Aubameyang & Douglas

Rumour's abound that PEA's agents have been in direct contact with NUFC and this deal is not yet dead. Allegedly the 25m euros from Anzhi isn't real.

Douglas apparently needs 1st team assurances before deciding where he goes. That one's easy - just say "matey, if Mike Williamson can make 20 apps, you've got no problem".

If both deals were concluded, we'd then sit tight and only work on a one out/one in policy at best. I wonder if the board are mindful that a signing like PEA may be the only way of protecting the big players we have?

 

Cannot see PEA coming to us

 

Agreed. But if gives the board breathing space until he signs for someone else.

 

So, which of Colo or Taylor do you drop in order to assure Douglas a starting place ?

 

It's not even a question to be fair, drop Taylor every time...

But then for me we shouldn't be guaranteeing any player first team football, you have to earn the right to be in the first 11 in my opinion and you do that by firstly performing in training and then replicating said performance on a Saturday afternoon.

 

You don't pay enough attention to my posts. A pre-requisite of me posting here is that everyone treats my posts with complete reverence, so I'll be talking to my agent....

Bollox aside, I reckon 3-4-2-1 is the formation for us. Fck it, only Wigan use it, and they won a cup (they'd get relegated quicker with a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3, believe me). We could potentially have 4 1st choice CB's. I think Colo is a natural sweeper, as is MYM. We also have Perchy who could slot into a 3 and there's less pressure on Good or Streete if we introduce them to the next big thing formation. Using 3 CB's given the strength we could have there and the subsequent threat at our notorious corners would be a step in the right direction.

In Santon, Haidara and Debuchy we have fullbacks who prefer facing forwards than backwards, so 4-4-2 has often left us quite exposed at the back and asking HBA to defend, whilst also reducing Jonas' attacking contribution to dust. If we play either two of these three on the flanks as "wingbacks" - and I reckon MYM could also do a job on the right, with Jonas able on the left - we reduce the need to have wingers, which will make us more effective attacking through the middle. It's in the middle where we have a wealth of talent and sticking two solid CM's (Tiote & Sissoko...or Perch/Anita) behind another two more attacking players (HBA & Cabaye...or Marv/Anita again) gives us a depth and strength to the midfield. Then upfront we have a better-supported Cisse or "Remy/PEA", can switch to any number of different formations (swap a DM for a striker, or an AM for a striker and go two up top, for example, with the Gouff or Campbell, or hit 3 up top with 4 across the middle, and so on).

Look, I've got to try and get excited about something. We're likely to spend less than £4.99 on players this Summer and are even more likely to play the same insipid sh!t we witnessed for 90% of last season. So a bit of Fantasy Football Manager will do me nicely on a Friday lunchtime.

 

I agree you'd drop Colo before Taylor, but why drop Taylor for Douglas ?

 

Mark Douglas seems to think we'll be reverting back to 4-3-3 next year.

 

Yeah that's what I'm saying, if it's a choice between Taylor and Colo then drop Taylor. However Douglas has to earn a start by performing better than one of them in training (or through Colo/Taylor having a run of poor form) before either gets dropped as they currently have the shirts in those positions...to be fair I didn't explain myself too well in my first post.

 

Well if we are going to start talking ****e, what about the old 3 - 5 - 2 ?

Our three CB's, Debuchy and Santon as wing back, cabaye, Tiote and Sissoko in the middle with HBA running free up front with Cisse ?

It requires a lot of mobility from the wingbacks and solidity all through the spine, but it's hell on wheels going forward

 

I'd prefer 3-2-2-3:

---------------Krul----------------
-----Colo----Douglas----MYM------
Debuchy--------------------Santon
---------Cabaye---Sissoko---------
HBA---------Cisse----------Le Gouff

 

Guarantee no man a start. If Douglas doesn't have enough confidence that his own ability will make him first choice, then how can we have confidence in his ability? If he wants to be a prima donna then he's not for us.

Its just paper talk though, and agents are the problem too. He'll get the number of games regardless because of Colo and Saylors fitness records. He'll get more if he makes himself undroppable by performing. Quite simple really. To be fair its World Cup year so they all have it in the back of their mind but we certainly shouldn't be giving any assurances.