certainly in midfield he has a lot of options, hoping that doesnt mean constantly chopping and changing. Guessing at: Steele Wiseman Cranie Nyatanga Kennedy Goldbourne Etuhu Perkins Mellis Dagnall O Grady
Steele Wiseman Cranie Nyatanga Golbourne Stones Etuhu Perkins Melis O`grady Chopra/Somma/Simeon Jackson/Danny Welbeck
I would probably go with the same with the possible addition of the new centre back in Kennedy's place. No reflection on Kennedy as he excelled in that spot last season but the addition of a aerially demanding centre back is crucial in my opinion. No doubt Digby and Dawson will push Etuhu for a place and Jennings is an unknown quantity but appears to be in contention for Mellis' spot. I think we're another forward away from being 'ready' for the season in my opinion. Very impressed with the efficiency and speed of the recruitment so far, remains to be seen if the quality is up to scratch but I think there's plenty to be positive about.
It's a 22 man team. Flicker himself would tell you it's not about eleven players. It's about assessing the opposition on any given Saturday and picking a team accordingly that he believes will get a result. Everyone has a part to play, especially when those midweek matches and cup runs start to bite. We are now verging on 2 players for every position and the luxury to rest and rotate, that we didn't have last season. I believe that alone, will add up to 9 or 10 points over the course of the season.
Squad rotation easiest way to upset the fans. Sorry, Im old school on this one. Find a winning 11 and unless injuries or suspensions intervene, stick with it.
largely agree there Mr C. however, consistency is also key. we all remember flicker's mini wobble last season, when he lost goldie and subsequently made some strange team selections throughout the squad. no doubt that consistency breeds success, and it will be a challenge to balance that with tactical decisions and 'squad rotation'. all that said - these are all the cliched 'great problems' to have in the modern game. new era
Re: Squad rotation Agree with S.M. on this one. Rotation is popular in the modern game as is to an extent inevitable due to the number of games, injuries, suspensions etc. However, most managers will have an idea of a strongest 11 coming into a season and will be working to establish what that is as the season goes on. We didn't swap and switch when we were promoted to the Prem and in my opinion you will be more successful with a settled side as opposed to one that changes every game. My only reservation would be that Flitcroft switched formation regularly and largely successfully last season. My strongest eleven with 5-3-2 would differ from that for 4-4-2 so there has to be some flexibility.
Re: Squad rotation Emphasis on the rest and rotate. That doesn't mean tinkering to point where you can't put it back together. If we are going to play with the same intensity, it will lessen the burn out we obviously suffering against Bristol and Charlton. To be able to ride an injury crisis and prevent injuries by allowing sufficient recovery time. Staying switched on for 90 minutes and not dropping two points in the last minute as we did at home to derby. Also Jim O'Brien doesn't like night matches and is invariably crap when he plays in the dark. Flitcroft has said all this, I'm just parrotting him.
Looks solid to me that. Got cover all over too, should hopefully push the likes of JOB to up teeir game
Rotation doesn't mean overhauling a team one game to the next. It means resting individual players as they need it and arming yourself appropriately for the opposition. e.g. if Perks has ran his little legs off Saturday - Tuesday - Saturday, he's probably due a rest. So bring Dawson in who may only have played one of those games and that might have been when Kelvin need a match off. In such way Dawson is still integral to the team and is playing regularly. And when Michael Brown lines up against us, he's the first name on the team sheet to sort the **** out. You lot are looking at the Chelsea definition of 'rotation', which means the wholesale accommodation of 30 odd spoilt, pampered basterds, regardless of what is actually right for the job in hand.