Problems for Rod ??

[4whatitsworth]

Having seen our 2 opening home friendlies and now beginning to place a name to a face of our new signings, IMO Rod will have a big problem deciding who will be in the final squad, and who will go on loan etc as we appear to have strength in all areas. Based on say 18 or 19 this would be my selection so far with my preference(s) named first.
GK: Nathan & Ollie
RB: Phil Starkey & Ryan Doyle
LB: Jonah & Sam Holloway
Right Wing: Sam Lechmere & Robbie Martin
Left Wing: Reece
Midfield From: Brad, Matt Paine, Nicky Symons, Brad Thomas, Bailey Dennis
Forwards From: Marksy, Jamie Guy, Kenny Davis, Mike Power & Martin Tuohy.
Will be interesting to hear what others think about my selection, and who they would leave out and who they would replace them with. As I said to begin with Problems for Rod!!!

[cm7]

If we havent already we should be giving Lechmere a deal. Good youngster who looks very capable at this level.

[mooresy25]

Yeah totally agree we have to get Lechmere signed up if we haven't already. The boys got serious potential.

My opinion (and it may be contreversial) but I can't see why Robbie Martin is still at the Theatre of Cress. He hasn't impressed me at all. I'm also unsure why Louie Riddle was asked back and can't imagine he'll be kept by Rod.

Watching from the sidelines I also think this may be a step to far for Ryan Doyle. He doesn't look like the player of the season which he earned for Aveley last year. Maybe this is due to match fitness not quite being there yet. I truly hope so. Starkey has proved to be a far better option at right back for me.

And the backup keeper worries me slightly. I know you don't have to be the fittest to play in goal but Ollie needs to shed a few pounds before the season kicks off; otherwise his agility might be called into question.

My starting eleven would be: GK - McDonald RB - Starkey LB - Jones CB - Paine CB - Bailey Dennis RM - Lechmere LM - Harris CM - Davis CM - Symons FW - Marks FW - Guy

[cm7]

mooresey, no Brad Quinton playing for you then?

Do agree with about Robbie Martin, not his biggest fan. Although Louis is a fans favourite I cant see any point in signing him when in my opinion Reece is twice the player.

[dav]

Its nice problems to have, and credit to the new management team that there appears to be real quality in the players who have been brought in during the summer - whether they end up as Braintree Town players or not.

Personally I thought Robbie Martin looked really sharp against Gillingham but I havent seen a game since Halstead so I don't know how the squad has developed. Robbie has always struck me as a confidence player and its clear from the last few years at Havant that he isn't going to be brimming with self belief, but if Rod can get him back to the player he once was then he is a) still young enough and certainly b) still good enough to have a big impact for whoever he plays for.

[ozbrit]

Agreed about Robbie. He looked a great prospect in the run in to our promotion a few years back and was then quite surprised his career hasn't kick off from there.

[1672]

When Robbie first joined us he was brilliant - lots of speed and brilliant crosses. By the time he left us he seemed to me he had lost the speed bit at least. Now he is back he seems to have recovered it and has impressed me in both matches I have seen him in.
But Reece Harris? Not too thrilled yet, I'm afraid - holds onto the ball too long and then gets bundled off it, often when showing off some fancy footwork!

[jimbo]

My mum would have liked to get hold of Robbie and get some food inside him. He does not seem to have put on any weight since he first got into the first team all those years ago.

I suspect one problem might be Robbie's body language. There is something about him which makes it look as though he does not look all that interested; his facial expression itself seem to be miserable most of the time. I am certain that he is trying very hard and he probably knows that this could be his last chance - if it can't make it here with all the goodwill of our crowd on his side, then it is difficult to see where he goes next. It is the same with all players who are basically wingers - unless someone feeds them the ball to go down the wing and cause problems and get in crosses, then they can look out on a limb. I do wish him luck and my advice is "Cheer up Robbie and show us what you can do!"

[chelmsfordiron]

There's no doubting our 'Psycho' has got ability and pace, it's just a question of convincing the gaffa, who knows what he wants.

[localyokel]

With my Scouting hat on I recommended Robbie (ahead of ex City player Rick Holmes) to a Football League side during his previous time at Braintree.
Unfortunately, he picked up an injury that kept him out for the rest of that season.
He then went off to Havant & Waterlooville where he didn't get a regular game!
Up until the time of his injury he showed me that he had the potential to play at a higher level.
I will have another look at him during the season to see how he is doing!

Jimbo made a good point about wingers and feeding them the ball.
It may just be that a player with Robbie's pace and good technical ability should play narrower to enable them to be more involved in the game!

[chelmsfordiron]

Any other of our players you're recommending to other clubs? Just to let Rod know like.

[1672]

Ref Robbie playing in a somewhat different postition, I often thought that, with his speed allowing him to runs rings around the opposition's defence, and his accurate shooting, he could do well up front.

[jimbo]

Some people might laugh at that (I did at first), but Gary Bennett was not all that big and he scored lots of goals for us (is he our top goal scorer ever?). The idea of a big-un with a little-un next to him has a long pedigree with Toshack and Keegan being the most well-known example. If Jamie Guy is out for a while and there are a few friendlies in the next couple of weeks, I wonder if Rod would be tempted to try it (Marksy and Robbie?) as an interesting second-half experiment. With his build, Robbie could certainly slide through the gaps between the centre backs but he might need a ladder if he had to out-jump any of them!