After our first back to back defeats of the season, we entertain rejuvenated Brentford. Our squad appears thin, tired, and questions are firmly being asked at Mick's door by all. However, we're in a cracking position. Stop the rot and all will appear much better with a week inbetween this and Boro away. Defeat well, we're looking in a mess...... I honestly think we'll bounce back for this. Sears will be back, will Wood partner him or Murphy? Not even going to hazard a guess at teamsheet for this. What's the point after Leeds away, your guess is as good as mine. If I were your gafa ladies and gentleman you would have to get behind........ Gherken ( Bial sounds like he's making many an error of late.... ) Parr / Chambers/ Berra / Mings Chaplow / Skuse / Bishop ( if fit, if not Bru ) Sears Wood Murphy Alas my team doesn't include Jay Tabb! 3-1 Town. Gotta believe. If we lose this I honestly don't think I will have too much of a thumbs up optimistic view on games, especially if Boro defeat us after ( that would be 4 defeats in 4......... )
Bart Chambers Smith Berra Mings Ando Skuse Tabb Parr Sears Murphy This is how i think we will line up, same dull boring ****, with a dull boring midfield!!
I'd like to see us go proper atatcking, with 5-3-2 (or 3-5-2 however you look at it) GK: Gerks CB: Chambo CB:Berra CB:Smith WB: Mings WB: Parr CM: Bru CM: Chaplow CM: Bishop For: Sears For: Murphy You can then have Parr and Mings tuck in when on the defence, with both Chabers and Smith each covering the wing back (and Berra acting like an old school sweeper). You then have Chaplow doing Skuse's job (but better) and protecting the back 3/5 - with Bru and Bishop supprtig the attack when required.
I agree with this and it would be a really well balanced side. Unfortunately you need to be quite fluid in order to play this system with ball playing CB's and unfortunately we don't have this. Bring Hewitt back, drop Smith and put Mings at LCB and it might work a bit more. I remember seeing this formation being so successfully used under Burely and thought under Mick we had the players to do this but the one time I saw Mick deploy it, it didn't work, our players as seems to be pretty normal didn't want the ball enough and there was big distances between defence midfield and strikers!!
I hope there is a change to the back 4 and keeper at least this weekend. Too many mistakes calls for a freshen up. With the midfield I just don't know anymore. Personally I think Skuse plays an important role in front of our defence. The biggest mistake against Leeds had to be not starting Sears. Murphy needs/needed a rest so fair enough. I could be wrong, I hope so, but does anyone else feel with these new faces coming in it has upset the chemistry of the team a bit? First back to back defeats of the season at this stage is an achievement for us. Don't think we've lost any games by more than 2 goals too.
For the first time in a long long while,i am actually not bothered, I hate The arrogant prick that is ' Mick Mcarthy' and while that dinosaur is our manager i really cant be arsed!! Now i know how you lot felt when RK was our manager, its bloody horrible!! I just detest the man and the brand of football he serves up!!
" We're at the point now where I'd rather end up 15th than 6th so we can have a change " Some fan you are, seriously? You actually want that to happen? I think I'm right in saying win tomorrow we'll be top 6 with 10 to play, am I missing something!?!
No Bru as injured and Bish not ready to start, could he bring in one of the youngsters, Benyu maybe? No chance!! Midfield will be Ando Skuse Tabb Parr. I think we should go for it, he wont go 3 at back so next best thing 433, Mick may feel forced into 433 with midfield not at full strength, Brus injury could be a blessing!!
" No Bru as injured and Bish not ready to start, could he bring in one of the youngsters, Benyu maybe? No chance!! Midfield will be Ando Skuse Tabb Parr." Mick did out of left field ( American voice ! ) bring in Bishop away from home at Derby. I don't think he's against giving youth an opportunity Spanish. Benyu is very slightly built though, perhaps not quite ready but a 2 year deal speaks volumes of how highly he's thought of. The academy is churning out youngsters again. I can imagine Mings being sold and Clarke being our new left back next season ala Cressy and Mings! I would love us to go 4-3-3 today. I think Wood as the centre piece, with Murph and Sears dropping off. I'd love Bishop to start but if he's 50-50 common sense has to prevail, he'll need to be sub. He's very important, him and McGoldrick are lightyears ahead intelligence wise. Bru needs to work on his positioning.......... does good work but he's often so out of position it's not funny. I don't mind a midfield 3 of Skuse/ Chaplow and wait for it, TABB today before bringing Bish on if needed in a 4-3-3. We need energy to win the battle, Tabb's fine central but wide left seriously Mick sort it out time and time again it's embarrassing. Back four PLEASE the common sense one - Mings/ Parr/ Chambers and Berra. Guys we don't need to be doom and gloom yet. If we lose today and then at Boro I'm not even going to attempt to say " we can turn this around 9 to play " - while of course it's possible, it would look very unlikely. Win today and whatever else happens, we're top 6 with 10 to play! Draw today, we're one point of with 10 to play. Wolves v Watford = thank you whatever happens. Forest v Boro = Forest, can you do us a favour? Millwall v Norwich = you'd expect an away win, but you'd have expected Norwich to beat Wigan...... Millwall NEED wins or they're down. Derby will surely get back to winning ways home to Brum you would imagine. Gotta believe guys!
Good post Westy pretty agree with your team selection for today. As you all know I don't usually put Skuse in my teams but we're running out of options in the centre of the park. If you're talking about selling Mings for the figures that have been bandied around, yes please do. I've seen him have some very good performances but the majority of the time I've seen him he looks like a bit of a donkey, I'm happy he's been given a chance this season but don't get all the hype. I like Bru but he hasn't been great recently, he's a handy little player and a good find for a free, he's got a bit of quality on the ball and is tenacious but he's nothing special. None of our midfielders appear to have any real presence on the pitch, appart from Chaplow who did seem to have that at Norwich. I think he could become quite an important player for us over the rest of the season. It's a big game today and if we were to lose it would make it that bit harder but still have a great shot, the top 6 seems to change all the time
I've heard we've already turned down £6 mill for Tyrone off Palace. With the premier league riches we'll get a good deal for him this summer - not that he's worth anything like the figures mooted and to be honest I'd be quite happy to see the back of him come the summer. At one point during the Norwich game he gave Tabb a thumbs up while play was going on what them two were doing I have no idea! Give me Parr on a regular basis over Tyrone but again give me both of them on a regular basis and I'm sorry centre backs one of you will have to drop. Berra is an absolute yes, makes sense to be alongside Chambers for balance, Chambers won't let a ball bounce but you could potentially drop Chambers. " None of our midfielders appear to have any real presence on the pitch, appart from Chaplow who did seem to have that at Norwich. " Completely agree was happy when we signed him and he was our best midfielder bar none at Norwich. He could be a very important piece of the jigsaw final 11. " It's a big game today and if we were to lose it would make it that bit harder but still have a great shot " while this is true, we go to Boro next week which I'm at present very unconfident about! Still, it would be there but three losses in a row at this part of the season would be grim viewing.
