Team for Chelsea and Stoke: Mignolet O Shea, Brown, Bramble, Bardo Vaughan Larsson, Gardener, Sessegnon Gyan Bendtner Westwood, Richardson, Catts, Colback, Won, Wickham, Muhammady Catts and Colback donât offer enough creativity for me and Catts tackling has to be contained for me (I love the lad but he was a liability v the craas and we cannot keep giving free kicks and yellows away like we are) and Colback should be rested to protect the young lad (as Henderson should have been more). Richardson has to be dropped from the defence and in doing so, he goes on to the bench as he isnât as good as Sess on the left or any of the new lads in the centre. I would like to see the new lads playing together and Vaughan is a great controller of the ball and a good tackler, Gardener is the midfield player we bought to score goals so he HAS to play and Sessegnon has to moved to left wing as he is it now in that position. Vaughan, Gardener, O Shea, Brown and Larsson were brought in to improve us. They have to play from now on from the start to see what we have bought now and Bruce needs them to work. I think they could work and I'd like to see them next game.
Ha Ha - been a hectic morning lads. I meant of course Bendtner up front with Gyan. Changed it now. I just think we are in that position, or Bruce is anyway, where caution needs to be thrown off abit and the new lads put togther. Its the old team that has brought the problems to Bruce and its time for him to be ruthless now and show his managerial teeth. That team, IMO, has good balance, experience in all areas and a decent goal threat in it. Larsson, Gardener, Sessegnon, Gyan and Bendtner all capable of scoring and thats a lot of players for oppostion teams to think about - even Chelsea but especially Stoke. I think we can all see what Stokes gameplan will be and hopefully Bendtner will be uselfull at defensive set pieces as well as he is 6ft 3 ins.
I'm in complete agreement with your choices but I would however play a 4-3-1-2 formation. I think Catt's should be left out of the team for a while until he realises he seriously needs to curb his enthusiasm.
I still have serious doubts about Ming. I would play that team against Chelsea. For Stoke I would have Catts in for Vaughan. I haven't seen enough of either Vaughan or Gardner for us to be really decisive mind. Going by watching them for their prior teams Gardner edges any decision between the two. Unless we have horrendous injury problems I honestly can't see Ricco getting back in the team.
For me, Meyler would be a better holding player than Catts (when fit) but your team looks good to me, probably as strong a taam as we could put out.
Its official, Hell has frozen over. I agree with that team and also think its good enough to do very well this season.
I like Meyler too mate but I am concerned as to his long term fitness. I have an awful feeling that he is going to suffer badly for thise very bad injuries at such an early age. Hope I am wrong but I do have this feeling that Meyler and Campbell may not regulalry make our first team again and will eventually move on in the next year or so.
Have to agree with you about Myler Cest'. Its a crying shame for the lad as well...he could have been a pivital player for us...but as you say..these injuries have been bad.
Not far off with that I would like to see more of Vaughan (Blackpools player of the year) so he can't be bad. Have not made my mind up on Mig yet i thought he was at fault for the Newcastle goal Also dropped a few blunders last season (Birmingham away comes to mind)
I'd have Catts in he was excellent against Mags first half and he had to make rash challenges due to us being overrun (Colback went quiet ) second half. I thought Catts did well against Swansea too. I agree Colback has to come out of the team. It will be interseting to see how Gyan gets on for Ghana (maybe he needs "resting" too) Another thing re Chelsea is that Ashley Cole bombs down the wings for them. Away to Chelsea last year didn't Richardson do a job on him??? If so Richardson has to do that again, in my opinion.
Well I am not exactly dancing in the with the signing of Bentdner, however he is better than what we had i.e. nothing and we will just have to see how he plays. I bet I will take is that SB will not give up playing the wrong people in the wrong place, Rico, Elmo etc and will probably persist with Sess behind Gyan/Bentdner. Also if we can we should not play Catts, he should never have been appointed as captain
id go 4-4-2 for Stoke .....................ming............. bardo...brown..bramble....o'shea.. larssen....catts....gardner.....sess.. ...............gyan...bendtner............ Think Bruce has to play around with formations in training for Chelsea id consider a 5 man midfield with Vaughan brought in to track Lampard. Wba and Norwich have both given Chelsea problems this season already so we should give them a game.
Tony - no bigger fan of Catts than me mate but his tackling against the scum and Swansea wasn’t very pretty mate. I like enthusiastic, tough tackling players but he is out of control at the moment. He could do someone damage this season and needs to be cooled down. I was a supporter of him being given the captains armband but I think this makes him too competitive and that leads to indiscipline, which in turn leads to costly fouls and free kicks - our Achilles Heel for some time now. I'd take him out of the limelight for a few games and give David Vaughan a try at central midfielder with Larsson, Gardener and Sess as forward midfielders. Catt’s distribution at times is just awful as well and he has gone off the boil for me at the minute. He doesn’t handle pressure very well and lets things get to him on the pitch. Just my opinion btw.
---------------------Mig'----------------------- O'Shea-----Bramble?------Brown----Bards' -----------------Catts/Gardner-------------- ------------Larsson---------Vaughan-------- Sessegnon------------------------------Gyan- ------------------Bendtner----------------- OR Same goalkeeper and defence as above Larsson--Gardner---Vaughan----Sessegnon -------------Bendtner--Gyan------------
