This is a tricky tie for us and Jol has said he would like to see us progress in cups. However with an equally important Derby coming up on Saturday, I think he will make quite a few changes; mainly up front - ......Stockdale.... Kelly...Hughes...Hangeland...Briggs .......Baird.....Sidwell ...Kasami..Ruiz.....Frei.. ...........Hugo.... Oh, and Mesca on the bench to come on in the second half, unless he starts of course.
The above team looks good,but I would like to see added to that list , would be Dan Burn, Tom Donnigan, 2 young central defenders, and as the squad age in those departments are not getting any younger it could be a good time to access their potential, and Ryan Williams a speedy winger in the Damian Duff mold.
I'd go with that team, C58. Midfield is a bit of a grey area though, not sure if Baird or Ruiz will play but you never know. It'd be good to see Hugo get his first start so we can have a proper look at him!
I'd normally agree, rosc. However with the U21s having their first league game this afternoon, I think all those guys will playing in that so wont be considered for the Sheffield one. [Note: the U21 game is v Wolves at Motspur Park ko 2pm. It's behind closed doors - I understand that, while there are security issues, the main reason that the Club are adopting this policy is to keep out 'unsolicited' scouts from other clubs.]
The game is the commentary match on BBC 5Live (ko 7.45). Do you think they might be anticipating an upset ?
The scouts issue seems a poor one for me to accept. For those that have not been to MP,there are plenty of spots , where one could view from,admitted it would be from a distance but never the less, one could draw some conclusion on the watched players. It would be a poor situation if every club did the same thing, where would one see , and analyse the future talent.
rosc, there will be admission to a number of games for us fans. I've posted a slightly better explanation on the 'Academy Season 2012/13' thread
I think I'm in the minority, but I hope we don't see too many changes from what seems to be Jol's first eleven. It makes sense to keep Riise out, even if his injury has cleared up - give him the extra few days before West Ham, and it makes sense to give Rodellega a start, either up front or on the left. Other than that, I wouldn't want to see more than one or at most two outfield changes. The new signings will benefit from another game of bedding in and the youngsters will benefit more from playing alongside the likes of Dembele, Ruiz, Diarra, Duff, Hangeland etc. I think it would be mistake to rest more than a couple of the core players.
Tonight's starting line-up : .........Schwarzer.... ..Kelly... Hughes.. Hangeland.. Briggs .......Baird... Sidwell .Kasami...Ruiz.... Kacaniklic ........Rodallega.. Kerim Frei is still not fully fit although he did train at Motspur Park today and Stockdale was playing for the U21s last night.
And the subs are : Stockdale, Riether, Halliche, Smith, Diarra, Duff, Trotta I'd say Jol is taking the match seriously, yet rotating players sensibly. Also, before any panic sets in, Dembele being rested/saved (ie not risking injury) for the weekend, as is Petric.
Good point Bidley - I missed that one. Potentially a game to see how he would get on running at opposition at a higher level than he's used (kind of like Sterling at the weekend). Can only assume Jol wants to win this one rather than experiment.
I just hope he's being saved for the weekend, not being saved so that he's fit for any potential transfer. Just saying.
The radio 5 commentator just said 'a first touch for Duff', but the BBC website is saying the same team line up as Cottager listed. Has there been a substitution already, or have the BBC made a mistake one way or the other? (I was upstairs sorting out my youngest for a couple of minutes and missed a bit).
Ruiz pulled up with an injury in the warmup, Duff replaced him in the starting lineup. EDIT: I think Duff is on the right, and Kasami is playing in Ruiz's position.
... bit misleading to call the Five Live coverage "Sheff Wed v Fulham", not really heard much about our game.
