Team changes for Newcastle?

[Big Vince 318]

[quote user="lake district canary"]"Don''t change a winning team" is an age old saying, but for Wednesday, maybe a little tweaking could be necessary?   We are not yet playing consistently well and although results are there and the last away performance was excellent - maybe time to bring back Tettey?  Or Naismith for his experience in big matches?   This is Newcastle away and while they are just another championship club, they have players who can cause more problems than most of the rest of the division.  Those that have seen the last few matches, would you put in Tettey for Dorrans - or is he playing well enough to keep Tettey out?  Would you bring in Thompson or Mulumbu?  The memory of last season''s visit is fresh in all our minds, I''m sure, so a good strong defence and robust midfield is going to be important. How about a 4411 -               McGovern    Pinto Martin Klose OlssonHowson Tettey Thompson Dorrans                Ja Murphy                 OliveiraStrong midfield, leaving out Wes, but Jacob is more likely to be able to do something on the break.  So defend strong and look for a breakaway goal.  What do you think should be the changes, if any?

 [/quote]

Going to get hammered at Toon. How do you propose to defend strong with the likes of Martin and Pinto? Martin can''t defend in any position and Pinto is a wing back only.

[lappinitup 629]

[quote user="Big Vince"]Going to get hammered at Toon. How do you propose to defend strong with the likes of Martin and Pinto? Martin can''t defend in any position and Pinto is a wing back only.[/quote]We''ve got the Murphy''s Vinnie, you''ve sold yours. [:D]

[Big Vince 318]

[quote user="lappinitup"][quote user="Big Vince"]Going to get hammered at Toon. How do you propose to defend strong with the likes of Martin and Pinto? Martin can''t defend in any position and Pinto is a wing back only.[/quote]We''ve got the Murphy''s Vinnie, you''ve sold yours. [:D][/quote]

The Murphys aren''t defenders.

[lappinitup 629]

[quote user="Big Vince"][quote user="lappinitup"][quote user="Big Vince"]Going to get hammered at Toon. How do you propose to defend strong with the likes of Martin and Pinto? Martin can''t defend in any position and Pinto is a wing back only.[/quote]We''ve got the Murphy''s Vinnie, you''ve sold yours. [:D][/quote]

The Murphys aren''t defenders.[/quote]The Toon won''t score while they''ve got the ball though. Will your Daryl be on the bench Blue Rinse?

[Big Vince 318]

[quote user="lappinitup"][quote user="Big Vince"][quote user="lappinitup"][quote user="Big Vince"]Going to get hammered at Toon. How do you propose to defend strong with the likes of Martin and Pinto? Martin can''t defend in any position and Pinto is a wing back only.[/quote]We''ve got the Murphy''s Vinnie, you''ve sold yours. [:D][/quote]

The Murphys aren''t defenders.[/quote]The Toon won''t score while they''ve got the ball though. Will your Daryl be on the bench Blue Rinse?[/quote]

Looks like purple rinse to me............

[lappinitup 629]

Let''s try this then.....[8]Always shyte on the old blue and white[8][<:o)]

[Van wink 2,994]

That''s some monster you''ve dragged up there Lapps. 😀

[Feedthewolf 4,844]

[quote user="Jools"][quote user="Feedthewolf"]Even though we have two tough away games three days apart, I don''t think we should change anything for Wednesday with Saturday in mind. Any changes should be based only on what will work best against Newcastle. Agree that Brady looked exhausted, really don''t think he can start Wednesday and Saturday.With that in mind, what about:McGovernPinto Martin Klose OlssonDorrans TetteyJacob Howson PritchardJeromeThen Howson can drop deeper to support Dorrans and Tettey where required. Wes, Brady, Josh and Nelson on the bench should offer enough options to change it up if required. Wes is playing superbly at the moment, but ''horses for courses'' – Pritchard can offer the creativity, and Jacob the pace.[/quote]Newcastle are likely to field a 4-4-1-1 with pacey wingers in Ritchie & Gouffron, so it''ll be Pinto & Olsson who will be required to stay deeper than usual -- Howson will remain deeper in the double pivot with either Dorrans or Tettey -- we do not need seven players playing defensively - it''s Newcastle not Bayern München [:|][/quote]It''s about finding the best way to win. Just putting forward an alternative that gives us a bit more bite in midfield, with Howson as opposed to Hoolahan in the hole. Dorrans is the best distributor of the ball from deep, and Tettey is the best we have for breaking up the play, so they''re the most natural deep-lying partnership IMO. If Tettey hadn''t been injured, I doubt Howson and Dorrans would''ve played together - that it worked is another positive, and another combination we can use in games where we want to win by craft rather than force. We need to be able to do both to be successful in this division.All it means is that if we''re on the back foot, our number 10 is better equipped to come back and get stuck into the midfield battle if required. I think Neil is bound to have at the back of his mind what happened last time we went to Newcastle and tried to play too expansively.

[lake district canary 4,531]

[quote user="hogesar"][quote user="lake district canary"]How about a 4411 -               McGovern    Pinto Martin Klose OlssonHowson Tettey Thompson Dorrans                Ja Murphy                 OliveiraStrong midfield, leaving out Wes, but Jacob is more likely to be able to do something on the break.  So defend strong and look for a breakaway goal.  What do you think should be the changes, if any? [/quote]

Whilst I think you''re probably just having a bit of a laugh with this, we''re not going to play this type of formation or team for several reasons..

1) We''ll have lost the width provided by Pinto and Olsson as they''ll have defensively minded midfielders in front of them as opposed to space created by a narrow attacking 3.

