So what is our strongest starting 11?

[Lenny]

Mine at present would be:

 

---------------Harper

 

Beye----Taylor-----Cacapa-----Enrique

 

Duff-----Faye------Emre------Zoggy

 

-----------Owen------Martins

[Nate]

 

                          Harper

 

        Milner  Caçapa  Faye  Enrique

 

        Beye    Barton  Emre  N'Zogbia

 

                    Martins    Duff

 

 

- The closest thing we've got to a commanding goalkeeper.

 

- Solid, hardworking full-backs and two centre-halves comfortable on the ball.

 

- Our best balance of work rate and creativity in central midfield.

 

- Pace on the wings and pace up front.

[STM]

For me;

 

                        Given

 

Beye        Taylor      Cacapa      Enrique

 

                                  Faye

                Emre

Milner                                        N'Zogbia

                               

              Martins        Owen

 

 

For me the only question mark is over the strikers because we may need someone with a bit more power in the side, therefore i'd choose Viduka, who looks to score when he gets the ball.

[Tachikoma]

                          Harper

 

        Beye  Caçapa  Faye  Enrique

 

        Duff    Geremi  Emre  N'Zogbia

 

                    Owen    Viduka

 

We might be a bit lightweight in CM, but Emre and Geremi won't give away the ball too often; Owen's greatly improved workrate and scoring form makes him an automatic choice; Viduka's technical ability and strength should make him a better foil for Owen, regardless of his slowness.

[Decky]

People are crazy putting Faye in midfield! He is out best CB so should be at CB, we are in a relegation battle here and before we win we have to make sure we dont conceed.

[STM]

People are crazy putting Faye in midfield! He is out best CB so should be at CB, we are in a relegation battle here and before we win we have to make sure we dont conceed.

 

The reason we are conceding has nothing to do with the talent of the defenders but because of the pressure the midfield is putting them under. I agree that Faye is our best centre half but for me the choice is between having Cacapa or Butt on the pitch. I would choose Cacapa or Geremi over Butt.

 

FAO Tachikoma, i wouldn't argue with your side either.

[Northern Monkey]

People are crazy putting Faye in midfield! He is out best CB so should be at CB, we are in a relegation battle here and before we win we have to make sure we dont conceed.

 

He's played less than a dozen games, but he's our best. Right.

[Nate]

You do know Faye played in the Premier League before he came here? Who do you currently rate as our best centre-half?

[Guest alex]

He is. Clearly. The competition isn't great like.

[Decky]

People are crazy putting Faye in midfield! He is out best CB so should be at CB, we are in a relegation battle here and before we win we have to make sure we dont conceed.

 

He's played less than a dozen games, but he's our best. Right.

 

Yes he is, he has been solid in those games and for Bolton while the others have made countless mistakes sometimes costing us valuable points.

[vicente_14]

I think given the situation we find ourselves in, we need to bolster the midfield and quit the 4-4-2 formation and switch to 4-5-1/4-3-3, play with a genuine holding player who doesn't go charging forward, who just sits and offers much needed protection to the back four, allowing the other 2 midfielders to go box to box, attack & defend. As most of our midfield are dog shite, it is a tough call as to whom plays there, Butt would be ok at just sitting but his distribution is shocking. faye is the obvious choice but he is also our strongest central defender. Serious questions need to be asked of previous regimes, as to why our squad is so poor, and so lacking of any real quality in key areas. Martins needs to be played upfront, his pace is vital on the break.

 

so from a truly awful bunch, this for me:

 

Given

Beye Cacapa Taylor Enrique

Faye

Geremi Barton Emre N'Zogbia

Martins

[La Parka]

................Harper.....................

Beye..Taylor..Cacapa...Enrique

Milner..Emre..Faye.......N'Zogbia

...........Owen..Martins...............

 

 

[buzza]

------------harper---------

Geremi---Faye---Taylor----Beye

Milner---Butt---Zoggy---Duff

------Martins----Owen----

 

Geremi is in at right back because he has had a fantastic African nations cup, he looks a far better player at right back and can whip in some good crosses on the overlap... Just a thought!!

