There's a Moose loose about these U's Take Twos. Cambridge United Away. 20/02/2024

[officer_dibble]

Personally I would like to see Gomes start. It’s must win, and he’s a match winner. Sheehan/CMG/Maghoma which feels like a ‘we’ll score more than you’, but it might need to be at the moment.

[sonicthewhite]

Personally I would like to see Gomes start. It’s must win, and he’s a match winner. Sheehan/Paris/Maghoma which feels like a ‘well score more than you’, but it might need to be at the moment.

That's some player if Maghoma is taking two positions?

[officer_dibble]

Second time I’ve done that in a week! Lack of sleep! Shall edit…

[sonicthewhite]

Second time I’ve done that in a week! Lack of sleep! Shall edit…

Don't worry mate, I do it all the time, even with enough sleep

[Mar]

Our team for the abandoned game was:
Baxter; Jones, Taylor, Toal; Dacres-Cogley, Morley, Sheehan, Thomason, Ogbeta; Adeboyejo, Charles.
Subs Coleman, Iredale, CMG, Maghoma, Dempsey, Collins, Jerome.

Feels a long fortnight ago, doesn't it? Geth falling off the plane from Qatar, Baxter starting despite rumours of a broken arm, Taylor in the middle of the three, Thomason unsuspended, Morley getting a surprise start, Dion in attack.

Well, not this time. Bax, Rico, Tomo, Dion and Randell are all out, we think. Iredale has returned to the back three for the last two games and might want to stay in the side at his old club, but Evatt went for the Toal/Taylor combo last time - was that a defensive thing about Cambridge or did he just want to give the new youngster a game? Certainly the defensive unit wobbled on Saturday, but does that mean we should turn back to a young'un? Assuming Rico's unfit I'd stick with Geth-Toal-Iredale, and I suspect Evatt will too, although he's surprised me before...

In midfield, the 8s have one more game to prove they should play alongside Thomo when he returns on Saturday. On Saturday Maghoma alternately thrilled and drifted, while Dempsey arguably both dipped and peaked less. The question for the Cumbrian is whether he's got enough in the tank after playing every minute of the last four games. Note that Evatt picked both Morley and Sheehan for the abandoned game, so he may do the same again with Maghoma (subbed at the weekend) completing the trio and Dempsey sat alongside CMG on the bench as second-half rejuvenation options.

At wingback, Ogbeta was picked for the first game and out of the 18 this Saturday, so I'd suspect he'll start with Ashworth benched. Conversely, Ramsay was out of the 18 for the first game and only an injury-time sub this weekend; he's struggling to pinch minutes off JDC, which is testament to the man we plucked from Tranmereian obscurity. That said, with Blackpool and Wigan looming as arguably tougher tests than Cambridge, maybe tonight is the time to sit JDC down and give Ramsay a start. After all, Randell's back soon and right now the £4m man is tracking more Beck than Bradley...

Up top, more questions. No Dion, obvz. Having scored again, Bod might start, but is he better as a 10 than a 9? Could Evatt rotate Collins to the bench and pair Vic with Bod? Or do we read anything into the fact that on the abandoned Cambridge visit - with Coleman taking a spot on the bench - Evatt chose to pick Jerome as a sub rather than Bod, whom he dropped from the 18 altogether?

Personally I'd go Coleman; Geth-Toal-Iredale; Ramsay-Dempsey-Sheehan-Maghoma-Ogbeta; Bod-Vic, plus Collins-Jerome-CMG-Morley-JDC-Taylor-Forrester benched and Ashworth rested. It's the same def/mid central 6 as Saturday, but I'd tell them they need to make up for those shortcomings - before alternatives return to displace them.

Nice match preview as always.
I suspect we'll go with a rotated squad as per the usual modus operandi.

I don't have as much faith in starting Ramsay as perhaps yourself and i'd leave him as sub until we've got him consistently playing at the level required. I've heard good things from Liverpudlians regarding him and should he come good then i'm all for him starting, but given his last starting berth against Northampton i'm under the impression that he's got some work to do to get close to that covering RB slot in my eyes. Both Jones or CMG should deputise ahead of him if we're looking to give JDC a rest as the Northampton game we were without a right sided attack. Early days for the lad an all, so we'll see, everyone's entitled to a bad game.

For me,

Coleman,
Taylor/Forrester-Toal-Iredale,
Jones-Morley-Sheehan-Dempsey-Ogbeta,
JDB-Adeboyejo

Taylor at RCB, swapped with Jones if struggling.

[BorsdaneWhite]

Hutchinson recalled.

[TANGODANCER]

Hutchinson recalled.

I think that was inevitable under the circumstances. Coleman's no softie, but until Baxter is back, better safe than sorry. Evatt's fine as a manager, but I can't see him naming himself between the sticks.

