Maher was at his,

[wiggy]

and boy did it rub off on the rest.Four midfield players all going sideways and backwards and captain Kev the biggest culprit. Oh for a Jay Smith type character that can feed Freddy and Dudders but no, hoof it in the air for probably the two worst headerers of the ball in the division. As for Mahers corners, is there not a player in the team that can put in a swerving corner with pace other than the powder puff pathetic effoorts that Maher produces!

 

[J]

he was awful... yet again, time to drop him tilly 4 games in a row now

 

[stickyboy]

agree on your points wiggy - keeps passing sideways a la Ray Wilkins and all the team are doing it and we dont seem to make any progress. And the corners also should be whipped in then only needs a touch rather than float in the box needs attackers to make good connection

 

[chaco27saf]

Quote[/b] (CS J @ April 23 2005,14:34)]he was awful... yet again, time to drop him tilly 4 games in a row now

What did he do wrong on tuesday? IMHO he led a very effictive and dominating midfield against Macclesfield.

 

[J]

Quote[/b] (chaco27saf @ April 23 2005,22:56)]

Quote[/b] (CS J @ April 23 2005,14:34)]he was awful... yet again, time to drop him tilly 4 games in a row now

What did he do wrong on tuesday?  IMHO he led a very effictive and dominating midfield against Macclesfield.

sorry, but i do not think he is the man for the job at the moment..

 

[Kenny]

Lets face it, Maher is club captain and the team revolves around him. Outside of Injury and Suspension I can't see him ever getting dropped. Every manager since Little has tried to build the team around him.

 

[J]

Quote[/b] (Kenny @ April 23 2005,23:30)]Lets face it, Maher is club captain and the team revolves around him. Outside of Injury and Suspension I can't see him ever getting dropped. Every manager since Little has tried to build the team around him.

i know, so there must be a reason why he never gets dropped.. this team worked well and effectively without him on his last suspension

 

[stickyboy]

the 2 games I think Maher missed were 3-0 wins V Rochdale and Cheltenham so we are not too bad without him!

- he also annoys me when he plays an utter crap ball or whatever and then tries to moan at every other player about it

 

[chaco27saf]

We did play well during his last suspension, but the fact remains that he has played in the vast majority of games this season and we are having our best season in several years. As captain and one of the members of the squad who has racked up the most playing time thus far, surely he is important to why we are in this postion?

 

[Kris]

Quote[/b] (stickyboy @ April 23 2005,23:51)]the 2 games I think Maher missed were 3-0 wins V Rochdale and Cheltenham so we are not too bad without him!

- he also annoys me when he plays an utter crap ball or whatever and then tries to moan at every other player about it

Surely the fact that Tilly resorted to getting a Championship player on loan to cover Kev's suspension underlines how important Kev is to the team? I doubt we'd have beaten either Cheltenham or Rochdale if one of our own squad players had stood in instead - just look at our two results and performances the previous time he had a suspension.

 

[Kris]

Quote[/b] (chaco27saf @ April 23 2005,23:53)]We did play well during his last suspension, but the fact remains that he has played in the vast majority of games this season and we are having our best season in several years.  As captain and one of the members of the squad who has racked up the most playing time thus far, surely he is important to why we are in this postion?

Precisely.

 

[sufcintheprem]

Quote[/b] (chaco27saf @ April 23 2005,23:53)]We did play well during his last suspension, but the fact remains that he has played in the vast majority of games this season and we are having our best season in several years. As captain and one of the members of the squad who has racked up the most playing time thus far, surely he is important to why we are in this postion?

Well, you think that, and I think that, but for some reason a lot of people disagree.

Ask any Macclesfield fan how good Maher was and they'll tell you. Maher and Gower, for all their stick, have a habit of always looking for the ball. This isn't something the rest of the midfielders at the club do with the exception of perhaps Guttridge but I don't think he's settled yet.

As for suggesting Maher made the rest of the midfield play badly, that's complete tripe, IMO. The fact that they are all central midfielders at heart and none of them seem particularly prone to breaking forward à la Bentley is surely the reason.

 

[Upminster Blue]

A defeat and guess who comes out of the woodwork, yes, you guessed it, Wiggy.

Maher didn't have the best of games but that doesn't suddenly make him a bad player. Our record over recent seasons when he's been missing says it all - abysmal.

As for blaming him for the loss and the rest of the midfield playing badly, absolute rubbish.

Oxford had done their homework - closed down Maher quickly to cut off the supply line and left no space between defence and midfield for Eastwood to exploit.

Having said that, ultimately, we gifted Oxford two soft goals and apart from that Flavs had nothing to do. We could and should have got at least a point. IMO, team selection cost us dearly - McCormack, Petts and Maher are more defensive midfielders and as a result lacked width and creativity.

