Blackpool

[Bruno3]

I am amazed at how infrequently (like never) Zat Knight gets on the end of one of our corners. Is he being used as a deliberate decoy or is he just a wuss that won't go in where it hurts (like Matt Mills does)?

[CrazyHorse]

Douglas is hinting that N'gog will be starting tomorrow over on the offish site.

[boltonboris]

Good Blackpool defend high up the pitch so they can try to dominate the midfield and dictate the game.. N'gog will pin them back a hell of a lot more than Davo will.

[thebish]

Douglas is hinting that N'gog will be starting tomorrow over on the offish site.

it took me a while to work out who "Douglas" is!!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Douglas is hinting that N'gog will be starting tomorrow over on the offish site.

Is this like his hint that he'd try different teams for different games, before naming an unchanged XI?

Good Blackpool defend high up the pitch so they can try to dominate the midfield and dictate the game.. N'gog will pin them back a hell of a lot more than Davo will.

Was that Holloway's Blackpool? How do you like them, Appleton?

[TANGODANCER]

Good Blackpool defend high up the pitch so they can try to dominate the midfield and dictate the game.. N'gog will pin them back a hell of a lot more than Davo will.

Not sure either will do the full ninety, and then there's Sordell. N'gog isn't that good with ariel stuff so much depends on how we play it. Not afraid of using his subs is Douggie. With defence in mind he may start with K.D up fron then turn it on with N'gog if we don't concede.

[plymouth wanderer]

Good Blackpool defend high up the pitch so they can try to dominate the midfield and dictate the game.. N'gog will pin them back a hell of a lot more than Davo will.

Not sure either will do the full ninety, and then there's Sordell. N'gog isn't that good with ariel stuff so much depends on how we play it. Not afraid of using his subs is Douggie. With defence in mind he may start with K.D up fron then turn it on with N'gog if we don't concede.

I'd argue N'gog is currently better than Davo in the air (probably benefiting from davo's tuition)

Most of N'gogs knockdowns actually go to one of are players

[CrazyHorse]

How do you like them, Appleton?

Nice.

[TANGODANCER]

Good Blackpool defend high up the pitch so they can try to dominate the midfield and dictate the game.. N'gog will pin them back a hell of a lot more than Davo will.

Not sure either will do the full ninety, and then there's Sordell. N'gog isn't that good with ariel stuff so much depends on how we play it. Not afraid of using his subs is Douggie. With defence in mind he may start with K.D up fron then turn it on with N'gog if we don't concede.

I'd argue N'gog is currently better than Davo in the air (probably benefiting from davo's tuition) Most of N'gogs knockdowns actually go to one of are players

Really, no really?

[BWFC_Insane]

Good Blackpool defend high up the pitch so they can try to dominate the midfield and dictate the game.. N'gog will pin them back a hell of a lot more than Davo will.

Not sure either will do the full ninety, and then there's Sordell. N'gog isn't that good with ariel stuff so much depends on how we play it. Not afraid of using his subs is Douggie. With defence in mind he may start with K.D up fron then turn it on with N'gog if we don't concede.

I'd argue N'gog is currently better than Davo in the air (probably benefiting from davo's tuition) Most of N'gogs knockdowns actually go to one of are players

Really, no really?

The test would be what NGog does when a cross comes in?

I've never known a striker to be as comfortable in the air as Kevin Davies yet as afraid/unwilling/not bothered enough when it comes to attacking crosses into the box.

It infuriates me. He doesn't make near post runs, usually when a cross comes in he will be stood on the edge of the penalty area completely static. Its almost like he doesn't want to get in there and make something of the cross......

Very very frustrating aspect to his game.

[Sponge]

Good Blackpool defend high up the pitch so they can try to dominate the midfield and dictate the game.. N'gog will pin them back a hell of a lot more than Davo will.

Not sure either will do the full ninety, and then there's Sordell. N'gog isn't that good with ariel stuff so much depends on how we play it. Not afraid of using his subs is Douggie. With defence in mind he may start with K.D up fron then turn it on with N'gog if we don't concede.

Yeah, apparently when he was on kit duty he turned all the shirts pink in the wash (errant sock). And he didn't use softener, so Eagles got a rash.

[thebish]

Good Blackpool defend high up the pitch so they can try to dominate the midfield and dictate the game.. N'gog will pin them back a hell of a lot more than Davo will.

Not sure either will do the full ninety, and then there's Sordell. N'gog isn't that good with ariel stuff so much depends on how we play it. Not afraid of using his subs is Douggie. With defence in mind he may start with K.D up fron then turn it on with N'gog if we don't concede.

I'd argue N'gog is currently better than Davo in the air (probably benefiting from davo's tuition) Most of N'gogs knockdowns actually go to one of are players

Really, no really?

