Team I'd play

Although, to be fair, if I were the manager we'd be bottom of the league. Anyway...

......................................Steele..............................................

...................Cranie...........Foster.........Hassell............................

Wiseman................Etuhu............Perkins........................Kennedy

......................................Mellis................................................

............................Harewood......Dagnall.....................................

Am I happy with the wingbacks? Not particularly, I'd much prefer Stones and Golbourne, but this is what we've got. At least they know how to play that position. Delap can play wingback too, but I don't think he's got the energy any more. Cranie, Foster and Hassell are hands down the best defenders at the club. They should play every week. O'Brien may sometimes have bags of energy, but Mellis has three times the skill. He creates lots of goals, he should play. Dawson would take Etuhu's place when he's fit. Scotland to come on for the last half hour.

It's not far off what Flitcroft was playing when we were at our very best. I'm not the one that has come up with this formation, Flitcroft is. He designed it, he masterminded it and it worked a treat. Don't know why we have to change it so much because we lose our two wing backs.

 

Pretty much agree with that Jay - it was consistency of selection, especially at the back, that gave us some solidity. Last few games all the tinkering has been baffling...

 

I just don't think Kennedy is a wing back unfortunately. If we bring in someone who can play that role then I'd shift Kennedy to LCB and play exactly the same team. Delap could come in for Wiseman as required.

 

Swap bob and fozzy and I would go with that too. Daws in for etuhu when fit.

 

I would only dispose of Harewood and stick in O'Grady

But bring Marlon on later

Or maybe the other way around

Why does Marlon sometimes think he's a winger?

 

Against who? You can't pick the same side for today, Tuesday and next Saturday. Well you can, but they will be knackered. Prioritise the game, pick your strongest side for that one and adjust accordingly for the other fixtures. Factoring in form, fitness, fatigue, suspensions, player and team morale, opposition strengths and weaknesses, whether or not your name is Bobby Hassell etc....

 

Don't be stupid Jay. Why would we play two full backs in the wing back positions when we can play attacking midfielders there instead.

And you're off your rocker if you think he'll play hassell. he's clearly got a personal issue with him

 

This being knackered after playing for 180 mins in a 7 day period is a pathetic symptom of modern day football thinking. Biggest myth in modern football.

 

Agreed. He only made one contribution today

 

Agreed. "sorry boss, you'll have to get Dave to do my job on Tuesday only I'm bound to be knackered after working monday and no doubt you'll be expecting me to come in on friday too won't you"

 

Agreed. It's ********.

A week contains 10,080 minutes yet professional footballers with the benefit of modern training and nutrition cant provide optimum performance for 180 minutes in that period?

That's 1.8% of the time. What a ******* disgrace.

 

270 minutes in an 8 day period, then by Brighton it will be 360 minutes in 10. It will have an impact on the performance of some players. Daggers is probably kicking a ball about right now in the dark, but O'Brien is a shadow of what he's been recently, Perks too to a lesser extent. Fozzie is being saved for Burnley and City, I would think and Mellis being used sparingly. Sensible squad play, whether the personnel is right is another matter. We don't have the natural wing-backs and we should give up on it now and play to our strengths.

 

That's still only asking professional athletes to perform for 2.5% of their lives.

The wing backs system set us off on this run. it's flicker that's messed around with it.

 

I fear we may be fooked if flicker cannot find a suitable replacement for goldbourne and quickly!

 

One was sold and one got injured, how's that Flicker's fault? It was his system. There are no natural replacements so we have to go with a back 4.

I'll stick where I was on player fatigue/rotation, nothing to add there.

 

Dagnall in the Hulk`s body !! FACT!!

 

Delap and Kennedy. Why he has displaced the entire architecture of the team is beyond me.

I'll stick with my view on professional athletes being asked to perform for 2.5% of their lives. Ice hockey players seem to smash it week in week out. Piss poor excuse of modern sport.

Rugby players seem to get by too.