I love this fella 💗 class act , true pro, runs through brick walls for the team , a true leader , puts his heart on the line any other cliches out there ...
seriously he knows the score and I couldn’t think of a better captain than him for us right now , inspirational figure
In a crunch game, I dare say you want all your best players on the field. There HAS to be a way to incorporate Sarr, Pearce and Bauer in the side without losing our shape
Horribly harsh on Bielik though, who should be a shoo-in. And those aren't wing-backs, are they? Alternatively, there's the 'who needs fullbacks' option
Phillips
Bauer - Pearce - Sarr
Bielik
Williams - Cullen - Reeves
Aribo
Taylor - Vetokele
Hmm. Somehow the attacking balance of the side is compromised with 3 at the back.
Alternatively, Sarr could play pretty much anywhere...
Horribly harsh on Bielik though, who should be a shoo-in. And those aren't wing-backs, are they? Alternatively, there's the 'who needs fullbacks' option
Phillips
Bauer - Pearce - Sarr
Bielik
Williams - Cullen - Reeves
Aribo
Taylor - Vetokele
Hmm. Somehow the attacking balance of the side is compromised with 3 at the back.
Alternatively, Sarr could play pretty much anywhere...
I disagree - it’s a straight choice between Sarr and Pearce.
Horribly harsh on Bielik though, who should be a shoo-in. And those aren't wing-backs, are they? Alternatively, there's the 'who needs fullbacks' option
Phillips
Bauer - Pearce - Sarr
Bielik
Williams - Cullen - Reeves
Aribo
Taylor - Vetokele
Hmm. Somehow the attacking balance of the side is compromised with 3 at the back.
Alternatively, Sarr could play pretty much anywhere...
I disagree - it’s a straight choice between Sarr and Pearce.
They should have a fight then ! Sarr and Pearce that is ...
I dont rate Purrington's ability to cover that left flank as a Wing Back for us to play three at the back; ideally you need someone with pace like Page to play that formation
Imagine explaining it to an opposition fan! "Yeah we've got this player, been amazing all year. Brilliant defender, imposing presence, best passer at the club, free kick taker, fan hero. Many have him as player kg the season. Oh but he's not playing. We dropped him."
And for whom? Someone who espouses similar defensive qualities and precisely none of the technical ones?
Changing shape and tactics at this stage of the season would ludicrous. The players have spent 9 months playing this system. Straight choice but great choice to have.
Dropping a player who's been consistently in our top 3 or 4 performers is absolutely ludicrous IMO.
Not if it’s for a player who will be in our top 2 or 3 performers once back in the team.
It’s harsh on Sarr but when you have more than 11 players in your squad you will have to make tough decisions. Completely changing the formation and style of the team with a few games left in the season to try and keep everyone happy is ludicrous.
I love Naby as a character and think he has come on leaps and bounds, and I have much lesser doubts on his weaknesses than I did even six months ago.
but ultimately if it come down to a crunch straight choice for a game that really mattered I’d choose Pearce. And I suspect Bowyer will as well.
What message does that sent to the players though? Shall we drop Phillips for Maxwell aswell? Because Sarr has been fantastic over the last couple of months and doesn't deserve to be dropped.
The argument for Pearce is attacking, not defensive. He's got a bit more of a striker's positional instinct in the box. If a game threatens to be a horrible slog, that's handy. But we have the players to rip teams apart - Plan A should be that
Cant drop Sarr imo. Feel his from has been too good. Pearce is a better out and out defender but Sarr will bring more to the role than just defending and to be fair he is a GOOD defender. His ability to spray the ball or even carry it out is a big plus for me.
Dont get me wrong if he was dropped for Pearce then thats a pretty bloody good replacement but on merit, Sarr for me all day long.
Pearce may not be the better defender of the two, but in every squad there is a player who sets the standard for effort, quality and putting your body on the line for the three points. For us it's Pearce. The next 5 games are cup finals. Pearce is the one who gets picked for me, if he can get an extra 5% out of the players when the going gets tough he's vitally important for us.
Pearce may not be the better defender of the two, but in every squad there is a player who sets the standard for effort, quality and putting your body on the line for the three points. For us it's Pearce. The next 5 games are cup finals. Pearce is the one who gets picked for me, if he can get an extra 5% out of the players when the going gets tough he's vitally important for us.
Playing devils advocate (as think both deserve the place) - Portsmouth away is a perfect example of what you say about Pearce
Pearce may not be the better defender of the two, but in every squad there is a player who sets the standard for effort, quality and putting your body on the line for the three points. For us it's Pearce. The next 5 games are cup finals. Pearce is the one who gets picked for me, if he can get an extra 5% out of the players when the going gets tough he's vitally important for us.
I do agree with the point generally, but Sarr has been the one who has been a major part of a rock solid defence.
Plus the next 5 games aren’t really cup finals, there all warm up games for the 2 or 3 big games coming up in May.
Comments
class act , true pro, runs through brick walls for the team , a true leader , puts his heart on the line
any other cliches out there ...
seriously he knows the score and I couldn’t think of a better captain than him for us right now , inspirational figure
Phillips
Solly/Dijksteel - Bauer - Pearce - Sarr - Purrington
Williams - Cullen - Aribo
Taylor - Vetokele
Horribly harsh on Bielik though, who should be a shoo-in. And those aren't wing-backs, are they? Alternatively, there's the 'who needs fullbacks' option
Phillips
Bauer - Pearce - Sarr
Bielik
Williams - Cullen - Reeves
Aribo
Taylor - Vetokele
Hmm. Somehow the attacking balance of the side is compromised with 3 at the back.
Alternatively, Sarr could play pretty much anywhere...
Sarr and Pearce that is ...
but ultimately if it come down to a crunch straight choice for a game that really mattered I’d choose Pearce. And I suspect Bowyer will as well.
Drop Sarr
And for whom? Someone who espouses similar defensive qualities and precisely none of the technical ones?
Can't even get on the bench and rightly so.
It’s harsh on Sarr but when you have more than 11 players in your squad you will have to make tough decisions. Completely changing the formation and style of the team with a few games left in the season to try and keep everyone happy is ludicrous.
Standard of the opposing Strikers
Weather conditions
All three of those should be a factor in Lee Bowyer's decision
Bristol Rovers the other week must have been hell for the players and in that type of game you need a player who is used to that
Drop Sarr and still get 3 points Bowyer has made the right decision.
If we don't get 3 points then the inquests start.
If a Goalkeeper or Defender is coming into the team then a defeat or score draw is when the inquest starts
Cant really blame those changes if they were to keep a clean sheet (i.e. Bristol Rovers) as its not their primary job to score
Dont get me wrong if he was dropped for Pearce then thats a pretty bloody good replacement but on merit, Sarr for me all day long.
Plus the next 5 games aren’t really cup finals, there all warm up games for the 2 or 3 big games coming up in May.