Neal Ardley: we have a competitive squad
Tonight’s game pitches together two teams fighting for points needed to move up the League One table, but Neal Ardley said it’s too early to assess the prospects of both clubs this season.
Coventry versus Wimbledon brings back memories of battles in the old Division One and the Premier League, but tonight they will be vying for three valuable points in the third tier of English Football.
For older supporters, it will bring back memories of a time when less fashionable clubs won the FA Cup, the Sky Blues winning it in 1987, and the Dons a year later.
game of the season for both clubs, often a point when supporters and pundits starts forming conclusions on where teams will finish.thThe meeting at the Ricoh Arena is the 10
QUOTES
“The business you do in January can have a big bearing on where you end up finishing as it can right some wrongs or injury problems. It’s a time now when a lot of managers get put under scrutiny and I think you are seeing that in the press now. It is sad, but with teams who are struggling that is what happens. I don’t think after 10 games it really has a bearing on the exact positions where teams will finish.Neal Ardley:
“I think you are going to have bad spells. I’ve had seasons in the past when we’ve had a terrible October and November, before a really good January and February. You can get little spells when things do no not seem to drop for you. We are just trying to be as consistent as we can and pick up points as we go along. What will this spell tell us? If we can get through it playing well and be competitive, we will pick-up points along the way.
“We have a competitive squad and the job of the staff is to look at the team we are playing and how best we can go about trying to win the game. Then you look at the personnel depending upon how you are going to approach the game. If we feel we need penetration, we will pick the team accordingly.”
Tony Mowbray:
“It is okay to vent your frustration and on occasions it is good for them to feel your anger, your passion and your energy for the cause, but you can’t go overboard. It is my job to try and encourage these players and make them aware of the positives on display, but also what they can improve upon because at the end of the day those improvements will win us football matches.
“The next game is tonight and like any team you have to make sure you get it right at both ends of the pitch and we have to find a way of scoring goals, whilst keeping clean sheets.
“At home this season we have the best defensive record in the league, so we know where the problems are. It’s a positive that we are not conceding goals at the Ricoh, but we still haven’t won a game yet."
“We’ll approach the game like any other and I’ll pick the team that I feel has the best chance of getting us the result we want.”
LAST MEETING
Wimbledon 1 Coventry City 3 (November 2013, FA Cup)
(Last 6 in league, starting with most recent)FORM GUIDE
AFC Wimbledon DWLWDD
Coventry City LDDLWD
LAST TIME OUT
AFC Wimbledon 1 Shrewsbury 1
Gillingham 2 Coventry City 1
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