Side & Formation for Birmingham

[midds]

Fuck it just dawned on my that this is on on Paddys night, i could literally drinking myself into coma if we win

 

Last minute winner. Duff problees. 

[Guest goal!]

 

                    Harper

 

Beye     Taylor     Cacapa   Enrique

 

Milner     Faye    N'Zogbia    Duff

 

            Martins   Viduka

 

*If Emre's fit - Swap Zog to the left in place of Duff and play Emre in the centre.

*If Viduka's not fit - Play Carroll instead.

*Getting dropped might help Owen's hunger, not that he's had much in the way of chances lately (bar the Blackburn game and Freidel's 2 quality saves).

 

Cacapa and Taylor don't exactly give me confidence in our defence, Faye is marginally better than both on current form, but IMO he's also much MUCH better as a DM that Smith, Butt (recently) or anyone else in the squad...

 

It's not rocket science, unfortunately I think we'll see:

 

                  Harper

 

Beye   Taylor     Faye   N'Zogbia

                                  *Enrique

Milner/   Butt     Barton      Duff

*Duff                            *N'Zogbia

           Owen    Smith 

 

*If Milner's injured as physioroom suggests.

[brummie]

Please beat them, for fuck's sake.

 

Worryingly, they're starting to show a bit of spirit and play quite well of late.

[Mowen]

Please beat them, for fuck's sake.

 

Worryingly, they're starting to show a bit of spirit and play quite well of late.

 

We'll nob them.

 

I hope.

[Guest Dev]

Am I the only one who thinks that the idea of starting youngsters as some on here are suggesting is absolutely insane. Why the heck would you throw Lua Lua or Carroll into a game where we aboslutely must win. Did we not learn from Huntington at Alkmaar last season?

 

I'd rather have a kid playing than Smith, Butt, Duff or Barton.

 

This. That lot have neither skill, nor pace, nor fitness. I'm going to assume most of the youngsters have two of those characteristics, and you can bet they'd give it 100%. And if we play youngsters, it will no doubt help in recruiting better ones. Who wants to go to a team that never, ever plays its youth?

 

Pim Verbeek (Australian NT manager) came out and said yesterday he wants Troisi to be involved this year in WC qualifying as he believes he is good enough. The current Aus NT would thump the current bunch of shite running about in black and white. He advised Troisi to leave NUFC because while he should be getting a run here, he isn't. Verbeek is no bum and has a more successful record than most of our recent managerial incumbents. Verbeek isn't just going on reputation, he's had him out for a couple of training camps already.

 

I understand putting the old crapsters out in the really hard games we've had recently. But in these games against opposition players of lower skill there is no reason not to go youth.

 

Put simply, its fear and cowardice from Keegan if he persists with those 4. Every NUFC fan can see they aren't up to it, he can too, he needs to show some balls and drop them.

[oldtype]

Am I the only one who thinks that the idea of starting youngsters as some on here are suggesting is absolutely insane. Why the heck would you throw Lua Lua or Carroll into a game where we aboslutely must win. Did we not learn from Huntington at Alkmaar last season?

 

I'd rather have a kid playing than Smith, Butt, Duff or Barton.

 

This. That lot have neither skill, nor pace, nor fitness. I'm going to assume most of the youngsters have two of those characteristics, and you can bet they'd give it 100%. And if we play youngsters, it will no doubt help in recruiting better ones. Who wants to go to a team that never, ever plays its youth?

 

Pim Verbeek (Australian NT manager) came out and said yesterday he wants Troisi to be involved this year in WC qualifying as he believes he is good enough. The current Aus NT would thump the current bunch of s**** running about in black and white. He advised Troisi to leave NUFC because while he should be getting a run here, he isn't. Verbeek is no bum and has a more successful record than most of our recent managerial incumbents. Verbeek isn't just going on reputation, he's had him out for a couple of training camps already.

 

I understand putting the old crapsters out in the really hard games we've had recently. But in these games against opposition players of lower skill there is no reason not to go youth.

 

Put simply, its fear and cowardice from Keegan if he persists with those 4. Every NUFC fan can see they aren't up to it, he can too, he needs to show some balls and drop them.

 

Wouldn't necessarily trust Verbeek's word as gospel mind. 

 

Besides that, have you not considered that as s*** as Duff and Smith are, a random youngster shoved into that position would be infinitely more s***? The gap between reserve team and first team football is light years, which is why sane managers such as Keegan don't throw a kid into the deep end and expect them to preform. It's far more likely that a youngster will simply crumble under the pressure and pace than play better than 6~7 year Premiership veterans, no matter how s*** they might be. Our reserve team drew with Whitely Bay ffs, you expect the likes of Lua Lua and Troisi to make magic against Birmingham City? It'll just be Matty Pattison all over again (and from what I can tell, he's far better than either of those two seeing as how he's doing decently in the Championship.

