So, Pilks has torn his hamstring, and Snoddy has a duff knee. Possibly could both be out for around a month. Not good news at all. http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/spor...2_1_premier_league_newcastle_defeat_1_3033967 http://www.physioroom.com/news/english_premier_league/epl_injury_table.php Is calling it an 'injury crisis' warranted now?
Furthermore, I'm not sure I fancy starting both Josh Murphy and Redmond on the wings, but I guess Palace at home is as good a game as any to give it a go, eh? Ruddy Whittaker - Turner - Bassong - Olsson Johnson Redmond - Fer - Howson - Murphy RvW
I fear Pilks may be out for some time and just hope that it won't be the same for Snods. There is the option of playing Olsson wide left with Garrido at LB, but with 6 players injured from a 22 man squad (not counting Ayala and Fox), I think you could fairly call it an injury crisis! I wonder if there is any chance of recalling Surman?
I would be tempted swap Johnson's position for Fer as I think Fer is better when played a bit deeper and he is better at breaking up play and is the closest thing we have to creative midfielder. Also as we are at home I would thin about putting Wes alongside Howson and not Johnson to see if he can link up with Murphy, Redmond and RVW.
Don't think its a crisis, its not ideal but not a crisis. We have enough players and on paper the team we can put out would be better then many we fielded in our first season.
agree with this, or play elmander instead of johnson - whatever the formation was vs wet sham. palace won't put 6 in midfield like the hammers
We don't seem to have any leaders on the pitch anymore. I thought Bassong would come through but I'm not sure whats happened to him. We could do with a Holty right now.
I was thinking yesterday and maybe this is an opportunity to utilise Hoolahan at his best and revert to the diamond: Ruddy Whittaker Bennett Bassong Olsson Johnson Fer Howson Hoolahan Elmander Hooper That would certainly shock a few. Would require Olsson and Whittaker to be very disciplined. We then have the option of bringing on wingers to shore up the flanks if we find ourselves in trouble. I really think it's time to recall Surman though
surman's a baffling one, everytime I look at the bournemouth team he is on the bench, often not used as a sub (that's certainly the case in the last 3 games). i'm not knowledgable enough to know why that is, but he's not the answer in the short term as you'd have thought he's lacking in match fitness - i'm not saying we shouldn't consider bringing him back looking at transfermarkt he's played 7 times in the league, 3 of which were starts
Has nobody noticed that we have been playing 4:3:3 for spells during games this season (or maybe nobody has listened to CH, who has mentioned this himself)? Even without Pilkington and Snodgrass, we have options for the front three in that formation. This is how we played at SJP when Elmander came on. It is also what carrabuh is hoping to see against Palace. With carrabuh and CH in agreement, I doubt if there is a team in the league that could stand up to us. Re. Surman, he hasn't even been a regular for the Cherries, so he is not exactly showing great form on the south coast.
With the injured players we have, I see little difference between 4-3-3 and a midfield diamond, given that Johnson would be naturally furthest back of the middle three and Hoolahan would be a little deeper than the front two. Re. Surman - true, but we need cover and sometimes he can be great. He can always go back out on loan in January.
Time to unleash wes. Cam back into the team about this time last year and we went on the 10 game run resulting in him getting a new contract and hughton admitting he was a better player than he had given him credit for. Get him back in there when he gets going again we'll fly up the table.
If Wes was anything like as good as people like to believe, he would adapt his game and gain a new lease of life by doing so. The trouble is he has shown time and again that he cannot adapt his game. So, as carrabuh keeps telling us, Wes needs everyone else to adapt their game to his. Such a pity, because he might have achieved so much more.
Bit o/t villa are being ripped a new one by West Brom 2 nil after 10 mins with Shane Long on a hat trick. Thing is I wouldn't be surprised if Villa got it back in the second half whereas when we go behind away from home I am almost 100% sure we will lose
