theAnticlough

The best player today was the one MP took off first - Nick Tsaroulla. I would've liked to see him tried on the other side for a bit rather than Bennetts who got that chance. Shout out too to Macari who was much better today and is combining really well with Tsaroulla. Furthest away from MoM today - Roos or Jatta. How can Jatta go from MoMs to 4/10? He challenges for the ball as if it doesn't matter that the defender comes out on top all the time. Not the attitude we need. When the ball's there to be won we need a forward who is as desperate to win it as any defender.

A horror show. Richard Montague has a lot of work to do cleaning up Gagliardi's mess. Where to start...so many ''I've seen enough''s Bennetts looks good at times but he's one of those players who will never deliver what you really need Dennis is consistently the worst substitute I've ever seen

Crazy, open game. You'd think we could go ahead in a home game that's so open. Tsaroulla and Macari doing great down the right. And it's been great to see Palmer back. Robbo has to see his role differently when he's playing at home with MP, we need more from him going forward. Grant playing better than Hall. So who would MP replace, the off form player who can score, or the in form player who usually doesn't? Maybe neither and take off Jatta instead, he's been dreadful so far.

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I'm still appreciating how we can predict the starting XI and subs. Unlike the Maynard season and a half, there's a clear logic to the selections. Great to see Matty Palmer back - we know he's ready from what we saw last weekend. If JJ was playing LWB we'd be expecting some production, so it's only right the same standard is applied to Bennetts. There's limited use is just playing well for a half or so, we're a promotion aspiring team that needs some goals and assists on the end of it.

At Brackley definitely. But Ness has done well in the main. For the run in, Ness is clearly still third choice for the CB position. I wonder if he could give Macari competition for RCB? Last 2 away games 0-0 Swindon 0-2 win Walsall, where they were 2 up at HT and dominated apparently, so I think you might be right. Should be a better game to watch

Absolutely (as Stall might say :) ) He's a real game changer. That gliding ability is something else. It's funny because it doesn't look like its pace that's doing it. It was the same with players like John Robertson and John Barnes - it's a pretty rare ability. Why would MP hesitate? Hall and Jarvis? If they both have sleepy games a whole section of our team would be missing and we'd miss Grant's pressing and general defensive work. Jarvis behind 2 strikers? That's a lot to put on a player not known for his work ethic or reliability. I, and many other fans, maybe you too Piethagoram, would do this but I'm not sure MP would.

Yeah, the loan was the right idea, just hasn't worked out. Hinchy is quite a cultured player and we know how frantic the NL can be. A club has to have patience with a player like that because when he finds his feet he'll add control to your play. Obviously, Alty didn't have patience but Hinchy is more likely to be an EFL player than whoever they're playing ahead of him. Merit might be in favour of JH coming back and taking Norburn's spot on the bench, but in terms of contracts or politically it might not be something MP wants to do. We might be getting into the reasons RobGag left there

I've noticed Jack Hinchy hasn't started for Alty for maybe 2 months now, from the team to a sub to an unused sub to not in the squad at all. We have players in the same boat with us. When loans don't work out it's really bad for all three parties. Must be hard for the players, a real test of belief and resiliency.

He definitely can. And oppositions wouldn't enjoy it. No.10 looks a hard position to play in L2. Somebody up your xxx all the time and defenders everywhere you turn. It already seems a long time ago that McGoldrick and Crowley showed they could live with that and produce goals/assists. Hall and Grant are doing OK but are not in that league so things could change there over the course of the season.

For two home games running we've seen the same slow-paced Maynard-style ball for entire first halves which hasn't been the possession with a purpose we were promised. There hasn't been a particularly intense press against us, in fact they've been very willing to see our defenders with the ball at their feet. Macari and Bedeau haven't injected any positivity or adventure into our play. Balls across the backline or to the feet of tightly marked wing backs in deep positions won't get us anywhere at all. We have to have the option of being dynamic down the middle. There's cover if those wide CBs surged forward and committed players and I think we really need them to do that a lot more.

