Our best defender is Chester and he's shorter than Cooper and we're playing Chester and McShane together and there's no significant height difference between Cooper and McShane. In our recent games we've played Chester, Bruce and McShane, so height is self evidently a complete irrelevance with regard to our current team selections. If Chester, Bruce and McShane can play, then so can Cooper.
I can't decide on it, I keep forgetting to watch what McShane is doing at set pieces. I just know, and was saying all last season that I'd be fine with Cooper covering for Chester, but not playing alongside him. He's at a stage where he needs regular games, which with Chester here I wouldn't give him, so if having Bruce/McShane playing alongside Chester and Faye lets Cooper go and get games elsewhere it's a good thing long term, even if we're not as strong as we could be here and now. I'm not impressed with them lining up Bruce, McShane, Chester from left to right though. I'd be looking to put the two bigger men on the sides marking the strikers and having Chester effectively playing as a sweeper. He's the one that reads the game best, and is most comfortable coming forward with the ball, so he should be the one with the 'free role' rather than McShane.
According to Soccer Saturday we're playing much better now... plus Leeds a goal and a man down I'd easily take a draw from this.
Mannone is getting a good run in minding net right now. Fulham scored two headers to tie up Arsenal in the first half - he should have got to the second one ....... still wish had signed Vito.
It's not good at all, Cooper's gone, he's history, we'll never see him again, his position has been given to Bruce Jnr.
Was always gonna be a tough one this. Need to get our act together in the 2nd half, we can still get something from this game.
Chester is our best defender and McShane and Faye are both 6'+. We've only been playing Bruce, Chester and McShane together because Faye has been injured and then coming back from that injury. The fact when Alex got injured against Barnsley Steve chose to completely change the formation rather than putting Faye on for 20 minutes suggests he's been getting named on the bench before he was really ready to play. Cooper and Bruce are about the same size. Cooper needs to gain experience from regular first team football for his own sake, Bruce already has it. If someone is under normal circumstances going to be sat on the bench it may as well be Bruce if it means Cooper can go and start regularly elsewhere.
You said Cooper couldn't be played with Chester as he's only 5'11, but Bruce seems to be first choice and he's also 5'11, so that's obviously not the case. I think McShane is a liability and the suggestion that he's tall enough because he's 1" taller than Cooper is weak. I accept that he's less experienced, but having been at every game he's played for us, i'd say he was more competent than McShane and if we buy him slightly longer studs he'd be the same height too....
Anyone can post on anything they like, if you're interested in the topic being discussed then post, if you're not then don't. It's hardly rocket science.
A year on & I still say we should have had a look at Chris Wondolowski - San Jose Earthquakes in the MLS. In the last 3 years he has played 88 games & scored 66 times. He led the MLS scoring for two of the last three, with 27 this season. At 29, he may not have much time left, but he sure knows how to find the net for his team - which by all accounts were not one of the higher rated teams for the last three years.
