part of the first team scene really needs to show more than he has and grasp a chance, hopefully Reo Griffiths starts to get back to fitness and shows form, he can really make a name for himself if he gives it a go, and Long needs to show us he has more to offer than he has up to press. Add Max Waltman who could yet excite us when he gets up to speed, that is quite a list of players who need to make a marker to get into the first team, add a couple of youngsters and without risking too many players you are going to play Saturday we could field a decent team and use the game to our advantage.
   Lincoln have historically taken every chance of progressing in all cup competitions and taking games seriously, using the income generated well and putting it to good use, They also won earlier in the season against us at a canter in the League Cup so start heavy favourites no matter what team we field, so not a lot of pressure for a result that would be somewhat of a surprise if we got one, but a chance to use the game for getting players back and using the game to our long term advantage, while trying to get a surprise result.
  Lots to interest us about the game, can we compete? will we play lots of players coming back and fringe players? can we against the odds get a decent result?

[Panda]

Can't find any football on tv tonight so reluctantly have gone for this game on ifollow as there is nothing else to watch.

Is there a review in the near future about reverting this competition back to how it was does anyone know? I think the football authorities were debating a few years ago about scrapping the U21's but decided against it.

Crowds weren't great even in the old format comp but were they better than they are now?

[steve@dcfd]

If Lincoln p take is seriously and we play fringe players and players returning from injuries. Plus playing Taylor on the left and keeping Molyneux and Tomlin in the side then it could be a embarrassing score

[Alan Southstand]

Tomlin & Clayton need more than a game off, Shelby! And Molyneux needs to decide whether he’s going to get involved more in games to warrant being in the first 11.

The midfield needs sorting.

[selby]

  Panda, how many times, the grant from the premiership to league1&2 depends on this competition accepting premiership u21s sides or they will each lose a lot of money, and many small clubs would go to the wall.
  As it stands, two things, it will not revert back because of the grants that depend on the u21s teams taking part, most small clubs would find it difficult to survive without the grants.

[selby]

 Al, have you a speech impediment and type as you speak, it's selby

[andy didcott]

Hope I’m wrong but cannot see anything other than a Lincoln win.

[Panda]

  Panda, how many times, the grant from the premiership to league1&2 depends on this competition accepting premiership u21s sides or they will each lose a lot of money, and many small clubs would go to the wall.
  As it stands, two things, it will not revert back because of the grants that depend on the u21s teams taking part, most small clubs would find it difficult to survive without the grants.

Ok. Take your points and thanks for the info.

What you are essentially saying in your last sentence though is that most small clubs could go under if they didn't take part in the tournament with the U21's? Am i right because it sounds ludicrous. How much do Rovers get for example for taking part in this shitfest?

[danumdon]

I don't give two hoots about the result but what i am keen to see is the game used to benefit the returning players and to get some sort of fluidity and control in our game plan.

We have gone very stale very quickly and its going to need some deeper thinking from the management team.I'd like to see Tomlin, Rowe and Clayton rested, not just for their sakes but to see how we can build some sort of pressing play in the midfield, its become apparent that with these three this type of game is not on, some sort of injection of pace and movement needs to be demonstrated from the players because if we don't then this will become a very long and unsuccessful season again.

Its become more apparent every match that we need to be able to change tack midway through games we are struggling in. I can't see the point of asking the likes of Taylor, Hurst and Moly to hug the touchlines if we are going to get overrun in midfield, the ball never gets to them and when it does there's no one bar a fatigued Miller on his own to try to make something from nothing.

I'd also like to see the management set them a task, when they get the ball in deep positions i want to see the player turn towards the opposition and look for a forward ball, if we keep turning backwards every time we have the ball we will never get any go forward and it only ever results in a hoof by a defender under pressure. The players need to make themselves available by moving, its not rocket science.

[Panda]

I'd like to say that we can use this game to try out some different things but isn't that what GM had pre-season for? 

[Alan Southstand]

Nothing wrong with either my speech or my writing, but predictive texting is a pain in the orifice! It helps if you check what you wrote before sending