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Post by winsumluzsum on Jun 10, 2024 11:43:38 GMT
Fair enough, but he could have started Mullin against Gibraltar and brought Evans on. Collins would have been an option as a 10 instead of, or coming on for Broadhead against Slovakia. I don't think Broadhead has played much as a lone 10. You're probably right that none of the above would have made a big impact, but we were never going to learn anything new fielding Cullen. I can understand Page wanting to reward the loyalty and patience of the likes of Cullen, but this end of season window is the only one available to experiment with left field selections. All other games have something on them.
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wft
savage
It's gone out for a throw in.
Posts: 111
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Post by wft on Jun 10, 2024 11:44:39 GMT
I don't necessarily disagree, although there's a few obvious things holding Mullin back - his age, the fact that League 2 is the highest level he's ever tested himself at, and the fact that he appears to do his best work playing off a target man. There's a big question mark around how effective he is as a lone striker - Phil Parkinson made that point in the first documentary season, that in his words he needed a big lump to play off. That's why they brought in Ollie Palmer. So we'd probably need to play two up top to get the best out of him. Then you look at the alternative options, and in Mark Harris and Aaron Collins you've got players with several seasons in League 1 or higher behind them and decent goalscoring records in League 1 too. We know what Mark Harris can do for us and his limitations, so I imagine that going back to him would be generally unpopular and used as another stick to beat Page with. Paul Mullin is an unknown quantity in a Welsh shirt and Welsh fans generally haven't become accustomed to his limitations yet, so there's much more scope to romanticise about what he could do for us. I think there's a good chance that had he been given the opportunity that Cullen has in this window, that he would have struggled to make much of an impression too. It would have been nice to see him given that opportunity - as a reality check for a lot of fans if nothing else. Absolutely. May not work out but give him a chance! When's the next opportunity? At 29, we could still get 3/4 years out of him? Not sure I agree with him having to play off a target man? Parkinson plays pretty limited football at Wrexham? Think he's the one who likes a big lump up front.. From what I've seen Mullin comes very deep when required and scores goals from those positions as well as being a poacher. Could work well in a mobile forward line? Just think he deserves the chance others have had. Yeah give him a chance ,what have we got to lose? |
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Post by talyfan on Jun 10, 2024 11:57:10 GMT
We'd probably see more inclusion of different strikers if we actually had a tactical plan when we're chasing a game. Page doesn't seem to have one or anything tangible anyway.
A squad place is a finite resource and what I've found with Page is when reverting to a two up top or wanting to replace Moore he'd rather have one of the wide players like Broadhead, James or Brennan for instance go there.
Personally think you'd better off playing an actual striker. Not sure what Cullen is from what we saw yesterday still not sure but that could both be on him and his limitations and Page not setting up correctly.
Also noticed we tend to have a habit of over subscribing the squad with wingers. We probably call up 6 or 7 I'd say. Which is a bit overkill, particularly when some of them don't offer anything different to what we've got already.
Page can still go ahead with playing likes of James, Brennan, Broadhead there. But if we wanted to change how we attacked a striker with a different profile can really give us options on how we go about playing.
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Post by surge on Jun 10, 2024 12:27:22 GMT
We saw Sheehan (as one of the best players in league one) struggle. What convinces some on here than Mullin (hasn't yet succeeded in League one) would do better?
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wft
savage
It's gone out for a throw in.
Posts: 111
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Post by wft on Jun 10, 2024 12:39:46 GMT
We saw Sheehan (as one of the best players in league one) struggle. What convinces some on here than Mullin (hasn't yet succeeded in League one) would do better? A 'couldn't necessarily do worse theory' plus a Hope in things magical and a trust in his instinctual abilities....whilst understanding the theory may be flawed and hope forlorn and trust tested to the limits. Whatever probably give him and the manager a pat on the back for bravery.  |
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Post by jimexotic on Jun 10, 2024 12:42:42 GMT
Unless you're full strength in other areas of the pitch, using League One and League Two players is a big gamble and they are far more likelier to be exposed than do anything of real note.