 

I could maybe see playing Carroll ahead of Smith, although even that's a stretch. The others shouldn't be starting, or playing at all for that matter, until we're either surely up or surely down. People need to recognize that fielding a team that's made up of about 50% reserves players in the midst of a relegation battle is JUST ABOUT THE WORST IDEA EVER. 

[Cronky]

Carroll's good, but I don't think at the moment he's offering anything that we haven't already got. Troisi would struggle to impose himself. Lua Lua I'd like to see more as a sub. He hasn't looked out of place at all at first team level.

[Decky]

f*** it just dawned on my that this is on on Paddys night, i could literally drinking myself into coma if we win

 

I'll do the same if we lose.

 

If we lose ill be miserable and go home huffing

[Martin Lol]

Please beat them, for f***'s sake.

 

Worryingly, they're starting to show a bit of spirit and play quite well of late.

 

Generally, they've looked a lot better since McLeish took over.  I don't think Brum will lose tbh, may possibly be a draw.

[Guest Milburnthedog]

Milner out. Lets hope Martins isn't the replacement as a winger.

[garth]

Milner out. Lets hope Martins isn't the replacement as a winger.

 

That means Duff will probably play there, and Zoggs on the left.

[Guest Milburnthedog]

Milner out. Lets hope Martins isn't the replacement as a winger.

 

That means Duff will probably play there, and Zoggs on the left.

 

Duff can't cross with his left, I wonder how he is on his right? To be fair we need everyone to contribute to their best and we can get a result. I've got my ticket and am hoping for a good performance with points attached.

[Guest teepee]

with milner out i really would go with duff on the right and zoggy on the left - duff isn't too bad on the right imo

[Nobody]

Geremi will be RM

[AlanSkÃrare]

Didn't Smith play RM under Sam? And Ameobi under Souness? Loads of options then...

 

 

Would like to see:

 

Harper - Enrique, Taylor, Cacapa, Beye - N'Zogbia, Barton, Faye, Duff - Owen, Martins

[Belfast Boy]

Didn't Smith play RM under Sam? And Ameobi under Souness? Loads of options then...

 

 

Would like to see:

 

Harper - Enrique, Taylor, Cacapa, Beye - N'Zogbia, Barton, Faye, Duff - Owen, Martins

 

I'd be more than happy with that lineup.

[SUPERTOON]

Viduka will be back

[KaKa]

Geremi on the right is likely to be what happens.

 

If he can produce the kinds of crosses and freekicks he was during the ACN then that would be awesome.

 

Keegan has pretty much shown us that he will go with experience over anything else.

 

I expect both Martins and Zoggy will come off the bench.

[TRon]

Geremi's delivery is first rate. I wouldn't have a problem with him playing wide right. Milner's played quite well recently, but his end product is still minimal.

[johnnypd]

Geremi's movement is horrible, can't beat a man and struggles to create space. was easier at ACN as he was crossing from deep and was never man-marked whereas on the wing he'll have two defenders hovering around him. I'd play him in the centre, personally, you still get the benefit of his passing range but there is less need to try and take players on.

[mrmojorisin75]

geremi was RB/RWB at the ACN...might be an idea to stick beye RM and him RB??

[KaKa]

It's funny because other than Geremi we don't really have anyone else who crosses the ball that well.

 

I also have a feeling Geremi will link up better with Beye and he will get Beye the ball in more dangerous attacking positions.

 

Milner's impatient style and general lack of awareness didn't really allow Beye to join in the attacking play enough.

[TRon]

It's not like Milner ever gets past the full back either, he always ends up crossing from deep as well. The big difference is Milner could get up and down the flank quicker, so defensively it might be an issue.

[KaKa]

Geremi's mobility won't be as much of a problem as long as Beye makes himself available and really bombs forward. This will create space for Geremi to whip in his crosses.

[johnnypd]

Geremi's mobility won't be as much of a problem as long as Beye makes himself available and really bombs forward. This will create space for Geremi to whip in his crosses.

 

that's true but it leaves us over-committed if we have to use this strategy every time we attack down the right. i'm not saying i wouldn't go for Geremi out there but when he played in that position for us earlier in the season he looked even worse than Milner. due to the paucity of options in that position we might be forced to play him (Duff is awful) but i would rather play him in the middle as he'll naturally have more options and movement either side of him, whereas on the flank he is constricted and wingers need the pace and trickery that he doesn't possess.