So the rumours were flying. Yes, those accusing the wummers were right because he was not out for the game. Yes, those starting the rumours had a base in some truth. Yes, Dai's special contacts failed him again. Question is.....If you were the manager of Swansea and Joe Allen (possibly your most influential player of the last 5 games) had picked up a knock and had a sore calf, but 'the Man Utd' were coming to town (in a game everyone expects you to lose)... would you...
He made a massive difference but I have seen far to many players out for a season after playing through injury. He is far too important and we have to trust our squad. I want to win the war not the battle. It just highlights our lack of Premier standard midfielders at this present time.
Our bench tonight said it all. Three strikers (Dobbie, Lita and Moore) and an injured Joe Allen. No Agustien. In that case I am giving BR the benefit of the doubt that Agustien is still injured, otherwise he should have been on the bench as well/instead of Allen. If Allen was that injured I doubt he would have been risked at all. Gower and Routledge were poor tonight though. Any news on Bodde?
It was the same against Liverpool with Scotty... injured but on the bench. If they are fit then they should start. If injured, then they should not be on the bench at all IMO.
We need two more midfield players of Allen's energy, talent and effect and we will be a force to be reckoned with. He can't do it all.
Thing is we don't have £10m a shot to find them, I think Brendan will have targets in January , I am convinced we won't be spending vast sums of money IMO so loans will be more the thing I think.
Agreed Jäger, loans would be fine for now, but Allen is the fulcrum around which we build for the future. I figure that with the current key players (Vorm, Williams, Allen, Taylor, Dyer, Sinclair(?) - if we can keep them together), plus additions, we will peak in about 4 years then we have to start to looking to cycle-in newer players as this set matures out and wanes. Ideally in 4 years we come to look upon Allen as one of our weaker midfield players this would be a good sign that we have developed / acquired well.
I'm going with play him, only because we don't seem to have adequate cover for him if he is injured at the moment
I would rather rest him, let's be honest I would have loved to beat Utd, hell I even said we would, but the realist in me realises that a 0-1 loss is no shame. Man U can easily put 5 past teams look at Bolton. As old Mick McCarthy once played a weekend side against Man Utd as he felt it wasn't a winnable game, he was slated for this but what did Wolves do next time out pick up 3 points, so his selection was vindicated. I would love to have seen Allen start yesterday but Brendan must have thought he didn't want to risk him. Once Utd went 1 up and seeing that we lacked that bit of creativity in midfield, his hand was forced so he had to make a change, all be it that Joe could pick up an injury. Just goes to show we need some back up in the midfield come January.
So far, what being in the Premiership has proved to me is that our central midfield has to be 3 midfielders, and not 2 midfielders with a winger/forward. I don't think it's any coincidence that the majority of our points have come when playing Allen, Britton and Gower as our midfield 3. The 3 of them have fast minds and quick feet and work very well as a unit. Yes, they all individually have their flaws - but as a unit, we tend to dominate the midfield area if they are playing. Between 45 and 75 minutes yesterday, we had Manchester United on the ropes - our midfield was tenacious and fired up with those 3 in the middle. It was only when Gower went off and Dobbie came on that United really started taking control of the game again. Now I'm not saying it wasn't the right substitution, we had to change something up and putting another forward on was the right call. But it didn't pay off - we have to learn the lesson and move on. Dobbie and Routledge just haven't got the pressing game, or the tactical awareness on the ball to play as part of the midfield 3 in the Premiership. I'm interested to see how Agustien responds to playing with 2 other midfielders as I can only recall him starting games with Routledge performing as the attacking midfielder. If he fits in, and proves himself to have the quickness of mind and body that is required to play in our midfield (an example of a player not having this ability is Jordi Lopez), then we've got the basis of a good centre midfield squad (with Bodde hopefully coming back, and with another player to possibly come in January). Onto the OP - I did vote, and I went for the option that Brendan took. Allen passed the fitness test so was not injured, but he hadn't trained as much as normal and so could not start as the plays and drills in training would have prepared the 11 that started the game. Allen was brought on as Plan B, and boy did that change turned the game in our favour. But it just goes to show that, collectively, our midfield 3 have to press and harry the opposition - if one of the midfield 3 can't do it properly (Dobbie and Routledge yesterday), then we may well be overrun in midfield on more than one occasion this season.