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Post by saturn9 on Jun 10, 2024 12:52:23 GMT
We saw Sheehan (as one of the best players in league one) struggle. What convinces some on here than Mullin (hasn't yet succeeded in League one) would do better? In fairness to Sheehan he didn't look out of place in the previous friendlies. Tough season with Bolton, possibly players knowing Page was on his way out etc. |
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Post by winsumluzsum on Jun 10, 2024 13:04:09 GMT
Unless you're full strength in other areas of the pitch, using League One and League Two players is a big gamble and they are far more likelier to be exposed than do anything of real note. I agree this is probably the case. However, their inclusion in end of season friendlies wouldn't have been a "big gamble". In fact, Page may be regretting not giving Mullin or Collins a run out as it would help deflect some of the criticism. With Nations League matches coming up we're not in a position to gamble with our selections. The next chance will be the end of next season. |
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Post by vvm on Jun 10, 2024 14:07:03 GMT
Didn't Page say Mullin was first reserve for one of the camps last year? If so then surprised he didn't give him a chance in this window. I think it's unlikely he gets one at all now unless he has a crazy season in league one
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Post by iot on Jun 10, 2024 15:04:15 GMT
Fair enough, but he could have started Mullin against Gibraltar and brought Evans on. Collins would have been an option as a 10 instead of, or coming on for Broadhead against Slovakia. I don't think Broadhead has played much as a lone 10. You're probably right that none of the above would have made a big impact, but we were never going to learn anything new fielding Cullen. I can understand Page wanting to reward the loyalty and patience of the likes of Cullen, but this end of season window is the only one available to experiment with left field selections. All other games have something on them. ‘we were never going to learn anything new fielding Cullen’ I don’t really understand that point? Cullen had only ever played for us once before, so we basically had as much to learn from playing him as we did with Mullin? |
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Post by allezlesrouges on Jun 10, 2024 15:23:39 GMT
We now know Cullen isn't a natural at international level, I'd like to know if Joe Taylor or Mullin can do anything
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Post by allezlesrouges on Jun 10, 2024 15:27:34 GMT
We saw Sheehan (as one of the best players in league one) struggle. What convinces some on here than Mullin (hasn't yet succeeded in League one) would do better? It's not always a one-to-one comparison. Morrell took to international football very well whilst playing in League Two. Some Championship players struggle e.g Cullen. There's no guarantees. My want to see Mullin given a chance is based off watching him and his skill set, which I get the sense is suited to being an impact player in international football. I could be completely wrong but we won't know until we try him |
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Post by winsumluzsum on Jun 10, 2024 15:38:00 GMT
Fair enough, but he could have started Mullin against Gibraltar and brought Evans on. Collins would have been an option as a 10 instead of, or coming on for Broadhead against Slovakia. I don't think Broadhead has played much as a lone 10. You're probably right that none of the above would have made a big impact, but we were never going to learn anything new fielding Cullen. I can understand Page wanting to reward the loyalty and patience of the likes of Cullen, but this end of season window is the only one available to experiment with left field selections. All other games have something on them. ‘we were never going to learn anything new fielding Cullen’ I don’t really understand that point? Cullen had only ever played for us once before, so we basically had as much to learn from playing him as we did with Mullin? Point taken, although Cullen has been in camp loads of times so Page will have seen him in training enough to get a sense of his capabilities. I would have had a large squad for these double headers specifically so that Page could gauge what fringe candidates have to offer. The trouble is that we don't have a like for like alternative for Moore. Will Evans is probably the closest as he has the physicality to hold the ball up and link play. Missed opportunity in my opinion. |
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Post by winsumluzsum on Jun 10, 2024 15:46:54 GMT
Talking of Moore, he was 26 when he made his debut, demonstrating that players can make late impacts on the international scene. Page has been happy to cap lower league youngsters such as Savage and Low, which is fine. But the likes of Collins, who has a much stronger pedigree, has been consistently overlooked. Perhaps that's partly down to the strength of the competition in his position, but Koumas' selection does suggest a bias in Page's mindset towards youngsters.
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Post by welshwhite on Jun 10, 2024 17:20:33 GMT
Not understanding all the Sheehan bashing, He was one of the better players in 2 abject performances, one great goal bound block and featured in most of the few forward passages of play we managed to put together.
He doesn't deserve scapegoating in two end of season matches where it was clear none of the players, or the manager, wanted to be there.
Too many were suffering from long seasons and play off failures.
At least he kept out more shots than Danny Ward.
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Post by ddirpytnop on Jun 10, 2024 18:27:13 GMT
We saw Sheehan (as one of the best players in league one) struggle. What convinces some on here than Mullin (hasn't yet succeeded in League one) would do better? It's not always a one-to-one comparison. Morrell took to international football very well whilst playing in League Two. Some Championship players struggle e.g Cullen. There's no guarantees. My want to see Mullin given a chance is based off watching him and his skill set, which I get the sense is suited to being an impact player in international football. I could be completely wrong but we won't know until we try him Morrell was playing in League 1 when first capped, I believe, and has been playing at that level or above ever since. |
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Post by ddirpytnop on Jun 10, 2024 18:34:22 GMT
Not understanding all the Sheehan bashing, He was one of the better players in 2 abject performances, one great goal bound block and featured in most of the few forward passages of play we managed to put together. He doesn't deserve scapegoating in two end of season matches where it was clear none of the players, or the manager, wanted to be there. Too many were suffering from long seasons and play off failures. At least he kept out more shots than Danny Ward. Agreed. I thought Sheehan did alright. He's no world-beater, but he has decent technical ability and showed plenty of commitment to the cause against Slofacia when others seemed to be lose theirs. Won't be a popular opinion with everyone but I think he's a step up from Morrell. |
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Post by surge on Jun 10, 2024 18:54:51 GMT
Not understanding all the Sheehan bashing, He was one of the better players in 2 abject performances, one great goal bound block and featured in most of the few forward passages of play we managed to put together. He doesn't deserve scapegoating in two end of season matches where it was clear none of the players, or the manager, wanted to be there. Too many were suffering from long seasons and play off failures. At least he kept out more shots than Danny Ward. I think it's unfair to bash anyone too much after such a long and tough season, however I do think we lacked control of the midfield against Gibraltar and Sheehan made desperate challenge leading to a yellow. It wasn't an easy task being captain, being the senior player next to Savage (so young in the game) but I'm sure he's disappointed with the performance. I think Morrell had a different role - potentially easier because he wasn't asked to control or be the senior player - but he did it well. My point was only that Sheehan's been one of the best in his league and struggled but people are saying Mullin should play when he hasn't had an impact in that league yet. It would have been a gamble given. Aaron Collins probably ahead of Mullin in terms of proven talent but his pathway is more congested. It's Mark Harris who is next man up, imo, but he's not quite there yet. |
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Post by winsumluzsum on Jun 10, 2024 19:32:41 GMT
I see Cullen and Harris as broadly similar, in stature if nothing else. Neither are suited to leading the line and hold up play. That doesn’t rule them out, but it does seem to me that neither are good options as solitary 9s in either of our preferred systems: 4-2-3-1 or 3-4-2-1. Mullin is a bit more of an all-rounder, but I don't get the impression he's that good at hold-up play. That leaves Will Evans.
