Salopian

I hope they stay. It''s vital. Greeno is more likely to stay for the moment. Recent errors have porbably made that more likely, but once he gains more consistency, who knows....

He''s neither, but he''s a problem, and a match winner potentially. He''s a problem in that he determines the formation. If we want to play 4-4-2, to provde some cover on the left of midfield, then he is a striker who wanders and leaves the other striker very much on his own. If we play him wide on the left, with two other strikers up front, then we''re playing 4-3-3, and the left side tends to be wide open. He is always likely to make something happen, and on his day can leave even premiership fullbacks floundering. His would be the first name pencilled in on the team sheet, if I were manager, but I think he does cause the manager some head scratching. So far we haven''t tried 3-5-2, or have I forgotten it? Perhaps with four other midfielders, in a diamond or otherwise, we might make up for only three at the back. When Bentley was behind the strikers, in a diamond, we were too narrow, and several teams in the premiership have good wide men!

The Sky mini league could be misleading in one respect. The games the bottom four have played against each other are spread over the season to date. We played the Palace centuries ago! It could be argued that WBA have a better manager, some extra players, and are playing better of late. Our form has slumped, apart from the Everton game. There is everything to play for, and we need to get back to playing as we were earlier in the season. The mini league could look very different at the end of the season. Relegation could even be avoided over the last four or five games.

I  agree generally, although I am concerned that some, like Eddy, struggle at times for pace. My feeling is that Leon lacks is quick control. He can run with the ball only if he stands in acres of space to receive it, otherwise the opposition are on to him before he controls it.

Nobody is urging Shackle as a saviour - the rest of the defence is probably inadequate in any case. What we are saying is that he couldn''t do worse - we are conceding so many goals from errors and lack of concentration that it is worth a risk. He is tall, strong and quick, and a good passer out of defence.  He is not haunted by all the past failures this season, and is keen to make a mark. Add all these together, and it suggests that he could improve things. The other point is that he is the future, the present incumbents, except Doc, are long in the tooth and on the slow side. Whether or not we are relegated, there will have to be some team building, and we could get a measure of his ability at the highest level. He is thought good enough to be on the bench, he is not let us down in the centre of defence. Surely he is worth a game.

It''s beginning to look inevitable. We have now conceded three more goals than any other team, and scored more than only two others. Even when we win, we have had to score more than the defence had gifted away. This is not defeatism or pessimism, but realism. On Saturday, with two goals from goalkeeping errors and a further from a failure to clear from a set piece, we seemed to have no answer after a bright start. It would be fantastic, and in some ways a just reward, if we do stop up, but while the heart stays optimistic, rationally it really does not look likely. In fact, with the new players acquired by our relegation rivals, they are mostly stronger than they were and seem to have an edge on us. There has been a clamour for one or two of the younger players, especially Shackle, to be given a game. Would they do worse? They personally would gain, as we begin to think of team rebuilding. We have to achieve two things , - a resolute defence which concentrates for 90 minutes and strikers who can hit the target. Would a youngster  have less fear or be lacking for pace? Of the injured who may return at some point, only Bentley would seem to have it in him to make a major difference, and his return will surely be too late. Another posting today discussed which players should leave at the end of the season. Perhaps now is the time to give valuable experience to some younger ones - Shackle, Jarvis, Crow, in particular.

Couldn''t agree more! The defence is old, slow, and lacks concentration at times and gets out of position. Week after week we see goals from defensive errors. On Saturday we seemed to be defending against set pieces, but there were two defensive errors that led to the goals and there could have been another except that Green blocked Campbell''s shot. What we do about it is another matter. I feel that Shackle is quick enough and tall enough to offer a better prospect. He struggled at left back, but he did well last year against Earnshaw in the centre! Doherty may be improving, and he is good in the air, but he makes too many errors. Flem is whole hearted, but struggles at times. Even if we are relegated, I feel that we shall need new defenders in the lower division if we are not to leak too many goals again.

Fleming and Doherty must be tired and a little shell-shocked. Give Shackle a chance - he''s the future in whatever division we are next. He''s quick and doesn''t waste the ball! I like the effort of McKenzie, and his pace, but his conversion rate is very poor - two goals in how many games. I''d give Crow a chance.

Many people have observed that Hux is both one of the best players, and a problem. He is not a striker in the conventional sense, and seems to have lost his confidence in any case. The big question is, where do we play him? He is not a wide midfield player, and leaves the left side rather exposed, although on Saturday, when we eventually seemed to become 4-3-3, we did seem more balanced. When Stuart gains fitness, and perhaps Helveg or Safri play, we may have more creativity in the midfield. But a three-man midfield of whom two are Holt and Francis are likely to be overrun, and are short on creativity anyway. Moreover, unless Eddy gets forward, with Saturday''s team it was difficult to see any worthwhile crosses coming from the right. We are lop-sided. I think that we need a defensive midfielder, whether Holt or Safri, with a mission to break up attacks and relieve pressure on a rather slow back four, and we need someone who can release Hux and the two strikers. Could Stuart do it?