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Quote[/b] (Upminster Blue @ April 24 2005,00:54)]Maher didn't have the best of games

That's very charitable. Feeling less charitable, I'll say that Maher had a very poor game today - not merely in his playing, but in the way in which he berated all around him when it wasn't working for him, particularly in the first half.

OK, so Nicky had a stinker for the first goal. But Maher almost seemed to make a point of humiliating him - sending him away like a naughty schoolboy for a particular corner which then promptly came to nothing.

I'm normally a Maher fan - he's an important player for the team and a key figure in our success.

But IMHO he had his poorest afternoon as a player and leader in a very long time today, and he really needs to buck his ideas up before next Saturday.

Matt

 

[Upminster Blue]

Quote[/b] (Matt the Shrimp @ April 24 2005,01:01)]

Quote[/b] (Upminster Blue @ April 24 2005,00:54)]Maher didn't have the best of games

That's very charitable.  Feeling less charitable, I'll say that Maher had a very poor game today - not merely in his playing, but in the way in which he berated all around him when it wasn't working for him, particularly in the first half.

OK, so Nicky had a stinker for the first goal.  But Maher almost seemed to make a point of humiliating him - sending him away like a naughty schoolboy for a particular corner which then promptly came to nothing.

I'm normally a Maher fan - he's an important player for the team and a key figure in our success.

But IMHO he had his poorest afternoon as a player and leader in a very long time today, and he really needs to buck his ideas up before next Saturday.

Matt

Hhhmmm.  I can see your point but I certainly was as frustrated with Nicolau's school boy errors as Maher and probably would have reacted in the same way as Maher.  It shows he cares.  After all, Maher has repeatedly been accussed of not being a leader/not being vocal.  Sometimes he just can't win.

As for being charitable on my assessment of Maher's performance, two points to make:

1.  Maher certainly wasn't helped by the lack of movement and lack of teammates making themeselves available for a pass.  The lack of width didn't help (note for Tilly: Gower must start next week).  Hence, not surprising that the majority of his passes were back, square or hoofed forward.

2.  Now, with two crucial games (our biggest in 10+ years?), is not the time to be running down the players (take note Wiggy), particularly one who has performed so well over the season as a whole.

Mark

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

First para... maybe. Para #2 - agree with completely.

Next weekend is now massive in every conceivable way. We must pull together.

Matt

 

[Upminster Blue]

Quote[/b] (Matt the Shrimp @ April 24 2005,01:19)]Next weekend is now massive in every conceivable way.  We must pull together.

Yep, my call on the Yeovil game is:

* Win - we'll be going up (and as champions if we win at Grimsby)
* Draw - we'll need to win at Grimsby to go up, a 50/50 chance at best
* Lose - it's almost certainly the play-offs (given Swansea and Scunthorpe's easier final two games)

 

[Prawn_2b_Wild]

Quote[/b] (Matt the Shrimp @ April 24 2005,01:01)]

Quote[/b] (Upminster Blue @ April 24 2005,00:54)]Maher didn't have the best of games

That's very charitable.  Feeling less charitable, I'll say that Maher had a very poor game today - not merely in his playing, but in the way in which he berated all around him when it wasn't working for him, particularly in the first half.

totally agree, Maher isnt a bad player but when he isnt playing well we are are normally cr#p. It winds me up that he NEVER gets subbed or dropped.
anyone who went to today and saw him telling Nicky to f#ck off for that corner that Nicky wanted to take 1st half, or watched him blindly lobbing his dolly drop girly passes forward and still defend him at all costs... why?
i admire him for his loyalty etc but if we do go up or not we need another playmaker and Tilly needs to use his subs/squad much better.
we have won nothing yet.

 

[bas blue]

i thought tilly used his subs well yesterday. soon as wayne came on the game changed.

 

[Guest]

Quote[/b] (Matt the Shrimp @ April 24 2005,01:01)]

Quote[/b] (Upminster Blue @ April 24 2005,00:54)]Maher didn't have the best of games

That's very charitable.  Feeling less charitable, I'll say that Maher had a very poor game today - not merely in his playing, but in the way in which he berated all around him when it wasn't working for him, particularly in the first half.

OK, so Nicky had a stinker for the first goal.  But Maher almost seemed to make a point of humiliating him - sending him away like a naughty schoolboy for a particular corner which then promptly came to nothing.

I'm normally a Maher fan - he's an important player for the team and a key figure in our success.

But IMHO he had his poorest afternoon as a player and leader in a very long time today, and he really needs to buck his ideas up before next Saturday.

Matt

Whilst Nicolau seemed to be sleeping for the first goal, so was our so-called holding midfielder and captain. Mooney was given far too much time and space to thread the ball through for the first goal.

I'm not sure where Maher was, but surely the holding midfielder should be the one picking up Mooney when he drops deep? Nicolau's defending was poor, but if our midfield (and we had enough central midfielders playing) had got tight on Mooney that Oxford move would have been snuffed out a lot earlier.