[Mar]

Hutchinson recalled.

I think that was inevitable under the circumstances. Coleman's no softie, but until Baxter is back, better safe than sorry. Evatt's fine as a manager, but I can't see him naming himself between the sticks.

Colemans had an injury or two at the start of the season so there may be a potential risk if he's slightly more injury prone than you'd expect.

Given his occasional dalliances on the ball all it would seemingly take is an opposition player to clatter into him and we'd have serious problems, so it's understandable we've recalled Hutchinson.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Interesting decision to recall Hutchinson. Bury-born, he’s been with us since the age of 8 (born on 1st Sep 2002, he’s 21 now). And he’s been out learning his trade in men’s football for a quarter of a decade.

In early August 2021 - still 18 - he was loaned to seventh-tier Atherton Colls. Man of the match on his debut, he went on to keep 9 clean sheets in 23 games before being recalled in early January 2022, with the Colls club site enthusing about his “his top-quality reflexes and his ability to deal with physical play, as well as his resilience upon returning from his early season injury versus Lancaster.”

With previously undisputed No.1 Joel Dixon becoming a liability - five days earlier he’d lost us a Sherpa game at Hartlepool - Hutch might have broken into first-team squad, had we not promptly loaned a lad called James Trafford two days later. Dunno what became of him.

With Dixon still hanging around the following season, Hutch went into the Bs until Christmas and then back out on loan. From mid-Jan to early March 2023 he played nine games for seventh-tier Bamber Bridge. In late March 2023 he was loaned to seventh-tier Radcliffe. He kept a clean sheet on his debut but didn’t play again.

In late August 2023, just before his 21st birthday, he was loaned to seventh-tier Hyde United - managed by our old boy Nicky Spooner, fact fans - but barely a week later, after playing two games in three days over the August bank holiday, he was recalled when Coleman tore his calf against Middlesbrough.

From then to early November he was around our first team squad - a month after recovering from the calf, Coleman had an ankle knock. Hutch was on the bench for us (unused) six times - half of them league games. The week before Christmas, he was sent to Marine - also seventh-tier - appearing 12 times.

And here we are. So what does that tell us? Well, he seems to have done well on more than one loan. He also appears to keep returning to the seventh-tier NPL Premier; I’m no expert on goalkeeper development but I wonder why he hasn’t been sent to the National League North (local clubs currently include Southport, Chorley, Warrington, Chester, Buxton, Curzon Ashton or the, erm, national National League (the fifth tier - Rochdale, Oldham, Alty, Fylde, Halifax). Perhaps it’s a training arrangement where he spends some time at Lostock? I dunno.

Anyway. Coleman hasn’t totally won over the sceptics but it would be a huge, huge call to promote Hutch. Maybe it’s just cover for the six-pointers to come. Maybe we’re expecting bad news on Baxter.

[Mar]

Anyway. Coleman hasn’t totally won over the sceptics but it would be a huge, huge call to promote Hutch. Maybe it’s just cover for the six-pointers to come. Maybe we’re expecting bad news on Baxter.

I can't imagine that we'd promote Hutch willingly. I do however think that should Coleman have an injury we'd be relying upon Hutch and the lack of news would align with Evatt's recent approach to keeping things quiet.

As far as our goalkeeping coaches are concerned, they should have enough information now to be able to make a decision on whether Hutch is good enough for contention.

All signs are pointing to yes, but are those signs referring to shot stopping or is that being able to play the Bolton goalkeeper way?

[boltonboris]

I watched the highlights of Marine v Radcliffe from last week. He dropped a ball on his goal-line for a striker to gleefully stab home from Centimeters out. Shortly after a waist high (albeit well hit) shot beat him on his near post.

Maybe just a bad day at the office, but as it's the only team I recall ever seeing him, it wasn't a good watch

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I watched the highlights of Marine v Radcliffe from last week. He dropped a ball on his goal-line for a striker to gleefully stab home from Centimeters out. Shortly after a waist high (albeit well hit) shot beat him on his near post.

Maybe just a bad day at the office, but as it's the only team I recall ever seeing him, it wasn't a good watch

If you Google his name + Bolton (and ignore the dude singing Michael Bolton covers) there's a few videos on various socialz of him flinging himself about merrily. One TikTok user even invokes a Rooneyesque "remember the name".

[Worthy4England]

TBH, I thought Coleman's reactions on Saturday were pretty poor, too. I mean, you could make some mitigations, but them's three soft goals - I would have probably expected Baxter to get something on one and probably two of them.

[officer_dibble]

The second one went right through him. But he’s the number 1 at the moment and we weren’t getting better - I’ll be happy when santos is back in front of him.

