v Preston North End (h) - 10/11/23

[booth]

10 hours ago, LeftWinger said:

I keep seeing people worrying about Ched Evans. He's played less than 90 minutes of football in almost 8 months. 

Let them worry about us.

And we've got the top goalscorer in the league, something many seem to forget. We needed someone to step into those shoes and Szmod has. If I was a Preston fan it'd be preying on my mind.

[Rover8T4]

Win and we are in the the top 6 for the evening #coyb

[Sweaty Gussets]

Gutted we're playing the minnows of Lancashire without any defenders or strikers.

Fancy not ever playing in the Prem. Even B'pool and Wigan have managed that. 

[joey_big_nose]

7 hours ago, booth said:

And we've got the top goalscorer in the league, something many seem to forget. We needed someone to step into those shoes and Szmod has. If I was a Preston fan it'd be preying on my mind.

It's weird - I think a lot of people think of Szmodics as a midfielder (including Elliott Jackson the LET correspondant). But he really isn't... he's been playing as a number 10 right up alongside whoever (usually as a makeshift like Dolan) is a number 9. If Szmodics is a midfielder then so have been the likes of Bellamy or Teddy Sheringham etc. He's often the most forward of all our players, right on the shoulder of the defender. Both his goals on Sunday were classic striker goals.

Szmodics average position from the last 5 league games shown by the circle with the 8 (his squad number) below. That isn't a midifelder.

 

[Sweaty Gussets]

The heirarchy of Lancashire football:

Rovers

 

Burnley, Bolton

 

Blackpool

 

Wigan

 

Preston

 

Fleetwood, Accy

Morecambe

[bluebruce]

2 hours ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

The heirarchy of Lancashire football:

Rovers

 

Burnley, Bolton

 

Blackpool

 

Wigan

 

Preston

 

Fleetwood, Accy

Morecambe

As an overall from the last 30 years that's probably about right, but Preston had done more than Wigan probably ever will before Wigan even joined the Football League for the first time in 1978. They're a bigger club than them, they just haven't been in the Prem.

I miss the days when we never gave any of that lot a second thought.

[LeftWinger]

Only team news we need to be concerned with. Is Tronstad playing?

[jim mk2]

In view of the centre half "crisis" I wonder if the club is regretting the decision to let go of both Phillips and Ayala?

 

[Displaced Rover]

Interesting stat, we have looked a lot more solid with him in the team, but doesn't that add up to more games than we've played? 15 league + 3 league cup = 18?

[tomphil]

5 minutes ago, jim mk2 said:

In view of the centre half "crisis" I wonder if the club is regretting the decision to let go of both Phillips and Ayala?

 

DoF and Head Coach no doubt but the 'club' won't seeing as that wage saving and that transfer income fit right into the cost cutting and bill paying agenda.

[Sweaty Gussets]

40 minutes ago, bluebruce said:

As an overall from the last 30 years that's probably about right, but Preston had done more than Wigan probably ever will before Wigan even joined the Football League for the first time in 1978. They're a bigger club than them, they just haven't been in the Prem.

I miss the days when we never gave any of that lot a second thought.

Yeah, I was thinking of the modern era really, 80/90's onwards...but a starting point of 1978 would probably have the same outcome. PNE were in the doldrums with Burnley for most of the 80's and 90's. They had a half decent team 20 years ago under Moyes but have essentially been shite since Finney retired. 

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

27 minutes ago, jim mk2 said:

In view of the centre half "crisis" I wonder if the club is regretting the decision to let go of both Phillips and Ayala?

 

As much as I liked Ayala, he was injured more than he was fit - given previous history, his role would most likely have been to keep Hyam and Carter company in the treatment room.

As for Phillips - he is IMO a bigger miss - but we didn't really have a choice in the matter given his contract position.

[wilsdenrover]

53 minutes ago, Displaced Rover said:

Interesting stat, we have looked a lot more solid with him in the team, but doesn't that add up to more games than we've played? 15 league + 3 league cup = 18?

4 cup games.

Walsall, Harrogate, Cardiff, Chelsea 

[LeftWinger]

53 minutes ago, Displaced Rover said:

Interesting stat, we have looked a lot more solid with him in the team, but doesn't that add up to more games than we've played? 15 league + 3 league cup = 18?

Four league cup games - Walsall, Harrogate, Cardiff, Chelsea.

[wilsdenrover]

1 minute ago, LeftWinger said:

Four league cup games - Walsall, Harrogate, Cardiff, Chelsea.

