Too early ?!!! I think it wise to facilitate a therapeutic distraction
..a fixture close to my heart. I lived in Lincoln for several years and it became very dear to my feelings indeed. I also watched a then poor and lowly imps on the odd Tuesday or Wednesday when the millers were not playing.
They have come a long way since those days and have very slowly built their ground and following aided by a huge increase in the cathedral city's population to one that was very much lower than ours to one now slightly bigger. They also have the added advantage of now being a University city as well as a cathedral city. They are also isolated geographically from any big teams. Hence, with a bit of success I'd expect their following to grow even bigger.
Historically, it's a fixture that we'd go into with high expectations, but times they are a changing...
It's fair to say our first several games have been unpredictable. Flattering one moment and deceiving the next. It's warnes biggest test in his career I'd venture. No more protection from being in the championship and nearly 5 years at the helm It's inevitable fans grow restless when things go wrong and the same sound bite is played. A loss on Tuesday will inevitably pierce the minds of even the most faithful. There are of course radical believers unable to see the evidence.
Is it time to play barlasar , and drop deeper with a back 4 and odoffin in front.
Do you believe it was just about 11 men who were thinking about how great they were and so a kick up the backside will suffice and the team will romp home to a convincing win that kick starts the real Millers into action.
Will you play right footed players on the right and left footed players on the left or will you pick who you think are the safest and best players and pop them anywhere on the pitch.
Will you drop a striker or two. Go one up front!!
Will you drop wiles, lindsay and or the viking?
I'm tempted to put my team up rather than the one I think fear dictates. Like warney I'll keep it in-house along with my criticisms . While I'm doing all that , I wonder if there's any room for me to deeply reflect or perhaps have some managerial therapy with a much wiser and more experienced professional. No! Times to short and the pressure too great.
Should I stick or should I bust. If I stick there will be trouble. If I go for bust it may be double.
Prediction
Lincoln 2 Millers 1
10 k in attendance
1200 fearful Millers.. let's hope there's a rapture on the night to save them (me)
-- Edited by ian on Sunday 12th of September 2021 04:10:10 PM
You seem to be on fire with your posts Ian. Great opening piece for the Lincoln game.
Before yesterday Lincoln had only won one of their five league games, losing three and winning and drawing once. They had only scored four goals before yesterday and had let seven in. Now all looks a bit rosier after a 5-1 away win. How good Cambridge are i have no idea. i doubt very much they will feature in the top half of the division, more likely a relegation battle.
Warne has a difficult decision to make on formation. Does he stick to 3:5:2 or change it around. I am pretty certain Lincoln will go 4:3:3. In that formation they have Adelakun as one of the wide men in a front three. One past poster on here thought he was hopeless. Scully has started well as the other wide man scoring two yesterday and scoring in the previous game. They also have journey man Bridcutt who will play in front of the back four breaking up play. He went to Sunderland for millions several years ago and also went to Forest for a million in the past. He didn't really cut it at either club. However, he is decent for this league and seems very settled at Lincoln.
i am not going to say much about our set up as i very rarely get it right. I am pretty certain we will not go with the same back three as Saturday and i would certainly be looking to give Wood a break with a view to playing him on Saturday at Bolton. I have no idea if Ferguson will be fit but i seriously hope so as he would give more balance to the left side. I would leave ladapo out as i don't think he has warranted selection on recent efforts. As for the rest i will leave it to others on here. I do think we will come away with at least a point though.
Indeed, Whiston. I have a little bit more head-space at present .
As for the current lincoln squad they appear a midtable side. That will be a disappointment following the last few seasons strong evolution, but they are still a team building on good foundations.
They lost a couple of season loans at the end of last season and haven't been able to replace them with the same quality . They are a very young squad and a very tall one .
The keeper is very untried and the choice upfront looks unimaginative, but they finished everything last week.
The defence and midfield are quite capable. They favour a possession game and use a winger on the left supported by the centre forward and left and centre mid . They have been shooting on sight so I reckon this is a policy at the moment.
They have a lot of players from U21s and 23s that have made the step up to their first team. They had some big names leave last , some for money and some as fee agents.
Teddy Bishop and Connor mcgrandles in midfield are well thought of with the former signed from Ipswich and regarded as the best footballer in the team. However, midfielders are a dime a dozen so it's not to difficult to pick up a decent 1 or 2 at this level.
As you mentioned Adeluken seems to blow hot and cold. He looks like he has it in him but he's just not consistent and can go missing. The young Anthony Skully has 9 goals in all competition's already so looks like the one to watch. maguire is an option in the 3 but he's struggled with form and injury. We all know his game and if he's up to his usual standard there's not a lot to be anxious about.
