Two sent off as Lincoln City and Grimsby Town fight out a controversial draw

“Ability cannot be coached into anyone. However players can be coached how best to use their ability.

Players like Cahill have the ability to play at the highest level, ability to read the game etc. at that level, and players like, say Scott Garner for instance, although at the lower league level is very good, hasn't the ability to play at the highest level, and no matter how experienced he becomes, he won't gain the ability to play at that level.

He'll probably disagree with me sorry Scott:)”

“But that is my point. They learn things in the academy like a Dr learns who to tinker with a liver and what the best way to cut it open etc. But that does not prepare you for a full game situation. With Baker in mind, playing for us and youth level, will he have come up against a player who was the golden boot in last year's Euro's and a Champion's league winner? Someone like Cahill or Dunne has played against those types of players week in week out so knows what they are capable and knows that you can't do certain things with them that you can do with youth team strikers.

Guzman is 2 years my junior which makes me feel old as he is regarded as almost a vetran!”

“""experience will not bring ability", that being so, why do Junior Drs have to do on the job training? Mechanics? Dentists?

That is why you have youth, youth development, and reserve teams, is it not? That is where they do their "on the job" training.

The vast majority of professional footballers have come through acadamies or centre of excellences, and that is where they are taught things about the game, like showing players inside etc.

They will have to do their homework on players all the time they are professionals, and never stop learning, just like eryone else in other jobs.

Guzan by the way even looks older than me!!! and that is saying something :)”

“"experience will not bring ability", that being so, why do Junior Drs have to do on the job training? Mechanics? Dentists? While obviously football is different, there are things you pick up over the years that you don't know early on. One example is defending, you learn what you can and cannot do against top professionals such as when to show them the outside and inside by instinct based on where people are. Villa offer up too much space at the moment and I think that is because the young defenders have only played football at a level where they are not punnished for it. A player's peak is generally aknowledged as being 26-28 when the physical ability is still there and they know the ins and outs of the game.

"I was looking at has made a mistake with Guzan's age! although he does look older" You got that right, I though he was older than Given :)”

“Hi Franky, Lampard wasn't actualy "dropped" by Benitez he picked up an injury. A club like Chelsea don't "drop" players as such, they rotate them and use players who the gaffer feels has the "ability" to beat the opposition of the day,even at Lincoln's level. Hence the changes, although generally the keeper remains unchanged.

Cech had a dip in form and made some mistakes, however he wasn't "dropped" Hart has made some errors too, again not being "dropped" as a result.De gea at Man Utd, wasn't "dropped" straight away either.

My point is that Farman had a mediocre game in which he made 2 errors and he gets "dropped" immediately, for a more "experienced" keeper who for me isn't really that much more experienced if at all really.

As I have asked before, when does a player all of a sudden become an "experienced" player? What is the magical number of games that will qualify a player as being "experienced"?

Going back to the Villa - Chelsea game , firstly you are correct eatmygoal as the website I was looking at has made a mistake with Guzan's age! although he does look older!!.

However it still doesn't detract from my overall point. With the score at 4-0 Chelsea made 3 substitutions, bringing their average age down dramatically, and when you print off the teams, the individual ages are not too dissimilar.

Villa went to Anfield just before the Chelsea game, and thumped Liverpool 3-1 with the same starting eleven! I don't recall the pundits or anyone else come to that saying that they were not "experienced" enough in that game.

As I have said before "ability will bring experience" "experience will not bring ability" and the Villa players on the day they were thrashed by Chelsea, were very much second best. Yet when they beat Liverpool, they were certainly better than their more "experienced" opponents.

It is all about ability and producing that ability on the day.You can be as "experienced" as you like, but if you don't have the ability, or fail to show it, you will, more often than not, lose.”

“Take the game against Dartford Nicolau and Larkin making and scoring goals between them and Preece doing so well, Dan Gray playing so well alongside Miller, and then DH goes and changes the whole squad. I think I know what Grant Brown would have done in the next game , Mansfield Town or not.Coe on DH leave the team as it was against Grimsby, we have some important games coming up.

come on boys”

“Hi Nigel, and happy new year: Having gone to the game at Grimsby, the game started with Preece at our end, and IMO the kick on Preece was a deliberate act, as he had the ball in his arms, and the whole stand could,nt be wrong, the Linesman was dead in line as well, and un-impeded and did nothing.

When Garner came on against Woking he looked very slow to me in turning. Now having watched him in both Grimsby games, his positional sense was great, and his organisational ability was good as well.The way forward for us now is for DH to be truthful with his players and select his team as it was on New Years Day, and leave it like that, injuries allowing, give them a run of games,and if not starting players like Larkin & Nicolau to bring them on so much earlier to have some true impact on games.

When it comes to dropping players Nigel,lets look at Lampard, who probably gave Benitez the impression he was un-droppable,and now when he comes back and far better for having been dropped with winning games for them with scoring and making goals for them. If professionals want this game they have to take the good with the bad with getting on with it and keeping sharp and alert.

come on boys”

“Guzan was born in 84.

The decimal points are relevant as you are shaving nearly 2 years off the difference in the teams. They are dissimilar ages.

I think that is a valid point on Man City. For me the big thing is having a manager who is not very good in Europe. But it is also a fair point as Dortmund are a young side but have done incredibly well this year after a bit of a flop last year. They are a very good example of a side with not as much experience as Bayern, doing well. Although Bayern would be unlikely not win the title this year.

There might be an argument that being a better player gets you more experience. However I think that at Villa they have players who are lacking experience in key areas where they need to read the game well, and that will come with experience. I also think that coming up against an experienced side like Chelsea who know how to exploit the advantages and have seen it all before is harder, especially when they are a more talented side.”

“...re Preece and Farman - Farman is basically a young(ish) lad and still learning his trade as it were - yes he will still have some bad games but isn't that all about learning? The key is to make sure he still keeps his confidence as he is our future! I would have thought that Preece may have been brought in as cover for Farman and to give some 'tips', etc. to Farman to improve on his weaknesses. At the end of the day we are playing in the conerence and we can't expect to have a goalie of international talent (and if we did he would no doubt soon leave to another team who pay more. We have Farman and I still think he's a good prospect and if our back 4 can start playing like a back 4 then surely this will only help with his confidence I like out team at the moment we do have character and a sense of playing as a team. C'mon you Imps let's carry on with the way we are playing and the playoffs are there for the taking! What an excellent playoffs it could be if we were to meet and beat the Codheads and Mansfield :)”

“Villa 's keeper that day was in fact 32!

I did round up the average ages by saying Villa's average age was under 24 and Chelsea's 26 when in fact there were some decimal points in there.

My point in saying that their ages are not too dissimilar drawn from the fact that Lampard,at 34! pushes the average age up and when you put the ages against one another, they are not too dissimilar, and in the latter part of the game, the average age was pretty much the same.

Man utd's ability to win when they need to is more about them being the better side for me, having the ability. People said of Man City's exit from the Champions league, was down to their lack of "experience" in the competition. Yes as a club of course they don't have the "experience" yet they have countless players in their squad with Champions League "experience" with one or two having won the competition with previous clubs.

But in this case, I think Farmans confidence could have been dented by being dropped, afterall the manager publicly backed him and then dropped him for the next 2 games. What effect would that have? Anyway like you I want them to win too :)”