Would You Drop Beckford For Our Next Game.

I would personally start with Cravies and Clayton up-top, and have Beckford on the bench.

Can Mason play against his parent club?

Clayton choked his chance last night but his movement to get there was excellent and for that reason I'd prefer Clayton to Becks even though it's not ideal. Presume Mason is out of the reckoning so perhaps lumping it to Cavies may create something but i'd prefer 4231 with Clayton ahead of CYL, Mavies and Danns TBH.

wanderlust wrote: i'd prefer 4231 with Clayton ahead of CYL, Mavies and Danns TBH.

I thought that formation was banned at home?

Craig Davies is the only forward who actually gets involved. Not saying he's going to score a bagful, but at least he looks interested.

Beckford is useless, we just have to accept Dougie bought a donkey.

We've got to stop lumping it up if we're sticking with a lone striker.

I'm no football manager, but it seems obvious to me that it's too much to expect one man to consistently win it in the air, retain possession and then create and score a chance.

If we stick with one up top, we need to get it on the deck and start passing and moving in the opposition's half and getting forward in numbers to support whoever it is.

I didn't see much of that last night.

Going 4-4-2 would mean that we could continue firing it up from deep and I'd go with Davies as the target man with either Clayton or CYL playing off him.

Either way, we need the midfield to press high up the pitch in numbers to stop the striker(s) being isolated.

scottjames30 wrote:I would personally start with Cravies and Clayton up-top, and have Beckford on the bench.

Can Mason play against his parent club?

I too would have Beckford on a bench....there are some knocking around in Moss Bank Park that would be ideal...although he probably couldn't score in a jumpers for goalposts game with a bunch of 10-year olds...

Appalling first touch and never looks like getting in a position to score - although to be fair, he's not had much service to even give him the opportunity to miss a chance...

He looked pissed off to be dragged off last night.

I would have been too, firstly with myself, secondly with the hopeless service.

The distribution (particularly from the defence) was a joke, there's only so much any lone striker can do in that situation.

It has to be Mason and Cravies for the Cardiff match though.

Difficult question with Cardiff coming up next. Mason and McNaughton ineligible, Herd and Garvan appear to have returned to their parent clubs. We're  starting to get a little thin on he ground particularly at right back and striker. Don't like to criticise kids but Oscar looked a little out of his depth and Clayton lacked composure. Craig Davies is poor playing alone up front but a different animal (a beast) when supported by a pacey striker.

Until we find a replacement do we have any option?

Think lennon will give beckford another chance up top with Davies on Tuesday. He's not too keen on mason it seems and if we are given the green light to sign hooper I expect mason will be sent back

Lennon would be foolish to start beckford on Tuesday, he hasn't scored all season in the league and IMO needs a move of club to re-find his form.

Davies and Clayton should start against Cardiff.

Beckford has started all 4 games under Lennon and been poor, he needs to be benched for sure. I would start with Cravies and Clayton as well

Not being churlish now about Lennon, but this was why I wasn't 100% on board and happy clapping when he got the job.

At Sellick, he had (compared to the rest of the SPL) massive resources and was dealing with a squad assembled from the best available talent.

At Bolton he's got a bunch of donkeys who struggle to do the basics.

Yes, he's saying all the right things and the sense of terminal doom that surrounded the club under Freedman has lifted, but that only gets you so far.

Persisting with Beckford (as he appears to be doing) means that either he can see something in him that we can't or he's getting it wrong.

(Of course, it could also mean that Beckford's the best of a bad bunch and he has no choice other than to pick him, in which case, Gartside needs to free up some cash for a couple of loans immediately otherwise we're fucked.)

If it was just Beckford's selection that was the issue, I wouldn't be as concerned, but with Pratley, Trotter and Mills also apparently figuring large in Lennon's plans, it does make you wonder.

But that said, Moxey's shit and Wheater and McNaughton are both injured, so defensively at least, he's a bit limited in who he can select from.

I dunno.....it's still early days, but I just hope Lennon has the tactical nous to get our mob of misfits playing like a team.

If Lennon picks Pratley, Beckford & Ream in the next match then it's Freedman MKII.

If it happens I will be seething.

Natasha Whittam wrote:If Lennon picks Pratley, Beckford & Ream in the next match then it's Freedman MKII.

If it happens I will be seething.

Aye because he's blessed with ready made replacements.

Boggersbelief wrote:

Aye because he's blessed with ready made replacements.

He could replace Beckford and Pratley with cardboard cutouts.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

Boggersbelief wrote:

Aye because he's blessed with ready made replacements.

He could replace Beckford and Pratley with cardboard cutouts.

With the lack of movement from Beckford last night I think he already has.

When the ball comes in from the left, Beckford can never sort his feet out and often produces an air-shot. He cannot head or hold the ball up. He is easily out-muscled. His pace is gone. He doesn't even gamble to get across his defender when the ball is whipped in from the flanks. The ball needs to be laid on a plate for his right foot. We might as well play with 10 men. Mind you, that's still better than the total waste of space that is Trotter. What does he contribute?
Pratley had a good game on Friday and it looks as if Lennon is finding a role for his energy that will be effective. It's a good thing that Lonergan is playing so well at the moment because Threlkeld, Mills and Ream look horribly hesitant and too easily out-paced.

I can see why he's giving Beckford every chance, on paper he's the only hope of a goalscorer we've got and it's pretty obvious that at this point he's shot of confidence. I'd imagine Lennon's hoping that by backing him and giving him a run he might resurrect his confidence and get going.

Personally I just don't think Beckford's heart is in it anymore, he's the sort of player that needs to be loved and he's never had that from the fans - because he's never deserved it. I think he's more than capable of 10-15 in this league if he's up for it, but I don't think he ever will be for us and he's not getting any younger.

So drop him and start Cravies with Clayton against Cardiff - I'm assuming Mason is ineligible?

Beckford is shit.