Surprised not tested water with someone like jimenez, martial, ihranacho. Prem proven, 2 that aren’t first choice but could offer a real threat if can unlock their potential and jimenez who prob go any further than wolves and probably has 1 more move in him.
Martial - trouble with Man Utd players is that they are paid so much they have no incentive to move. Apparently he is on £250000 a week. No way are we going to match that. Jimenez - basically a less effective version of Wilson. Iheanacho - basically a less effective version of Wood. I would take Martial of those three but there is no way we will match his slary.
I know we need better players up front and midfield but happy to give the lot we have a go until January now, if there is nothing of value around. Hoping we keep Anderson so that we can see what he can do. Think we are in a better position now to give him game time as I am hoping we wont be struggling from the start. Would like to see how Howe can get Wood to contribute more but I suspect he is just not suited to the style we want to play.
Pope Trippier Schar Botman Targett Willock Bruno Joelinton Almiron Wilson Max Decent side that, just the strength in depth we have is ****e. Injuries will result in our season being average.
Our back 5 all have serviceable back ups to be honest, players like Dubs, Burn, Manquillo/Kraft. Our midfield bit weaker with Shelvey and Longstaffs but it's up front we'll hit issues. Still though Wood, Fraser and Murphy all played in most of our games during our excellent run. The first two in particular are Premiership players just not good ones really.
There's a trick to playing with wood, just don't stick the ball in the air because he's ****ing stinkingly bad in the air from what we've seen so far. Also when you get to the byline drag the ball all the way back to between the 18 yard box D and the halfway line D because he sure as **** won't be waiting on the 6 yard line.
I agree if they get injuries to max and bruno they'll struggle to create anything. The defence is very good though, so might get away with it to a degree... Let's hope then bring in two or 3 which they will before sept 1st..
If, and its a big if, we don't have reinforcements up front then I'd say the main task for Howe next season is managing the playing time and fitness of Wilson (and to a lesser extent St Maximan). I'd imagine you want Wilson fit for all the games we're going into as favourites and all the marginal ones where one chance being converted might make all the difference - these 20 or so games are where we will get almost all of our points. Wood I'd use in games where we are very much the underdogs and need to defend from the front, hold out for set peices, etc. and to keep Wilson fit for the other games (let's not forget he got injured against Man Utd at the end of the Christmas fixtures, this is exactly the kind of game I doubt he'll be playing in next season). As such I can see Wilson bagging goals against he bottom half of the table clubs whilst we're creating chances whilst Wood generally gets to plough a lonely furrow away to the likes of City, Chelsea, Liverpool, etc. where he can win flick ons and be a hand-full playing his unthankful task in trying to get unwarranted points. It'd be great to then be able to claim our fans would recognise as much but they wont, it'll be all "Wilson has got 8 goals in 18 games whereas Wood has 1 in 7. He IZ SUCh A DoNKEE"
It's big mistake going into the season with no striker signed. RW desperately needed too. Did I just saw Lascelles to remain captain.. please log in to view this image
I think he maybe big presence in the dressing room but he's quite behind in the CB pecking orders. I really wanted it to be Trippier.
Still 3 weeks ish to go, give em time. Plus Wilson is fit atm so at least that will give us some time until he inevitably gets crocked.
Where doth it say this? And will he even be in the starting line up these days? Surely Botman and Burn are first choice.
Guess we don’t really know but this is mystifying like. Presumably Shelvey is also vice captain and a big part of his plans too? Hmmmmm……
I don't think so. I think it's Botman OR Burn for LCB (we know who wins that) and Schar or Lascelles for RCB. Seems odd to me, like - you only have to look at history and there's a definite correlation between better runs of form and Lascelles being absent. He didn't play at all when we were the 3rd best team 2nd half last season, why he's then being brought back in is really strange. Not just under Howe, we had the same under Bruce when we had a purple patch season before, coincided with Lascelles being absent. I was certain he would be farmed back to Forest, certainly was hopeful. Long way to go, but I have a niggling feeling Howe's going to get a few things wrong. Relying on Wood/Wilson, Almiron/Fraser, Lascelles and Shelvey chief amongst them.
When Fraser took over that LW role when ASM was out he bossed it and was far more effective than ASM was there. I think it will be ASM/Fraser on the LW. Which means Almiron and Murphy on the RW. **** my life
