In a recent article I asked who would be the hero of this promotion run, I just ahve the feeling that it could be our Brazilian Guly.

Just over a year ago Saints push for automatic promotion appeared to be on the rails, with less than ten minutes left against Bristol Rovers it was goaless, a determined Rovers side who were on the verge of relegation had got every man behind the ball and were frustrating the home team and crowd, in that game we had well over 50% of the ball, 13 shots on target to Rovers 4 and 11 off target to their 2, a more one sided game could not be imagined, to add to that we had lost Lee Barnard to a serious injury, things were not looking good.

Our problem was and this problem has happened at times this season, was that although we had plenty of possession and pinned the opposition back into their own final third, we were too predictable, they had coped with our style of playing and we looked unable to switch styles, that has been the case too often this season Im afraid and it doesnt take Mystic Meg to predict that Coventry will perhaps be resigned to spending a lot of the game on the back foot and will be concentrating on making sure that we dont get the ball to our forwards.

Against Bristol Rovers it needed something different, a moment of skill that changed the game and in the 82nd minute it came, in a move totally out of sync with how the rest of the game , Lambert fed the ball to Guly inside the box, who with a little twist wrong footed a defender and cooly slotted the ball home, all Rovers good work had been undone in one moment of skill.

The point I am making here is that Guly is one of the few players in our midfield who can change games, most of them have their own strengths, but in the main its rare that they have a moment of flare like this and that goal not only changed the game, but the season as well as we then went on to win the next five games after this and overhaul Huddersfield for that second spot, without that moment of inspiration from Guly, we could now be in Huddersfield's position.

Guly has been a whipping boy for some this season, yes his second half of the season hasnt been as good as his first but there are extenuating circumstances, not least the way he has been moved from position to position at times due to his ability to play up front as well as midfield, most of this abuse, and at times it has been abuse has been unwarranted, so now is the time to give Guly a break, remember what he did last April, because lets make no bones about it Coventry City will be getting men behind the ball and we need players who can split a defence, we score one and the floodgates might open, but as Bristol Rovers showed, when you get all your team behind the ball in the final third, its difficult to break you down.

Photo: Action Images

stmichael added 10:27 - Apr 27 Guly is a better player at home when there is not so much responsability on him to fit into a pattern. Away from home it is like playing with 10 men. OK at 1st division level but as we go up the pyramid its more obvious. Not good enough to get past our strikers in the starting 11 and not really a right sided midfield player and that is the problem. He got more stick than he deserved but this was the frustration of the crowd because he was starting most games and alot of us myself included could not see the justification. Puncheon should be starting games on the right of midfield but for some reason this is not happening. Chaps is injured and I think the time is right for GULY tomorrow on the right of midfield. However with 12 million pounds in the bank for AOC this position should not have been such a problem for Saints this season as it has been.

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REEDYREEDOREEDZ added 10:34 - Apr 27 Yep, Guly's piece of magic was the difference that day, but hopefully tomorrow the difference will be much more than one piece of skill. Coventry have thier player of the season, defender Richard Keogh, suspended and so are likely to field a 17 year old called Jordan Willis at centre back alongside ex Saints and Pompey player Martin Crainie. Willis has previously only made two senior appearances and both were as a substitute. How is he going to handle Lambert and Sharp? Guly was superb away to Coventry in the 4-2 win so hopefully he can turn it on again tomorrow. He is bound to come in for Chaplow on the right, although I think De Ridder should get the nod because of his raw pace which we lack in other areas. Saying that though I'd love to see Guly have a good game, produce that magic and win everyone over again. COYR!!!!!! Another early goal wouldn't go a miss!

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SaintNick added 10:42 - Apr 27 Raw pace isnt the answer against a team that is camped on its own area as you havent got room to use it
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michaeljoycetf added 11:49 - Apr 27 Barcelona v Chelsea proved to us all that defiance can, in some cases succeed. We must be looking for more goals from a creative midfield i.e Guly and Lanana, we are far too reliant on our frontmen. I am sure that justice will be done and if ever a team deserved promotion, we do
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michaeljoycetf added 11:51 - Apr 27 oops, I meant Lallana
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REEDYREEDOREEDZ added 13:27 - Apr 27 Guly's best position is up front, he struggles to make an impact on the right and isn't good defensively. Good point that if Coventry sit deep then there won't be any room in behind but atleast De Ridder can take defenders on, commit them and beat them. I suppose if only his final ball/positioning/decision making was better then he'd have nailed down the RW position this season, and his faults put him behind Guly in Adkins' pecking order. So Adkins will pick Guly to start anyway, even though he's been off form for 3/4 months. Just hope Guly can influence the game, he has the ability to. In some ways Guly should be playing for his future at the club. He's 4th choice striker and next season we will stregthen whether we go up or not. Judging by the last few months he would surely be replaced by a stronger all round player next season. Maybe a star performance tomorrow would save him.

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