Bowyer’s best XI...

Oggy Red said:

killerandflash said:

Looking at the Championship table, Blackburn are 14th, while Wigan are 19th, and both were near the 100 point mark last season. That suggests it's quite a big jump from L1 to the Championship now, with all the money being spent

Both Blackburn and Wigan were much higher placed earlier this season.

As injuries and the season's grind takes its toll, maybe they've fallen away as quality of squad depth isn't as good as many other Championship clubs?

Ah we’ll be fine the - we never suffer with injury issues!

killerandflash said:

Oggy Red said:

killerandflash said:

Looking at the Championship table, Blackburn are 14th, while Wigan are 19th, and both were near the 100 point mark last season. That suggests it's quite a big jump from L1 to the Championship now, with all the money being spent

Both Blackburn and Wigan were much higher placed earlier this season.

As injuries and the season's grind takes its toll, maybe they've fallen away as quality of squad depth isn't as good as many other Championship clubs?

But then you look at the likes of Will Grigg, who's a top L1 player, but not done it in the Championship, there's a quality gap now as well.

Maybe. But if international player like Will Grigg was playing in the Championship in a different team, he may do well.
Different combinations, winning runs, confidence, etc .... too many imponderables for it to be considered otherwise.

Braziliance said:

SantaClaus said:

Braziliance said:

cafcfan1990 said:

Braziliance said:

3412
Phillips
Bauer Pearce Sarr
Cullen
Aribo JFC Bielik
Williams
Taylor Grant

Subs: Maxwell, Solly, Fosu, Clarke, Lapslie, Page, Marshall

That team would be way too narrow.

Not really, it's a starting formation for possession, if the other team exploits your flanks push Sarr to Left back and Bielik to right back until you win the ball back. We don't have very good modern day full backs, we have 3 good centre backs, I've gone for the best formation with what we have. By your logic you could also just say 'team is too wide, the other team are gonna run through the middle'

As for who will cut it in the championship when we get promoted. Aribo, Bauer, Naby, Pearce, JFC, Taylor, Grant, Williams and Fosu on his day. Question marks for everyone else, haven't included loans

Not sure that JFC has enough mobility/defensive quality to cut it the Championship.

He done alright for Brighton when he played apparently. Either way when everyone is fit he is the best centre mid we have I would say

I'm not intending this to be provocative, but I'm genuinely interested to find out more about people's thoughts on JFC and why he's often considered by many fans to be our 'stand out' midfielder when fit.

Personally I'd take Cullen, Aribo, Bielik and Williams (early days still) over JFC and consider them to be more accomplished midfielders (albeit different in style/position).

I don't consider him to be a poor midfielder by any stretch of the imagination and feel with the right players around him he could do a job in the Championship, just that we have other options in midfield that I consider to be stronger at the moment.

Braziliance said:

cafcfan1990 said:

Braziliance said:

3412
Phillips
Bauer Pearce Sarr
Cullen
Aribo JFC Bielik
Williams
Taylor Grant

Subs: Maxwell, Solly, Fosu, Clarke, Lapslie, Page, Marshall

That team would be way too narrow.

Not really, it's a starting formation for possession, if the other team exploits your flanks push Sarr to Left back and Bielik to right back until you win the ball back. We don't have very good modern day full backs, we have 3 good centre backs, I've gone for the best formation with what we have. By your logic you could also just say 'team is too wide, the other team are gonna run through the middle'

As for who will cut it in the championship when we get promoted. Aribo, Bauer, Naby, Pearce, JFC, Taylor, Grant, Williams and Fosu on his day. Question marks for everyone else, haven't included loans

The team would be wide if you included 4 full backs and 4 wingers. Personally just feel having a 3412, with the 4 all being centre midfielders wouldn’t work.

For me its...

Phillips
Matthews | Lockyer | Sarr or Pearce | Purrington
Cullen | Pratley | Davis
Williams
Bonne | Taylor

Bonne is still our joint top scorer so deserves to be starting
Williams of course wont play every game which is why its perfect to have McGeady and Oztumer
Sarr / Pearce alongside Lockyer depending on the type of team we're playing

ForeverAddickted said:

Slightly tangential but I’m intrigued to hear views on how many of those would cut it in the Championship if we did sneak up.

