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Team for Boxing Day.

Given our "poor 1st half performances lately, I believe it's time for a bit of a review and change the starting eleven.
Personally, (subject to players not kicking the poo out of each other in training), I would put Gape or Bean in front of the back four in place of Bloomfield. The back row selects itself, hopefully El-Abd will return? CMS in the middle upfront and rest Bayo to the bench, I believe the Beast needs a mini break. Tyson & PCH the other front two. Possibly Saunders could do with a mini break, though I would be reluctant to replace him with Eze but we need to be a bit calmer on the ball. If we do, we HAVE to play the ball on the deck which I believe we are more than capable of. Freeman can always come on for Tyson, who I have little doubt knacker out around the 70th minute.

Can't help feel that with a "weakened" defence, the only alternative is to attack from the off!

Comments

  • My thoughts are very similar, @EwanHoosaami. It’s interesting, isn’t it, that Adam El-Abd is now recognised as an important member of the team, both as an excellent skipper and a vastly experienced defender (at a higher level too). He and Anthony Stewart are clearly our best central defensive pairing and I sincerely hope that the latter’s injury is not serious.
    I agree that CMS (centrally in the main but with flexibility) plus Tyson and CMS would be a good front three. CMS is arguably not as good a target man as Bayo but, with the ball on the deck, I see no reason why he wouldn’t be as effective there, interchanging occasionally with PCH who, despite evidence to the contrary at Coventry (apparently), is good in the air. I don’t know Marcus Bean’s fitness status but he was sensational before he got the knock and would, I think, be first choice protector of the back four.
    It was good to make the acquaintance (very briefly) of you and @HCblue.

  • Very good to meet you too, @micra.

    I like the ideas both of you put forward (though, despite his estimable workrate, I'm not sure he both play through the middle and out wide at the same time, @micra! Did you mean Paris out wide?).

    As discussed on the return journey from Coventry, we'd do well to have a plan B for Bayo's absence and with a quality CF like CMS available for selection perhaps a game this week is the chance to try it out.

    Not sure Gareth is likely to go that route, mind!

  • A front three of CMS, Tyson and CMS, Micra?

    Thank goodness Gareth is manager!

  • Thank goodness you were there to spot my slightly inebriated aberration @DevC. As @HCblue suggested, I meant PCH right, Tyson left and CMS mainly in the middle. PCH has played before as an out and out central attacker and I think at the time he expressed a preference for playing there. I had in mind that it would be an even greater departure from the horrible predictability of the hoofing to Bayo if he and CMS were to interchange positions once or twice during the course of a game.

  • I dare say you will get your wish or something like it over the holiday period. Doubt if bayo can start all four.

  • @micra said:
    Thank goodness you were there to spot my slightly inebriated aberration DevC. As HCblue suggested, I meant PCH right, Tyson left and CMS mainly in the middle. PCH has played before as an out and out central attacker and I think at the time he expressed a preference for playing there. I had in mind that it would be an even greater departure from the horrible predictability of the hoofing to Bayo if he and CMS were to interchange positions once or twice during the course of a game.

    Whilst it would be nice to see those three in a partnership, I have doubts as to whether we are capable of dispensing with hoofing if El-Abd and/or Stewart are missing.

  • I just hope for a plan B. Bayo is really effective but we need to make teams at least believe we can play some other way. We have so many attaching resources surely we can do something else apart from up to the big man. Predictability is what will stop us this season.

  • Wholeheartedly agree.@TheAndyGrahamFanClub. I think you’ll find that my endorsement will produce results. Just saying @DevC .

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