[truewhite15]

Aye, I was pretty certain that Baxter saves that 2nd goal, at least. Possibly the 1st one too.

Hutchinson is unlikely to be coming back as a challenger for that shirt (though I guess stranger things have happened). I think it's a bit of an odd one, especially when considering we could have recalled him at any point and, unless I'm much mistaken, an injury to Coleman at this point in time would make us eligible for an emergency senior keeper loan anyway.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

unless I'm much mistaken, an injury to Coleman at this point in time would make us eligible for an emergency senior keeper loan anyway.

I'm intrigued about this myself, having had a brief squint at the rules and emerged no wiser and a little older. There's a vague mention of "senior" keepers but I couldn't see a definition. Hutchinson is under professional contract but has never played a game for us (or indeed anyone above tier seven).

Last time I looked there were basically no (realistic) freebie keepers. Loans - there'll be some available, but it's a bit of a crapshoot.

[Worthy4England]

TL:DR they talk about 7 days at a time, rather than just knock yourself out until the end of the season...

58 Emergency Goalkeeper Loan
58.1 If all the Professional Goalkeepers at a Club are unavailable as a result of :
58.1.1 having been certified by an independent medical practitioner as being unfit to
play;
58.1.2 being suspended;
58.1.3 having been called up to play for his national association representative
matches in accordance with the requirements of FIFA as laid down from time
to time; or
58.1.4 such other exceptional circumstances as determined by the League (and
any such determination will be final and binding and not subject to review in
accordance with Section 10 of the Regulations)
a Club may register (either before or after the deadlines laid down in Regulations 44.2
and 44.3), a further goalkeeper on a short term basis in accordance with the following
provisions.
EFL REGULATIONS
328 SECTION SIX
Guidance
A Professional Goalkeeper is a goalkeeper (excluding any goalkeeper registered as a NonContract Player) who has been named in the starting eleven on five or more occasions by:
• any Club (or Premier League club) in any matches in the relevant league or first team
cup competitions (other than the EFL Trophy); and/or
• any other club in a professional league in that club’s home association (by way of
example, any division of the Scottish Professional Football League, or Serie A, B or C).
Examples of exceptional circumstances (based on prior examples) for the purposes of
Regulation 58.1.4 are bereavement from close family members, childbirth, in custody or
suspended by a Club pending the outcome of criminal investigations or proceedings.
58.2 The Club must supply to The League written evidence to demonstrate the circumstances
set out in Regulation 58.1 apply, together with the appropriate form(s) for his registration
and The League having confirmed that the circumstances conform to the provisions of this
Regulation:
58.2.1 in respect of any fixture played on a weekday when the Office is normally open,
at least three hours before the match; or
58.2.2 in respect of any other fixture:
(a) 12 noon on the day of the match; or
(b) at least three hours before the match,
whichever is the earlier.
Guidance
Medical evidence cannot be accepted from anyone connected to the Club, nor is it
acceptable to obtain a report from another Club’s club doctor.
Goalkeepers that have been deemed unavailable cannot be named on a team sheet during
the loan period.
Goalkeepers on an Emergency Goalkeeper loan may be recalled by their Parent Club during
the period of the loan in exceptional circumstances and subject to the approval of the
League (i.e. as per the similar rights in the context of Standard Loans of goalkeepers).
Clubs should be aware that the Premier League does not permit Premier League Clubs to
send goalkeepers on seven day emergency loans into the EFL.
58.3 The period of any Emergency Goalkeeper Loan:
58.3.1 shall be for a period of seven days, inclusive of the starting date and finishing
date; and
58.3.2 may be renewed for seven days at a time, subject to compliance with Regulation
58.2 in respect of each proposed renewal.
58.4 Any goalkeeper registered under the provisions of this Regulation must be included in the
starting 11;
58.5 n the Team Sheet, and must start the Match
58.6 The provisions of Regulation 55.4.2 shall not apply to an Emergency Goalkeeper Loan

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Thanks, Worthy. Still not clear, IMO. The important bit (re Hutchinson's seniority or otherwise) is this:

A Professional Goalkeeper is a goalkeeper (excluding any goalkeeper registered as a NonContract Player) who has been named in the starting eleven on five or more occasions by:
• any Club (or Premier League club) in any matches in the relevant league or first team
cup competitions (other than the EFL Trophy); and/or
• any other club in a professional league in that club’s home association (by way of
example, any division of the Scottish Professional Football League, or Serie A, B or C).

Is the Northern Premier League (ie div 7) not in a professional league (I assume they get paid) in Bolton's home association, ie the FA?

[Worthy4England]

The examples given don't seem to indicate Div 7 is included. But agree it's not clear given they've included the Scottish leagues!

[TANGODANCER]

Talk time over. Nothing left to say now, except "COME ON YOU WHITES"...