Tommy Smith

I thought big Anf was a bit rusty last night but will only get better, our style of play definitely suits him more than it will have done at any other point since he's been here. Before last night he had only played 44 minutes in 6 months.

Nice to have a bit of pace at the back too.
 
You could see Bola hadn’t played much, needs to get some more minutes in his legs as the pundits say these days, so start him and Dickie next two. Save Smudger and Gilo for the play offs (loving the nickname fest this morning, perhaps Bola could be Marco?!!!)
 
BoroPhil said:
Bola did get into some good positions though. Just didn't make anything of them.
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He was only playing because Hackney was being rested. Put Hackney and Chuba in for Bola and Crooks and we'll be competitive in the playoffs even if no one else gets fit in time.
 
UgoAfro said:
He was only playing because Hackney was being rested. Put Hackney and Chuba in for Bola and Crooks and we'll be competitive in the playoffs even if no one else gets fit in time.
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yeah agreed. good first XI still, but limited options from the bench
 
It's good Dijksteel and Jones are so quick as they can quickly cover each others defensive lapses .....😁.

Dijksteel played really well for a hour, but when Luton dragged it down to a physical scrap he struggled a bit. As said above needs to be a bit wiser......and a little more physical.

His biggest problem is his concentration levels. Switches off in critical moments.....but I don't think this can be changed. 🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️

No issues from me keeping his place at RB👍
 
indeedido said:
Bola did misplace a few passes, but I also saw him play some excellent balls. He is not going to trouble that position through the play offs, but he did pretty well I thought in an unfamiliar role.
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He did OK. Stopped our progress by messing up a simple pass sometimes but Giles does too and at least Bola had the excuse that he hadn't played for ages. He was intelligent enough to find space in the box to get on the end of crosses and pull backs but then fluffed his lines. Probably rustiness as well as a lack of that killer instinct (he's a defender afterall) but put a good shift in none the less.
 
I thought Bola grew into the game and started looking more comfortable as it went on. Kept the ball moving second half and apart from some shocking shots, I don’t think he did badly at all.
Interestingly, I thought Dijksteel struggled a bit in the second half. Complete opposite to the general consensus of this thread 😂
Maybe I should give up on watching football.

I should add it was brilliant to see them both back getting lots of minutes, as I’m a fan of them both.
 
It looked to me like Bola was trying to replace Akpom as the late arriving midfielder into the box, which seemed an odd position for him to take on as he is hardly a 2 goal a season player, never mind 30 goals.
 
I think in high pressure games like the play offs you need the likes of Smith/Howson/Lenihan etc for their leadership and experience as much as anything because these games often come down to bottle. Smith has done enough this season to warrant a start as long as he's fit. Dijksteel is obviously much quicker and arguably better going forward however he's always prone to a lapse in concentration defensively. Often his pace gets him out of trouble but not always. Smith for me.
 
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