I think Wolves were playing with freedom and we were too tense. Usually first half we're happy to take our time and play across the back with the aim of tiring the opposition. We were far too frenetic on Saturday resulting in losing possession in the middle of the park and inviting counter attacks.
Then maybe okane and viera are the answer.bridcutt and roofe.woody up top and unleash the DUKE hes a big softy at times but capable of if given a go.so would put roofe and beradi left side Ayling right.sit bridcutt in front and push up the two mids .
It definitely needed freshening up after a tough away match on the Friday. Taylor, O"Kane, Dallas and Doukara should have all started in my opinion. Easy after the event but I could't believe we started with the same eleven.
Yep, we really missed Vieria. Bad luck on our part him being unwell and missing both matches over the Easter weekend.
Nor me one of our managers faults is judging the character of players.needs to consult his fellow coaches more.look how woody has come on ynder beatie.
Bit to think about re. the team for Saturday. Yes, we need to win, but we're playing away. So, do we chance our arm & go Tonto, or do we use our rope a dope / breakaway tactic that's worked quite well this season? I suspect we'll go rope a dope for at least the first half, which makes me think that Dallas might start, as he's our most defensively-minded wide midfielder (I think it's unfair to call him a winger - he never has been & never will be, but people unfairly judge him as a winger).Next, who are we going to leave out, & why? My list is: Defence My first thought was to drop Berardi as he's been a bit off of late. But then, so's Ayling. Not sure if it's a coincidence that this has happened since his child was born. I think it was Boggers who suggested that we should rest Ayling, given our CB situation. It's a good idea, but I think Monk will try to minimise the back 4 disruption, so it looks like Berardi drops to the bench for me. Midfield 2 As I recall, O'Kane was going through a poor spell when he played last. He's got 2 kids being picked in front of him, & I don't think this will change. I also think that Bridcutt might drop to the bench too. He's been off the boil since he returned from his foot injury, and his passing is a liability. I'd keep them on the bench for different reasons - O'Kane's attacking qualities & Bridcutt's nastiness. Midfield 3 This is where the game gets won or lost. Most people are happy with Pedraza. I'm not. I'd bench him or even drop him completely. Barrow generates the sort of admiration & excitement that we associate with Grimes, so both should be sent back home. Right now. Hernandez - difficult one. Yes, he can create a bit of magic, but he's more capable of being a dead loss playing away from home. People point to his assists, but at 8, he's only 1 ahead of Roofe. Toughie. Sacko? I'd bench him & use his pace, if required towards the end of the game, replacing Dallas. Doukara? Considering the criticism he draws, he can be a gem of an asset. Was very lively when he came on against Wolves. He's one of our better exponents of link play, & is always a goal threat. Him or Roofe? Another toughie. As you can probably see, I'm angling towards the team that did most of the heavy lifting for us this season, before the January additions & injuries/suspensions made us wobble with a worrying consistency. My inclination is to go with: ....................Green...................... Ayling...Bartley...Jansson...Taylor .............Viera......Phillips............. Roofe........Hernandez......Dallas .....................Wood..................... I think Hernandez will deffo play, and if we begin on a defensive footing, then Dallas will start. If we're going to have a more positive outlook, then I think Sacko will replace Dallas to start, hoping to exploit his & Roofe's pace. Doukara will surely feature at some point? Then again, who knows what GM's thinking. Happy to get egg on my face if he picks a completely different winning team.
Hernandez - When you consider he is our corner taker and I am assuming most if not all those would have been from corners. Massive improvement this year when it comes to taking a corner but if you can't pick out Wood, Bartley or Pontus 8 times in a season then it's got to be pretty poor
Come on Birmingham , Wigan , Ipswich , Derby and Leeds . Big , big weekend in the Championship ... leave it all on the pitch gents
Good point about the corners, but I have no idea if that's the case. Others do take a good few corners too. I can think of Taylor & Phillips off the top of my head. For me, he is at his most creative when he moves over to the wing with the winger & full back. Things happen when he does that. He hasn't done that much in the last few games. Not sure if he's been told to stick to the middle. Btw, do you realise that Hernandez is our 3rd top scorer, just behind Doukara?
Evening troops. bit of useless "not a lot of people know this" trivia I came upon today. Unbelievable as it seems, the Penalty Kick was invented by a village team near my old stomping ground of Armagh city: https://provenquality.com/penalty/ Who'd a thunk it?
