Team for Saturday

         Mannion
Ramsay, Burke, Jones, Bell
             Coady
Clarke, Rankin- Costello, Docherty,
          Dykes, Godden 

if needed after 60 minutes bring on
Schienjie got Burke, Février for Docherty Kerman  for Godden

                         Mannion
            Ramsey     Jones       Bell   
Clarke                                          Fevrier
                   Coady    Doc     
                           TC
               Dykes             Godden


subs
Chambers
Coventry
Kaminski
Leaburn
Carey
Kelman
Gillesphy
Fullah

Elthamaddick said:

                          Mannion
            Ramsey     Jones       Bell   
Clarke                                          Chambers
                   Coady    Coventry     
                           Carey
               Dykes             Kelman


subs
Kaminski
Burke (or Collins if fit)
Doc
Leaburn
TC
Godden
Gillesphy
Fullah

I've probably forgotten someone
                      

That would be extremely harsh on Doc . Despite our results , he’s been our best player the last two games . 

I'd like to see Dykes with Godden or Kelman and TC on the same team. Otherwise, our attacking tactic board will just have one bullet point: Long throw.

I would go with;

                      Mannion
Clarke  Ramsay  Jones  Bell  Chambers
                      Coady
                  Doc       JRC
                Dykes   Kelman

Subs;
Brooks
Gillesphey
Burke
Fevrier
Coventry
Carey
Campbell
Godden
Leaburn

But I expect NJ will play Carey & Campbell instead of Coady & Kelman.

The lineup will be how it usually is, I'm not too bothered about that, but I would like there to be more of a plan for how to manage the game as it goes on. At the start of the season we had the two second shift strikers. TC and Kelman would start then Leaburn and Tanto would come on, usually one after 60 and the other after 70-odd minutes and we'd give the opposition different problems to deal with defensively. Knibbs would come on to ruin injury time for the opposition and we'd change up our midfield for fresh legs. Maybe we'd bring on Gillesphey to see things out. The set-up remained consistent, just the profiles of the players would change.

Recently it's felt much less like we're running through a planned set of changes and more like we're just desperately trying to throw anything at getting a goal. We'll swap one striker, but then we'll bring Chambers off for another striker and move TC to LWB which will affect our balance there, then Coventry will come off for another attacker and our base is gone and we're just slinging the ball into the box desperately if we can get hold of it at all. Maybe we'll bring off Clarke or TC for another attacking player. By the end our shape is basically 415 and we're praying for a knock down in the box rather than building sustained pressure and it hasn't led to goals for us at all.

I've been thinking recently about how our previous specialty - scoring late, late goals - has completely dried up in the new year. In the first half of the season we scored 6 injury time goals in 23 games which won us 7 extra points (we were already 2-0 up against Blackburn and we don't talk about the Fratton Park one). Following that we've managed 1 in the following 19 games, which won us a point against Oxford. Even that was the result of one of their defenders losing his mind and giving away a daft penalty. We used to be relentless, we kept going in the same organised setup, having opposition attacks break against us and then using our superior fitness and an aggressive mentality to suddenly come alive at the death and force a goal. We don't do that anymore though, instead we switch up in a way that robs us of any rhythm and becomes about praying when the ball drops in the box we have enough attackers on the pitch that one of them will be able to poke the ball home but I really think we'd be better off keeping our shape, wearing teams down and then exploding at the end. It's been a much more effective strategy for us over the past two seasons and it's weird that we seem to have completely abandoned it, especially for something that hasn't led to more points.

Coady is not available 14 days minimum the earliest he’ll be back is Ipswich.

LargeAddick said:

cazo said:

Coo ady is not available 14 days minimum the earliest he’ll be back is Ipswich.

I tend to agree but having read the FA 'guidance' on the subject it's a bit open to interpretation.

Well I hope I’m wrong but will see.

If Knibbs was fitter I’d be tempted to drop Carey for this.  Sounds insane but I think he’s been poor for a long time.  Knows he’s a guaranteed starter and unless he scores, I think he goes through the motions

sort of game he needs to step up in on Saturday 

Mannion

Clarke  Ramsay Jones Bell Chambers

Doch Cov
Carey

Dykes Godden 

cabbles said:

Whichever permutation you go for, I find the midfield three so uninspiring 

I like the midfield three but I agree , they are uninspiring. The lack of quality if frightening compared to most other teams in this division and I think Jones now knows that.