2) Jacob has been good but expecting him to cause problems by himself against Newcastle is probably a bit optimistic. His best performances tend to come alongside his link-up play with the likes of Hoolahan.

3) If we play the midfield you suggest we would need Hoolahan as the link up between midfield and attack.

4) Starting Oliveira without Hoolahan would be suicidal. We would have no way of stretching the Newcastle back line and their defence would love us to play a Striker who has no real pace and will be facing towards his own goal for the most part. Jacob will end up too deep and doesn''t have the strength or aerial ability to be the outlet - he''ll struggle to hold onto the ball for long enough for our support to join in - we''ll naturally be deep with no real wingers.

5) I wouldn''t personally drop Dorrans.

[/quote]

Ok, Hog. I''m not having a laugh.  This is a game that means a heck of a lot to both teams this season.  If either side wins, it gives that side a huge boost.  I am opting for a cautious team.  But taking your points, 1) Pinto and Olsson can still get forwards with Howson and Dorrans in front of them.  Dorrans particularly can slot in behind Olsson if he goes forwards.   The four across midfield I''ve  suggested is obviously flexible to allow Howson or Dorrans to get forwards when possible and allow for overlapping full backs.  Four across the middle can become three and can become two if the game allows.   Dorrans is no slouch on the left wing and Howson has played on the right mny times for us.  2) Jacob would of course benefit from having Hoolahan with him, but the speed of a breakaway goal is right up his street and if he is patient and ready when the chance comes to break,  it could be an effective weapon.  3)  I wouldn''t play Wes in this game to start with. The pace of Newcastle will make it a tough game to shine in imo.  4)  Jerome or Oliveira are going to find it tough. They may get little service and will need to hold up the ball.  I think that suits Oiveira more than Jerome.  Why he needs particularly Wes there I don''t know, because with Howson and Dorrans getting up to support the attacks when possible, there should be enough links.  I envisage Jacob being given a free role to go right left or central.  5) We agree on Dorrans.Look, I know nothing, these are just ideas. But they are ideas based on how we played in the championship last time under AN so successfully away from home and with most of the same players. Bringing in Thompson is a bit left field, I grant you, but he has been brought on from the bench and is obviously  capable player, so if AN wanted to play two banks of four, he or Mulumbu would surely be in there. 

[Crabbycanary3 994]

I would like;

Ruddy

Pinto, Bennett (to take on the headers!), Klose, Olsson

Tettey

Howson, Hoolahan

Murphy, CamJam, Murphy

Canos, and Brady on bench (plus a few more)

Unleash both Murphys, and let them run riot, and then think about Canos and Brady, later on, to cover the wide positions. Simples

[lake district canary 4,531]

[quote user="Crabbycanary3"]I would like;

Ruddy

Pinto, Bennett (to take on the headers!), Klose, Olsson

Tettey

Howson, Hoolahan

Murphy, CamJam, Murphy

Canos, and Brady on bench (plus a few more)

Unleash both Murphys, and let them run riot, and then think about Canos and Brady, later on, to cover the wide positions. Simples[/quote]

Would love to see both Murphys starting.  Unlikely, I think, but I do think the team selection is going to be a surprise tonight.We''ll see!   

[BroadstairsR 2,138]

I would bench Hoolahan and bring Tettey back in if possible (otherwise Mulumbu.)

This is one away game where we have to be a little bit more defensively minded to start with. The 1p5swich game was emphatically not (cue: Mulumbu in at the expense of a wide man.)

We have two tough games in four days. That''s a lot for Wes''s ageing legs surely and feel he''s best rested and ready for the Huddersfield game although it doesn''t seem so long ago that it was mooted that saving him just for home games might be a more fitting use of the player in his twilight days.

Such is the quality of his swansong that he''s probably now the first name on the team sheet, although not this time for me.

[Hairy Canary 668]

Just one change for me, Tetty in for Wes and Howson looking to use that cover to push forward more than he has been.

[morty 0]

Mulumbu isn''t available.

[BroadstairsR 2,138]

"Mulumbu isn''t available."

Sicknote?

Is Tettey?

[morty 0]

Yes, Tettey is.

[Essjayess 307]

I see Alex said its a great time to be playing Newcastle, hes right.  Regardless what the team selection is, regardless even of the result, we will remain in the top two. At season start i think every fan of every club were looking to see when the Toon away fixture would be, knowing its the most difficult fixture to face, although having lost at home twice before end of September gives all clubs hope.But for City, Newcastle away has always been a very messy fixture result wise, even more so after last season, will be glad its out the way after tonight. Result could well hinge on Rafa''s team selection as much as AN''s, as his rotation policy seems to give more than a few unexpected results.

[curious yellow 184]

Maybe a chance for Thompson?

[The Bristol Nest 513]

Broadstairs. I know Wes is getting on a bit but i don''t think that he needs the next two months off!

[BroadstairsR 2,138]

"Broadstairs. I know Wes is getting on a bit but i don''t think that he needs the next two months off!"

Ha ha.

L''m really a binner and my secret is out at last.

Wolvo on Sky then, just as tough imo.

[lake district canary 4,531]

[quote user="curious yellow"]Maybe a chance for Thompson?[/quote]That was my thought too. In with Tettey and Dorrans would make a pretty solid midfield.

[Katie Borkins 1]

This is not a game for a debut. Especially after we lost our heads last season, Neil will go for calm heads and experience in the middle.

[daly 500]

[quote user="Katie Borkins"]This is not a game for a debut. Especially after we lost our heads last season, Neil will go for calm heads and experience in the middle.[/quote]

Need a calm head Maybe should have signed Theresa May