I'd like your thoughts on this to see if you all spot what I spotted, I think, for the first time! http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896...paul-lambert-defends-decision-to-keep-grant-?
OK I'll tell you! It's him saying " I pick the team at this club! It's my prerogative who I pick and who I leave out!" When you bear in mind his track record over the past two and a bit years, he's spot on, what right has anyone else to question his selection? He has on a very few occasions slipped up, but he has learned from his mistakes, and doesn't repeat them! OTBC IPLWT
As I have said on the match day thread, I think the team selection was very deliberate for the following reason - perhaps there was a slightly negative vibe around the ground at the line up? What I think PL was trying to do yesterday, as QPR could be considered at a very similar level to us is (bearing in mind they have a few regulars out as well), was to find out in his own mind for sure who is going to make way for new players in January. Surman is a prime candidate, as I believe is Crofts - as well as they did for us last season I think they will be gone soon. De Laet may well go back from his loan & Zak Whitbread will probably also vanish. This was an ideal game to assess these players. If they showed more than they did in previous outings maybe their place would be more secure.
I remember twice now he's tried out that 3 - 2 - 3 - 2 formation against Burnley and Chelsea. I think he just likes experimenting around to be honest.
What are you talking about man? Absolute tosh! Lambert picked that team yesterday because he thought it was the best one to win the match - and as it turned out he was absolutely right as usual. I thought Crofts had a pretty good game, and Surman showed some decent touches as well and I can assure you there will be absolutely no chance either will be got rid of any time soon. He has said time and time again that every member of the squad will have a big part to play this season and when we start to pick up injuries and suspensions it's good to be able to bring players in who have already had a decent taste of it. There are 38 games in this season, every single one is as vital as any other so I can assure you there is absolutely zero chance of Lambert treating any of them as an assessment game where he can decide which players to get rid of!!
I don't think that Lambert is the kind of manager to use a premier game to assess players. He probably picked the team he thought was best for that particular game. He most likely know already who will be less likely to feature in January already. He doesn't strike me as a 'gambler' or a 'tinkerer'. If, as it would seem, he has a certain amount of 'German mentality' in him, then he will have thought everything through.
Can we agree to disagree? We were better after the changes were made in my opinion, and not just mine I suspect, which would suggest the starting 11 was not the best at all. I feel the starting 11 was one last view for PL of certain players that do not normally start in recent games, he had the right guys on the bench to bring to change the game if he felt it wasn't working as he would hope, which he did. Not sure how that is total tosh. It's a view point and not so stupid if you think about it properly and because you do not strictly agree doesn't make it nonsense. We are all pretty sure PL is going to bring in some new players, I think we can agree on that - yes? That being the case, why else field 4 players in the starting line up that do not normally feature other than to have a look at them in PL action, something those players have done very little of this season? It's not to give Holt a rest as he only plays 30 minutes per game, it's not to give Hoolahan a rest as he doesn't play all game every game. If you feel neither Surman or Crofts will be making way for new players, who do you think will?
It depends who he wants to get in and who is available. Surman was man of the match yesterday according to sky I'd be very surprised if either went in jan, and then you never know in the summer
surman only turned up when hoolahan did, probably cos he could play the ball on the ground! crofts was very good again yesterday too
But what you fail to point out is that when Holt and Wes came on Koo Pee Arr had completely changed their formation by swapping Boothroyd for Hill, and as we were winning and dominating the game up until that point I'd say the starting line-up did just the trick. They came into the game after the switch, so Lambert then played his substitutions beautifully and on came a fully charged up Wes with a huge point to prove - ditto for Holty - and Robert's your father's brother, job done! In Lambert's eyes all of our squad are Premier League players, they have earned the right to be part of a Premier League first team squad and he sees them in training every day so he'll know who is up for the job and who isn't. And the fact Crofts and Surman played 90 minutes in a winning side, both playing a part in the goals (Surman's excellent corner, Crofts brilliant work to release Wes) and getting good reviews from almost everyone else who saw the game (including the Sky pundits by the sound of it) tells me and and surely the guy who matters most that they are up for the job and will have vital parts to play as this season draws out As to who will make way for new signings, I've got a feeling these rumours might have a little bit of weight to them and that Pilkington might be on the move as early as January if the right kind of money came in from his hometown club Liverpool. Don't know if anyone heard him on Colin Murray's 5Live show on Friday night, but he mentioned two or three times about "being stuck in Norwich with not much to do" and though he said he's happy here and getting on great with the rest of the squad he certainly didn't rule out the possibility of us being a stepping stone to bigger things. Didn't have the best of games yesterday, and I wonder if his mind has started wandering already? He's been great so far, but if we can sell him for three times what we paid for him and then bring in someone with a bit more Premiership experience/nous for the post-Christmas run in the I personally wouldn't think that it would be a disaster.
