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Well yeah, it would only be a short walk for him!If he'd stayed at Blackpool he'd be on the beach now 🏖.
Owen Dale, Owen Dale, Owen Dale, Owen Dale oooh ooh ooohhhh
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To this tune
And yet another reminder that when people give footballers absolute pelters, they are real people too and, like all of us, often dealing with difficult situations in their personal lives.what a moving story. He has been such a great addition to the team, a real leader by his actions https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGeXgewMR/
100%. Amazed at how quick people are to write players off, especially those who played a huge role in getting us into this league in the first place.Massive credit to Owen Dale. Hasn't done a lot wrong in an Oxford shirt but regularly written off as not having enough quality. He may indeed lack the quality to consistently perform at Championship level, but on a day where heads were quick to drop and we were completely devoid of desire despite only being one down, Owen changed the mentality. Had he been bought on for Phillips earlier, there's every chance we'd have gone on to win that.
Dale won us a point yesterday, and that's more than you can say about Phillips and Placheta this season; he also stays healthy.
There's a place in this squad for Owen. In a season where we will lack quality, heart will have to do some heavy lifting, and he's shown more than most.
I actually wonder if wingback might be a better role for Dale at Championship level - maybe it’s no coincidence that Blackpool put him there quite a lot when he was last up there with them?
I don’t think Dale himself would deny that his best attributes are his workrate, his desire, his tenacity. But when asked to play as a winger in our system, against Championship defences, he has at times looked a little blunt - he’s not a Dembele/Murphy type who will just fly past anyone.
Put him at wingback however and you almost get the best of both worlds - someone who will get up and down, attack his man and put crosses in when he can but also isn’t afraid, unable or unwilling to do the defensive side of things as well, the dirty work. Yes he did well coming on against Millwall (as a left wingback) but as we’ve seen recently with Phillips and Placheta, doing well coming on doesn’t necessarily mean that if you start the next game you’ll have the same success.
With Leigh and Dale as left wingback options and Kioso and Ter Avest as right wingbacks, we’ve suddenly got a squad which looks absolutely stocked in those positions - certainly that foursome are better than any four fullback options that we can currently put out…
Really good point. On top of that I wonder if Phillips could prove to be effective upfront as a sort of deep playing target man. Could see him playing Scarlett in behind the back line and causing all sorts of issues with his physicality - as Goodwin seemed to vs Millwall. I’d really like to see us play two up top - especially when our wings just seem flat and out of ideas.
Something like this for Plymouth would be interesting
3 - 4 - 1 - 2
Cumming
Long/Ter Avest - Moore - Brown
Kioso - El Miz - Brannagan - Dale/Leigh
Goodrham
Phillips - Scarlett
Goodwin on for Phillips at some point in the second half maybe. Ter Avest for Long if he’s out injured.
Agree, particularly as he changed the game when he came on against Millwall.I must admit to wondering why Owen Dale is not getting more minutes on the pitch. OK, he's not one of our speedy wingers, who at the moment produce very little in positive results, but he invariably works hard, never let us down in League 1, had and excellent game at Wembley and, perhaps most importantly, is a motivator, both of his team and the fans. I say, give the man a chance.
It’s an example of worryingly muddied thinking from Des. Against Millwall both Goodwin and Dale changed the game when they came on. Neither then feature in the very next game. That doesn’t make sense and can’t foster much morale in the squad either.
Yes, he is quickly eating through the patience I was hoping to give him a month or so agoBaffled by his decision making last night tbh
Baffled by his decision making last night tbh