Competition for Places

[5 on Tour]

https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/sport/football/why-jon-taylor-and-kieran-sadlier-have-not-started-recent-games-doncaster-rovers-1982126

Erm... I’m not usually one for giving a toss about what has been said in interviews but this one is a joke.

“ Moore says the increased competition in his squad has given him opportunities to freshen up his starting XI and select sides best tailored to beating the opposition.”

So Sads and Taylor have been on the bench so we can play a team best suited to beating our opposition. Has anyone else noticed a flaw in this?

[Filo]

https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/sport/football/why-jon-taylor-and-kieran-sadlier-have-not-started-recent-games-doncaster-rovers-1982126

Erm... I’m not usually one for giving a toss about what has been said in interviews but this one is a joke.

“ Moore says the increased competition in his squad has given him opportunities to freshen up his starting XI and select sides best tailored to beating the opposition.”

So Sads and Taylor have been on the bench so we can play a team best suited to beating our opposition. Has anyone else noticed a flaw in this?

I reckon I’ve worked it out, we have n’t beaten our opposition when they have been left out 🤪🤪🤪

[5 on Tour]

https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/sport/football/why-jon-taylor-and-kieran-sadlier-have-not-started-recent-games-doncaster-rovers-1982126

Erm... I’m not usually one for giving a toss about what has been said in interviews but this one is a joke.

“ Moore says the increased competition in his squad has given him opportunities to freshen up his starting XI and select sides best tailored to beating the opposition.”

So Sads and Taylor have been on the bench so we can play a team best suited to beating our opposition. Has anyone else noticed a flaw in this?

I reckon I’ve worked it out, we have n’t beaten our opposition when they have been left out 🤪🤪🤪

FFS Filo. First reply has spoilt the detective case for everyone! 😂😂

[Pancho Regan]

Oh dear, that's not a very inspiring explanation by DM.

I know that interviews aren't his strong point but the logic behind those comments is very questionable IMHO.
He seems to be saying that the added competition for places has improved the players' efforts during training.
But if you're performing well in actual matches shouldn't you expect to keep the shirt?

[i_ateallthepies]

I am rapidly losing any faith in DM's decision making.

[Colin C No.3]

Surely the main requirement of a manager is to identify his best footballers, play them in a formation that gets the best out of their skills & more importantly wins games then stick with that team unless injuries or suspensions dictate otherwise.

If you’re tinkering for tinkerings sake i.e. dropping players because you believe they’re not ‘suited’ to play against certain teams or formations, I would suggest that at our level you’ll either win those games & be lauded as a tactical genius, or you’ll lose them & suffer the consequences again i.e., unsettled players, points dropped against ‘poor opposition’, supporters disgruntled (disgruntlement starts in August mind on this forum) & questions asked from all quarters as to where ‘we’ are leading.

Thus far, we do not seemingly have a ‘settled side’ (granted we do have said injuries & suspensions) but whatever it is we’re doing isn’t working.

I perhaps should be ‘over the moon’ to hear our manager say how well the players are performing in training & he believes that is due to the competition for places.

What competition?

How is it reflected on match day?

The league position does not lie. It is the only true reflection on your teams performance thus far. Therefore we are (at present) a mid-table team.

Let us all, supporters, board, management accept that fact & someone (preferably with a modicum of sanity!) please tell us where we plan to be this time next season.....no bull ****, just be honest.

Then if we exceed expectations, brilliant.

Not much to ask?

[since-1969]

Moore is realising that some players are not responding to the competition for places and their form has dipped Taylor , Madger Copps and even Stadlier ( imo is being sidelined over contract issues ) .

Early in the season the team nearly picked its self but now Moore is struggling to get the best out of everyone on the day . We’ve lost too much ground on the teams above to worry them now and I believe the out of form players may feature even less in the starting 11 and younger players may just get their chance before another clear out in the summer .

[phil old leake]

I agree with you Colin why fix it if it ain’t broke

Rotating the squad seems to be the new buzz word throughout football. 

I can’t see many super fit professional footballers needing a rest very often. It’s a load of garbage.  Derby won the league on mud baths using 14 players.

If a player is on form and scoring etc then keep playing him.  Drop him when his form dips. That’s when he needs a rest

[i_ateallthepies]

Disregarding the poor end of year form due to injuries when we were forced to play 2nd and 3rd choice players the two best spells of form we saw this season was when we had few options to vary the first eleven and next to no competition for those places.  Which should have been spotted by the manager.