[colinmk]

If it was me i would go for :

 

      Harper

 

Beye Taylor Cacapa Enrique

             

              Faye

                 

Milner        Emre      N'Zogbia

 

            Owen    Martins

 

I think Taylor and Cacapa are better when Faye is there to shield them, a job which neither Barton or Butt does very well and Barton has offered nothing in an attacking sense so i would choose Emre. Viduka is a lazy bastard, Smith can't score and Ameobi is shite so it's an easy choice up front. It's a shame Geremi lost at the African Nations because he will probably come back on a downer.

 

[Guest Urban Fox]

Midfield is where our problems have lain this season.  Their job, obviously, is to protect the back four and provide ammunition for the front player(s).  Butt cam break up play but his distribution has been awful - he seems unable to even play it simple, yet he is an automatic starter. This is our problem, we have 'NAME' players who the managers refuse to drop regardless of form.  Emre is the only one providing service this season but apparently, Barton (who could have given away 3 penalties on saturday) is a much better bet. There's no steel, there's no guile.  In a relegation scrap I think Sam's tactics would have borne more fruit than Keegan's.

 

Maybe Sam knew the players he had couldn't play adventurous football and was playing to their 'strengths'?  Ashley seemed to be throwing money at allardyce when he wanted to buy defensive players (Enrique, beye, faye et al) but not when he wanted attacking players (Anelka, Davies etc).

 

It's a scrap from now on and we're only going to get the odd point here and there (excluding fulham, reading, mackems games) by playing this team :

 

                        Harper

 

Beye        Taylor      Faye        Enrique

 

        Smith        Butt      N'zogbia

 

Milner                                        Duff

 

                      Viduka

 

 

Pressing forward just allows teams like villa to open us up at will... embarrassing really.

[Tachikoma]

How is having 3 central midfield players who consistently give away possession, which unnecessarily exposes the back four, going to make us better defensively?

[timnufc22]

Midfield is where our problems have lain this season.  Their job, obviously, is to protect the back four and provide ammunition for the front player(s).  Butt cam break up play but his distribution has been awful - he seems unable to even play it simple, yet he is an automatic starter. This is our problem, we have 'NAME' players who the managers refuse to drop regardless of form.  Emre is the only one providing service this season but apparently, Barton (who could have given away 3 penalties on saturday) is a much better bet. There's no steel, there's no guile.  In a relegation scrap I think Sam's tactics would have borne more fruit than Keegan's.

 

Maybe Sam knew the players he had couldn't play adventurous football and was playing to their 'strengths'?  Ashley seemed to be throwing money at allardyce when he wanted to buy defensive players (Enrique, beye, faye et al) but not when he wanted attacking players (Anelka, Davies etc).

 

It's a scrap from now on and we're only going to get the odd point here and there (excluding fulham, reading, mackems games) by playing this team :

 

                        Harper

 

Beye        Taylor       Faye        Enrique

 

        Smith        Butt      N'zogbia

 

Milner                                         Duff

 

                       Viduka

 

 

Pressing forward just allows teams like villa to open us up at will... embarrassing really.

 

These are the players who have got us in this position. Milner to an extent which is harsh because he has done well a for periods this season, but just got dragged down in the crap around him. We need to change the team. LuaLua & Triosi need to play, fresh, young, hungry players. They simply cant do any worse than the players who have got us in this position.

[gonufc]

People are crazy putting Faye in midfield! He is out best CB so should be at CB, we are in a relegation battle here and before we win we have to make sure we dont conceed.

 

The reason we are conceding has nothing to do with the talent of the defenders but because of the pressure the midfield is putting them under. I agree that Faye is our best centre half but for me the choice is between having Cacapa or Butt on the pitch. I would choose Cacapa or Geremi over Butt.

 

FAO Tachikoma, i wouldn't argue with your side either.

 

This. Faye has got to play in midfield otherwise we just get dominated.

[fredbob]

My issue with the team at the mo is how to fit Zog, Enrique and Duff in the squad. There a lot of issues with the squad at the mo.

 

- Duff has been pretty good since he's been back, doesnt really deserve being dropped

-Enrique offers alot defensively which Zog doesnt at LB

-Zog offers a hell of a lot more attacking wise at LB, in fact as an attacking option its probably his best position because he gets a lot more space as a LB than he does as a LM.

-Zog cant play in CM, he doesnt get the space he needs to be effective, his passing isnt good enough and he loses the ball a little too much and with the DM back up we have at the moment, thats the last thing we need.

-Duff and Zog as a partnership down the left have been excellent, in my opinion, Enrique + Zog/Duff dont have the same strengths.

