Luke 09


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First of all I absolutley love Luke O'Nien.
He runs his socks off, put's his body on the line and clearly he appreciates playing for our club.

However... the fact is like the majority of our players and most of the players at this level, he is a bang average footballer.
Simple as that.

When we were playing AFC Wimbledon and McGeady was having a shocker of a first half, a few of the lads around us were shouting out for McGeady to be subbed and O'Nien to be put in a forward position.
Second half McGeady beats his man and rifles one into the top corner.

We need players like O'Nien at this level. But he won't cut the mustard should we go up.
 
He has imho been superb at full back and all credit to JR for seeing his potential at playing there.

But here is my issue.......09 has a mental amount of energy, easily as much as Honeyman........09 however is clearly a much better footballer than Honeyman.

We are now in a position when we need to go hell for leather and create and score goals in our last 2 games

Given we have little to lose by trying something different then surely we have to give 09 an opportunity to show what he can do in his natural role in that attacking midfield.

But then who do we not play? If we are gonna play 5 in midfield which I suggest is our best formation then we probs need to go something like

Mclaughlin

Matthews
Flanagan
Ozturk
Oviedo (Hume)


McGeady
Cattermole
Leadbitter
McGuire
09

Wyke


In a

4-2-3-1 formation

Catts and Leadbitter sitting

McGeady, O9 and McGuire in a 3 behind Wyke

The three are fluid and interchangable and would cause absolute havoc playing off Wyke.
That has too be our starting line up from now on , I or we have said for months now O’Nien in-midfield with the exact qualities you have stated is what we need to take the game to the opposition. C’ mon Jack you know it makes sense, should have been done months ago !
 
First of all I absolutley love Luke O'Nien.
He runs his socks off, put's his body on the line and clearly he appreciates playing for our club.

However... the fact is like the majority of our players and most of the players at this level, he is a bang average footballer.
Simple as that.

When we were playing AFC Wimbledon and McGeady was having a shocker of a first half, a few of the lads around us were shouting out for McGeady to be subbed and O'Nien to be put in a forward position.
Second half McGeady beats his man and rifles one into the top corner.

We need players like O'Nien at this level. But he won't cut the mustard should we go up.

Agree with everything you've said apart from the bit in bold.

Lad's improving all the time. Not many would have expected the likes of Norwich and Sheff Utd to go up this season, they have done. You need a system that plays to your strengths and players will look good or bad accordingly
 
So the answer to my question remains unanswered. Even bookmakers, not known for their generosity would give you Leicester City type odds for automatic promotion.
Busting guts to attempt the impossible to the detriment of the realistic (winning the play offs) is foolish imho.
Damn it just checked and 100-1 the best you can get.

It's improbable not impossible. If we were trying to catch Luton who have 11 GD better than us that would be almost impossible.
 
It's simple really, Mathews should start when fit. O'Nien has done a good job filling in at RB but that doesn't make him one, as soon as he comes up against anyone with a bit of pace and good feet he's on the back foot, that's not his fault but it's square pegs in round holes and there's no need to do it if you have a fit RB in the squad.

Is it worth giving him a go over Honeyman?...I'd say it can't hurt as Honeyman is well out of sorts at the moment, he's not played well at all and could be more effective coming on from the bench. Still not sure what role O'Nien would have mind as now that Maguire is fit, I'd have him behind Wyke.
 
Started off poor then picked up. He was getting praise for his performances from the bench {playing in midfield}

We're trying to find an answer to the problen No. 10 role. O'Nien might be the answer, Maguire might be. It's becoming very clear Honeyman isn't

Maguire for me. O'Nein's goals/assists in League Two last year are only marginally better than Honeyman's in the Championship. I wouldn't be expecting him to pull up trees. His game, like Honeyman, is much more about breaking up play, winning the ball high up the pitch than picking the killer pass. And we're not a counter attack team really, so as with Honeyman, such attributes largely wasted.
 