It's definitely a game to introduce Grigg from the whistle. I agree ladapo has been lacking aa usual , but , I think he's done OK overall.
Barlasar one would think has to start. PW, gets a free hit if he does following the poor displays of wiles and lindsay. If sadlier starts he has to start on the right or sit behind the 2 strikers. Of course ogbene will start as the right winger...come chaser backer for the errant midfield. And, I'm personally going to drop Victor. He hasn't been anywhere near the keeper he was at the end of last season. He seems to have switched off . Time for vickers to get the shirt. Victor has handed him his chance.
My team
drop Victor, ogbene, Woods, ladapo.
the 11
Smith to hit the centre and left of centre. Grigg across the box
Wiles left of midfield Rathbone centre Barlasar deep midfield progressing to attacking midfield in build up and set pieces. Odoffin deep and centre midfield.
Icky Centerback REG centreback Ferguson if fit or bola left back Wes right back.
Vickers between the sticks
So it's a 442 for me .
-- Edited by ian on Sunday 12th of September 2021 11:59:20 PM
Agree with your team Ian. Vickers is worth a start but what's the long standing injury he allegedly has carried all his career and limits his movement and prospects of regular appearances ? Or so i was told on Saturday.
I hoping for a win do i see warne changing side and team i hope so but i doubt it.
And his fancination with ogbene, until he puts in telling crosses i dont see it
Ogbene is a right winger who has pace and the ability to get us forward and the opposition on the back foot. A good outlet. However, his final ball in needs masses of improvement. He is not good at defending so the wing back position is not where we should be playing him.
Hillsborough, you said at the start of the window that you doubted Smith, Barlaser, Wiles, Ladapo, Lindsay and Ogbene would be pulling on a RUFC shirt again. You also didn't rate Crooks and wondered why he was being selected. He went for £1.2m. As you say everybody is entitled to an opinion. The problem is mine and yours are usually wide of the mark.
Defenders hate playing against real pace. I see Ogbene as being a particular asset away from home when we get more space to exploit and opportunities to break. At home he gets nullified a bit by sides sitting deeper. Whether there is a natural spot for him in a 352 formation is debatable. We all know he isnt a natural defender but if we are going to be brave, the argument might be that he pushes the opposition full back backwards which gets us on the front foot. Personally I like him as a traditional winger in a 442 with someone solid like Harding behind him, but there are pros and cons. All pieces of the jigsaw to try and fit together.
I think it dates back to winter 2017. He had a recurrence in August 2018. It took until the start of the 2019 seasom for him to be challenging for his place. He never regained it. On the 2 occasions I saw him , he was outstanding in all departments. He was so athletic. According to wiki he made 70 appearances for lincoln between 2016 to us signing him in November 2020.
The injury is in his quads and obviously effects his kicking .
-- Edited by ian on Tuesday 14th of September 2021 11:06:00 AM
Following Saturdays mismanagement it will be possibly too much to expect a change of formation. We play 532 without an experienced left sided centre half. We play wingbacks with no experience and who are obviously not up to the job. Wes Harding, an excellent right back, is being made to look a poor player in his present position.
If we continue with this formation, and assuming Richard Wood is unfit, I can see the team for tonight being:
Johannson
Green Ihekwi Bola
Harding Barlaser Lindsay Rathbone Wiles
Smith Griggs
Pretty inexperienced at the back but what you get if you do not strengthen in Transfer Window. We should have brought a left sided centre half in particularly if we let Tilt go. We have at long last got cover at left back but my concern is that Mattock and Ferguson seem to have abundant injury problems.
I personally would go 442 this would then allow a place for Ogbene.
I don’t find myself agreeing with gru very often but he’s right REG is not a centre half but a right back quite we are very unbalanced and I agree a replacement for Tilt should have been found unless Bola has been brought in for that job fair enough
I don’t find myself agreeing with gru very often but he’s right REG is not a centre half but a right back quite we are very unbalanced and I agree a replacement for Tilt should have been found unless Bola has been brought in for that job fair enough
Who's gru? Is that grwu? Thought he'd moved on to pastures new?
That aside Lincoln are on fire at the moment. They are beatable. Can we stop their gallop?
We've not got into our stride just yet and gelled as a team.
Maybe we'll make heavy going of the encounter. 1-0 either way will not come as a surprise.
I hope the management get the selection and tactics correct as well as the key in game decisions, the players need to show up as well whoever plays. Interesting that warnes pre-game interview states that we are short of CB's!!! well whos fault is that?
Sometimes it is like a man that shoots himself in the foot and then says his foot hurts
hoping for a win we don't want to be dropping into the bottom half, not sure there is the fight in them to climb up again
Is that grwu? Thought he'd moved on to pastures new? 
