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Post by michaelefc on Apr 23, 2019 10:33:26 GMT
Given that we have, hopefully, 2 away games coming up in 4 days against 2 of the best sides in the league IMO it would be bonkers not to rest pretty much everyone who will start in midweek. As a minimum we have to rest the 4, 5 or 6 key players. Imagine PM, or even worse RJ picking up an injury against Boreham Wood. It is obvious that Reda can't play 3 games in a week, and many other players are playing with knocks so we really have to be sensible and rest all the key players, and I'd actually rest virtually the whole first team. One thing is for sure whoever we play will have done exactly that.
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Post by back4more on Apr 23, 2019 12:16:00 GMT
It's got to be a balance I would think Michael. There will definitely be players who will benefit from recovery time between yesterday and May 1st or 2nd. Also there will be knocks to recover from. On the other hand some regular players will want some game time. I agree that having a small squad of genuine first team contenders will make a case for shielding them from risk of injury, but we will still want to field a relatively strong team so as to have (for example) the likes of Matthews, Miley, Gobern and Zebroski fully match fit and ready to go. And a win on Saturday would certainly keep the collective mind set in the best place.
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Post by michaelefc on Apr 23, 2019 14:25:25 GMT
I would play Matthews, Miley, Gobern and Zebroski. Apart from them I wouldn't play any player expected to start in midweek.
I can't see it will make any difference to our play off chances, whatever the result at Borehamwood. Absolutely that the key guys are fit, must take precedence over any other consideration.
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Post by maysie on Apr 23, 2019 17:52:21 GMT
It would be nice to see a couple of U19s in there. I think
Southwood Hollands Gobern Miley McKnight Zebroski Williamson Dennett Hobson
Should all be in the side I would rest
Yeates McCallum Green Johnson Wynter Boyce Hare Matthews
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Post by hantslondoner on Apr 24, 2019 13:03:11 GMT
We can't control who we play in the play-offs by our result on Saturday.
There are some players coming back from injury, who need to take it easy, and some who need a rest, so it's hard to predict what side we will put out. I don't think we'll put out a particularly strong side, and I don't think we'll win at BW (if we do then I think we'll finish 6th - Harrogate are at Wrexham) and I don't think it will be much of a spectacle.
Judging by the final set of fixtures, I'd say we are more likely to have to travel to Fylde than to Wrexham.
By the way, Ebbsfleet are pretty clear they are staying in the NL next season - from their Twitter: “I can also reassure supporters that these season tickets will be for National League football next season. Some of you may have seen a story run by a website last week stating that we as a club were considering a drop down to a lower level. This was pure fiction. Both Peter Danzey and Ed Miller contacted the website concerned asking if they could substantiate the story and that website has now removed the article which tells you all you need to know".
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Post by unknownquantity on Apr 24, 2019 18:48:33 GMT
I understand the need to rest players and I think that most teams will do so, but I personally think it would not be good for football if teams weakened themselves too much. Fans attending National League games generally pay National League prices and in my view should not do so and then witness a game where a team weakens itself to make it an encounter between men and boys.
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Post by michaelefc on Apr 24, 2019 19:03:58 GMT
The job for EFC is to give ourselves the very best chance of winning two very difficult away games in the space of 3 or 4 days. If on Saturday at Boreham Wood that means short changing the general public then that is just tough. Besides if we do play a seriously weakened side and BH win 5-0, who exactly will be complaining?
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Post by unknownquantity on Apr 25, 2019 17:19:44 GMT
I think nobody doubts that the playoff game is more important than the Boreham Wood game, but I do not think we want our result to stick out like a sore thumb amongst the teams who have qualified for the playoffs.
A few years ago we fielded mostly a youth team for a Russell Cotes Cup tie against a team two divisions below us and were beaten 8-0 which was a bit of an embarrassment. If we attempted something similar with the same results then with TV scrutinising the last day of the season I do not think it would be good publicity for the club.
There was a time when clubs were fined for fielding weakened teams in league games, but with squad rotation much more a feature of today's game this no longer happens. The top teams regularly rest their players, but even when they do this they win the majority of the games they play.
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Post by blueandwhite on Apr 25, 2019 20:03:43 GMT
In fairness a weakened team should be very capable of competing with Boreham Wood.
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Post by unknownquantity on Apr 27, 2019 8:46:28 GMT
Providing the team is not weakened too much I do agree that we should be able to at the very least give Boreham Wood a competitive game and for some players it maybe their opportunity to earn a starting place in the playoff team which could be beneficial for both matches.
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