I know this is pointless but we can dream. You have won a competition whereby you are the boss for the next home game and your aim is to pick a team that will get the stadium noise up to normal levels. You can also dictate a role for Pulis (I am so looking forward to NickyB's answer). My team ----------------- Begovic -------------------- Shotton ----- Huth ----- Shawcross ----- Higgy Pennant---------- Palacios --------- Etherington ----------------- Walters --------------------- ---------- Jones ------------ Crouch ---------- Bench: Sorenson, Woodgate, Upson, Wilson, Jerome, Soares, Whelan Play full backs in the full back position You can still have long throws with Shotton Best centre back pairing Palacios in midfield Walters supporting the midfield when defending but picking up the ball ahead of their defence and running at them Bring Soares on if Pennant is moody again Fuller could replace Jerome on the bench once fit Job for Pulis: He isn't at the game. He has paid £30 and is currently watching some sh**te, boring play where nothing really happens (maybe Waiting for Godot?) which is being performed outdoors in a local, windy park in deep winter.
How can I resist Crooks, firstly, like the team Ah now a job for Pulis, more of an oppurtunity to participate in a Japanese Game Show: He wears Tuncay's old Jock Strap and Beattie's old socks stuffed up his nose, he the has to drink a bowlful a nigerian submariners body fluid, whilst watching the Stoke -v- Newcastle video whilst standing headfirst in 2 weeks supply of supperating boil dressings! Mind you given the choice of AVOIDING any of those - it would be the Stoke -v- Newcastle video EVERY time! Hope you are not disappointed Crooks
Pretty good selection, however I prefer 3 x CB's with wing backs. Not sure it would work, but I would go with someting like this; ----------------- Begovic ----------------- ----- Huth ----- ShawX ----- Upson ----- ----------- Palcious - Whelan ------------ Shotton ----------------------- Ethrington ---------------- Walters -------------------- ------- Jerome --------- Crouch ---------- I would go with Shotton over Pennant because I think he has been poor lately and the wing back would have to be defensive minded - something Ethrington is disciplined enough to play! I would use Palcious/Whelan to sit infornt of the back 3 and play very narrow forcing the ball wide. I would open our pitch back up to the Euro size and would feel comfortable with the quality of the centre backs and goal keeper to deal with the high balls and crosses from the wide areas should the wing backs be broken down. My key aim would be to prevent the ball coming down the middle from the centre circle to our D, an area that we get run over in and alot of open play goals are created against us! I would hope that by utilsing our best midfielders (who can also break up play) in the cage, they could distribute the ball to the advancing wing backs/wingers or feed the ball into Walters. Whilst by choice I wouldnt want to use Walters in the middle I dont see that we have another player capable and strong enough to recieve and move the ball - becasue TcP felt that this was not an area that we would need to strengthen in! I would probably go with Crouch over KJ because I would hope that the ball would be played to feet more and this would suit Crouch and he would be able to bring Jerome in with his pace, the advancing wingers and Walters running from deep into play. From a tactical view, we would generally have a numerical advantge moving forward, but could be over run on the counter. Given that our current wingers are expected to run from box to box for 90 mins anyway I see this as no different, in fact they would probably run less becuase the winger with the ball would always have the 2 strikers, Walters and the opposite winger infront of them and hence would not have to be as far advanced as they do currently. All in all we are hardly keeping clean sheets, so if we contiued to conceed goals we would be no worse off, however we would have more players attempting to score rather than just standing in a designated area! My Bench would probably be: Sorenson, Pennant, KJ, Wilko, Higgy, Whitehead, Fuller - based on a fully fit squad. This would give the flexibilty to cover the CB, change formations and wing cover, CM field cover and different types of strikers! O'Neil would be my manager (In my dreams) or anyone who was positive and TP would be as far away from the ground as possible - purely so he couldnt telepathically neg the players out!
Thank YOU Crooks, for the opportunity, I do not get the invitation to express my opinion on the Newport Nitwit very often
