please log in to view this image Sam Clucas doing the presser this morning. Diame's injured, expected to be out at least ten days (hooray, I hear several of you shout). Dawson and Powell are obviously also out. Odubajo returns.
Diame will come in handy in the play-offs so might as well keep him up our sleeve till then, at the moment he's a luxury player
It's getting hard to pick a team... McGregor Odubajo Davies Maguire Robertson Snodgrass Livermore Clucas Aluko Hernandez Diomande Subs Jak, Bruce, Elmo, Maloney, Meyler, Akpom, Huddlestone Box to box energy in the centre of midfield. Attacking skill and threat out wide. Two ****ing strikers.
As much as I want to see two striker's on the pitch, just feel it will be Aluko up front with Abel, and Huddlestone in for Diomande, SB could possibly change it in the 89th min if its not going well..
it's not often I agree with Peter Swan but he was right when he said its funny how the treatment room is suddenly full when things aren't going well.
What surprises me is that we changed formation last week to wing backs only because Odubajo was suspended. Despite our so called strength in depth SB chose to change the formation to accommodate 1 player, Elmo. Back to 4-4-2 this week. Mac Dave Maguire Davies Robbo Snod Livermore Hudd Clucas Aluko Abel maybe keep Elmo in at RM, Snodgrass to LM and Clucas to the bench Diamande might warrant a start ahead of Aluko, tough on Sone though
I`ve been advocating a return to the grafter mentality, earn the right to play in this league, hence my selection; Mac Dave Maguire Davies Robbo Snod Livermore Meyler Clucas Diamonde Hernandez Aluko, Thudd, on the bench to come on against a tiring team.
Meyler seems to be the forgotten man. He's hardly played since the birth of his daughter/Arsenal mistake. Make of that what you will. For the record, here are the stats this season when he has taken part in league games (most of them starts I think) Played 24 Won 17 Drew 3 Lost 4
When we were playing well earlier in the season, it was based entirely on the control Meyler & Livermore gave us in midfield - even when outnumbered. That control allowed players to get around and support Hernandez. It's no coincidence that Hernandez's goals dried up once we lost that control and he became more isolated. IMHO.
Blimey, confirms what many of us have been thinking. Don't suppose you'd like to put the stats when Hudds has started alongside these would you?
Played 33 Won 14 Drew 9 Lost 10 includes sub appearances As a direct comparison Meyler 2.25 pts per game Hudd 1.54 pts per game
He started for Ireland recently but SB hasn't played him since that mistake v Arsenal. I don't know if SB thinks his 'head isn't in the right place' since the birth of his daughter. I've known some new Dads that have a completely different outlook on life after the birth of a baby. I'm just grasping at straws really as to why he hasn't featured in the last 6-8 weeks or so when he was instrumental in the team that reached the top of league a few months back.
Thanks. I know there will be some who say the stats don't mean much, but I really feel they do. I'd rather rely on them than a perception that Huddlestone is such a lovely passer of a football, when his record of assists and goals is just very poor.
