[Bullseye]

: Mon Mar 02, 2009 11:29 am  

Sheriffe's performances have been steady so far while not really eye catching. That's not surprising given the lack of service. Having said that he can go looking for the ball too and I hope to see him do more of this. The best wingers in the game were adept at reading the game and supporting breaks down the middle or even popping up on the opposite wing at times.

I suggest he gets hold of some DVDs of Offiah and watch his movement off the ball, he may pick up some tips. I'd like to see him hang around in midfield and follow the likes of Burgess, Scruton, Menzies and Morrison when they take the ball up, those guys are all capable of getting their hands free and passing to a support player if he was there. It's an area we can improve on and would give Sheriffe a chance to use his pace.

On Jeffries he's never been a consistent player so we can't argue we've been sold a pup. We knew what we were getting. The challenge is to get him to improve and that seems to come when those around him get better. Until we get some competition for places at halfback we're going to have to deal with things as they are.

: Mon Mar 02, 2009 12:25 pm  

phillgee wrote:

i think newton's criticism is slightly unfair. he offers a lot in defence and the effort was there on Friday going forward. I think his arm injury hampered him slightly.

I'm not criticising his effort or defence I'm talking about creating chances and opening up defences and i don't think he's anywhere near the top of his game at the moment. He is a much better player than we are seeing and if you add in Jeffries misfiring our attacking options look very limited.

: Mon Mar 02, 2009 12:28 pm  

Bullseye wrote:

...

I'd like to see him hang around in midfield and follow the likes of Burgess, Scruton, Menzies and Morrison when they take the ball up, those guys are all capable of getting their hands free and passing to a support player if he was there. It's an area we can improve on and would give Sheriffe a chance to use his pace.
....

Menzies especially has been looking round at times wondering where the support is. Just track him for a game and he'll get chances then we'll see if he can take them.

Re: Ben Jefferies - not good enough : Mon Mar 02, 2009 12:49 pm  

Block5Bull wrote:

Lots of perfectly reasonable stuff on another thread about the team and McNamara, but for me the worst thing on show last night was Jefferies. What does he offer us? Poor kicking, poor decision making and astonishingly bad passing behind a dominant pack going forward. I lost count of the number of times that he wasted overlaps in the first half near their line by not releasing the ball quickly or else hurled the ball behind players or so far above their heads that they had to jump to catch the ball and all momentum was lost. He's an opposition defensive coach's dream.

If Deacon gets injured this season we are absolutely lost.

Can believe it has taken you til Sat Feb 28, 2009 12:26 pm to realise this

[Bullseye]

: Mon Mar 02, 2009 1:25 pm  

childofthenorthern wrote:

Menzies especially has been looking round at times wondering where the support is. Just track him for a game and he'll get chances then we'll see if he can take them.

Exactly. We've seen Menzies make the ball available. The same applies to Scruton and Burgess.

If anything this is where Jeffries and Platt could support more. Jeffries is likely to be centre field anyway in attack and Platt being FB has a right to roam.

: Mon Mar 02, 2009 1:49 pm  

Bullseye wrote:

Exactly. We've seen Menzies make the ball available. The same applies to Scruton and Burgess.

If anything this is where Jeffries and Platt could support more. Jeffries is likely to be centre field anyway in attack and Platt being FB has a right to roam.

Platt should be doing that but his confidence looks shot so he's not trying anything.
The ball isn't getting wide fast enough and so maybe Sherrife has to come hunting it some times. You can see it in Semi moving inside looking for work and that's down to experience. Sherrife is still settling into the side but hopefully he can start making himself available and show us what he can do.

: Mon Mar 02, 2009 4:24 pm  

mystic eddie wrote:

Perhaps. In fact, I dared to suggest that McNamara had lost the dressing room on another thread. What you are suggesting is a mighty similar suggestion indeed.

You never fail to impress me Eddie boy Where do you get your information from ??

Absolutely spot on The team have no respect for Macca & it shows. Even Deacon is not showing his true form.

: Mon Mar 02, 2009 5:48 pm  

Bullseye wrote:

..

On Jeffries he's never been a consistent player so we can't argue we've been sold a pup. We knew what we were getting. The challenge is to get him to improve and that seems to come when those around him get better. Until we get some competition for places at halfback we're going to have to deal with things as they are.

As I've said many times, I never quite understood why we signed him, if we weren't going to play him at 7, since he's not and never will be a top class stand off. And we were never going to give him the 7 shirt.

He does really need to have a much better season than last, though, and sadly so far shows no sign at all of doing that. It has occurred to me though that maybe we have dented his confidence by the Bird farrago - since we all know Bird would have taken Jeffries' spot.

[Bullseye]

: Mon Mar 02, 2009 6:33 pm  

Ferocious Aardvark wrote:

As I've said many times, I never quite understood why we signed him, if we weren't going to play him at 7, since he's not and never will be a top class stand off. And we were never going to give him the 7 shirt.

He does really need to have a much better season than last, though, and sadly so far shows no sign at all of doing that. It has occurred to me though that maybe we have dented his confidence by the Bird farrago - since we all know Bird would have taken Jeffries' spot.

Well with a year left on his deal he ought to be working harder if he wants to carry on playing here or anywhere else. It's funny, I never thought we'd miss Iestyn that much but we are. Failing to get a replacement for him has really left us short in the playmaking department. While Menzies might be a stop gap he's more of a runner than a playmaker, and he performed that role at Manly. To take advantage of Menzies at stand off the rest of the side would need to support him a lot more than they currently do.

: Mon Mar 02, 2009 6:36 pm  

Ferocious Aardvark wrote:

He does really need to have a much better season than last, though, and sadly so far shows no sign at all of doing that. It has occurred to me though that maybe we have dented his confidence by the Bird farrago - since we all know Bird would have taken Jeffries' spot.

You'd like to think he'd want to buckle down and prove a point, in the way Jamie Langley undoubtedly did after the Ellis fiasco - and not sulk and self-pity the way Stuart Reardon did.