Why would you continually leave out your most influential midfielder?

[PurpleCanary 5,553]

[quote user="nutty nigel"]I agree with what you''re saying Purple but the fact that Jim states ALL our managers get it wrong makes him being right more unlikely. But not impossible.

I think what happened at Newcastle is a very good point. But it seems that Jim is implying Wes should always play unless he''s replacing Tettey.[/quote]Nutty, Jim will answer for himself on that. I had already given my view on the Hoolahan Question and moved on to this broader argument, which was much debated here some time ago, as to whether amateurs can ever know better than professionals. In crude terms I don''t agree with Jim on Hoolahan, but the idea that he or anyone else must be wrong - that they can never know better - because they have never been a football manager is nonsense. It is a kind of infantilism, like holding on to nurse.

[Syteanric 1]

because Alex Neil is the manager and he knows what’s best.If we win when Wes isn''t playing no one gives a hoot.

[iron_stan 0]

the problem is everyone knows if hes in the team and you can contain him then you basically shut us downand he gives the ball away too much which usually ends up in a counter attack and a goalgreat player, too old, needs replacing but an upgrade on that sort of number 10 wont be cheap, and the board are cheap

[mre2 1]

He is not too old he still has at least a couple of years left in him. He has not suffered any major injuries and his game is not built around out and out speed of which are the things that most curtail players careers. Also the fact that he doesn''t play every game will help prolong his career as it keeps him fresh and lessens the chance of injury.

I think finding a replacement is going to be very hard as there are so few players in his mold. If a player doesn''t process the all round quality of a Silva or Hazard then its very difficult for them to get a chance as they are considered too lightweight. Just look at Wes he didn''t get a chance to play in the professional game until he was 24 and then that was only with Livingston.

[Jim Smith 2,314]

You make a very good point OP. There we were at Newcastle 3 2 down but well on top and Wes came on to change the game and so he did.

It is players for certain situations and as Bournemouth are finding out and we have already found out attack teams at this level and get destroyed. Unfortunately like it or not the only way to get points in a lot of games in the PL is set up and frustrate. I am sure Benteke and Sturridge would get into our team but Liverpool yesterday set up with no strikers and scored 4 away from home, Leicester dropped their main striker at the time when they came here.

Football has changed unless you are 1 of the top sides you get destroyed if you go out to attack teams. If we were in the championship we would be one of those top sides and sure we could attack every game but not in the PL.

WBB

What changed the game was taking our only defensive midfielder off. Not bringing Hoolahan on. Had he come on for Dorrans I am sure it would have been very different.

My basic point is that I don''t agree that dropping Wes makes us more defensively solid because we lose the ability to retain possession and take pressure off ourselves. We also have less attacking nous for the opposition to worry about. I also think it''s a complete myth that he gives the ball away a lot and costs us goals on the counter. Howson has done that recently twice, I can''t recall the last time it happened due to Hoolahan.

He was in amazing form earlier in the season and we have basically responded by not playing him away from home. The only times we have were at West Ham and Everton, by far our best away displays in recent weeks.