Including loanees Goalkeepers: Maxwell Defence: Solly | Bauer | Pearce | Sarr | Bielik ... (Question mark over Page | Purrington) Midfield: Forster-Caskey | Cullen | Aribo | Williams ... (Question mark over Lapslie | Fosu | Dijksteel | Reeves) Strikers: Taylor | Grant Pratley I think is too old for that level now Morgan would benefit a loan deal to League One yet will be good enough for the Championship one day Edit: Of course when I raise question marks about Lasplie | Dijksteel etc. they're again both players that'll maybe struggle to begin with, I dont think a loan deal will be beneficial to them by going back to League One yet will have decent games in the Championship but will lack consistency at times

ForeverAddickted said:

Slightly tangential but I’m intrigued to hear views on how many of those would cut it in the Championship if we did sneak up.

Including loanees Goalkeepers: Maxwell Defence: Solly | Bauer | Pearce | Sarr | Bielik ... (Question mark over Page | Purrington) Midfield: Forster-Caskey | Cullen | Aribo | Williams ... (Question mark over Lapslie | Fosu | Dijksteel | Reeves) Strikers: Taylor | Grant Pratley I think is too old for that level now Morgan would benefit a loan deal to League One yet will be good enough for the Championship one day Edit: Of course when I raise question marks about Lasplie | Dijksteel etc. they're again both players that'll maybe struggle to begin with, I dont think a loan deal will be beneficial to them by going back to League One yet will have decent games in the Championship but will lack consistency at times

Nice to see Pratley proving you and us lot wrong hey mate 🖒

It's a tough call, especially as we haven't seen what Davis and McGeady can do, in particular. Best wait a few weeks and see who beds in the best.

Talal said:

ForeverAddickted said:

For me its...

Phillips
Matthews | Lockyer | Sarr or Pearce | Purrington
Cullen | Pratley | Davis
Williams
Bonne | Taylor

Bonne is still our joint top scorer so deserves to be starting
Williams of course wont play every game which is why its perfect to have McGeady and Oztumer
Sarr / Pearce alongside Lockyer depending on the type of team we're playing

Would be happy with that though I'd still like to try Doughty at left back. Think he's improving defensively and obviously offers so much going forward. Would be a risk though I guess so couldn't see Bowyer doing it. 

I agree. Not been impressed with Purrington this season and Doughty would give us some decent width going forward which is lacking with a diamond. Purrington just for me though, he’s still a decent player. 

JamesSeed said:

It's a tough call, especially as we haven't seen what Davis and McGeady can do, in particular. Best wait a few weeks and see who beds in the best.

They won't find it comfortable, all the beds round here are wet, moist at best ;-) 

cafcfan1990 said:

Talal said:

ForeverAddickted said:

For me its...

Phillips
Matthews | Lockyer | Sarr or Pearce | Purrington
Cullen | Pratley | Davis
Williams
Bonne | Taylor

Bonne is still our joint top scorer so deserves to be starting
Williams of course wont play every game which is why its perfect to have McGeady and Oztumer
Sarr / Pearce alongside Lockyer depending on the type of team we're playing

Would be happy with that though I'd still like to try Doughty at left back. Think he's improving defensively and obviously offers so much going forward. Would be a risk though I guess so couldn't see Bowyer doing it. 

I agree. Not been impressed with Purrington this season and Doughty would give us some decent width going forward which is lacking with a diamond. Purrington just for me though, he’s still a decent player. 

Thing with Ben Purrington ........ he played well enough as a conventional flat back four LB in our 'great start' games before the injury curse struck - then playing despite carrying an injury himself and plainly struggling, before missing games as a result.

When he was just about fit enough to be picked again, we ended up playing 3 CBs and wingbacks, key players were missing and he was getting exposed and doubled up on. Our results were on the floor and so was his confidence.

"Purrington is crap", shouted everybody. Even his manager thought so during the QPR game and hooked him after just 28 minutes.
It's a funny thing that there's a saying in football, "You're only as good as your last game" ...... totally forgetting that Steady Eddie was a cornerstone of our promotion team, scored our equaliser at Wembley and started the new season where he'd left off.

After his QPR nadir, our Ben came back into the side away at Swansea - and must have been close to MoM. That showed resolve and a good attitude.
He's been solid enough in other appearances since - although with the emergence of Doughty, no longer has to fear the wingback role.


