Why was Connolly on the bench yesterday?

[trousers]

Sorry if the explanation is buried in another thread somewhere - couldn't see it.

 

Why was he on the bench if Pardew never intended playing him? Surely being 0-0 away from home with 15 minutes to go is as good a reason as any to bring on your best striker on the bench? Unless Pardew was happy with a draw of course?

 

Or perhaps it was purely psychological? i.e. make Millwall think that we had Connolly up our sleeves when in fact he was never fit enough to come on?

[saint lard]

Pardew stated he was not fully fit and required some rest.

[hypochondriac]

He is IMO our most talented attacker in a number of areas. I would have had him on the bench in case we were losing and wanted to attack Milwall towards the end. Thta was not what Pardew got wrong IMO.

[trousers]

Pardew stated he was not fully fit and required some rest.

 

So...."why was he on the bench yesterday?"

 

He was either 'partly' fit and could have come on for the last 15 minutes or wasn't fit at all and therefore shouldn't have been on the bench....IMHO.

 

Unless, as I say, it was a psychological tactic by Pards?

[trousers]

He is IMO our most talented attacker in a number of areas. I would have had him on the bench in case we were losing and wanted to attack Milwall towards the end. Thta was not what Pardew got wrong IMO.

 

Which suggests that Pardew was happy with the point contrary to quotes earlier in the week?

[saint lard]

So...."why was he on the bench yesterday?"

 

He was either 'partly' fit and could have come on for the last 15 minutes or wasn't fit at all and therefore shouldn't have been on the bench....IMHO.

 

Unless, as I say, it was a psychological tactic by Pards?

 

Personally,i think if we were losing with 15mins to go he would have put him on.

We were not so he didn't bother.

I think he was there as an option to rescue something from the match if it was not going in our favour and we were not going to get anything from the game.

He wants him firing on all cylinders for Wednesday imo.

[trousers]

Personally,i think if we were losing with 15mins to go he would have put him on.

We were not so he didn't bother.

I think he was there as an option to rescue something from the match if it was not going in our favour and we were not going to get anything from the game.

He wants him firing on all cylinders for Wednesday imo.

 

Which all suggests that he was more than happy to take a point from a game that he had described as a 'must win'.

 

Just observing what looks like a contradiction on the surface

[saint lard]

Which all suggests that he was more than happy to take a point from a game that he had described as a 'must win'.

 

Just observing what looks like a contradiction on the surface

 

Or perhaps he thought putting Connolly on was as not as good a strategic move as say the decisions he took whilst the game unfolded.

 

If you get my drift.

[Genk]

Connolly was not fit, based on the fact that he did not warm up before the game at all or at half time

[niceandfriendly]

Which suggests that Pardew was happy with the point contrary to quotes earlier in the week?

 

Not necessarily, it's always good to have a back-up plan in case things don't go as hoped.

[Leslie Charteris]

I think he was only there as emergency cover in case Lallana or Lambert got crocked.

[Saint Without a Halo]

Two reasons from the AP post match interview

 

1) AP said he wasn't fully fit and didn't want to risk him

2) He felt the service from midfield to the front was poor and we were under pressure so a better option was the pace of Antonio

[.comsaint]

Two reasons from the AP post match interview

 

1) AP said he wasn't fully fit and didn't want to risk him

2) He felt the service from midfield to the front was poor and we were under pressure so a better option was the pace of Antonio

 

And Pards was right!

 

Antonio did a very good job when he came on. I'd have liked to have seen him 10 minutes earlier...but then I'm not the gaffer!