Team for Saturday

TimperleyTangerine

Well-known member
To achieve the right balance of solidity, creativity and pace I’d like to see 4-2-3-1.

Maxwell

Gabriel, Husband, Ballard, Garbutt

Dougall, Ward

Mitchell, Embleton, Kaikai

Yates

I know it’s unlikely NC will go with Ward and that Virtue will start. That’s fine, if he can repeat his second half performance over 90 minutes.

Movement and fluidity in the midfield 3 is key, we look a much better footballing team and Jerry comes alive.

Hopefully we’ll have Madine and CJ on the bench, ready if needed.
 
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I would play the second half team. Never mind how the opposition play, tweeking this and that. Play like we did at the start of the second half from the off, put three past them and then protect the players. It really is at shxt or bust point for this season, pointless talking about building for next year, we will have lost a fair few of the team by then. Go for it 👍
 
I would play the second half team. Never mind how the opposition play, tweeking this and that. Play like we did at the start of the second half from the off, put three past them and then protect the players. It really is at shxt or bust point for this season, pointless talking about building for next year, we will have lost a fair few of the team by then. Go for it 👍

I would do this too - continue the momentum that those players built up. I doubt Critch will do it as he likes to "rotate". 😕 I would prefer that he uses his five subs to rotate during the game if any of the original eleven start flagging - they won't though as they'll be buzzing to continue where they left off.
 
Turton has been solid these last few games. Away from home where we're likely to come under pressure from a good footballing team, i'd pick him.
Absolutely, he has been solid and much improved this year. I just think Gabriel gives us that bit more offensively, with his pace and overlapping runs. Gabriel was also playing very well, before being dropped. Perhaps NC is looking more to our own player, rather than one on loan.
 
i dont think there is any reason to drop Turton but there was no real reason to drop Gabriel. over the season Gabriel has become much better defensively and turton has become significantly better going forward. although Gabriel is probably quicker, i think turton is a better crosser of the ball. its a good problem for NC to have.

Kaikai has to start more centrally but with an attacking three in midfield they can switch positions a lot,
 
For all of how "good" these players are, we're not actually playing very well? We drew last night and drew on Saturday.
 
Thought Embleton was poor against MK Dons but was really good last night. Consistency is key.
He can't drop Turton at the moment. He's been our best player.
I'd be tempted to start with the team that finished the game although Mitchell looked like he was hobbling at the end.
 
Oxford played last night as well. Karl Robinson won’t want to change a team that has just won by 3-0. Pool are hard-nosed away from home. This is a pivotal game, with both Clubs, “sleepers” at the moment, pushing gradually up the table. We all hope CJ and Gaz can play some part.
 
Just to be a contrarian here,

we played the same formation as the second half last night in the MK Dons game and we created exactly zero chances for ourselves.

So why did it work second half last night and why are we all so quick to rush back to it?

Granted that night it had Ward instead of Mitchell and Stewart over Dougall but that nights formation is hardly a big change from what we all want on Saturday, why do we all think it will work better against Oxford than it did against MK?

Is it purely the pace of Mitchell and maybe Gabriel?
 
Gabriel was part of our impressive winning and clean sheet run. I have no idea why people think, because Turton has stood out, ahead of the rest of the inept and average to poor performances.

Blackpool fans are bemusing. Create zero chances. Score a low amount of goals. Don't win games. Keep the same team and same formation and expect the same results.
 
Gabriel was part of our impressive winning and clean sheet run. I have no idea why people think, because Turton has stood out, ahead of the rest of the inept and average to poor performances.

Blackpool fans are bemusing. Create zero chances. Score a low amount of goals. Don't win games. Keep the same team and same formation and expect the same results.
That’s the biggest problem, other than Wigan and Charlton I can’t remember us burying many teams this season...
 
I'd go with:
Maxwell
Turton, Husband, Ballard, Garbutt
Dougall
Mitchell, Virtue, Embleton, Ward
Yates
I'd just give Kaikai the 2nd half
 
Just to be a contrarian here,

we played the same formation as the second half last night in the MK Dons game and we created exactly zero chances for ourselves.

So why did it work second half last night and why are we all so quick to rush back to it?

Granted that night it had Ward instead of Mitchell and Stewart over Dougall but that nights formation is hardly a big change from what we all want on Saturday, why do we all think it will work better against Oxford than it did against MK?

Is it purely the pace of Mitchell and maybe Gabriel?
Depending on who is available to play it could work against Oxford, to put an extra player behind their three man midfield again. But there's more chance of looking like we mean it if we have players timing their forward movement beyond the defender and having intentions for the next pass to be a forward one, playing at a quicker tempo. I don't think we'll be doing that though. They'll try to pick their moments and manage the game out. Aim for one point plus. That just seemed to be a special tactic employed in the second half last night to try and get back in it against Burton to me. As the alternative was a 2 or 3-0 defeat. They were pressing quickly to stop usual the safe passing shapes and it was just going to turn into long balls and come straight back at us, so there wasn't any point carrying on that way.

Gabriel was part of our impressive winning and clean sheet run. I have no idea why people think, because Turton has stood out, ahead of the rest of the inept and average to poor performances.

Blackpool fans are bemusing. Create zero chances. Score a low amount of goals. Don't win games. Keep the same team and same formation and expect the same results.
50% clean sheets when Gabriel starts so far. Looked OK in those last few games he played. Thought he was growing into the defensive side. Don't see him as any more of an threat going forward than Turton though as he's got to fit into a shape rather than being allowed to attack the spaces in front of him.
 
Quite simply we wont go up with Virtue Turton and Husband in the team...they make us look what we are ....an unadventurous mid table div 1 side...with those 3 in the side we become a team even worse to watch than any Simon Grayson team...it will upset a few but the truth hurts
 
Quite simply we wont go up with Virtue Turton and Husband in the team...they make us look what we are ....an unadventurous mid table div 1 side...with those 3 in the side we become a team even worse to watch than any Simon Grayson team...it will upset a few but the truth hurts
Does it?

 
Quite simply we wont go up with Virtue Turton and Husband in the team...they make us look what we are ....an unadventurous mid table div 1 side...with those 3 in the side we become a team even worse to watch than any Simon Grayson team...it will upset a few but the truth hurts
How adventurous do you want your centre half to be?!
 
and Gabriel is 100 % better than Turton and Dougall Stewart and Ward are all better than Virtue...still picking the 3 of them together...whilst we have a first 11 including ALL 3 of Turton Virtue and Husband we cannot expect to finish in the play offs...we can get away with 1 of them and if really needs be 2 of them but not all 3
 
and Gabriel is 100 % better than Turton and Dougall Stewart and Ward are all better than Virtue...still picking the 3 of them together...whilst we have a first 11 including ALL 3 of Turton Virtue and Husband we cannot expect to finish in the play offs...we can get away with 1 of them and if really needs be 2 of them but not all 3
Not many understand it. We have the least ambitious fans going.
 
I still think we have enough to get a result against Oxford which is testimony to the squad that Critch has built.
 
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