You yourself said that in the last game virtually none of Davo's flick-ons went to our players... I haven't watched him enough to make any kind of judgement - but IF more of Ngog's flick-ons actually find one of our players - then he would be more effective in the air - no? The point isn't simply to WIN the ball in the air - and Davo is an absolute MASTER at that - but for it to then amount to something..

as I said - I haven't watched enough of Ngog to judge whether his flick-ons ARE more effective but if Plymouth is right and more of them DO go to Bolton players - then the idea is not totally ridiculous, surely?

[TANGODANCER]

You yourself said that in the last game virtually none of Davo's flick-ons went to our players... I haven't watched him enough to make any kind of judgement - but IF more of Ngog's flick-ons actually find one of our players - then he would be more effective in the air - no? The point isn't simply to WIN the ball in the air - and Davo is an absolute MASTER at that - but for it to then amount to something..

as I said - I haven't watched enough of Ngog to judge whether his flick-ons ARE more effective but if Plymouth is right and more of them DO go to Bolton players - then the idea is not totally ridiculous, surely?

Really, fancy that.

Firstly, I also haven't watched as much as normal lately, and anything I said on Tuesday was relayed from a radio commentary, purely for the benefit of others, where I said Davo was winning everything in the air but nobody was getting on the end of it. I'm not sure exactly where N'gog has been winning anything in the air, he's a gound man, that was my point. Till his last game he was getting all sorts of stick on here as being useless from most. Amazing what one good game will do.

[boltonboris]

Good Blackpool defend high up the pitch so they can try to dominate the midfield and dictate the game.. N'gog will pin them back a hell of a lot more than Davo will.

Not sure either will do the full ninety, and then there's Sordell. N'gog isn't that good with ariel stuff so much depends on how we play it. Not afraid of using his subs is Douggie. With defence in mind he may start with K.D up fron then turn it on with N'gog if we don't concede.

With "defence in mind", I'd definitely start Ngog. Holds the ball better, runs the channels and relieves some pressure by not standing still for as long as possible to preserve his fitness.

[Prufrock]

N'Gog is certainly not a better header of a ball than Davo, he has a 20p head and actually looks scared of heading it, so much he has on more than one ocassion 'faced' it whilst trying to chest it. Davo is brilliant at bringing other people into play from long straight balls played forward, but he needs people to get around him. N'Gog is much better at making it stick when it is played in to feet, or if it is high, when he can get in front of the defender to chest it down. He 'wins' less, but the ones he does win we tend to keep hold of.

Our biggest goal threat at the moment is getting Eagles on the ball (and hopefully as he gets more game time, Lee) between the lines. N'Gog is the only one of our strikers (aside from the gash Afobe) who runs channels and stretches defences, creating that space. Davo clearly still has a role to play, those writing him off either haven't seen us play much this year, or are that blinded they wont see it. I'd still rather start Wash.

[thebish]

if Davo is so supremely good in the air - why does he hardly ever score headed goals?

[Prufrock]

Attacking crosses is not the same as the aerial job Davo is good at.

Davo's game is all about positioning and strength. He gets between the defender and the flight of the ball early and then holds his ground, that isn't the same as the movement and agility you need to attack crosses that come at you a lot quicker and less predictably.

I also don't think he has that 'desire' for want of a better word than true goalscorers do to go and get on the end of things and score goals.

[boltonboris]

Honestly, I don't think he attacks things as much anymore, because he thinks "feck that, If I try and get on the end of stuff like that, I'll get tired and have to come off"

[TANGODANCER]

if Davo is so supremely good in the air - why does he hardly ever score headed goals?

He has scored quite a few headed goals, and good ones at that. The probable reason he hangs back on the edge of the box is that he gets man-handled to death when he's in it. His reputation goes against him and here's a shining example from that Barclay's Premiership place: Ball got crossed, Davo scored, Haggerland threw himself on the deck and the ref disallowed the goal and gave them a free kick. How ludicrous is that? Cop Knight being wrestled on the left. Pity the ref missed that bit, cos that's a penalty..

[Prufrock]

Honestly, I don't think he attacks things as much anymore, because he thinks "feck that, If I try and get on the end of stuff like that, I'll get tired and have to come off"

Hmm. I don't think he ever really attacked things in terms of crosses into the box, even way back when.

I do think you have a point on what, to be kind, we'll call 'saving energy'. I don't know whether he is told to save his legs, whether he does it consciously, or whether subconsciously. It does seem obvious he doesn't get about as much as he used to, save for the occasional twatting of a full-back followed by obligatory yellow card. I'd much rather have the mobile Davo for half an hour than the stationary one for a whole game.