Let's talk about the Accrington Stanley game

[selby]

  The last of the easy games before Christmas as someone once wrote while having a dream of greatness and got carried away.
 A team who are coming off a great result last week against Portsmouth, who have a striker already on ten goals for the season and start to worry have only won one game away from home.
  We showed glimpses however of regaining our form in the first half at Wimbledon, will at least have the chance of picking Taylor and Anderson, and therefore have a chance of playing the majority of our best players.
 Anderson in for Daniels, and Taylor in for Bingham would be my changes, with Ennis as a substitute willing to ease him back into the fray after such a long lay off, he came on for a ten minute stint at Wimbledon but hardly touched the ball or got into the game and needs time.
  Accrington have Colby Bishop already on ten goals and with Dion Charles form a potent strike force, and the loan player from Fulham Jerome Opoku shores up the defence and is not immune himself from getting forward into the oppositions defence.
  John Coleman their manager does not seem to be restricted to fielding competitive sides
 on one of the divisions smaller budgets, and uses the loan and release of players from such as Everton etc. to great effect.
   Our best team can trouble any side at division 1 level, our fringe players struggle to do so, as has become obvious in recent games in cup and league games, and luck with injuries and some continuity of team selection is now required injuries allowing for us to have a chance of recovering confidence and something from a season that promised much a month ago and is now hovering on petering out, some of it self inflicted with team selection in my opinion.
   So lots to discuss about this game,
   Can we get back to winning ways?
   Are we capable of getting back to challenging for a top six place?
   To do that we will have to show some consistency, are we capable of it?
   The so called run of easy fixtures are at an end, can we pick up form against so called better sides?
  Lot's to look forward to and discuss, please have your say.

[drfchound]

It annoys me when fans speak of upcoming so called easy games.
There aren’t any.
Anderson will start for sure, hopefully Taylor will be fit enough to start and I hope that DM goes with Ennis from the start as he should be good for at least an hour.
Sometime this week DM will  say that he is “looking for a reaction” from the players and in truth, I do expect a much better performance.

[Donnywolf]

Yes I remember that Selby - and ran an "Easy games" comp to see who would get closest .... my Tenner is safe and even though we had the Tranmere game called off its the ones with 10 and 11 Points which look to be winning !

  The last of the easy games before Christmas as someone once wrote while having a dream of greatness and got carried away.

[selby]

  The game does not seem to have attracted much interest over the week, hopefully I am misreading the lack of interest, and hope it doesn't gain momentum to the end of the season.
  Anderson and Taylor returning could kick us on again to some better results hopefully, and would be the two changes I would make replacing Daniels and Bingham.
  We face a run of on paper harder fixtures against more fancied sides. Against Wimbledon we grabbed defeat from a victory, while being the best side in the game, and played far better football than of late, something we can take from that game and build on if we can cut out the obvious mistakes
  At our best we can be a team to be reckoned with, so need to get our season back on track, find our best formation, and stick with the best players as far as injury allows.

[DearneValleyRover]

Selby it’s the last Saturday before Xmas day so it tends to drop the crowd, add the poor run of form and a team we have never beaten in the League I’m not overly surprised by the lack of interest.

[selby]

  But DVR, you know as well as me that this is one of the no hard games before Christmas, as someone once posted.

[5 on Tour]

All games are easy. It’s not a difficult sport. Just score more than the other team... I’m sure a manager or two has said that over the years.

Tomorrow is a worry for me. Mainly because he is going to want brick wall(hopefully for Daniels), Ennis and Taylor back in the team now they are fully available again. On paper those 3 are vital and it’s important they are back in. Unfortunately, our lack of game time and cohesive starting 11 means we will probably have a first half of disjointed football against a team who will be sky high in confidence after last weekend. If we ride that storm out then we have a chance. If we don’t then we could be 2/3 down before we kick into gear.

[steve@dcfd]

Goal scorers required for interest. Performances should improve but will taking of chances. Over to to the CEO and Chairman to get players in.

[selby]

  If you look at Thomas's goals to game time on the field. we have a goal scorer, or have I imagined it.

[steve@dcfd]

  If you look at Thomas's goals to game time on the field. we have a goal scorer, or have I imagined it.

I hope you are still saying the same over the next 4/5 games then we may have won games.

[Alan Southstand]

Selby, let’s just get things in perspective; if JM was still with us, neither Thomas or Bingham would have even been thought of, never mind given short-term deals.

[Retdon1]

  If you look at Thomas's goals to game time on the field. we have a goal scorer, or have I imagined it.

He’s roughly averaging a goal every 250 minutes. 2 of his goals were against Southend with his other coming last Saturday

[5 on Tour]

Thomas needs our support. Not our criticism.

