Have to feel sorry for Steve Bruce at the moment as I'm sure he didn't expect he would need to be thinking about left back in the January deadline but it now looks like his biggest problem. I think the worst news yesterday was that Rosie is out for so long as think he is the best FULL BACK (not wing back) in the club. I feel sorry for Figgy as suspect he has had a tough time outside the game in last 12 months but if we rely on him for the next month I feel sure he will make costly mistakes - his decision making just seems to have gone. So choices seem to be : i) Play one of our centre backs as left back (Davies? Bruce?) ii) Go back to playing 3-5 -2 and play Brady as wing back (just at a point where SB is showing signs of firmly coming out in favour of 4-4-2) iii) Use our one available loan spot (which we could desperately do to be using on a more attacking player) to bring in a full back? I'm not personally keen on the 3-5-2 but given we have 6 decent centre backs and no left back, that might be the best option? Glad its not my decision!
If we were to buy one, I'd get Martin Olsson from Norwich. But I think we'll recall Townsend or Dudgeon instead of splashing the cash again.
I like Joe Dudgeon, and were it not for his appalling bad luck, I'm convinced he would be competing with Robertson for the no. 1 left-back spot. However, in the situation right now where our survival in the Prem is far from assured, I would far rather Robbie Brady play the left wing-back role.
If Robertson is out for 4-6 weeks I reckon SB will stick with Brady/Figgy as back-up. It's feasible he might only miss 3 games.
His last game was against Chester in the FA Cup second round on the 7th December, not even been on the bench ever since. However before the Chester game he wasn't even on the bench in their league game against Doncaster on the 2nd December, so he must be injured but I can't find any reports from the Barnsley end..
We won't sign a left back this month, we will recall Townsend if it comes to it, then send him back out on loan in the loan window.
I would just play Brady, more than capable to cover the role for a short period and can go forward. 352 it is!
I know he was pulled from the squad on the 2nd, he was originally due to start, presumably he's still suffering from that injury. He's not a very lucky boy, is he?
Not at all, they seemed pleased with him as they extended his loan by a further month. Usually when a loan player gets injured for the remainder of their loan they usually come back to their parent club, I've not seen or heard anything about him coming back? Obviously today is the last day of his loan spell, so he could be in the squad for Saturday due to the injuries we have. (In place of Fig on the bench, I hope) TWT
Brady is just as capable (if not more) at defending as Elmo is. He is more defensive than Robertson when played at LB so I see no reason why he can't be played there in a back 4.
