Keegan and Furman

[GazLaz]

These two can't play in a midfield two together, it just doesn't work.

[Donnyrovers]

I think everyone bar Dickov can see that, De val has to start instead of Furman next week.

[mushRTID]

We all know this. Sort it Dickov.

[Sheepskin Stu]

I thought this was common knowledge. It's not rocket science. He's sailing close to the wind.

[colincramb]

Furman is stealing a wage. I wouldn't pay the man in counterfeit yen! No idea what dickov is so obsessed with man for. Granted I don't see every game but enough to know that he's never had a good one!

[DonnyNoel]

Feel for Furman in some ways. He was a shot in the arm when we signed him last time in L1. Now I wince when I see him and Keegan together.

[RJHeader]

You cant shoot Furman or Keegan down i dont think. They are both good players in this league if they have someone like Wellens next to them. Both Keegan and Furman just do the same job. When you're 3-0 down you cant expect any creativity with them 2

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Too nagative playing the two especially at home. Many of our problems from this. Playing too deep at times leading to hoof balls. Big gap up to forwards etc. We moved the ball better in 2nd half so we should be doing this from the off.

[bobbymax]

Can't see how De Val can do anymore to get a start.
Gave the ball away a couple of times but three or four passes to open up play were top-class and he at least looks to get us going forward.
If anything play five in the middle and one up top until we find some sort of pattern.

[Donnyrovers]

Can't see how De Val can do anymore to get a start.
Gave the ball away a couple of times but three or four passes to open up play were top-class and he at least looks to get us going forward.
If anything play five in the middle and one up top until we find some sort of pattern.

If Main is fit next week id be tempted to do that next week at Colchester, as much as I don't rate Furman we need to be tighter in midfield and an extra body might help us keep ball better. Copps and Bennett can play off Main but if Main isn't fit I'm not sure Theo has the technical ability and hold up play to play as the vocal point up top by himself.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

Perhaps playing Furman in the position he is best at - getting in the box, would work better.

[Wellred]

Perhaps playing Furman in the position he is best at - getting in the box, would work better.

I would think Furman's best position is probably East Stand row S seat 567

[Sheepskin Stu]

Perhaps playing Furman in the position he is best at - getting in the box, would work better.

I would think Furman's best position is probably East Stand row S seat 567

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaa.

[elmsallrover]

I personally think fermans better than keegan

[GazLaz]

Perhaps playing Furman in the position he is best at - getting in the box, would work better.

Furmans best attribute is his energy. Always a bad sign for a footballer that.

[RedJ]

Perhaps playing Furman in the position he is best at - getting in the box, would work better.

Furmans best attribute is his energy. Always a bad sign for a footballer that.

Thing is though, under Flynn, he looked a real asset. When he was being played in a more advanced role.

[GazLaz]

Perhaps playing Furman in the position he is best at - getting in the box, would work better.

Furmans best attribute is his energy. Always a bad sign for a footballer that.

Thing is though, under Flynn, he looked a real asset. When he was being played in a more advanced role.

If he is to play in a more advanced/less defensive role don't you think we have better options on HF or perhaps Coppinger?

[RedJ]

Perhaps playing Furman in the position he is best at - getting in the box, would work better.

Furmans best attribute is his energy. Always a bad sign for a footballer that.

Thing is though, under Flynn, he looked a real asset. When he was being played in a more advanced role.

If he is to play in a more advanced/less defensive role don't you think we have better options on HF or perhaps Coppinger?

I'm not saying we don't. But if he's going to play he's better used going forward.

[bedale rover]

Keegan was a yard slower than ALL the vale players
We did get better when de val came on but we would be better still with wellens

[StocktonRover]

I would be interested to see the pass completion stats for Furman over the past two games, I would suspect that they are very low.

He is a capable player but at the moment he looks way of the pace in speed of thought and decision making.

[GazLaz]

De Val is always think to play forward passes. Keegan just wants to play it simple and Furman is just a complete crab. It's a 5yrd sideways pass, a percentage punt, or a "help it on it's way" which I hate to see. "Helping the ball on" is a Sunday league thing to do.

[Wellred]

De Val is always think to play forward passes. Keegan just wants to play it simple and Furman is just a complete crab. It's a 5yrd sideways pass, a percentage punt, or a "help it on it's way" which I hate to see. "Helping the ball on" is a Sunday league thing to do.

Furman is very good at getting the ball forward into space. Pity there is never anyone there. Maybe he should look first?

[GazLaz]

He just helps the ball on into space. Football is about finding a team mate with a pass though not finding space.

[mrfrostsdad]

Me and Baz have the same conversation every week: you can't play with 2 in midfield home or away, and that's what we're doing. 4 at the back, 2 up front and 2 wide men. While ever we continue to play that formation we will get overrun every week. It was the reason we got relegated last season.

Did Dickov learn nothing from our relegation? We have play with one up front, 2 wide men and 3 in the middle. And why do we need 2 players sitting in front of the back 4 (Keegan and Furman) Let Keegan sit there and let Furman get forward with De Val. I know Keegan and Furman are crap, but at least lets try and play to their strengths however 'weak' their 'strengths' are. If you get my drift :-)

[steve@dcfd]

We need another central midfield player with pace and skill, all three players today have neither. DeVal is better than Furman when playing alongside Keegan. But he as the same problem he does not have the pace to run with the ball or get forward.
Furman and DeVal have long contracts therefore the radical decision should be made, when Richie leaves do not extend Keegans contract use the wages from both to sign a more progressive, skilful  midfield player.
Today we played ateam we we had to contest the midfield we did not and conceded three goals , plus we lacked creativity. Last week was easy we just had to turn up to score as Gillingham proved today.
By the way PD the central midfield players played together last season. They are not new and had more than 10days together. James Coppinger was also poor today and he cannot beat his opposition player.
When we play Preston we won't have Forrester unless we appeal and win, Curtis Main is injured and having a scan, Wabarra feeing his hamstring. So it starts.

[BillyStubbsTears]

We didn't concede because of the midfield. We conceded because
a) we defended a corner badly
b) out keeper had weak hands for a powder-puff shot
c) we defender a corner badly.

[GazLaz]

We didn't concede because of the midfield. We conceded because
a) we defended a corner badly
b) out keeper had weak hands for a powder-puff shot
c) we defender a corner badly.

That's a decent point. The lack of ability control the game invites the opposition on though and the more possession they have around our box means there is more chance of mistakes being made.

We actually started quite well yesterday, for 10mins or so anyway.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Gaz

I had a running row with our kid yesterday about whether we had been so bad that the goals were inevitable. My contention was that it was a match between two poor sides who produced nothing of any dangerous intent from open play in the first half (I don't count their second goal as a particularly dangerous attack - it was a regulation save for a decent keeper and Steer f**ked it up badly). Port Vale didn't dominate the game. The goals weren't the inevitable result of their superiority. We gifted them three goals by rank bad defending and appalling goalkeeping.

At 0-0 and 0-1, we were more than capable of pulling ourselves back into the game. Our outfield at was no worse than Vales and could improve markedly, especially with Dickov having the option of changing his mystifying decision to play Tyson instead of Robinson. What turned a pedestrian first half performance into a calamity was bloody awful goalkeeping for the second and third goals.

[GazLaz]

I disagree. Once the game settled down they were well on top with the of sporadic burst by us. The second half we looked slightly better because they sat back and let us play. It will be interesting to see what selections he makes on Tuesday.

[mjg]

May as well play a couple of crabs in midfield