[steve@dcfd]

It’s not a criticism of Thomas he does his best. But we need better than we’ve  got at the club as a striker and goal scorer. If the club don’t get that player then we standstill or at worse go backwards. GM said we build on what we have at the end of last season that’s not happened but we shouldn’t have to accept mediocrity in the striking dept.

[scawsby steve]

For all those that don't regard this as a potentially hard game, Stanley are unbeaten in 4, have lost just 2 of their last 8, and have just dicked Portsmouth 4-1.

Easy game? Yeah right.

[selby]

  Retdon1, I don,t know where that figure comes from, discounting the EFL cup, not a first team game according to many,which I disagree with mostly but will go along with it because it suits me in this case.
  Thomas has taken part in nine games including the fa cup in which he played a total of 183  minutes and did not score in our three games.
  In the league he has played in six games and a total of 331 minutes scoring 3 goals  one every 111 minutes,. a great stat
  So all round a goal every 172 minutes  an average slightly better than a goal every two games, which is good going for any striker.
   How do you get one every 250 minutes? and his goals have been scored in or around the six yard box, somewhere some of our so called strikers get nose bleed in.
    if you do add the 235 minutes he did play in the EFL trophy, minutes against Rotherham and Man U you could say the club used to integrate him and get fit, his total game time is 613 minutes  about 7 full games with 3 goals plus a couple of assists is very good.
   If he stays and keeps up that rate of scoring no doubt some on here will be playing hell when he leaves of which I would be one.

[the vicar]

Brian someone said quite a while ago that we had no hard games till after Christmas but we have lost 8 out of the last 9 games lol

[drfchound]

As I keep saying,, there are no easy games.

[selby]

  I understand that at some stage tomorrow (probably half time) our u16s side who won the national cup for academy 3 level teams are going to be presented to the crowd.
  I hope they receive a good response from the crowd, to be the champions at their level is a great achievement, and a credit to the coaching staff at the academy, and shows the base of the club is now in a better place than of late, please give them a good reception they deserve it.

[Barmby Rover]

I am not hopeful for our chances tomorrow, we are disjointed to say the least in the last 6 weeks or so, Accrington are doing well. 0-3 to Stanley (please prove me wrong Rovers!)

[Donnywolf]

Brian someone said quite a while ago that we had no hard games till after Christmas but we have lost 8 out of the last 9 games lol

Heres the whole "gory story"

https://www.drfc-vsc.co.uk/index.php?topic=274540.msg914024#msg914024

[Retdon1]

  Retdon1, I don,t know where that figure comes from, discounting the EFL cup, not a first team game according to many,which I disagree with mostly but will go along with it because it suits me in this case.
  Thomas has taken part in nine games including the fa cup in which he played a total of 183  minutes and did not score in our three games.
  In the league he has played in six games and a total of 331 minutes scoring 3 goals  one every 111 minutes,. a great stat
  So all round a goal every 172 minutes  an average slightly better than a goal every two games, which is good going for any striker.
   How do you get one every 250 minutes? and his goals have been scored in or around the six yard box, somewhere some of our so called strikers get nose bleed in.
    if you do add the 235 minutes he did play in the EFL trophy, minutes against Rotherham and Man U you could say the club used to integrate him and get fit, his total game time is 613 minutes  about 7 full games with 3 goals plus a couple of assists is very good.
   If he stays and keeps up that rate of scoring no doubt some on here will be playing hell when he leaves of which I would be one.

I got the stats from flash scores and just added up his total minutes. They came to 747 which is where I got the 250 minutes per goal stat from

[adamtherover]

Brian someone said quite a while ago that we had no hard games till after Christmas but we have lost 8 out of the last 9 games lol

you sure about that? 

[selby]

  The stats I added up are from our own official site, obviously flash scores add on half time or things like that. either way they are not very good.
  Just going to all the games he has played in I knew it was a load of B******S

[Campsall rover]

This is a big game for us today. Might sound daft with 26 games left after today but this game i do feel will have a major bearing on our season. That’s just my gut feeling about today.
Win & the confidence & belief returns. Draw and well bit of a nothing result if you know what i mean. Lose and the confidence will be very low and DM will have a huge motivational job to do.

Hope Ennis is starting today with Sadlier and Taylor.  I assume Anderson and John will renew their partnership at centre back.

Full strength team if firing on all cylinders will win. 

[dknward2]

No Whiteman must be ill

[Alan Southstand]

Ennis not starting! I smell a defeat.

[steve@dcfd]

No Whiteman must be ill

Or injured or already spoken for in January 😚😚

[NickDRFC]

Knee injury according to Liam Hoden, big loss. Shame Ennis isn’t fit to start but certainly good to see Anderson & Taylor back in the starting XI.

I know Accrington are in good form and I’m not saying it will or should be an easy game but if we can’t beat them at home to turn around this slump then I think promotion is just a pipe dream.

[steve@dcfd]

Knee injury but not major from Liam Hoden