You get the team right in terms of creativity - if we have the players available. Then you don't try to chase the game but win the battles and take it from there.
I would like to see us start without two defensive minded midfielders, or if we have Davis/Pratley and Cullen on, give Cullen license to get forwards more like he did in that game against Reading.
I would like to see us start without two defensive minded midfielders, or if we have Davis/Pratley and Cullen on, give Cullen license to get forwards more like he did in that game against Reading.
Cullen got forward properly once yesterday that I recall and his shot was well saved by Walton.
My impression in the immediate aftermath yesterday was that we were well beaten but on reflection Walton did keep them in it with some decent saves.
Overall though I have to say through gritted teeth that Blackburn deserved to win.
The way to beat Luton is not to disrespect them due to their league position. They've just won their last two matches. When we did that back in August, everyone's confidence was flying.
We always bounce back after a dire performance in the next game. We'll beat Luton.
3 wins in 21 suggests we don't bounce back very well.
For me we need to start with Williams or if he's not fit then Oztumer. We badly missed an attacking midfielder to link play between midfield and the front 2. I'd also start Bonne instead of Hemed.
We did. I think Davies is ok, but you put a bit of flair and creativity in and around him if you can. Smith may improve, but at the moment he gives us nothing. I'd rather have Morgan playing.
Play your best 11 players in their positions every week, stop all this fucking about with the team, the players need to put their bodies on the line for the next 13 games without being wrapped in cotton wool.
Bowyer will go back to the starting XI that beat Barnsley (Oztumer in for Williams if he isn't fit) and we will win comfortably.
Well he should have played him yesterday then, Bower, Southall and everyone else at the club have all been urging us to snap up the tickets for the Blackburn game, get The Valley rocking and make some noise.
What's the point if you stick out a team you know is weak from the off.
Bowyer will go back to the starting XI that beat Barnsley (Oztumer in for Williams if he isn't fit) and we will win comfortably.
Well he should have played him yesterday then, Bower, Southall and everyone else at the club have all been urging us to snap up the tickets for the Blackburn game, get The Valley rocking and make some noise.
What's the point if you stick out a team you know is weak from the off.
Beating Luton is more important than beating Blackburn. So I think Bowyer has not taken any chances with injuries to ensure we have the best possible 11 for next week.
Bowyer will go back to the starting XI that beat Barnsley (Oztumer in for Williams if he isn't fit) and we will win comfortably.
Well he should have played him yesterday then, Bower, Southall and everyone else at the club have all been urging us to snap up the tickets for the Blackburn game, get The Valley rocking and make some noise.
What's the point if you stick out a team you know is weak from the off.
Beating Luton is more important than beating Blackburn. So I think Bowyer has not taken any chances with injuries to ensure we have the best possible 11 for next week.
Maybe they should have made the game v Luton a fiver a pop then, they cannot have it both ways.
Bowyer will go back to the starting XI that beat Barnsley (Oztumer in for Williams if he isn't fit) and we will win comfortably.
Well he should have played him yesterday then, Bower, Southall and everyone else at the club have all been urging us to snap up the tickets for the Blackburn game, get The Valley rocking and make some noise.
What's the point if you stick out a team you know is weak from the off.
Beating Luton is more important than beating Blackburn. So I think Bowyer has not taken any chances with injuries to ensure we have the best possible 11 for next week.
Maybe they should have made the game v Luton a fiver a pop then, they cannot have it both ways.
Sorry Mike but Lee Bowyer doesn't select his team based on the ticket price of the game and nor should he.
Bowyer will go back to the starting XI that beat Barnsley (Oztumer in for Williams if he isn't fit) and we will win comfortably.
Well he should have played him yesterday then, Bower, Southall and everyone else at the club have all been urging us to snap up the tickets for the Blackburn game, get The Valley rocking and make some noise.
What's the point if you stick out a team you know is weak from the off.
Beating Luton is more important than beating Blackburn. So I think Bowyer has not taken any chances with injuries to ensure we have the best possible 11 for next week.
Maybe they should have made the game v Luton a fiver a pop then, they cannot have it both ways.
Sorry Mike but Lee Bowyer doesn't select his team based on the ticket price of the game and nor should he.
I was not suggesting that CE, however I still think he makes too many changes, that game yesterday was winnable, it will all be for nothing if we lose against Luton.
Yeah, they'll be drinking in the Angerstein Arms from around 12, so we head down on the train to Westcombe Park around 11:45. Once there we'll surround the boozer, put the windows in then steam in there and get at them!
Go back to the back 4, and play full backs, not wing backs. Pack out the midfield and press from the get-go. Cullen, Pratley and Williams/Oz will need to work their socks off.
Would go with Williams but not sure on fitness, so Oz may need to fill in which I wouldn't mind too much, thought he was decent enough against Forest and surprised he didn't get minutes on Saturday.
Doughty needs to be further up the pitch, he has too many defensive frailties to be playing LWB in my opinion.
Start like this:
Phillips
Matthews Lockyer Sarr Purrington
Pratley Cullen
Green Williams/Oztumer Doughty.
Taylor
Have the options of Bonne/Hemed/Chuks/McGeady on the bench.
