You think Sutton would beat a resurgent Leeds? You’re as bonkers as…
VVD tweaked his back or took a kick there - we all saw it, pretty sure all of us have tweaked our back at sometime in the past and all know it needs to be managed carefully.
I would have imagined Martina getting a start but think we will probably go with
Lewis (FF)
Cedric Maya Stephens McQueen
Hojberg Reed JWP
Tadic JRod Redmond
Not worried about the Class in that side or the lack of experience - which MAY be a reason Claude would start with FF in goal, I just simply can’t see Redmond scoring again for another 3 months and Tadic has simply gone missing of late
REALLY missing McArthy at the moment IMHO, think he would have saved a shot at least these past weeks. Anyone know when he is due back?
With Claude, his team selection tonight will show his hand for Sunday. I.e. If he plays Jay tonight then Long will play on Sunday.
This is starting to do my head in to be honest. Ignoring the fact that Shlong could run all day, this rotation is definitely not helping those lads score goals. They may well be more ‘fresh’ for ‘interesting possibilities’ (or some bollox like that) but they are not sharp. They are not allowed to build any kind of momentum. They need a run of games, perhaps even at the same time in some instances.
I’d be playing Long tonight as I’d rather have Jay for Sunday.
The squad feels pretty light at the moment by all accounts. Come on Les, what’s taking you so long?!
Sorry Simon, but at the moment I do have to agree with what Les said.
Very few Athletes in ANY sport could run 3 Competitive 15Kms in 7 days.
Yes they need consistency but in fact look back at the number of times we played midweek last year when Judas didn’t need to rotate, it still meant players starting a game every 7 days - which is what has happened this season.
We wanted EL football, and a Cup Run, we got it, while we are in both Cups we will have to rotate.
It’s not just Player rotating, it is the fans as well - even my ST mates are missing games now due to the number and the costs
Fair enough Phil, however I would argue that the ends don’t justify the means. Doing what we are doing is not working. Simple. Continuing in this vein will result in the same outcome. If Long or Rodriguez were scoring goals through this period then fair enough. But they aren’t. It has been long enough now for me to abandon the hope that one of these days it is just going to ‘click’. It isn’t.
So what I am proposing is a change of approach. Allow them or at least one of them, more consistent game time to build confidence, momentum or at the very least provide some continuity. Allow the players behind them to become accustomed to the same type and speed of movement in front of them.
Rotating is fine provided it achieves a desired result. Losing four consecutive league games, drawing a cup game against championship opposition and having to play a replay, with only the semi final game against Liverpool being a decent outcome - I would say that it isn’t working.
Between them they have scored 3 goals in 9 games since Austin got injured. Bertand and VVD each have more goals to their name than Long. Redmond’s 1 goal in 16 games is hardly supplementing them either.
It’s all well and good keeping players fresh but when ‘fresh’ they are doing diddly squat.
Please keep in mind that my point relates to the two strikers in question. Not the whole team. All I am trying to say is that what is being done isn’t working. Therefore try something else. It is worth a risk in my opinion. If one of them gets injured by overdoing it, and the doctors, physios, masseurs, sports scientists and sports nutritionists cannot prevent it then “Oh well”. At the moment we wouldn’t exactly miss them is the point I am trying to make. We would’nt miss their goals because they aren’t delivering them.
I’m trying hard to not end up at the all too easy conclusions of “they aren’t good enough” or “the manager is a cunt” which some fans are all too quick to arrive at.
Just try something else. What have we got to lose???
I see what you’re saying Simon, but I remember last season (was it last season?) that Koeman kept playing Pelle when he wasn’t scoring, and the fans started getting on Koeman’s back about being too rigid in constantly playing Pelle and not rotating more.
So, I guess what my point is is that people will find fault whatever Puel does, if it doesn’t have immediate results. Say he drops Long and only plays Jrod for the next 6 matches, and JRod doesn’t score - what then? Drop JRod and play Long… but what if Long doesn’t score?
I don’t know the figures but my guess is that JRod and Long are averaging a game a week, which should be enough to ‘get a rhythm going’ as that’s pretty much all anyone used to play before football got so hectic, so iI can’t see that it’s rotation in itself that’s affecting these two players.
Perhaps it is too much rotation in the team as a whole, because players aren’t fully used to playing with each other and building up a rapport, but that’s another debate to a large extent.
Perhaps it is too much rotation in the team as a whole, because players aren’t fully used to playing with each other and building up a rapport, but that’s another debate to a large extent.
So, hear me out here, 2 teams, 1 16 man squad for the weekend games and 1 16 man squad for the midweek games.
Sort of like a Smackdown and a Raw roster!
Obviously some players would be in both squads but that should work, players get used to each other and don’t play that many games.
Example, would Boufal & Tadic play every league game together or every midweek? or alternate games?
Some weeks even us numpties can see we need a slightly different set of tactics (and MOST fans applauded Puel’s tactics against scousehampton)
That is before you split our BEST first XI in half.
I do NOT like Rotation. End of, but we saw when Cedric was out injured that Martina gave his all game after game but eventually simply ran out of steam made mistakes and cost us a game THEN the fans got on his back again.
Personally I am amazed VVD & Oriel have managed to start so many games, also it is notable that we REALLY miss Steven Davis when he doesn’t start a game.
Rotation is not the problem. Pelle is the problem. We sold him and BELIEVED that JRod Austin & Long would do the job with help from Redmond.
That is a decision I actually agreed with hence I am not two faced and ranting about getting rid of Puel. I honesty expected JRod to be getting closer to his England Form by now.
So as it’s worked most weeks.
JRod is the weak link he is rubbish he needs to be sent out on loan to Bemerton Heath or even Bashley.
That was because we could only play a certain way with Pelle in the side. At the moment we play exactly the same style regardless of whether it is Long or Rodriguez. Eventually Koeman changed tactics and towards the end of the season Long was far more prominent with Mane up front in the counter attacking style that we adopted. I enjoyed watching this and we scored a lot of goals during this time. The Arsenal game in particular.
I didn’t want to get in to another debate on tactics but equally, Long is wasted/pointless unless we play a counter attacking style. Our current possession above all else game does not suit him in the slightest. He is best when running in to space and is ineffective with his back to goal or when he has to beat several men. His only goal this season was a header from a corner. Not a tap in or a ‘right place at the right time’ or even a one on one.
So my argument is this - horses for courses. If we are going to be up against a side who will sit deep, park the bus and make it hard for us to break them down then we should opt for Jay Rod. He is more of a threat when striking from distance and Long would be ineffectual for the reasons outlined above. At the moment it appears as though the decision making in team (striker) selection is purely on a default basis at the moment. ie - well Jay played the last game so Shane gets the this today. It is all rather hopeful and not overly tactical in my view.
At the end of the day Claude has got finite options at his disposal in terms of personnel. My view at the moment is that we aren’t playing to their strengths. But then again what the fuck do I know.
In a way I think you are actually agreeing with what I am TRYING to say here. You are exactly right, there are no guarantees that it would work but at least it IS something different. So therefore there is a chnace that it might work. If it doesn’t then fair enough, we have lost nothing. Because we haven’t broken up a winning formula or something that is working for us.
I for one would applaud this as at least it would show recognition that what we were doing wasn’t working.
