I personally, like many others, was frustrated with the lack of fringe players getting their chance in the first team before the Lille game.
Neil Lennon had been playing the same team week in, week out, more or less and yielding the same poor results. Low and behold, when he freshens things up, we win two out of two and we look more like ourselves again.
We’ve been screaming for the likes of David Turnbull and Ismaila Soro to be played and it’s taken until now for that to happen.
It’s a major source of frustration, especially when the manager comes out and says the team will just magically start playing better and our luck will turn at some point.
And that’s where Odsonne Edouard makes me a hypocrite.
The Frenchman has rarely hit top form for us this season, he’s looked leggy and not had that cutting edge you usually associate with the striker.
While I moan about other players underperforming and in need of some time on the bench, I can’t look past continuing to start Eddy in the hope he turns it on.
Don’t get me wrong, a 50% Edouard can still offer lots of things in an attacking sense, but when it comes to instilling fear and trepidation into a backline, he’s been lacking for most of the season.
Neil Lennon would be well within his rights to try someone different up top in the cup final but I’d be disappointed if he didn’t start. You know it could take one big performance and he’s back in the game.
Turnbull will only get better at playing alongside the striker and I expect big things.
Absolutely need to play Griff in final and let eddy warm seat and try to play back into team as he has been less than useless HH
I agree to a certain extent but we’ve been waiting far too long for him to catch fire.
Obviously a class act but in our current position, we probably need a poacher rather than Edouard who, in my opinion, overelaborates and loses possession before he gets chance to work the keeper.