Think we desperately missed Pratley on Saturday, but we need to make sure we are attacking and go to win the game from the first whistle. We can’t go with a back 3/5 in this one, Luton play the diamond so we either match them up, which I think we will, or we go with 5 in midfield but with players capable of getting forward and easily adjusted into a diamond.
We need a bench that includes Aneke, and overall attacking options throughout the squad of Taylor, Green, Bonne, Williams, Oztumer, McGeady, Aneke. Might seem too attacking for some but we are too vulnerable in defence too often. We are capable of putting in a great defensive display, see Fulham for a recent example, but in a game like this where Luton have conceded 66 goals, an attacking impetus will allow the crowd to get behind the them from the off and aim to kill the game by half time.
Bowyer will go back to the starting XI that beat Barnsley (Oztumer in for Williams if he isn't fit) and we will win comfortably.
Well he should have played him yesterday then, Bower, Southall and everyone else at the club have all been urging us to snap up the tickets for the Blackburn game, get The Valley rocking and make some noise.
What's the point if you stick out a team you know is weak from the off.
Beating Luton is more important than beating Blackburn. So I think Bowyer has not taken any chances with injuries to ensure we have the best possible 11 for next week.
Maybe they should have made the game v Luton a fiver a pop then, they cannot have it both ways.
Sorry Mike but Lee Bowyer doesn't select his team based on the ticket price of the game and nor should he.
I was not suggesting that CE, however I still think he makes too many changes, that game yesterday was winnable, it will all be for nothing if we lose against Luton.
just remind me how many changes we made from the win at Notts Forest?
we are so inconsistent .. constant team changes don't help, the result of too many injuries and perhaps too much tinkering .. Luton had a good win on Saturday. Like us they are inconsistent, thankfully, even more so than we are .. they have won 3 out of the last 5 .. they have a speedy attack, a decent midfield but a defence that seems to switch off at the worst possible moments. To beat them we need to attack them from the off and to stop making terrible fuck ups in defence .. a similar performance as v Forest should do it .. pretty straightforward really ((:>)
I would like to see the diamond, as I want to see us push Cullen further forwards when we have the ball. However with Gallagher out I struggle to see who plays the left side of that diamond. I thought Davies was meant to be a bit more dynamic then Pratley, but I've not really seen that yet. Think Smith could potentially play there, and would love to see Williams but not sure he is robust enough.
If Williams was I would like to see:
Phillips Matthews Lockyer Sarr Purrington Pratley Cullen Williams Oztumer Green Taylor
Amos, Deji, Doughty, McGeady, Aneke, Hemed, Bonne
That pivot of Cullen, Williams and Oztumer would play some nice ball foot I reckon.
Comments
That should do it.
Pick an attacking midfield and go for it.
My impression in the immediate aftermath yesterday was that we were well beaten but on reflection Walton did keep them in it with some decent saves.
Overall though I have to say through gritted teeth that Blackburn deserved to win.
For me we need to start with Williams or if he's not fit then Oztumer. We badly missed an attacking midfielder to link play between midfield and the front 2. I'd also start Bonne instead of Hemed.
What's the point if you stick out a team you know is weak from the off.
So I think Bowyer has not taken any chances with injuries to ensure we have the best possible 11 for next week.
Yeah, they'll be drinking in the Angerstein Arms from around 12, so we head down on the train to Westcombe Park around 11:45. Once there we'll surround the boozer, put the windows in then steam in there and get at them!
Go back to the back 4, and play full backs, not wing backs. Pack out the midfield and press from the get-go. Cullen, Pratley and Williams/Oz will need to work their socks off.
Would go with Williams but not sure on fitness, so Oz may need to fill in which I wouldn't mind too much, thought he was decent enough against Forest and surprised he didn't get minutes on Saturday.
Doughty needs to be further up the pitch, he has too many defensive frailties to be playing LWB in my opinion.
Start like this:
Phillips
Matthews Lockyer Sarr Purrington
Pratley Cullen
Green Williams/Oztumer Doughty.
Taylor
Have the options of Bonne/Hemed/Chuks/McGeady on the bench.
We need a bench that includes Aneke, and overall attacking options throughout the squad of Taylor, Green, Bonne, Williams, Oztumer, McGeady, Aneke. Might seem too attacking for some but we are too vulnerable in defence too often. We are capable of putting in a great defensive display, see Fulham for a recent example, but in a game like this where Luton have conceded 66 goals, an attacking impetus will allow the crowd to get behind the them from the off and aim to kill the game by half time.
Luton had a good win on Saturday. Like us they are inconsistent, thankfully, even more so than we are .. they have won 3 out of the last 5 .. they have a speedy attack, a decent midfield but a defence that seems to switch off at the worst possible moments.
To beat them we need to attack them from the off and to stop making terrible fuck ups in defence .. a similar performance as v Forest should do it .. pretty straightforward really ((:>)
If Williams was I would like to see:
Phillips
Matthews Lockyer Sarr Purrington
Pratley
Cullen Williams
Oztumer
Green Taylor
Amos, Deji, Doughty, McGeady, Aneke, Hemed, Bonne
That pivot of Cullen, Williams and Oztumer would play some nice ball foot I reckon.