is he fit? if so, i'd still be tempted to keep him on the bench and bring him on later in the game if things aren't going our way. we can always switch olsson to left back if needed. i think olsson's pace could come in quite handy
big sam talking sense this morning in his weekly column: http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/foo...-again-and-id-get-them-in-at-6am-8928677.html
Very interesting and well balanced piece I had no idea he was such a wordsmith Re: our transfer business last summer.
I think Snodgrass will play, so it's more like this for me, with Fer playing deeper and Howson pushing forward when possible. He has the pace to get back to help cover, but also the attacking play to support up front. 4-2-3-1, but with 2 strikers. The alternative is the 4-3-3 that CH talked about in the press conference, with Johnson coming in and Howson replacing Elmander. I'd prefer the former. Ruddy Martin Turner Bassong Olsson Howson Fer Snodgrass Elmander Pilkington Hooper
If CH plays Johnson tomorrow I will be a bit cheesed off to say the least, I can understand him wanting to stick with the same tactics but if he plays it's going to cost us.
I dunno, if Tettey is going to out until February then Bradders is going to be pretty important for us over the next few months as we won't be able to cobble together a central midfield every week without him. I thought he had a great season last year and improved massively as it drew on, until recently I have always rated him as better than Tettey personally. I agree he has looked poor so far this season but you don't become a bad player overnight so maybe a run of games will help him get his touch, and with it his form back. How we could do with him in form right now!
I think Snodgrass will play, so it's more like this for me, with Fer playing deeper and Howson pushing forward when possible. He has the pace to get back to help cover, but also the attacking play to support up front. 4-2-3-1, but with 2 strikers. The alternative is the 4-3-3 that CH talked about in the press conference, with Johnson coming in and Howson replacing Elmander. I'd prefer the former. Ruddy Martin Turner Bassong Olsson Howson Fer Snodgrass Elmander Pilkington Hooper
Don't worry bors, we're safe - they've done the maths and everything! http://www.statsbomb.com/2013/11/model-rankings-after-10-games-random-epl-thoughts/
There ya go: http://www.statsbomb.com/2013/09/statsbomb-predictive-models-epl-through-week-5/ Somewhat explains the 'Model Rankings' system. EDIT - it's kind of similar to the NFL's 'Power Rankings', but falls down somewhat as it doesn't take strength of opposition into consideration within the model, unlike some of the NFL Power Rankings.
Thanks, JK. If you take our recent match v Cardiff out of the equation (which we won't and can't do) this stat has potentially sinister overtones - although perhaps more so last season that this.
Can't say I understand all of it, but I like the idea of 'performance rankings' independent of the league table. Be interesting to see how it goes as the season continues.
Johnson and Bassong were key players last season as we all now. As someone already mentioned I think Hughton should keep faith in Johnson because he knows how good he can be and with Tettey out for such a long time, Johnson could be important for months to come as Tettey may not regain his own form even after he has recovered. I do think Hughton should play Turner and Bennett at centre half though.
I think that's true about Johnson for the long term, but what is the best line-up against a team playing a 4-6-0? Shouldn't City be more attacking at home? I also have a concern that if Fer pushes forward, he can be slow to get back when possession is lost. If he plays deeper, that is less of a problem. I remember Cove saying that people in the Netherlands consider his best position to be in defence, so DM shouldn't be a problem for him (especially as he is aiming to emulate Yaya Toure!). That's why I favour: Ruddy Martin Turner Bassong Olsson Howson Fer Snodgrass Elmander Pilkington Hooper
Link to this week's 'Talk is cheap' from Mustard. Michael Bailey ran a twitter poll asking 'if City fail to beat West Ham what should Hughton's fate be?' 91% said get rid, 9% said give him longer I've no idea how many people voted, but that sounds an incredibly skewed figure to me. Although social media sites in general are places where people go the vent their spleens. A decent win and performance, however, and we can save all the inquests until another day http://www.mustardtv.co.uk/browse/talk-is-cheap-hughton-in-or-out/
I think any poll is going to be limited by the location, be it Twitter or the messageboards. Until I see one that is a sizable proportion of City's 30,000+ fan base, I'll take them all with a very large grain of salt. Twitter even more so!