This is where a manager earns his crust. Do you take a gamble on a lower league player because his attributes better match a desired skillset? I don't think selection should be based on club achievements to date alone, which is a principle that Page has applied in the selection of Savage, Koumas and Crew.
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Post by jbt95 on Jun 11, 2024 9:13:22 GMT
Will Evans, Paul Mullin and Aaron Collins should’ve been in the squad at the very least to just be in training.
We learnt nothing we didn’t know about Moore, Broadhead, Burns.
Wasted window.
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Post by iot on Jun 11, 2024 11:10:55 GMT
I see Cullen and Harris as broadly similar, in stature if nothing else. Neither are suited to leading the line and hold up play. That doesn’t rule them out, but it does seem to me that neither are good options as solitary 9s in either of our preferred systems: 4-2-3-1 or 3-4-2-1. Mullin is a bit more of an all-rounder, but I don't get the impression he's that good at hold-up play. That leaves Will Evans. This is where a manager earns his crust. Do you take a gamble on a lower league player because his attributes better match a desired skillset? I don't think selection should be based on club achievements to date alone, which is a principle that Page has applied in the selection of Savage, Koumas and Crew. Disagree with this. Cullen has very poor physical attributes while Harris has a decent bit of pace and is a terrier, will fight for every ball. He’s not technically as good as Cullen, but certainly physically much better. He led the line as a 9 for Oxford all season too, so it is a role he can play |
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Post by winsumluzsum on Jun 11, 2024 13:34:33 GMT
I see Cullen and Harris as broadly similar, in stature if nothing else. Neither are suited to leading the line and hold up play. That doesn’t rule them out, but it does seem to me that neither are good options as solitary 9s in either of our preferred systems: 4-2-3-1 or 3-4-2-1. Mullin is a bit more of an all-rounder, but I don't get the impression he's that good at hold-up play. That leaves Will Evans. This is where a manager earns his crust. Do you take a gamble on a lower league player because his attributes better match a desired skillset? I don't think selection should be based on club achievements to date alone, which is a principle that Page has applied in the selection of Savage, Koumas and Crew. Disagree with this. Cullen has very poor physical attributes while Harris has a decent bit of pace and is a terrier, will fight for every ball. He’s not technically as good as Cullen, but certainly physically much better. He led the line as a 9 for Oxford all season too, so it is a role he can play Fair enough. I defer to your judgement on this, seeing that I've not seen him play that often. At 5' 11" he's not likely to be a target man (wins only 15.8% of aerial battles and only 25.9% of duels), but if he has the other physical attributes you mention then perhaps he can perform as a 9 albeit a somewhat limited one. Not a direct replacement for Kieffer but then again not many players out there with his attributes. |
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Post by aberbeeg on Jun 11, 2024 20:50:23 GMT
Will Evans, Paul Mullin and Aaron Collins should’ve been in the squad at the very least to just be in training. We learnt nothing we didn’t know about Moore, Broadhead, Burns. Wasted window. Great point…..It’s not just been a wasted window …it’s been a disastrous window!! im feeling sure the FAW are going to put Page out of his misery this week ( fingers crossed) |
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Post by welshrover on Jun 11, 2024 22:22:38 GMT
Will Evans, Paul Mullin and Aaron Collins should’ve been in the squad at the very least to just be in training. We learnt nothing we didn’t know about Moore, Broadhead, Burns. Wasted window. Great point…..It’s not just been a wasted window …it’s been a disastrous window!! im feeling sure the FAW are going to put Page out of his misery this week ( fingers crossed) Talking of windows perhaps the FAW should take up this old Czech tradition en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defenestrations_of_PragueDue to the original word for window coming from Latin it shows big similarities to Welsh, French etc. |
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