Do we bring back player of the year Jody Craddock? Another hero of last season, Marcus Hahnemann a potential change to bring stability to the defence. Others said we need to keep Adam Hammill in the side, and even some said drop Karl Henry!
There was a lot to be said for the formation. Funnily enough I didn't think we look that outnumbered with a four man midfield. However, I certainly agree four five one is the way to go.
Of all the changes people wanted, there is only one I am really bothered about. Nenad Milijas.
For me he is the man that can keep us in the top flight. In his quarter back role, I don't think there are many better passers of the ball. Honestly I don't.
With Milijas in the side in that role, we keep the ball ten times better and with his quality it's a crying shame that it is often at his expense when we look to be a more attacking side. Not to forget his dead ball ability, which we do not use anywhere near enough.
We have a week and a half to speculate what Mick will go with against Fulham, but what would your eleven be?
Mine:Hennessey
Foley
Stearman
Berra
Ward
Kightly
Henry
O'Hara
Milijas
Jarvis
Fletcher
I don't think that's a bad team. Sure, Fletcher doesn't look like he can play on his own up front but I believe that is due to a lack of services. Play to his strengths, get the ball into his feet , use our wingers effectively and we can finally see thman we bought for six and a half million pounds.
Hennessey
ReplyDeleteFoley
Stearman
Craddock
Mancienne
Hamill
Milijas (I think he can actually screen well enough to replace Henry)
O'Hara
Guedioura
Jarvis
SEB (more powerful than Fletch, but it's such a hard call here)
interesting point concering Henry. You certainly have the right infront of him with O'Hara and Guedioura.
ReplyDeleteMancienne at left back is a possibility, but would he do well against the power of Stoke. Not so sure..
I don't think I would replace Henry with Milijas, but it's a creative lineup. Anyway, Milijas is a key member as a starter or substitute. I'm rating SEB as a better striker than Fletcher. As the status is right now, we wouldn't have nothing to lose on signing Aliadere on loan out season. What I've seen on youtube suggests he's kind of a Doyle style of player.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I'd drop Henry for the run in. He has done us proud and is a battler with passion and spirit that has dragged us from the Championship into the Premiership but I believe that in Guedioura we have a player who is equally passionate, as fierce a battler if not better and with the added abilities of running with the ball(including past players) and an incredible shot on him. You put O'Hara, Guedioura and Milijas in the centre of the park and they will run that area all day long. With Henry there, he sits and passes sideways or backwards and allows the other two players to be more creative and forward-minded. Without Henry in the midfield you now have 3 clever players who are good enough to know that when one or two of them make runs forward to support the attack, the other one/two hold their position. This means that the opposition have to constantly be thinking of 3 different players being creative in an attacking sense compared to knowing that with Henry, there are only 2 to think about. Something else to think about is that while Henry was out earlier in the season, we arguably played some of our best football.
ReplyDeleteEither or with Fletcher or SEB. Not decided on which one yet personally. I believe it should be whoever does more running into the flanks. Also I would reinstate Hammill on the right with Kightly coming on again second half as this is only his second Premier League game of the season.
Could Guedioura play the Doyle role? He's fast, holds on to the ball well, and shoots like a horse.
ReplyDeleteHow does a horse shoot? :P
ReplyDeleteI agree that it seems weird to replace Henry with Milijas, but if you have the energy of Guedioura in front of him it would ensure that Nenad wouldn't be too exposed. I thought about Guedioura in the DMC but he's too much of an asset around the park to constrain him to the holding role. Milijas could be really effective from deep. Pulling the strings, setting the wingers free and feeding the ball into O'Hara. Mancienne is better than Elokobi. You don't need power at left back really, more good positional sense, agility and awareness. How many of them does Elokobi have, and Ward for that matter...
ReplyDeleteI still think we'll do it. But as a safety net I've been thinking that if we do drop, a large part of the squad will still be together...
Anyone thought about having Foley as a defensive midfielder?
ReplyDeleteHe's been there before, and he has the tendency to play long balls over the rival's defence, where our wingers can get into dangerous positions.
Maybe switch Foley to midfield, bring Mouyokolo to RB (he's played there before, and didn't do too bad).
Hennessey
Mouyokolo
Craddock
Berra
Elokobi
Hammill
Milijas
Foley
O'Hara
Jarvis
Ebanks-Blake (if fit)
and Guedioura, Kightly, as power subs.
We couldn't sign him as our 25 man squad is full.
ReplyDeleteSome interesting ideas guys. Not sure I would play Foley in midfield as mentioned, isn't Mick criticised all the time for playing people out of position? For me, the trio of Henry, O'Hara and Milijas is key to survival.
mouyokolo has been an absolute disaster! no point risking him! If anything put mancienne there.
ReplyDeleteMe, I'd put Craddock in with Stearman at right back. Much more solid back four. Foley right midfield too. All about being better defensively and if thats what we have to do then bloody well do it!!
Loving that, shoots like a horse!
ReplyDeleteNot sure Guedioura could play there as he would stick to his position very well. Have him as a battler in the middle for me next to O'Hara.
"Something else to think about is that while Henry was out earlier in the season, we arguably played some of our best football."
ReplyDeleteI'd say we played our best football when Henry returned from suspension for the City game until Blackpool where he got injured. I understand your view that Henry is not great going forward, or a clever player. With Guedioura and O'Hara, do we have enough fight to make up for no defensive midfield. I'm not sure...
I can't believe so many of you seem to be advocating the very thing that mick is so consistently lambasted for - playing people out of position. If he really did play Guedioura up front he would be crucified by the fans.
ReplyDeleteI think Henry does his job very effectively and without him we are a very much weaker team. In our most successful games (with the exception of Chelsea when we defended for almost the entire match) we have done well because we have kept the ball. When Henry goes backwards or sideways it is because he sees as his primary function retaining posession.He is saying 'instead of gambling with an adventurous pass lets play the percentages game, let's start again and see if we can't fashion a more realistic opening'. Every team needs at least one of its midfielders to be thinking this way, some (man city, liverpool) even have two doing this job. I think the reason we look a better team with 4-5-1 is that Henry is able to concentrate solely on this aspect of his game.
ReplyDeleteYes, but you must admit that he's one of our best players to hold on to the ball, And he is very mobile. it's almost like he want to own the ball, and sometimes it's too much, If he could do same as a striker - higher up in the field - it would be gold worth. And who cares about the fans if it works?
ReplyDeleteWhat do we think of Mick's comments as 442? I'm slightly worried by them now, as we don't play anywhere near as good football and as my blog points out. It means no Milijas. Much more concerned now. I don't wish injury on anyone but I'd rather SEB wasn;t fit enough for the Fulham game so that we could play 451
ReplyDeleteI think MM is going for SEB and Vokes.
ReplyDeleteI'd prefer MM to give Vokes a role on his own up front and get our wingers delivering into the box from wide for him to get on the end of or using him as a pivot for players like O'Hara and Guedioura to feed off going into the area.
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit worried about 442 now and considering we don't have enough games to have a bad run and recover now I'd prefer to see us hedging bets on the safest option. I've always rated Vokes and thought he would grow as he matures. Could this be the time for him to step up to the mark?
there's no way mick is gonna pick vokes over his 6 and a half million signing but I agree we have to go with 4-5-1 and try to grind out enough points to keep us up. Would 6 draws be good enough?
ReplyDelete