Team selection

General
1

Having been cogitating over team selection (as one does) and looking at Michael Duff’s options for Barnsley at the weekend.

Assuming he sticks to a 3-5-2 formation (others are available), the players I think deserve to start are in bold, those whose places are up for grabs, aren’t.

GK - Mikki van SAS - did enough at the weekend. More a debate to be had in January.

RCB - Jack GRIMMER - another poor performance. Surely Declan SKURA deserves his chance in the right centre-back slot?
CB - Connor TAYLOR - given recent performances, Dan CASEY ought to be given an opportunity.
LCB - Taylor ALLEN - didn’t have his best game at the weekend but has probably done enough this season to keep his place.

RWB - Fred ONYEDINMA - oh, the great enigma. So much talent, so little consistency. Niall HUGGINS comes in for me.

DCM - Luke LEAHY - his stats and experience make it difficult to leave him out.
CM - Ewan HENDERSON - I’m not seeing what others are seeing. I’d give Caolan BOYD-MUNCE his chance.
CM - Jamie MULLINS - game passed him by at the weekend. George ABBOTT has to start after his stellar performance.

LWB - Daniel HARVIE - first name on the team sheet. Our most consistent performer this season.

CF - Cauley WOODROW - should be carted off to the local donkey sanctuary. Is Bradley FINK any better though? Looks like he’s wearing a truss. Donell McNEILLY it is.
CF - Sam BELL - not sure he did enough to keep his place, but there’s precious few alternatives.

It’s at this point you start thinking of a 4-2-3-1 formation and hope Armando Junior QUITIRNA is fit.

That’s six changes for me, which feels like too many but something’s gotta change.

Good luck Duffers, our recruitment “team” have made a right pig’s ear of this. You’ve got every right to bleat.

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Agree, except Woodrow. I think he’s an excellent player. It’s hard to look good when every player around you is awful.

Fred and Henderson off the bench next game.

I think Anders should have a shout for a place as well. Much more to offer on the ball than Taylor or Grimmer, and no worse than either in the air.

3

How lightweight would that attack be? You can’t possibly start Bell and McNeilly together. At least one of Woodrow and Fink has to play.

4

What if CB-M is played at DCM and Luke is moved further up to CM? Boyd-Munce looks like he has a cracking left peg and can sweep in front of the defence and Luke can play with a bit more freedom? With Abbott partnering Luke, he can play the box-to-box midfielder role and support the attackers.

5

I was pleasantly surprised by Donnell McNeilly’s physicality against Wigan Athletic. I’m not sure he’s any more lightweight than Woodrow was on Saturday or Fink has shown. I agree about Bell though, which is why I’d go for a 4-2-3-1 formation with McNeilly up top.

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6

Agree about Woodrow. I think Blooms has stitched us up by dumping this carthorse on us and lumbering us with paying his wages.

7

What a bizarre thing to say.

Didn’t realise he had the power to force us to take players on loan against our will.

For what it’s worth, I think he’ll turn out to be an excellent signing. I was very impressed by his debut performance vs Northampton

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I don’t think Donnell McNeilly, or anybody else, sees him as a lightweight.

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9

Your previous opinions of Cauley Woodrow as a person seem to be clouding your judgement of his performances so far.

10

He did a passing impression of a competent striker against Northampton Town before reverting to type against AFC Wimbledon.

Less than 12 months ago we aspired to greater things than this kind of jackass.

11

I don’t think anyone played well in first half at Wimbledon. I don’t think anyone played badly in the second half. Woodrow’s second half performance was highly competent.

12

I hitched my wagon to a Mullins/Lowry midfield a while ago, but Abbot has surpassed the former and Duff doesn’t seem to fancy the latter.

I’d like to see Skura, Back and CB-M be given a decent run in the team, but I’d also like us to go to four atb which also doesn’t seem very likely.

13

Tbf, he did switch to a 4-2-3-1 formation in the second half at Wimbledon, and he did say he wasn’t wedded to one particular system. Part of assessing this squad is working out which system they’re best suited to. I suspect we’ll see more switching of shape during October.

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14

3 goals in 67 appearances for Luton is hardly prolific. I could understand the signing in Doddsland as outcomes didn’t matter to him, but Duff needs someone to put the ball in the net.

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15

McNeilly and Abbot between them are capable of creating havoc in the opposition box.

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16

Broadly agree with a lot of that though I’d drop Grimmer and Taylor and replace them with Back and Hadejlskar. Abbot must start and I’d have Fink and McNeilly up front. Fink must be given a start to see exactly what can offer with Woodrow subbing him.

17

Fink still seems to be getting up to speed, but definitely needs a run of starts when he is fit.

He’s only had a few moments so far, a few layoffs leading to chances, hitting the bar the other week etc.

But I’m sure a lot of us are slightly nervous at fee versus performance so far. Same with many others in the squad.

18

One thing that has surprised me is that Woodrow seems to be playing wide or deeper of the two. I’d much prefer him playing on the shoulder of the last defender, which seems to be where Bell has been playing.

Appreciate we are playing two up front but I’m not sure it’s helping either of them at the minute being the wrong way around. The other thing is that they are quite often a long way from each other.

I would really like to see Cauley leading the line and McNeilly supporting, if we persevere with two up front. Bell moves to the bench for now.

We’ve always been better in a back four but I do think Duff could make a success of a back three. I’m just not sure he has the players at his disposal though, time will tell. Allen has been much better in the last few games so hopefully Duff can have the same influence on Taylor.

19

Rehab in the first team you say?

20

Brings back some poor Sanchez memories that.

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