Baxter was the difference

[Dkc]

He's unprofessional, unfit, over weight, a drug taker, a pisshead and a bad influence in the dressing room.

How do you know that? Remember earlier in the season, people were singing his praises and saying he'd knuckled down and was bossing the midfield? Then there was the disciplinary incident, but we don't know anything about that.I'm sure that Adkins knows his strengths better than us, and if he was all the things you suggest he'd be nowhere near the first team.

 

[Wards]

I don't make it to away games, going to home games is enough for me I rate Baxter as a player just worry that he is not defensive enough in a team where everyone needs help out.

Did we play better than we have the last few home games with him in the side? Where would you play him/who would you drop?

Difficult to say, he gives us so many different option when on the ball though. He can see patterns of play Hammond/Bash can only dream of.

For me, if you've got Coutts and Woolford playing 'wide' and one of Hammond/Basham in the middle then that's plenty of defensive responsibility in the team. I'd see him in instead of one of those two - I still think two holding midfielders is way over the top for this division.

 

[ThatJa]

Baxter is our best attacking midfielder, and i'm not sure there is better than him in this division who we could attract at a decent price, as we don't really need to be replacing midfielders, we need to replace defenders.

Edgar back to Brum and sign a couple of center backs. Sammon back to Derby and a new striker wouldn't go a miss.

 

[Booker4]

Baxter's got so much talent but his weaknesses alongside either Hammond or in the past Coutts or Basham means that the center mid partnership of Baxter and any of the aforementioned midfielders isn't balanced because Baxter is slow and fairly lazy and then you've got the others who are slow and equestrian even though they're trying their hardest to run! That's why need a Morsy type who can do the running for Jose and then allow him to kick on and support the attack. IF we are after Moncur he does have a really good engine and maybe that's why we're possibly after him as he can do the running to compliment a more pedestrian Hammond or Coutts etc.

 

[Kevincarterversion2.0]

Play Baxter just behind Done and Sharp and watch him flourish. He's one player we've got who can feed them. Also, we have to find a way to play Baxter and Coutts in the same team. 2 players who can really play.

Agreed - its not rocket science - play players in their best positions and they flourish. Baxter just needs to get his head right off the field.

 

[west_yorks_blade]

We can all accept that Baxter isn't perfect either on or off the pitch. But he is as close to a flair player as you will get at this level and certainly the most gifted in our squad.

He has vision and a good football brain. He sees opportunities for passes that sometimes come off and sometimes don't (often because his vision isn't matched by those around him). He creates opportunities for himself and others. As I said in the OP, his increased involvement in play last night made the difference.

Do we really want to give up on the different dimension he offers because he is a bit lazy or isn't the most sensible person off the pitch?

I don't. He would be first name on the team sheet for me until such a time as we get a better replacement. But it won't happen any time soon.

 

[sitwell]

He sees opportunities for passes that sometimes come off and sometimes don't (often because his vision isn't matched by those around him).

Absolute rubbish ,its the worst excuse in the world.

 

[BushBlade]

He's a good player on his day but he's too inconsistent and unreliable to build a team around.

 

[west_yorks_blade]

Absolute Rubbish.

The dog ate my homework is the worst excuse in the world.

 

[BushBlade]

Absolute rubbish ,its the worst excuse in the world.

It worked for TC

 

[super_pig]

It worked for TC

baxter isn't fit to lace TC's boots mate.

 

[BushBlade]

baxter isn't fit to lace TC's boots mate.

Are you in a competition to see who can state the most obvious point?

 

[super_pig]

Are you in a competition to see who can state the most obvious point?

yeah sorry. epic sarcasm failure

 

[BushBlade]

yeah sorry. epic sarcasm failure

Should have said it the other way round to see if anyone would bite. Lol

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Should have said it the other way round to see if anyone would bite. Lol

TC can't lace Baxters boots, bad knees.

 

[I should coco]

l went last night but must have had the rain in my eyes as I didn't see this wonder player, Baxter, having a great game.

I did see a fat kid with gloves strolling around a bit and making no great effort to track back when the ball was lost. One good ball through to Jay Mc in the second half was pretty much his entire contribution.

Flair and skill is no use without application and a desire to work for the team.

I used to like him and genuinely believed he would come good but enough is enough. He is a liability both on and off the pitch and needs to go.

ISC

 

[robbiez666]

He may add to our team in the attacking sense but he takes a lot away defensively. Plus, he's an idiot. I'm hoping a foolish Championship team will take him.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

How about

Long

Brayford Edgar New CB Harris/Mceverley

Hammond
Coutts Basham/New CM
Baxter

Done Sharp

My problem with that team is that 3 out of the 4 midfielders are very slow and don't offer much in the way of off the ball movement. Baxter and Coutts in a 4 possibly lacks defensive running too.

