Can Harry just get a booking please?!!

[blader]

As today confirmed the playoffs are out of our reach now, and we need to put everyhing we have into this FA Cup semi final. That means playing our strongest side available, which obviously includes Harry. The longer he remains on 9 bookings the more worried I will be that he ends up missing the semi. Just get him booked, and sitting our 2 (now) irrelevant league games so we can see him walk out at Wembley!

 

[SwissBlade]

As today confirmed the playoffs are out of our reach now, and we need to put everyhing we have into this FA Cup semi final. That means playing our strongest side available, which obviously includes Harry. The longer he remains on 9 bookings the more worried I will be that he ends up missing the semi. Just get him booked, and sitting our 2 (now) irrelevant league games so we can see him walk out at Wembley!

Hope he pick one up on Tuesday and gets a rest for a week or so.

Knowing our luck though he'd get booked, then pick up a second yellow and Collins would clatter Howard putting them all out for the semi

 

[sheffielder]

We have no centre half cover with Hill out. Whether the play offs are out or whatever we need to continue the good form. If we slide back towards the bottom resting players for the semi's it will end up in tears,

We need to keep a winning mentality.

 

[Guesty]

It speaks to his professionalism that he was able to put his excellent recent form to the back of his mind today and get on with his life's work of making Leon Clarke look like Alan Shearer.

 

[blader]

We have no centre half cover with Hill out. Whether the play offs are out or whatever we need to continue the good form. If we slide back towards the bottom resting players for the semi's it will end up in tears,

We need to keep a winning mentality.

At what cost though? I think it is better for the side if we rest our better players, and lose the next couple of league games, than play a full strength side and pick up injuries and suspensions. If we rock up at Wembley with, say Murphy injured and Maguire suspended from playing in the league, we'd all be kicking ourselves that they weren't wrapped in cotton wool to give ourselves the best chance we can in the semi.

 

[sheffielder]

At what cost though? I think it is better for the side if we rest our better players, and lose the next couple of league games, than play a full strength side and pick up injuries and suspensions. If we rock up at Wembley with, say Murphy injured and Maguire suspended from playing in the league, we'd all be kicking ourselves that they weren't wrapped in cotton wool to give ourselves the best chance we can in the semi.

So do you think losing 5 on the trot before Wembley would be better preparation? You get more injuries when players are strolling rather than being committed. We need to try and keep as much momentum as possible.

 

[SwissBlade]

We have no centre half cover with Hill out. Whether the play offs are out or whatever we need to continue the good form. If we slide back towards the bottom resting players for the semi's it will end up in tears,

We need to keep a winning mentality.

Spot on!

I remember in jan and feb many on here were stating that we weren't going to win the FA Cup, so the sooner we were out the better so that we could focus on survival.

Play offs has almost gone, bar the mathematical chance, but there is no harm in trying to win every game and finish as high as possible.

I just really hope for Harry himself and what he gives the team, that he walks out in a blades shirt at wembley rather than his suit

 

[blader]

So do you think losing 5 on the trot before Wembley would be better preparation? You get more injuries when players are strolling rather than being committed. We need to try and keep as much momentum as possible.

Tricky, and one we could only answer with hindsight. It may be the case that we play our strongest 11 in all our league games, win them all and go into Wembley flying.

On the other hand, we could play our strongest side, pick up 2 or three injuries and have a weakened side for Wembley.I think Wembley takes priority now, and would certainly rest our more irreplaceable players between now and then. Tricky, I understand your argument too, but I would prefer to take a more cautious approach.

 

[Trafford]

He seemed to be trying his best at the end - that lunge at their sub was a bit reckless!

 

[sheffielder]

Tricky, and one we could only answer with hindsight. It may be the case that we play our strongest 11 in all our league games, win them all and go into Wembley flying.

On the other hand, we could play our strongest side, pick up 2 or three injuries and have a weakened side for Wembley.I think Wembley takes priority now, and would certainly rest our more irreplaceable players between now and then. Tricky, I understand your argument too, but I would prefer to take a more cautious approach.

But which game would you drop them for? You can't pick and choose these types of things. I agree with a bit more rotation, however these guys need to turn up Wembley confident. If we could get a decent striker you could rotate who is getting rest a lot more. Baxter one week, maybe Murphy the next, however if you're resting any of our strongest 11 to play Porter I don't see the point. Peterborough was a one off where we rested most of the team.

 

[blader]

But which game would you drop them for? You can't pick and choose these types of things. I agree with a bit more rotation, however these guys need to turn up Wembley confident. If we could get a decent striker you could rotate who is getting rest a lot more. Baxter one week, maybe Murphy the next, however if you're resting any of our strongest 11 to play Porter I don't see the point. Peterborough was a one off where we rested most of the team.

Well just limit them to 1 a week. So they have some proper resting time like they would at a normal stage of the season. Just fearful of burning the players out. We still own at Gillingham with a rested team, and they will certainly do enough to see us through. My main priority would be perfectly avoidable situations such as Harry where we want him to pick up a 10th booking as soon as possible!

 

[sheffielder]

Well just limit them to 1 a week. So they have some proper resting time like they would at a normal stage of the season. Just fearful of burning the players out. We still own at Gillingham with a rested team, and they will certainly do enough to see us through. My main priority would be perfectly avoidable situations such as Harry where we want him to pick up a 10th booking as soon as possible!

I can understand that with using more subs. However resting say Murphy, Flynn, Scougall or Baxter to play Porter is not what I am hoping for. If we could get a quality striker then I think you're right.

 

[Silent Blade]

Peterborough lost today. They may struggle to get 70 points at the end of the season so we carry on playing full strength against Crawley this Tues and then re-assess after every game

 

[yorkshirecoast]

It's a shame we play toytown the Tue before Wembley. I hope we give the game 100% attention because we owe them one.

 

[Northyorksblade]

I kept getting funny looks, when I kept asking Harry to get himself booked today!

 

[UnitedBlade]

I'm confident Harry will play at Wembley - he will either pick up a booking in the next 3 games or Cloughie will leave him out (or potentially just put him on the bench for an absolute emergency) for the Orient and Toytown games.

I think we'll be completely out of a play off possibility by then anyway (I personally think we now have virtually no chance).

Harry will play at Wembley, even if we need to take an unorthodox approach to guaranteeing this.

In fact I'm absolutely certain I'll be singing.

Harry's gonna Wembley
His knees have gone all trembly
La la la la

UTB