 

The issue really is that we have 3 good players whose best qualities clash with the each other and the interests of the team.

 

The olnly way i can think of accomdating all the players is having Duff and Zog on either wing, swapping throughout the match, with Enrique at LB and Emre in the centre with Faye.

 

Faye is both our best DM and CB, i think though that he is more needed in the DM because its important that we are able to win back possession well and distrubute play well, he'd provide a decent amount of protection for Emre who i think is needed in the centre because he doesnt give the ball away much also his distubution can be excellent.

 

For me, the team should be

 

 

             Harper

 

Beye Taylor Cacapa Enrique

 

              Faye

 

Duff/Zog   Emre     Zog/Duff

 

        Martins   Owen

 

 

[gazza ladra]

To me Faye, Beye, N'Zogbia, and Enrique are the four that must start. (Enrique because Zoggy is wasted at LB). I can't see wasting Faye in midfield and don't think we'll move to 4-5-1. Besides Faye is someone that we need defending in the box.

 

I chose Geremi over Milner. We haven't won a thing since Milner took over on the right wing. Though, Duff might be a better option. But from what I've seen, Geremi has unfairly taken the blame for a lot of our troubles-- but we only got worse when he was dropped.

 

And we need Geremi and  Emre out there because they are best we have for free kicks. Emre can hold and distribute the ball.

 

Martins is needed to stretch the defence. And I picked Viduka because I think he'll do well for a team that plays football. He was wasted in SA's longball tactics. Might do well if he get's the ball to his feet.

 

I think that for the benefit of the team as a whole both Milner and Owen need to be dropped.

 

 

[mozy]

Taylor should be dropped. He makes Bramble look like Terry.

 

Taylor has been better than Cacapa, every time they've played together, including this weekend.

 

I have no idea why so many people seem to be fooled by Cacapa. And please god don't use the myth of the Lyon captaincy making him good.

 

More likely to be because Taylor is fucking wank.

 

Cacapa is fucking awful, no pace, no strength, no aerial ability. These are perhaps the 3 most important charcteristics in premiership defenders. He cant expect to get by on anticipation and interceptions. I prefer Ramage over cacapa, no joke.

[Tsunami]

Can those who have picked Owen & Martins as a pairing explain to me how they are going to work it between them & how we are going to create chances for them? Bear this in mind; defenders will sit deep so there will not be any space in behind the defence & we will therefore need to rely on their aerial dominance or our massively creative & powerful midfield two bullying the midfield before picking holes in the little space available..........

 

While I'm at it why didn't we make a greater effort to sign Barnes & why Barton & not Nolan?

[Guest Edd]

To me Faye, Beye, N'Zogbia, and Enrique are the four that must start. (Enrique because Zoggy is wasted at LB). I can't see wasting Faye in midfield and don't think we'll move to 4-5-1. Besides Faye is someone that we need defending in the box.

 

I chose Geremi over Milner. We haven't won a thing since Milner took over on the right wing. Though, Duff might be a better option. But from what I've seen, Geremi has unfairly taken the blame for a lot of our troubles-- but we only got worse when he was dropped.

 

And we need Geremi and  Emre out there because they are best we have for free kicks. Emre can hold and distribute the ball.

 

Martins is needed to stretch the defence. And I picked Viduka because I think he'll do well for a team that plays football. He was wasted in SA's longball tactics. Might do well if he get's the ball to his feet.

 

I think that for the benefit of the team as a whole both Milner and Owen need to be dropped.

 

What, drop the one player scoring goals and the one player whose fitness and confidence actually seem to be slowly improving from game to game?

[gazza ladra]

 

 

What, drop the one player scoring goals and the one player whose fitness and confidence actually seem to be slowly improving from game to game?

 

yeah, I like to see  the team score goals.

 

Both Martins and  Viduka  still have more goals this season than Owen--they're the team leaders in fact. And they should start.

 

Owen's scored in the last couple of games... whoopidy-fucking-do

[ElDiablo]

 

 

What, drop the one player scoring goals and the one player whose fitness and confidence actually seem to be slowly improving from game to game?

 

yeah, I like to see  the team score goals.

 

Both Martins and  Viduka  still have more goals this season than Owen--they're the team leaders in fact. And they should start.

 

Owen's scored in the last couple of games... whoopidy-fucking-do