The unofficial AFC Rushden & Diamonds messageboard

Findlay is as good a step 5 keeper as you'll find, I've got no problems with him between the sticks.

Up front Dunks and Turner - no brainer !! We now have others who can mix that up and offer something different if that isn't working, but those two have goals aplenty in them and if available should start every time.

Back four today will be Harris, Dolman, Parky and Ashton - IMO it should be Harris, Dolman, Ashton and Brown, but I can't see Peaksy doing that!! If Jamal is fit he'll go in at right back, but I can't see that, Joe is about 2 weeks away I think.

Today we need a big game from all our players and to do that we need as many as possible of them playing in their natural positions - Ashton is a better CH, Brown is the best LB we have at the club - RB is a massive problem for us !!

Tbh I'd rather keep Brad in the centre of the park alongside Confue, where's he's had a great season so far. Jamal for me at rb if no Joe Merrill

Pigman wrote: Brown is the best LB we have at the club

I think your right but not on this season's showing so far. Ashton has been excellent switching across, where as Brown has been caught out by some balls over the top and caught for pace a couple of times. I'd still start him there though and play Ashton instead of Parky

Ashton and Dolman should have been playing centre half all season so can't see it suddenly changing on the biggest game of the season unfortunately.

Let's be fair to Parky. I don't think he'd be in many people first choice XI, and I don't think at the start of the season he probably expected to be in the side as regularly as he has, but has he let anybody down? Has he had a run of bad games? Not in my opinion. He found himself in the side due to a couple of injuries/fitness issues at the start of the season with Jamal and Sam Brown, and he's kept the shirt.

I guess Peaksy works on the basis - as most manager's do - that you have to earn the shirt and then play well to keep it and Parky has done that for me. There is of course a case for picking a side based on the opposition, but I think Holbeach should be more worried about us to be honest.

I wish he'd stop making every pass with the outside of his boot though. ;)

On another note, if Turner doesn't start I think we're shooting ourselves in the foot. Same with Confue.

Rushden123 wrote:It seems the common opinion on here that should be the back four, so for me it's a strange one that the management don't agree. With no pace and a very shaky keeper I fear we will come unstuck against a team with pace and who take there chances.

Yeah, the management are crap, don't know anything, get rid of them now before it's too late. :?

Trek wrote:I don't know why everyone keeps suggesting Merrill at right back since his injury was a cracked sternum so it will be a few weeks before he makes the squad again.
However, I do agree with Ashton partnering Dolman.

A very minor criticism of the management is that we never get public statements of who is injured and what the injury is and also we never get to know who is unavailable. We only learn these things from third parties eg this forum.

It may be that we don't want the opposition to know in advance these things, which I quite understand.

Anyway we can hardly seriously complain when we have the record this season that we do.

Team selection is discussed during nearly every interview, sometimes in general and sometimes specifically.

Can we expect a right to know these things in advance? I don't think so that's why we put our faith in the management team.

Lorraine gets the nod up front today which is interesting

No ELJ at all, Harris at RB, Ashton LB, we're going with Parky & Dolman in the middle. Turner & Joseph both on the bench along with Sam B, don't immediately recognise the sub keeper.