Purrington isn't a wing back, is he? But he's a decent enough LB in a '4 at the back' team and with a proper strength midfield in front of him. 
We can also see that most footballer's are confidence players. And without it they are a shadow of the player they were.

I think we've still to see plenty of Ben Purrington this season.

Tough, especially formation wise.

I think at home

Phillips

BR7_addick said:

Oggy Red said:

cafcfan1990 said:

Talal said:

ForeverAddickted said:

For me its...

Phillips
Matthews | Lockyer | Sarr or Pearce | Purrington
Cullen | Pratley | Davis
Williams
Bonne | Taylor

Bonne is still our joint top scorer so deserves to be starting
Williams of course wont play every game which is why its perfect to have McGeady and Oztumer
Sarr / Pearce alongside Lockyer depending on the type of team we're playing

Would be happy with that though I'd still like to try Doughty at left back. Think he's improving defensively and obviously offers so much going forward. Would be a risk though I guess so couldn't see Bowyer doing it. 

I agree. Not been impressed with Purrington this season and Doughty would give us some decent width going forward which is lacking with a diamond. Purrington just for me though, he’s still a decent player. 

Thing with Ben Purrington ........ he played well enough as a conventional flat back four LB in our 'great start' games before the injury curse struck - then playing despite carrying an injury himself and plainly struggling, before missing games as a result.

When he was just about fit enough to be picked again, we ended up playing 3 CBs and wingbacks, key players were missing and he was getting exposed and doubled up on. Our results were on the floor and so was his confidence.

"Purrington is crap", shouted everybody. Even his manager thought so during the QPR game and hooked him after just 28 minutes.
It's a funny thing that there's a saying in football, "You're only as good as your last game" ...... totally forgetting that Steady Eddie was a cornerstone of our promotion team, scored our equaliser at Wembley and started the new season where he'd left off.

After his QPR nadir, our Ben came back into the side away at Swansea - and must have been close to MoM. That showed resolve and a good attitude.
He's been solid enough in other appearances since - although with the emergence of Doughty, no longer has to fear the wingback role.


Purrington isn't a wing back, is he? But he's a decent enough LB in a '4 at the back' team and with a proper strength midfield in front of him. 
We can also see that most footballer's are confidence players. And without it they are a shadow of the player they were.

I think we've still to see plenty of Ben Purrington this season.

It’s a numbers thing with full backs, anyone who’s played the game will particularly in that position will tell you.  

If you’ve a decent midfield/attack that retains the ball it’s ten times easier.  If you’re attacked as a fullback 5 times in a game chances are you’ll do your job fairly well, if you’re attacked 50 times in a game you’re gonna get caught a few times/beaten/lapse in concentration and do something irrational.  

Purrington’s form dipped when the injuries crisis was at its peak, he’s really not that bad at all. 

BR7_addick .......  towards the end of my own playing days, I went from midfielder to full back, which gave me a new lease of life and plenty of defensive experience.

As you were saying, the more pressure you're under, especially when opponents are running through your midfield, the more chance of error - or sometimes just plain misfortune, ricochet, etc.

But the biggest problem is when your team is caught on the turnover, with no cover you're exposed and doubled up on, teams can pass around you. And that's been half of Purrington's problem this season.

I don't think Bowyer ever fielded the team he wanted to after the last window shut, for what ever reason.   I don't think Gallagher was in it. 

He might this time and I don't think it's been mentioned yet. 

Bowyer rates McGeady very highly and I think he will start more than he sits out when fit. 

AddicksAddict said:

If we're talking about the best we've had under Bowyer:

GK: Maxwell
RB: Matthews (Solly at his best was better but he hasn't been at his best for some time)
CB: Bauer
CB: Sarr
LB: Purrington (Page is a better player but he could break down 2s into the game so is too high a risk)
Midfield: Most likely in a diamond but this lot are good enough to play any combination
Bielik, Cullen, Gallagher, Williams 
Forwards: Taylor, Grant

Subs: 
Phillips
Dijksteel, Lockyer
Aribo, Pratley (this might be Davis when we've seen him play)
Fosu, Igor

If it's who we've got now:

Phillips
Matthews, Lockyer, Sarr, Purrington
Cullen, Williams, Pratley/Davis, Green
Taylor, Bonne

Subs: 
Amos
Field, Hemed, McGeady, Oztumer, Davis/Pratley, Doughty

You would choose Maxwell ahead of Phillips if we had both now?