Stephen McLaughlin

[Somerset Ex-TTB]

At B & L today McLaughlin was carried off by two of the fitness guys - injury to his left ankle/foot

So thats injuries to Coker and McLaughlin at the moment? Good job we got Hendrie!

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

So thats injuries to Coker and McLaughlin at the moment? Good job we got Hendrie!

Also good that McGlashan has come back from his wedding, and is absolutely flying at the moment. Maybe the extra responsibility of a wife and possible kids in the future has focused his mind more about making the most of the time he has left as a player. So we'll be fine with him on the right wing and Kightly who can play either wing, on the left.

 

[Sussex Shrimper]

I thought he was very poor on his return. Almost anonymous. Yet agree before he was injured was immense. I hope we can keep him fit. Championship player on his day. League Two on an off day.

It's quite possible that mine's a minority opinion. I put quite a high value on intelligence and decision making in assessing players and I score Macca highly in that regard, so maybe that makes me willing to be a bit more forgiving otherwise. I've seen more naturally gifted players whose poor choices made them a turnover or opposition set-piece waiting to happen, and even when Macca has an off-day I don't get that feeling with him. I suspect that if/when he moves on it'll be for what will generally be perceived as a step up, but time will tell.

I'd still be interested to hear more about how we might be planning to use Kightly from anybody who: a) was there, and b) can contain their mirth over the Zidane/Atkinson bathos for long enough. :smile:

 

[rigsby]

Interesting. When you say tucked in, would that be more offensively in a Zidane-at-Madrid way, or as an extra body in the middle as per Will Atkinson?

Given PB's comments about the challenge ahead of McG to make the team I have to think that Kightly on the right is his current thinking. So reading between the lines we're possibly looking at last night's system mirrored with Macca as a winger and Kightly a bit more central on the other side.

Can't read to much into the formation at Bishops Stortford. Kightly was on the left but played very high as it was one way traffic. (see his goal)

Whatever side he plays on it won't be as wide as McG or McL. He may also end up as a CM, especially whilst Wordsworth is still injured. If Ranger comes back and can play somewhere near his best then no L1 team will be looking forward to defending against us with Oxely's easy side foots deep into their half and Kightly and the slime line Cox buzzing around.

McG did look sharp the other night but McL is much better defensively. Even after injury when as others have said he had lost that sharp first two steps he was still working really hard on his defensive duties, something that will always be noted by PB.

 

[FarmdogSUFC]

Can't read to much into the formation at Bishops Stortford. Kightly was on the left but played very high as it was one way traffic. (see his goal)

Whatever side he plays on it won't be as wide as McG or McL. He may also end up as a CM, especially whilst Wordsworth is still injured. If Ranger comes back and can play somewhere near his best then no L1 team will be looking forward to defending against us with Oxely's easy side foots deep into their half and Kightly and the slime line Cox buzzing around.

McG did look sharp the other night but McL is much better defensively. Even after injury when as others have said he had last that sharp first two steps he was still working really hard on his defensive duties, something that will always be noted by PB.

This is something that I've noticed PB has seemed to get out of Macca and make him a much better player. When he came on loan, he was decent enough going forward but was the laziest player in our team. Now his determination to get back when he loses the ball or when we're being countered is great to see. Puts a real shift in now