 

[Jim Chimmerney]

My problem with that team is that 3 out of the 4 midfielders are very slow and don't offer much in the way of off the ball movement. Baxter and Coutts in a 4 possibly lacks defensive running too.

Although not ideal, if Adkins is going with Hammond regardless as seems to be the case and we can find this energetic midfielder we're all looking for, I'd drop Basham back to CB alongside Edgar.

Whilever we're using Basham and Hammond in the middle, we'll have this problem of accomodating Baxter or any other player in the team.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Although not ideal, if Adkins is going with Hammond regardless as seems to be the case and we can find this energetic midfielder we're all looking for, I'd drop Basham back to CB alongside Edgar.

Whilever we're using Basham and Hammond in the middle, we'll have this problem of accomodating Baxter or any other player in the team.

I'd say Basham is the most mobile of the 4 suggested midfielders. Whenever he doesn't play in midfield, we seem to get horribly overrun. For now, I think my preferred midfield 4 would be

Coutts----Basham---Hammond--JCR

Think that has a better balance as Coutts links well with Brayford and JCR likes to run directly at defenders so doesn't need the same sort of support from McEveley.

 

[BushBlade]

Although not ideal, if Adkins is going with Hammond regardless as seems to be the case and we can find this energetic midfielder we're all looking for, I'd drop Basham back to CB alongside Edgar.

Whilever we're using Basham and Hammond in the middle, we'll have this problem of accomodating Baxter or any other player in the team.

I'd look to replace Bash with an energetic box to box midfielder, get a winger who actually understands the concept of team play and defending and a solid beast of a centre half. Baxter can go as he's not consistent enough to build a team round and doesn't suit how we play now and Bash would be cover for either CH or CM as he's not good enough in either position to be the regular choice.

 

[Dkc]

I'd keep Baxter. He might be well suited to the Championship. If we ever get there.

 

[Dnblade]

I think Baxter and Flynn only played due to Woolford and Coutts being rested after Saturday's exploits...problem is the current regular midfield has little ability apart from Coutts to pass the ball..and watching the 2nd half back I agree with the O/P,it was Baxter getting on the ball and instigating a lot of the moves and drifting more central and picking out a green shirt in space,and picking out the passes into Done and Sharp...I agree he doesn't really fit in to the current system,but he's more than useful off the bench or starting the odd match....Other than that,all I can see is us hoofing it ...George for instance kicked long every time to 2 small strikers...possession lost..the ball was often aimlessly punted forward..thank fuck Baxter got on the ball and passed it,otherwise I'm sure we wouldn't have got the point.

 

[wizadry]

We can't accommodate Baxter because we don't have enough good defenders or enough mobile players for him to be played in his best position.

We have to play as many defensive minded players as possible at the minute just to be a bit more solid at the expense of us expressing ourselves more by playing players such as Baxter. Evidence of this is when Baxter got moved into the middle on Tuesday, we were great to watch at that point and created quite a lot of chances.

Baxter is different to everything else we have, we'd be stupid to get rid whilst we don't have another player of similar ilk.

Some people don't like Baxter for his off field exploits, well we're a football club first and foremost, not a fucking orchestra or a bunch of librarians.

 

[Cyprus Blade]

Just watched the match on BP and the difference in the second half was Baxter's passing - he really can be the most infuriating player - at times the passing and vision is sublime for this level - others - well . Sadly some on here would slag him off if he got a hat-trick.

 

[Pittsburg Blade]

Just watched the match on BP and the difference in the second half was Baxter's passing - he really can be the most infuriating player - at times the passing and vision is sublime for this level - others - well . Sadly some on here would slag him off if he got a hat-trick.

Fatty hat-trick for example?
It is slightly irritating to commonly hear fat and overweight in the same sentence as Baxter. A repetitive sly dig that has exceeded it's shelf life. I have a picture of the posters sitting at their keyboards with an evil grin and their bellies overhanging.

 

[Pittsburg Blade]

Agreed - its not rocket science - play players in their best positions and they flourish. Baxter just needs to get his head right off the field.

Managing two dozen prima-Donna professional sportsmen may in fact be more difficult than rocket science.

 

[Pittsburg Blade]

I love how McEveley has managed to dislodge 'A New LB' in lots of peoples ideal starting 11.

Genuinely - credit to him for sticking to it through the barrage of abuse.

His determined run and cross for Billy's header was brilliant and helped save the game

 

[Slim Man]

I'd like us to let Reed go out on loan, he's learn more in L2 than coming off our bench every 2 weeks

Great player in the making just needs some bulking and needs experience of when to play and when to drop back etc.

 

[Rossb123]

2nd top goals scorer overall and most assists so far. But because he doesn't run around like a headless chicken like the rest of them fans think he's rubbish. He has his own style which from his stats is quite effective.