Away in the Robins nest again , FA CUP 3rd round.

The Blobster

Prediction Champ
Will we see youth given a chance or will Martin persist with his pets ?

This is a very winnable tie and could be the start of an exciting and lucrative cup run ,

Should be an entertaining game with the away end sold out and filled with the passionate Jack army , let's hope the fielded team play with the same level of intensity as our fans show !
 

ivoralljack

Grizzled Veteran
Staff member
Usual story with us. At our best we win; if our defenders show their usual benevolence we'll probably lose. As Blobs says, much depends on the team Martin selects and, if he benches/drops his pets we have a great chance to progress. We don't know the team as yet but I'm going to be optimistic and hope to be cheering a win. 2-1 will do nicely. :)
 

CroJack

Key Player
Who are these pets? Paterson and Obafemi won't be in the match squad, Fisher is on the bench, either Darling or Wood have to play together with Cabango...

Do you really want him to drop Piroe and play Cullen? Are you guys aware that 2 out of 3 Cullen's goals were scored after Piroe hit the post and Cullen scored easy tap-ins from the rebound?

Why not play a formation where both Piroe, Cullen, Cooper and Cundle can play together?
 

ivoralljack

Grizzled Veteran
Staff member
Are you guys aware that 2 out of 3 Cullen's goals were scored after Piroe hit the post and Cullen scored easy tap-ins from the rebound?
Very much aware but you have to give Cullen credit for being there. Having an instinct to be in the right place at the right time is a talent that good strikers possess and many don't. Cullen is not one who scores spectacular goals, he is a penalty box operator. Get the ball into him on a regular basis he'll score his goals. they won't be pretty; they won't be spectacular; they'll often be scuffed; but they'll count every bit as much as 30 yard worldies.

Piroe hasn't been very good of late. He's been slow and lethargic with a poor touch. If I had to start with either him or Cullen right now, I'd choose Cullen providing we get the ball into the box often enough for him to capitalise. That's HIS game and he's damned good at it.
 

CroJack

Key Player
Very much aware but you have to give Cullen credit for being there.
I do give credit to Cullen, but you have to give credit to Piroe for being there as well to attack Grimes and Paterson's crosses/lobbed passes and hitting the post.

Cullen is not one who scores spectacular goals, he is a penalty box operator.
I know. I don't have any problem with Cullen, but I have a problem when you guys call Piroe, Paterson, Darling, Wood etc. for Martin's pets. I feel it's just not fair to blame some of the players for Martin's failures. We have to ask ourselves why the players who scored 40 goals among them last season are not delivering this season? Is it the players or Martin's stupid football?

It's also a fact that Grimes, Fulton, Allen and Cabango have made as many suicidal passes that cost us goals and points as so called Martin's pets Darling, Wood, Naughton, and Latibeaudiere.
 

ivoralljack

Grizzled Veteran
Staff member
I think we all accept Martin's culpability but they are playing the same stupid football this season as they did last season. However, there's been a distinct fall off in performance and the players themselves have to bear their share of responsibility for this. Piroe is a shadow of the player that scored for fun last season and he, along with others, should take a hard, long look at the reasons why.
 

Yankee_Jack

Key Player
Swansea City: Steven Benda; Joel Latibeaudiere, Nathan Wood, Ben Cabango, Ryan Manning; Jay Fulton, Matt Grimes (captain), Joe Allen, Ollie Cooper; Liam Cullen, Joel Piroe.

Substitutes: Andy Fisher, Harry Darling, Olivier Ntcham, Nathanael Obgeta, Luke Cundle, Kyle Naughton, Matty Sorinola, Cameron Congreve, Joel Cotterill.
 

Yankee_Jack

Key Player
Looks like Martin really wants this one. Same as last week but Darling dropped for Wood. Darling is persistently the weakest of those CBs despite his price tag … poor acquisition,

u21 getting oppprtunity on the bench
 

jackodiamonds

Set-Piece Specialist
Staff member
Re: Piroe

Last season's numbers were outstanding: 0.57 goals per game. It's almost unfair to expect a repeat, though who could blame anyone for being hopeful.

This season, after a very slow start, he has finally picked himself up to 0.36, which is bang average for a striker and certainly not poor. And he's posting those numbers while looking like a wardrobe on the field. He's got the talent, but this is where Martin's man-management falls down (again) - why can't he inspire better from him? He's clearly capable. But even at his present performance level, Piroe is effective enough to warrant selection.

I would rather he play Cullen with Piroe rather than instead of, mostly because I prefer formations that put at least two proper goalscorers on the field. And to pick up on what @CroJack was saying about Cullen scooping up Piroe's rebounds, 10 shots and 4 goals this season have come from Piroe's rebounds, which are basically assists. I feel like Obafemi and Piroe had a rivalry (no real basis for this, just gut feeling), so it was one or the other. I feel Cullen and Piroe can have a partnership.
 

Yankee_Jack

Key Player
Peach …. Pressure from Cullen and Fulton. CB panics does an oh shit pass to Cullen. Tap in follows from Piroe
 

jackodiamonds

Set-Piece Specialist
Staff member
I think it's a 4-4-2 diamond as well no? Grimes in front of the back four, Fulton and Allen left and right in centre mid, and Cooper behind Cullen and Piroe?
 
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