Green Fabio, Ferdinand, Hill, Traore Park, Diakite, Faurlin, Taarabt Cisse, Zamora Hoilett will start as my sub purely because hes the new guy.
Seem to be very few picking Jamie Mackie in the first 11. After watching last night at Wycombe I've concluded that we've spent money on all these marque signings and Jamie is still by far our best player. He plays at much the same level every game so isn't ever out of form, gives 100% every game, good conversation rate in front of goal, chases everything down and rarely gives the ball away badly. Personally would always be the first name on my team sheet.
Mackie is a real hard one for me. My head says we have got better players to take his position but my heart says that there is noone who will give the amount of effort and commitment that we get from him. On commitment alone.......He makes my team
What are we supposed to be deciding here? Are we to pick the best 11 players in the squad, or what 11 players make the best team. Because it's well known that the best players don't always make the best team!! As I don't watch them in training, I can't know our best 11.....
Totally. Well said Ironman. IMO, any new players that come to a Club should have to work their way into the team. Put out your best 11 with the guys that have been retained from last season and earned their stripes and then gradually start putting the new boys in when the opportunities arise. I know its not as simple as that as big name players like Park and Da Silva would probably have been guaranteed first team football as part of their deals but in an ideal scenario, that's the way I'd like to see it done.
In my opinion with regards to Mackie, Mark Hughes could be really smart in getting the best out of him. We all know that Mackie will give 100% in every single game no matter who we play. With all these 'marquee' signings coming in, with Mackie starting on the bench will only make him want to worker harder to gain a starting place, and with his ability to change games and his unquestionable attitude if he performs in them games then he will end up getting a starting place (in hopefully his favoured position of ST) which will only give him more confidence. I think if Hughes says the right things and plays his cards right then I'd expect Mackie to make more of an impact this year. In a personal opinion, I think as a wide midfielder I'd choose Park Ji Sung over him as a hard working midfielder and probably Hoilett as an out and out winger. But at a ST I would prefer him to AJ and I think with Cisse's questionable fitness Mackie would be the perfect player to push him for a starting place. My starting 11 would be: Green: Onuoha, Ferdinand, Nelson, Fabio Park, Diakite, Taarabt, Faurlin, Hoilett Cisse
I'll go along Grove, here it is in a 4-4-2: Green Onouha - Ferdinand - Hill - Fabio Mackie - Diakite - Park - Taarabt Cisse - Zamora How far we have come in one year when I can't find space for the likes of Hoilett, Faurlin, Hulse and Wright-Phillips!!!!
With SWP showing some form in pre-season games Hughes may consider him ahead of Mackie I would not be surprised , and remember SWP started our final game at Man City and did well
I think SWP "showing some form" goes to the heart of my point. Mackie is the teams most consistent performer. Why pick someone who could go out of form at any minute. I'd much rather pick someone who is a consistently high performer.
Green is new too! Surely Cerny got to start, with Red Green on the Bench! Fabio and Park are new too, put them on the Bench and replace them with Onouha and Mackie.
