Leazes1986

Interesting that people are naming Viduka and Owen as lone strikers. I definitely think we should play one up front but I think Martins or Carroll would be a lot more suitable in this game. Its very likely that we will be pegged back for most of the game and I just can't see Owen having any effect whatsoever. I'm not convinced Viduka would contribute much either with his lack of fitness up there on his own. He will hold the ball up all day but if we do manage to create anything I don't think he'll be there in the box to finish it off. If we are to score i think it will be on the counter attack and for that reason I'd consider Martins or Carroll better options. Martins gives us that bit pace and he can stretch then on the attack and he might just pull out a wonder strike (he's certainly due one), while Carroll would offer some strength and height plus he'll work hard.

I reckon we should go for damage limitation or we could end up fucking up our goal difference advantage. I'd play 5 in midfield (Barton, Guthrie and Nolan if possible) and stick either Martins or Carroll up front. I can't see how we;re gonna get anything other than a beating so we need battlers out there who are up for the fight. We need to keep it as tight as possible. Cant decide which i would prefer out of Martins for his pace on the counter attack or Carroll for his height and battling.

What would be the point of ever putting Smith up front instead of Carroll? Carroll works and fights for everything, he's stronger, better in the air, bigger and he's much more of a goal threat. Its a no brainer for me like. I can't really think of anything Smith has over Carroll as a striker.

Im fucking nervous now like. Going out in half an hour, i can't stand any more of this sober business today

Where did he say that?

Jeff Stelling is absolutely brilliant and you can't exactly feel shocked that he doesn't think we'll win. Not many people other than us lot think we will get out of it and that is because this is our club and we have to have faith. We always do it the hard way anyway. Let everyone write us off, it'll be fucking monumental if we stay up and it'll be a lovely thing shoving it back in the rest of the countrys faces.

Rob Lee, Gary Speed?

I'd rather have the 05/06 Lee Clark than the 2009 Butt or Nolan

Guthrie should be ok. He's got plenty of training and some match time under his belt and he's a youngster so i don't think he'll have any problems. Barton and Viduka wont last 90 minutes though. We definitely need to handle them carefully because they are vital. I'd actually look to give Viduka about 70 minutes against Portsmouth then I'd leave him out against Liverpool where I don't think he will contribute much at all with his lack of fitness and with us needing legs all over the pitch. Couple of weeks training after Portsmouth should see him in decent condition for the Boro match barring any further injury problems.

Hopefully it wont come down to the last day. With our fixtures and Hull's fixtures where it wouldnt be surprising if they don't get another point this season (certainly no more than 1 or 2 imo) we should be looking to going into the last game of the season safe even if its just by goal difference.

Martins is much more of a threat than Owen playing further up stretching teams with his pace, and Owen is a lot more intelligent than Martins with his runs from deep so its a no brainer really

Edgar in the team ahead of R.Taylor wouldn't make sense to me either. Taylor has been shite since he came, but if S.Taylor is out and Colo isnt playing then it has to be R.Taylor at right back with Beye at centre back for me. Edgar had a canny game at Stoke but there was a reason he was playing that game and that was because of the team we were up against. Beye is a better centre back than Edgar, and R.Taylor is a better player than Edgar.

This I would say the same formation, with one exception. I think the formation should have Owen and Viduka swapped. Owen has been Mr Nobody when he's dropped back to help in midfield, yet Viduka's whole game these days is about getting possession, holding the ball for a bit and then feeding players making forward movement. So I'd put Viduka in that central forward role to act as a target man, to get the ball, hold it at his feet, allow Martins and Owen to make runs in to the box, and then passing it to Owen's or Martin's feet. So this for me: Harper Beye Colocinni Bassong Enrique Guthrie Barton Jonas Viduka Martins Owen On paper that is a top 10 team easily.

Guthrie must start, and obviously Barton is he's capable of starting.

I've got NUFC down my forearm

-----------Harper---------- Beye---Colo----Bassong----Duff R.Taylor--Butt---Nolan-----Jonas ---------Owen---Carroll/Martins--- Its possible

Duff at left back?

Nobody think them two Monday home matches being on a night might help the atmosphere a bit with some people being on the drink for longer than they would on a Saturday, which might in turn spill over onto the pitch?

They know nowt.

the problem is though both Raylor and Nolan were obtained to improve the team and imho they are not contributing at all ,they just clog up a midfield who run around like headless chickens with absolutely no creation or ability . They haven't contributed much at all that is true. You've already said the problem there though, they were bought to make a difference to a poor team but they don't have anything special about them to do that. Taylor is exactly the sort of player we should be signing to be cheap backup and he is the sort of signing we should be making before the season starts to bulk the squad up. You are in real trouble if you are signing these sort of players to make the difference to your team though. Because of what he's done in the past, Nolan clearly is a player who you would look at to make a difference (score goals for a start) but when was the last time he had a good season and scored a decent amount of goals? He's clearly overweight and he has no legs.

Taylor is decent but no more. He had a stinker on Saturday but he is a handy player to have in your squad (not as a regular though). He's a player who would slot into a good team nicely and do a decent job usually providing sound passing and a bit of composure. In other words, put him in the SBR team and at right back and he wouldn't have half looked a decent player at right back in a good team. He doesn't have anything outstanding about him to warrant being an important part of the team. I would imagine he is on a fairly lowish wage (maybe £25,000?), and he is not one of the teams problems. Its the huge earners who are meant to be the players capable of making the difference who are making this club rot on the pitch.

This is a game where we could really do with some height and strength in midfield. If we get the points it won't be because we outbattled them, we will have to go out and outplay them with attack the best form of defence.

Fucking rubbish We don't have a permanent manager, we don't know what division we will be in, and the poisoned dwarf is dead.

Aye, with Barton and Guthrie in the middle, not only would we be a lot more solid, but we'd see a lot better product from Jonas and Owen especially. Not so much Martins because he's usually the creator of his own wonder strikes but Owen can still make a perfect run if he's got someone who can pick a pass out no doubt about it.

He's quick, not lightning quick but he's definitely quick. Duff would still be a good player if he had the pace of him.