Time for Atkinson?

[VindePays2009]

If Grant is out because of his five bookings, has the time come for Atkinson to get a start?

Otherwise, I can't quite figure out why he was ever signed.

He hasn't been injury-free, and he may not have completed the sacred pre-season, but it must have been disappointing for him to see Davis going in for Ness, who has hardly pulled up any trees.

Whatever happens, Grant's tenacity in midfield will be missed.

[AstonAlex]

I know that hindsight is a wonderful thing, but I also think we should have recalled Atkinson one match earlier and played him in place of George Cooper against Sheffield Utd. George kept trying, of course, but the position he played in and the way the match panned out, he was out of it for long periods.

I think a more experienced player would have known to change his play a little within the formation and I hope would not have been knocked off the ball as easily as George was.

I suspect that both Atkinson and Ness may play at Crawley, alongside Turton, if we stick with a Back 4, to give us a bit more solidity in the middle of the park. Then just a question of whether Brad will be passed fit to accompany Brandy and Haber (or Cooper) up front. Of course, if we revert to 3 CHs, who knows!!

[AlexLeicester]

I think will see Harry Davis back for the Crawley game, and Ness given a start.
Davis looked solid at the back, if a little lacklustre, at yesterday's U21s, and his distribution and vision were pretty good.

Depending on the shape I see a back four of Tootle, Tate, Davis and Leigh; then Turton Inman and Ness; with Cooper, Brandy and Haber up front. This would be fairly attack-minded.

There is also the chance that Billy Waters will start instead of Haber or Cooper, but the odds are probably better of him being on the bench along with Dugdale and Guthrie.

Whatever happens, Brad Inman is going to have to shoulder a much bigger responsibility as an attacking midfielder.

[KennyLuntsFanClub]

Have we managed to take any points this season when Ness has started? Should have gone back to Stoke weeks ago or, indeed, not bothered coming at all. He isn't better than anything we have.

[bigroof]

Have we managed to take any points this season when Ness has started? Should have gone back to Stoke weeks ago or, indeed, not bothered coming at all. He isn't better than anything we have.

We maybe need to cut Ness some slack. Perhaps Steve brought him in because we need the numbers? Grant, suspended, Nolan injured, Atkinson's been ill. We probably need him.

He looked purposeful at least when brought on last Saturday, and I was impressed with his performance in the the under 21 game a few days earlier.

When he made his debut in the game at home to Barnsley, it seemed somehow wrong to alter the team that had won at Barnsley in the cup. We had James Jones champing at the bit to come on in the Fleetwood opener and that League Cup tie.

James Jones looks really good, and may even make his mark before the end of the season, but in last week's under 21 game, he and Ness were the two in midfield, and it was Ness who was the d