Ironside

[mushRTID]

Has to start. Billy isn’t doing enough for me.

We need to stop trying to keep him happy and put the team first!

Either find a way of playing them both or Joe has to get a run in the team now.

[The Dav]

Agreed Mush, Billy should be coming on with 60-70 to play when we need a goal ! I hate to say it, but I honestly feel Billy’s ship has sailed now.

[Thorney]

That 1 on 1 in the 1st half should of been buried, dont know what billy was trying to do. Never looked like taking the shot

[In the box]

Has to start. Billy isn’t doing enough for me.

We need to stop trying to keep him happy and put the team first!

Either find a way of playing them both or Joe has to get a run in the team now.

Billy is box player and fees  off scraps and provide chances to Ironsides and others but we need to play to their strengths!!

[mushRTID]

I know exactly what Billy is.
But he’s hampering our whole style of play by offering very little else other than getting on the end of a chance.

[andyst79]

Phycologicaly it must have been a big blow for Joe ,Billy coming in. I appreciate GM trying to improve us but I think Ironside is crucial to how we want to play and the run we went on last season he was the focal point of our attack

[Fal]

For me they both should start, it’s grant that wants to stick to 4-3-3 most of the time

[Usher wide.]

I was surprised when GM started with Billy. I know hindsight is a wonderful thing etc., etc., but, Joe brings other forward players into the game because he’s the only forward we have who is strong enough to hold the ball up.

Billy can’t complain at the ‘service’ he had today. You have a 20 year old keeper in front of you playing only his second game in the first team, you’re Billy Sharp one on one with two defenders on your heels knowing you no longer have enough pace BUT, you find you’re in the box with the ball at your feet….get a shot off Billy!

There were plenty of times the ball ‘pinged about’ in their box & we had 4 or 5 players at least (including Billy) hoping the ball falls to them…it doesn’t.

Kyle ‘came alive’ second half with a couple of ‘curlers’ going wide of target.

On comes Gibson (again with hindsight) with less than 20 minutes of normal play to go & he showed more threat in that time than Billy had shown in 60 plus minutes.

Grant played the wrong starting XI, it’s down to him & his coaching through the week on that ‘final decision making in & around the box’ he constantly harps on about.

Not working Grant.

[Avsuptem]

I know exactly what Billy is.
But he’s hampering our whole style of play by offering very little else other than getting on the end of a chance.

I was sure he was going to score when he was in the process of dribbling it past the keeper and it looked like the defender clipped his heels rather than win the ball cleanly.
Billy's penalty appeal looked valid.

[donnievic]

That 1 on 1 in the 1st half should of been buried, dont know what billy was trying to do. Never looked like taking the shot

obvouisly he tried doing what he did against Salford earlier in season when he scored and this time it didn’t come off

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

I'd agree with this. No doubt Billy is the technically better player but we need Joe's energy up top to stretch teams more. Sharp has just lost a slight yard and it tells. He's still a very good player and he's putting the effort in, but I'm just not sure he's the right fit for us.

Regardless I think we need another striker in January.

[Spud]

I know exactly what Billy is.
But he’s hampering our whole style of play by offering very little else other than getting on the end of a chance.

Whilst I kind of agree, isn't that exactly what we're missing atm?

[ForsolongaRover]

It was Ironside’s goals that kept us out of 24th place in the first half of last season. Backed by the rather less talented squad that we had up to that point in the season he had scored most of the goals which had enabled us to gather up the points to keep our heads above the relegation spots. That less talented squad was able to provide him with the opportunities to achieve what he did.

It is well recognised that in signing another primary striker with a completely different style, his supporting “infrastructure” would need to be different. It might also be recognised that as a team member Sharp’s contribution is more limited than Ironside’s. On top of that, the impact on Ironside’s status has changed from being an automatic choice and a need to adapt to a system which makes him less effective.

I would not be surprised if Ironside requests a move in January; in his shoes I’d be open to offers.

McCann did not think this through properly and it often looks as though there is no coherent plan, not only for the striker role, but for other positions. Clifton and Fleming, potential starters are probably the sort of players needed from the bench yesterday, but they are even there. In such a match, any match, is Sbarra a sensible choice? Perhaps his theory is trying something different, but surely more direct players like Clifton and Fleming are what you want to throw at this quality opposition. And why did he not start with Gibson? It seemed crazy not to.

[steve@dcfd]

Whether it’s Ironside or Billy the crosses into the box need to be more accurate.
It was another week were we have had 15 shots only 3 on goal 4 shots off target and 8 shots blocked. Our improvement has to happen with more guile and being clinical in front of goal. Better crosses for the players in the box

[Chris Black come back]

Neither of them look especially in form. That’s not even so much as goals but wider contribution. It could be bad luck they are both off it at present or more likely, we are playing a system that doesn’t work for them. Accepting they are also two quite different players.

[ncRover]

Joe can’t get an extended run in the team because if he has a game like Salford in which he both doesn’t score and we don’t win he has to be dropped because the other choice is Billy, Billy Sharp.

I warned against this and questioned the logic behind Billy’s signing from the off.

https://www.drfc-vsc.co.uk/index.php?topic=291494.msg1324001#msg1324001

The team needs another attacker who can run in behind and stretch teams now which will help the centre forwards by making us more dynamic like Haks did.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

One of the first games highlights to pop up yesterday was Wrexham v Exeter.

https://youtu.be/wCsy45fAz8I?si=mqOGd4S19eJxA5_J

We just don't get anywhere near scoring enough of these goals (Notable exception being Ironsides header from Sterry's Cross recently)

We all remember last season McCann going on about Joe getting between the posts. Yes, the quality of our crossing is definitely questionable but there's also times when there's been decent crosses and I'm thinking "Where is he!?" (Joe)

I just can't understand why, we don't try to get more crosses in from deeper when Sterry and Maxwell are perfectly capable of whipping in good crosses. Moly tends to loop crosses at best on the few occasions he doesn't cut in, similar with Gibson.

I'd like to see Joe spending less time wrestling with his opponent and more time trying to get away from him, making runs, more off the shoulder.