Our inexperienced players

[DonnyOsmond]

To me its starting to show these lads are developing if you look how far the like of Lawlor, Mason, Houghton, etc have progressed over the season.

The positives have been Wright, Mason, Lawlor, Houghton, Whiteman, Beestin and May.

Disappointments have been Mandeville, Kongolo and Marquis.

We need to tie Houghton down then we'll be looking like a strong team for next season.

[karldew]

You can't really say Mandeville has been a disappointment when he hasn't had a decent run in the side?

Marquis is doing ok for me in his first proper season in league 1...

[RoversAlias]

Marquis is doing fine, the main point of the post I agree with though.

A young team growing together, it's good to see.

[Bessie Red]

Hopefully they have turned a corner & they have toughened up mentally as that is what was letting them down earlier in the season. Only 2 defeats in 14 now. Looks like we may have quite a team next season!!

[pib]

How has Marquis been a disappointment?

He's had some dodgy moments on the ball, but take tonight, even when he's not scoring he's a battering ram and is the best forward we've got (by a country mile) at ensuring the ball doesn't just come straight back into our half.

Can folk not see that? Or at least consider the frightening alternative of having the cardboard cutout Mandeville up front alongside the flailing May?

[RobTheRover]

Flailing May?  We weren't talking about Theresa, tha knows.

May worked his nuts off against a back line twice the size of him last night. Give the lad some credit.

[pib]

Flailing May?  We weren't talking about Theresa, tha knows.

May worked his nuts off against a back line twice the size of him last night. Give the lad some credit.

There's no question marks over May's effort.  Marquis added 10x more to the team last night though.

They both ran their arses off, but directionally Marquis is a far superior player with a much better football brain at the moment.

I'm not having a go at May and I think/hope he can improve into a consistent player, but without Marquis alongside him I think he would look lost.

[phil old leake]

Last night I thought Marquis played really well.  Unfortunately for him he had a prolific season scoring last year.  My lads mate used to watch him at prior to his arrival at donny and described him as he is playing now.   Work hard plenty of effort  take no crap.  He’s holding the ball well. 

[graingrover]

I venture to say that the way those mentioned are developing fits the 5 year plan perfectly and we don't need vain  slogans  just thoughtful  squad building planning like this .
   I look forward to seeing Longbottom break through too, and possibly Danny Amos .

[DD]

Well I'll have a go at May - sorry, don't think he's good enough!
Regularly misses good opportunities (last nights goal was huge deflection). He catches the eye because he runs round a lot - he's not quick & not effective and therefore makes marquis's job so much more difficult. How does he get mom? No idea.

[anne honemous]

You can't really say Mandeville has been a disappointment when he hasn't had a decent run in the side?

Marquis is doing ok for me in his first proper season in league 1...

He's probably not had a decent run in the side for a reason.

[Alan Southstand]

If you don't buy a ticket!!!

Jesus, it's only the other day I was reading that he takes a touch too many, and now he was lucky because it took a huge deflection. Well, you know what, shit happens.

Give the lad time, he will be a little belter for us.

[RoversAlias]

May getting criticism is not fair, to me. He was better last night than against Northampton, got a goal and caused problems all night. People keep going on about our three strikers and comparing the different things they can and can't do as if we only have room for one of them each week. Well we don't, we generally play with two forwards and the differing styles of Marquis and May actually complement each other very well. Fergie recognises it and has said as much in praising both players after both games we won this week.

My dad made a comment last night "May isn't getting in the game much" in the second half...well he won't do, he's being told to play on the shoulder and Rochdale had us pushed back for large spells after the break. People seem to notice Marquis' efforts more because he tends to be closer to the ball, and that is down to the fact he is instructed to play in a centre forward role dropping deep, pulling wide to find the ball. May is not supposed to do that, he's there to exploit the defence from the last line. That's why he gets called offside more and why he doesn't have the ball as much.

May now has only one less goal than Marquis despite playing 8 less games due to injury, and not all of his 21 appearances have been from the start either. Give credit where it is due, he is making a significant contribution to our efforts this season and I don't believe it's a coincidence that we have found form as soon as he's come back into the side.

[selby]

  We have found form since Houghton has come back in the team. And by the way we lost form when he got injured last season.