Shall we take this as you not thinking the players looked fatigued against West Ham? Or maybe you thought we played excellently against West Ham and everyone should have kept their place for City? Sorry Ian but you are contradicting yourself here a little.
Personally, I’d go youth. Really couldn’t care less about the cup when we are in the relegation zone. Ian, I think you’re totally wrong, for me Ralph got his changes spot on. To get a point away at Chelsea is massive
Ralph has already shown that he is willing to use young players....or did you mean kindergarten? I don't expect to see our best team, but there will be a mix of youth and experience. I'd like to think that we might still be good enough to win, but so would Derby.
I did make this point earlier when we nearly beat man Utd. I don't think that the squad is as bad as some people make out. The fringe players are not necessarily good enough but the coaching by Hughes' team did not get the best out of them. There is a core in the squad who you can rely upon such as Redmond, Mccarthy, Yoshida, McDonald, JWP, Ings, Long, etc who have character. I feel it is the cadre of players who are not regulars who worry me more. Quite what anyone saw in Elanyoussi is difficult to fathom. We need to deepen the squad but the recent introduction of Obafemi and Valary are demonstrative that some of the academy players are probably more hungry for their football.
Like Ian, I have never thought the individual players were as bad as some seemed to think...they were just lost and stale. A good manager should have been able to get more out of them. I'm hoping for a safe passage to the end of the season and then a good summer when Ralph can build the team in his own image.
Yup. I’d go along with that. We do have a world of deadwood though, both at the club and on loan that we could do with being shot of.
I think that we should also say well done to McCarthy for keeping Gunn out so long. It was clear we signed him to be the no. 1 goalkeeper but McCarthy has performed so well he has kept him out and been rewarded with an England cap along the way. I think that says a lot about him too.
Yep. Seems a good lad. I’m fascinated by the fall of Hoedt. There were signs he was a “bit of a Lovren” last season, but fascinating that Ralph seems to have got a handle on that straight off the bat. I’ll be very glad to be rid of him this month.
The squad's not great, and certainly not over endowed with natural goalscorers. I have every faith that we now have the right manager to get a tune out of them, and stay in the division. But let's not kid ourselves; we are desperately low on quality.
I wouldn't go entirely with youth on Saturday. Gunn can continue in goal - He should get a run in the side now. Play Cedric at RWB. Hoedt can play, Long for Redmond, Austin for Ings. El Younoussi as well.
There were indications he thought he was as good as Virgil, simply because he had the same mother tongue.
