Forde needs to be in midfield tomorrow unless there is absolutely NOBODY else who can play RB if Clare doesn’t make it. And I’m including Lofthouse in that - I would rather see Lofthouse at right back and Forde in midfield than see Forde stuck playing out of position. He is probably going to end up being one of those players who disappears next summer at the end of his contract, having spent two seasons (minus his rib injury) being a utility man who played four or five different roles, and never really got to show how good he actually is because he was always too busy ‘doing a job’ and being competent. His best position could well be in one of the non-holding roles in the midfield three, where he controlled the tempo of the match against Watford, got up and down between both boxes and looked to be positive and get us going. He moved the ball quickly and tried to get us moving towards the opposition goal, and nobody else seems to want to do that thus far. He’s a great age at 26 and has good experience at this level and the one above, having also won promotion out of it in recent seasons. If we’re lacking a little bit of know-how in the team then he’s probably one of the players who could be the most beneficial. A good combination of experience at this level and having an ability to control the pace of the game and dictate the play.
All the other midfielders seem to want to do is drop deep, shuffle the ball around the defence and then give it to Kelly every ten seconds. Brannagan is forever dropping back next to the centre halves even when there’s already a CDM doing the same thing, and so far McGuane just spins around like a bottle top and makes five yard passes sideways or backwards, or falls over hoping he gets the foul. Somebody has to actually move the damn ball forwards and not just constantly run the wrong way. If that carries on we won’t see anything but Taylor stood 30 yards away from the nearest midfielder, while Henry slings in crosses from the touchline every five minutes hoping that one of them is just right for Taylor to get a run on. We need somebody in the middle of the pitch who actually wants to take responsibility and try to encourage the team to be braver. That first half v Watford should’ve seen 3/4 goals for us, and it all went through Forde and the tempo that he set from the midfield. Not as a holder at that point, but as one of the more advanced two. Get him into the midfield, not stuck doing a 6/10 job as a right back or a right forward. Not because he’s Lionel Messi, but because the players look to be a bit more positive when he’s there. They seem more willing to move forward.
The result tomorrow is only half of it. What everybody really needs to see is a bit of intent and some mettle, because if you have that then it’s usually only a matter of time until things will start to turn. Some small but tangible progress is needed, and hopefully that starts tomorrow.