Admire your optimism Mick but sorry we're ****! Starting with either Wes or Schwarzer means that one of them will drop the usual bollock and gifts the opposition a goal - we all know both are undroppable despite constant cock ups!
We are simply not good enough from Top (literally) to bottom. I'm resigned now to several more years in the doldrums as I can't even see us getting back up the way things stand. Such a shame as I believe this is the weakest EPL in a while and yet we can't even compete.
Funny you say that, I thought looking at top of the league Middlesborough today playing a weaker Arsenal side than the one we did so well against that Boro are nowhere near as good as us. We'd have to lose some serious players not to be in contention next season if we go down.
Agree with a lot of what is being said .. whilst yesterday was gutting it could have been very different .. we could have been leading 3-0 at half-time ... but if we keep 'gifting' then we we will keep losing .. Need to overhaul ... Danny Simpson and Paul Konchesky are not Premier League standard ... we do have some full-back / wing back options that are better IMHO ... de Laet, Wasyl, Liam Moore, Jeff Schlupp, Marc Albrighton ... all are better in possession ... their first goal was abysmal defending ... what has happened to the full back art? ... Bacuna so obviously looking to come in on his right ... why the fook didn't Simpson merely show him down the line on his weak foot ... basic schoolboy stuff ... but as I said on another thread ... Simpson is an athlete - not a footballer. Wes needs dropping ... end of. Upson looked far more solid yesterday and Wasyl never put a foot wrong to my mind yet got hauled off.. Schwarzer commends well and stops shots well ... but he spills it far too often ... Hamer SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN DROPPED! Kramaric cannot play a loan front man role if the service is not good - it wasn't yesterday and he was feeding off scraps (resulting in us launcing high balls) - into his feet and he is very good ... . he was dropping deeper and deeper t get the ball until Leo came on ... then there was a real positive difference ... we should have started with them both and having Jeff Schlupp attack from wing back ...
Albrighton at full back? Simpson isnt defending well and Albrightons delivery from deep is very good and keeps Mahrez on the pitch. I normally hate these sort of experiments and im not saying that we should - just putting the idea out there... Simpson deservedly came into the side and did well, but sadly i now think its time for RDL to come back in all fresh again. His pace is a real threat and his defending cant be worse than simpsons recently. Morgan has, rightly so as captain, been given all the opportunities but Huth, Was and Upson all look better (and i fail to believe that Moore isnt better). Tough, tough decision and conversation for NP, but thats what the job involves unfortunately. This system, whilst it didnt yesterday, i think will work when Schlupp and Mahrez are in better form as their pace and 'directness' (particularly mahrez's cutting in) does offer Kramaric some support and our main problem is our abysmal defending which it had addressed. Main question though is whether a 2 man defence of Upson/Was and Huth is strong enough to cope as a 2 man, which it hasnt been with Morgan in there. Also, up top nothing else works so just play Kramaric, 90 minutes, whether he plays well or not. Im happy with that.
.. wing back ... tbh I'd rather see Jeff at wing back but encouraged to get forward at every opportunity .. with RDL on the other flank ... 3 man defence of Huth Upson and Wasyl/Liam ... ... we now need to win games ... not draw ...
I'm not sure you have the players for a 3-5-2, but I do think it's a formation that seems to work against bigger teams. If Simpson is, as you say, all speed and no trousers, then he might be more suited to a WB role as you need players that can get forward and back very quickly (in our case Elmohamady and Brady/Robertson), otherwise your flanks are left wide open. The midfield 3 often frustrate the opposition bceause they're backed up by the wing backs and because it allows you to play two up front, it'd mean better service for Kramaric and allow Cambiasso to stamp his authority a bit better. We've used that system to great effect under Bruce, I can see it working for you too, given the fixtures you have coming up. The only downside to it is that you won't be able to use Mahrez (I'm assuming his defensive capabilities don't suit him to a WB role) and might lose a bit of attacking edge. Unless you sacrificed a striker and played him in a free role behind the lone front man. But given how well Ulloa and Kramaric did together, it'd make sense to keep them paired up. I hope you guys make a real go of trying to stay up, you saw it through with promotion last year so I don't see why you'd collapse, you've got some tough fixtures coming up but hell, if we can get a point away at Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool, anybody can. And if you do go down, at least you'll get more games for your money.
Richie De Laet is better going forward than Danny Simpson - he's very quick but his final ball leaves a lot to be desired sometimes (a common problem) ... .. we do have the players to play this system given the recent loan addition of Robert Huth ... the main problem is that Nigel Pearson is reluctant to drop the obvious weak link ... Big Wes ... who has been having a torrid time ... Over sentimentality is getting in the way of rational thought ... look at it this way ... Robert Huth - full German international with considerable premier league experience Matt Upson - full England international with considerable premier league experience Marcin Wasilewski - former full back - full Polish International (ex-captain) with considerable experience in European top leagues - now moved into central defence as pace probably a little gone where top wide players are concerned Liam Moore - up and coming young England U21 - first season at top level but played in those early games where we did very well considering Wes Morgan - spent his entire career at Championship level - played international football for Jamaica in the last couple of years ... club captain Now reading that - and on the back of where we are, and how we have been playing - you'd surely think the preference for a 3 would be any 3 of the first 4 - Wes being the 'weakest link' - but despite the fact that we have lost many games where the defensive errors are squarely down to Wes, he has proven 'un-droppable' ... as things stand he will have a better season next time around - when we are once again at the right level ... sad to say.
Hamer Albrighton Was Huth Upson Schlupp Cambiasso James Mahrez Ulloa Kramaric 5-3-2 with wingbacks.This would give us midfield solidity, good service for the top men, keeps mahrez in the team to just quite frankly, do whatever he wants to. I wasnt overly serious when i first posted it, but it is getting more tempting the more i look at it...
That is one of the things that was really frustrating me on Sunday, given that he was the lone striker up front, he kept coming back as a defensive midfielder and not staying up front and putting pressure on the Villa back 4. Then when we did break with Schlupp or Mahrez there was no-one in the box for them to pass to. The only time he did stay up front, Schlupp crossed and he scored. It's not rocket science for fooks sake.......
... the difference was that by then Leo was the 'out-ball' allowing Kramaric to spin in behind or drag wide ... he had to come looking for it short before because he was the only option and lumping up high with Vlaar and even Clarke in attendance wasn't giving him any chance ...
Oh I agree with that, but my point is that when we did break with Schlupp or Mahrez down the channels, Kramaric was not busting a gut to get into the box to get on the end of the inevitable cross, but there again neither was anyone else.. All in all a poor display from us yesterday and I've apologised to my mates at work for a poor game, should have had the Bradford v Sunderland game on telly.
.. can't argue there ... just a real shame that we didn't go with the two up front in my opinion ... and still frustrated by Hamer situation ...