I'd go with this. McLaughlin Loovens---Baldwin---Flanagan Gooch-------------------------------Oviedo Catts---Honeyman McGeady Maja-----Sinclair/Maguire
Maybe so mate and I wouldn't want to put unnecessary pressure on the kid but he did start our season off and that didn't seem to bother him so could be he's got the stones for it age be damned.
Loovens and Ozturk in the same team is a definite no no for me - they are far too slow. I can cope with one but not both. McGeouch looked very good in pre-season but now looks like he's not quite match fit - hopefully he will get better with more game time. I'd be happy with Mumba back in the team, he looked good in the U23 game and is just so confident - but who would drop out - Catts or Honeyman? Maybe not then.
Good shout Bri, my concern is Catts and Honeyman in front of the back three, but it is as good as we have got, the squad is unbalanced and choices are limited.
Seems a few think Max Power is our missing link in midfield, surely we have enough there to cover whilst he's missing, mind we haven't won since his ban started. My big fear in this league is that were not physical enough all round the pitch but especially midfield. We've got plenty of talent but few who can put their foot in and make it tell hence we've already had a shed load of yellow cards and if Catts picks one up today that's him banned. Not an easy problem for JR to sort out but a win today would be a big help.
RTB said: ↑ Loovens and Ozturk in the same team is a definite no no for me - they are far too slow. I can cope with one but not both. McGeouch looked very good in pre-season but now looks like he's not quite match fit - hopefully he will get better with more game time. I'd be happy with Mumba back in the team, he looked good in the U23 game and is just so confident - but who would drop out - Catts or Honeyman? Maybe not then. Apologies for the above In answer to your your concerns about the slowness of both OzTurk and Loovens, I do think those two would, or should, be more solid especially at set pieces where we look very vulnerable, ( and we give far too many silly free kicks away), but it is all open to conjecture, I agree. Coming back to the midfield issue, I would have Bali in for Catts, any day of the week, I do not rate Catts at all as I have said so often and for many years now its like a broken record, I am also tempted to give Denver a place at wing back, just because he is another footballer I rate, moving Gooch and Honeyman further forward with Maja maybe. Its all a bit up in the air with team selection at the moment and that in itself is a bit of a concern as I would much prefer a settled team any day, to a one of constant change we have had far too much of that in recent years for one reason or another . Just heard N'Dong wants to get back into the team, what do you think of that, its a tough one but I always rated him and he is just the kind of player we could do with, its a shame he had not come around to this way of thinking a little bit sooner.
I think he's a decent player, still young with lots of potential and from a business perspective it would be good to get him playing and in the January transfer shop window with a view to reduce the overall loss on what was a disaster of a transfer move. BUT I think he's left it too late to have a change of mind and will get pelters if he is ever allowed to play for Sunderland again.
Depends on how they line up - the BBC seem to think it will be like this: 4-2-3-1 please log in to view this image