Palmer back in to start for sure. I wouldn't mind unchanged apart from that, we won the second half with Palmer on after all. Jarvis to come on, Jodi as well if he's fit.

The recent, easy one is our 5yr RB, RCB, RB Richard Brindley

Yes, we're going to need him. I wouldn't have given him MoM, but nobody else was going to do anything to stop us losing, except Will Jarvis Our attacking midfielders will need addressing in January. But players being used there now can be either underperforming or unproductive (or both) and when both are off, it makes it very difficult to win. I think MP will have to try a couple of different things in that role because Hall and Grant are not McGoldrick and Crowley. Let's see Jarvis given a go there, Kouhyar, Dennis from the start to at least see it. But at least we're going to be seeing more of Jarvis from now on. MP will want him on the bench at least because he knows now atht he's a player who can turn things around.

I noticed how he got a hamstring injury in the second half yesterday form zero contact and no action, which needed the trainer to come on for a longish period of treatment to his upper leg (must've been quite long because all the Harrogate players were ages at the touchlines getting drinks and instructions from their manager) So sorry, I don't think his body can sustain the vigours of pro football if he goes down as easily as that ;)

A difficult one - I can see there being many nominated, or not many site members bothered to vote. I'll go for Robertson again, just over Ness and Tsaroulla. Bennetts, for the second game running, started really well and then faded quickly in the 2nd half (I think that's worth investigating). Why Robbo? He was busy, active and generally effective in what he did. No great shakes though, it was that type of afternoon.

A frustrating afternoon. Too many of our players were not quite at it today. There was over-reliance on putting in hopeful crosses from wide positions. We didn't have any players willing to attack them through the middle, so we became too predictable. Our defenders often found themselves the spare man at the back with the ball at their feet - but they refused to inject the energy required. Ness did it once, but we needed more from Bedeau and Macari, especially in the first half. And Jatta and Hall were sub par.

Not enough football being played across the backline. Hall and Jatta not really pulling their weight. MP might bring Palmer on and release Robbo a bit.

He did OK, but as a wing-back he made our play scrappy. Maybe more suited to RB in a back four.

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We got Calvin Miller on loan from them. Who knew this? Miller is the reigning SPFL's Scottish Championship Player of the Year and now plays in the Scottish Premiership.

I think the Bedeau news should clinch the win. Without RodMac, he would've been difficult to replace. You'd have either Bennetts there or Macari - so a back three of Ness, Platt, Macari, none of them in the groove in those exact positions. Harrogate might've benefitted from that. As it is, Macari can continue his partnership with Tsaroulla and Bedeau's so strong we can bring back JJ or continue with Bennetts, it doesn't matter - we'll be strong down that side too.

Wow, great story and great news. Like a lot of fans, I'd given up on him and just didn't think it would happen for him with us. So much had gone wrong, it seemed ill-fated. It's testament to his determination then that he came back stronger than ever and he's been outstanding over the last dozen games or so. And kudos to Montague for recruiting him in Jan '24 We don't have to worry so much about ever losing Matty Palmer either - the baton can be passed on to Robbo. And the way a young, physical midfield of Robbo and Iorpenda looked at Cheltenham is a nice option to have now and a possible glimpse into the years ahead.

Yeah, we were disappointed. But the money we can understand, and the fact his boss had been Stuart Maynard even more. There's an imaginable scenario where his contribution could help win a promotion.

I think the thread might need a disclaimer. Us fans will always comment honestly on how we see the team, sections of the team, and individual players....usually from the standpoint of wanting success and the advancement of our club. But when we have doubts about players, I think we all want to be proven wrong. We want nothing more than players proving themselves and making the critics eat humble pie. I'd be over moon if, say, Grant and Iorpenda proved themselves to be promotion calibre No. 10s. The club's advancement is pretty much the be all and end all of being a fan. This should go without saying, but may get a bit lost on forums when debates and discussions get going.