A few 8/10 performances today but some 6/10 too mainly with Meslier, Ampadu and Struijk everyone else a 7/10 except our best player who only deserved a 5/10…… yes Rutter
Leeds are now 10 points clear of 7th so looking good so far for a guaranteed play off spot. The teams in the top 6 all have a claim so far but as we know there are teams capable of doing a good run. Norwich, Sunderland, Boro to name a couple. Games come thick and fast now so good chance of of a couple of teams dropping points and I include Ipswich in ghis especially when the African cup starts and even Leicester have 5 first teamers who will be missing. Game on folks
Ipswich have to play us and Leicester this month, local Derby with Norwich, they’ve got some tough matches coming up
We need a keeper, a left centre back and a ****ing left footed ****ing left back in January. A playmaker would be nice too but not a priority at the moment. Meslier lets every shot in. Struijk started the season poorly, had a good run but his last two games have seen old issues resurface again. Firpo is injured again and Byram can't be relied on for 46 games. Other than that we look okay for promotion even with Rutter missing chances galore.
Take Archie away fro RB and play Spence and I’m betting Archie could be the playmaker and the lad Gruev is also a baller whenever FARKE decides to use him. So I believe we have enough in the middle and Ampadu hasn’t been his usual top self the last 2 games so maybe needs a rest, Kamara has been excellent but all I see from FARKE is another Bielsa who says it’s a long season and we need the players but never changes the team
We did that against Stoke with Gruev starting, James and Summerville on the bench and came unstuck. I think you have to start with the best starting 11 and use your subs, I’d like to see Archie rested a bit. The International breaks are giving us a few breaks, Christmas will be where you see players rotated a bit more
Whatever the criticism I still think we’re going to finish top two. Have to remember the summer of turmoil the club, manager and players went through - effectively giving the others a head start. Second half of the season we’ll be stronger still imo.
Firstly, I'd sell Gnonto (the little rat). Then if the right player was available (like Buendia was at Norwich for Farke) then get a playmaker. Then we'd have Rutter, Piroe and Bamford as main strikers. We'd have the new playmaker, Piroe or Summerville as a 10. Out wide we'd have Summerville, James, Anthony as options with Rutter able to move over if injuries kick in. Then we have McGurk and Joseph to come in to the squad. I think buying a playmaker at the expense of Gnonto would give the squad a bit more balance. If Piroe gets injured we only really have Poveda to come in as a natural 10. Tweaking Gnonto for another 10 would give us greater depth. My main concern is the left side of defence and in goal. Byram has been OK but history suggests he will break down before the season is through. Firpo is just as injury prone and he is **** too. Cooper isn't really fit for purpose any more and for some reason Cresswell seems to have been ignored. Struijk has shown signs of cracking the last two games and it's clear that Rodon is holding that defence together. Meslier just doesn't save as many shots as he should and hasn't learnt a damn thing the last 3 years. He's a liability. Sure we can carry him in the Championship to an extent but if we had a shot stoppers in goal then we'd have more points.
You didn’t answer the question - are you a politician Out of the front four of James, Summerville, Georginio and Piroe, plus the two midfielders Ampadu and Kamara, who would you drop to accommodate your new playmaker?
You have Poveda too Emu and right now hes ahead of McGurk…… plenty to sort out with kids as Carrick wants buy Cresswell, Greenwood wanted by Boro, WHU, Fulham, Palace. Lewis Bate is wanted but not by FARKE, McGurk has matured, Charlie Allen. Whats happened to Sonny Perkins not playing at all out on loan? Then do we also loan out or sell Joffy and Joseph.
I never said the playmaker would automatically start tbf. At the moment the only real playmaker we have is Poveda and hes not a Championshipwinning playmaker. Piroe is a 9 playing at 10 and it's doing OK at the moment which proves Poveda isn't quite there. If Piroe gets injured we have to move Jimmy or play Poveda (or God forbid Paddy). Out wide we have Jimmy, James, Gnonto and Anthony who are all top end Championship (and above) wingers. Then we have Poveda, McGurk and Joseph who are solid Championship players backing up. That's 7 wingers who can play at this level, 4 of them top end Championship. Sell Gnonto (the ****ing rat) and get a 10 in. That bolsters the 10 position and we don't really lose any depth out wide. It just rebalances the squad as its very winger heavy. It gives competition to Piroe and covers any injury to him. I'd get a ****ing left footed ****ing left back and start him. I'd get a LCB and start him and a keeper who can play in goal to maybe stop the odd shot. (Ain't that a novel idea?) To sum up, we bought a **** load of wingers over the years and there are only two wings. Sell some and strengthen elsewhere. I'm still puzzled why we needed Anthony in the Sini deal. He's hardly played.
Poveda is mid Championship standard. McGurk might be better than that and deserves a look at given his form in the 21s (a bit like Jimmy was last year before he got his chance). It's not like Poveda is ripping up the Championship. Joseph was looking like this could be his break through season until injury. I'd loan out Gelhardt and Bate.
In the system we have the front six are all playmakers combined. It’s not as if we’re not creating enough chances. If Piroe gets injured move Summerville inside and get Anthony (or the rat, if he’s still at the club) out on the left.
Anthony is not playing because of the form of Summerville and James. And when he did start he was poor.
Probably because we didn’t know at the time whether the Italian rat was staying or going, and we needed cover there.