Copycat 😄

[white boy]

4 hours ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

The heirarchy of Lancashire football:

Rovers

 

Burnley, Bolton

 

Blackpool

 

Wigan

 

Preston

 

Fleetwood, Accy

Morecambe

Thats a rather interesting take on the standing of teams from Lancashire.  Be interesting to know what others think of this and how there thoughts work in comparison to this chart.  Clearly the dingles will never be top of any chart on this forum!

[tomphil]

Can't be doing with them but they are like us one of footballs most historic clubs.

[joey_big_nose]

1 hour ago, jim mk2 said:

In view of the centre half "crisis" I wonder if the club is regretting the decision to let go of both Phillips and Ayala?

 

Letting go of Ayala was the right choice imo given his injury record, and I dont think we could have done much about Phillips.

The issue imo was not signing another CB. We tried with Baath (think the plan was to sign him and Hill) but then when the financial situation changed we gave up. We should have found someone.

[Displaced Rover]

58 minutes ago, wilsdenrover said:

4 cup games.

Walsall, Harrogate, Cardiff, Chelsea 

Ah forgot about Walsall - was sure Harrogate must've been round 1!

[Sweaty Gussets]

42 minutes ago, white boy said:

Thats a rather interesting take on the standing of teams from Lancashire.  Be interesting to know what others think of this and how there thoughts work in comparison to this chart.  Clearly the dingles will never be top of any chart on this forum!

It's based on the last 40 years or so. If by 'interesting' you mean accurate then I agree. You've achieved very little in that time but at least these day you're no longer having to apply for re-election😉

If we want to extrapolate over a longer period, the last time you won a major trophy was 1938. For Blackpool it was 1953, Bolton 1958, Burnley 1960, Wigan 2013.  I've lost count of the major trophies we've won since 1938. 

Whichever way to want to cut it, the Nobbers are the runt of the Lancashire litter.

Edited November 7, 2023 by Sweaty Gussets

[jim mk2]

46 minutes ago, joey_big_nose said:

Letting go of Ayala was the right choice imo given his injury record, and I dont think we could have done much about Phillips.

The issue imo was not signing another CB. We tried with Baath (think the plan was to sign him and Hill) but then when the financial situation changed we gave up. We should have found someone.

 Forgot about Baath. We could certainly do with him now

[lraC]

20 minutes ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

It's based on the last 40 years or so. If by 'interesting' you mean accurate then I agree. You've achieved very little in that time but at least these day you're no longer having to apply for re-election😉

If we want to extrapolate over a longer period, the last time you won a major trophy was 1938. For Blackpool it was 1953, Bolton 1958, Burnley 1960, Wigan 2013.  I've lost count of the major trophies we've won since 1938. 

Whichever way to want to cut it, the Nobbers are the runt of the Lancashire litter.

Is that an R or a C in the fifty to last work of your post?

[Mercer]

1 hour ago, joey_big_nose said:

Letting go of Ayala was the right choice imo given his injury record, and I dont think we could have done much about Phillips.

The issue imo was not signing another CB. We tried with Baath (think the plan was to sign him and Hill) but then when the financial situation changed we gave up. We should have found someone.

Agree.

Injuries now biting hard.

According to Jackson in today's LT, return dates for Hyam, JRC and Gallagher all ominously 'unknown' whilst Carter expected back for Stoke game (25 Nov).

Think we'll be lucky if any of Hyam, JRC and Gallagher make it back before Christmas.

[Exiled_Rover]

6 hours ago, joey_big_nose said:

It's weird - I think a lot of people think of Szmodics as a midfielder (including Elliott Jackson the LET correspondant). But he really isn't... he's been playing as a number 10 right up alongside whoever (usually as a makeshift like Dolan) is a number 9. If Szmodics is a midfielder then so have been the likes of Bellamy or Teddy Sheringham etc. He's often the most forward of all our players, right on the shoulder of the defender. Both his goals on Sunday were classic striker goals.

Szmodics average position from the last 5 league games shown by the circle with the 8 (his squad number) below. That isn't a midifelder.

 

He's an CAM / Attacking Midfielder with license to bomb on. Dolan is essentially playing as a False 9, which is why our CF isn't the most advanced player. 

[dingles staying down 4ever]

Just now, Exiled_Rover said:

He's an CAM / Attacking Midfielder with license to bomb on. Dolan is essentially playing as a False 9, which is why our CF isn't the most advanced player. 

I love this modern day lingo. At the end of the day it boils down to the fact we are playing with two players up front.