Maguire for me. O'Nein's goals/assists in League Two last year are only marginally better than Honeyman's in the Championship. I wouldn't be expecting him to pull up trees. His game, like Honeyman, is much more about breaking up play, winning the ball high up the pitch than picking the killer pass. And we're not a counter attack team really, so as with Honeyman, such attributes largely wasted.
With Wyke in the side the No. 10 role has changed a bit. You'd also want your No. 10 making runs beyond and off him. I'm fairly confident O'Nien would do that a whole lot better than Honeyman
 
Given their similarities, I've thought for a while that Honeyman and 09 could be interchangeable when both fit. one of them starts, busts a gut for 60 minutes, then the other gets a go at a tiring defence.

Regardless of what people think of his ability, after 60 minutes of chasing the ball, an energiser bunny like Honeyman would be a nightmare if you're tired.

That said, I like Honeyman and think we're a better team with him in it so I'm biased
 
He's a symbol of where I think, sometimes, our fanbase goes wrong. Don't get me wrong, I like the lad but he's quite limited as a footballer. I think most of the fans enjoy watching him because he's constantly running, doing his best to graft for the good of the team. They can identify with that and as a result he gets the song and a lot of plaudits

Unfortunately he's not quite up to standard at RB. He gets beaten by the winger, positioning is sometimes off and it's just not his position. For me Matthews is a far better RB (albeit he's not perfect himself mind).
 

Needs to be seen to be believed tbh...

How to mark Lionel Messi, by the defenders who kept him quiet

"One of them was Adam Matthews, 20 at the time. “I was a bit nervous before the game, I’m not going to lie,” the defender, now at Sunderland, says, “but we didn’t talk about him [Messi] all that much. We didn’t do much preparation. If you build a player up too much beforehand, you might freeze with nerves. The manager [Neil Lennon] just told us to give everything and to enjoy it.”

What is it like to play against Messi? “It was quite weird,” Matthews says. “He was on my side some of the time, but he just floated around, going where he wanted. If the ball was nowhere near, he’ll just be walking around. Then seconds later, you would turn around and, ‘Where the hell has he gone?’

“You’ve got to stay very close to him, very tight, but not dive in. As a team, you’ve got to be ready to track the runners because he’s so good at finding them with a one-touch pass and those little one-twos. That’s the biggest thing, even more than his dribbling. He’s the best dribbler in the world and the best finisher in the world, but he’s also the best passer. It’s his brain. He knows what he’s going to do even before he gets the ball.”

Matthews, right-footed, was selected at left back that night. “I hadn’t played there too much before, and it can be difficult when you’ve got the ball, but you’re not going to get much possession against Barcelona anyway,” he says. “It’s probably easier for a right-footer to play at left back against Messi.”


Although, tbf, there is this kicker...

Wilson is recalling Celtic’s trip to Barcelona in the Champions League in October 2012. They had the audacity to take an early lead, and Wilson recalls that Messi “didn’t have his best game”, but these things are relative. The Barcelona forward still had eight shots and set up three chances before Celtic finally collapsed under a weight of possession and pressure in stoppage time.

:lol:
 
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He's not at all.

I think you are probably right to think about O'Nein in there if you want to play Catts and Leadbitter. O'Nein is the only one who has the energy comparable to Honeyman. But from what I've seen from O'Nein in midfield this year, he certainly isn't a significant improvement on Honeyman in terms of quality, creativity and goal threat. In fact, I personally would be surprised if he is any sort of improvement whatsoever. Certainly, couldn't say it with the certitude you do.

The clearer solution is Maguire as an AM and you probably have to sacrifice Leabitter for that and play Power, who has more legs, alongside Cattermole.

O'Nein in midfield maybe worth a look, given these two games are basically dead rubbers mind, I'll give you that. Just don't expect miracles.



Great post, completely agree.



Tbf, the certitude with which the OP says it is a bit much. He's not clearly a better footballer at all - O'Nein has been poor imo in midfield too.
I think you're wrong, Honeyman disappears from games with alarming regularity. ONien by and large does not.
 
I like the lad but, at best, he's a pretty average RB tbh. Great attitude though.
 
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