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Selection problems for Scunthorpe...

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After last night I genuinely think Lambert has a real problem when it comes to choosing his starting XI. He''s always been the manager to play those who perform in training and then on the pitch, regardless of their reputation, and after last night I think a few players may feel hard done by.

Crofts looked our best players Friday night, scored a great goal and crossed in for Nelly''s 90th minute goal. His competition in Korey Smith had a blinder last night also... so who deserves the spot assuming they keep impressing in training? This competition will only be a very good thing :)

Who does everything think will get the nod on Saturday?

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I would expect to see Crofts back in, as Korey is still missing a bit of fitness after his injury, and 2 games in a week may be a bit too much, too soon.I wonder also, based on a good performance last night, that Lappin may be a better choice away from home, than Surman?

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As much as I like Korey and want him to be an important figure again this season I think it might be best for him to start on the bench against Scunthorpe.  Crofts played well against Watford and deserves to be picked again so he has to start and I don''t think Korey Smith is fully fit yet.

As for the Lappin or Surman debate I would go with Lappin.  Last night Drury and Lappin once again proved they have a very good partnership down the left and Drury looked a lot more comfortable last night with Lappin in front of him than Surman.  I think Surman will end up being a very good player for us but at the moment I think Lappin is best choice. 

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Cant really compare Lappin to Surman as thay are very different players, Lappin offers better defensive cover and as a result Drury looks better when Lappin plays as he isnt left wide open, but Surman offers so much more going forward than Lappin ever can.

Might be that Lambert will stick with Lappin for the away games and have Surman on the bench but i would be surprised !

 

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I think Lambert has a very diffiicult balancing act in the midfield department now and I think he knows this too after his comments on radio Norfolk after last nights game. He said that there were "other factors" besides the back four as to why we lost against Watford.

This in my opinion is eluding to the make-ip of the midfield.

I believe that within the diamond formation there can never be any less than 2 of the 4 four who are able to win the ball back when not in possession. Against Watford there just wasn''t enough of this type of player ,hence we were sliced apart all too often.

Lappin would have a strong claim after last night but you dont sign Surman and not play him. Crofts performance against Watford and in pre-season surely guarantees him a place, but where within the diamond is a point of debate.

Hoolahan is a definate ,which leaves Fox''s position under scrutinty in my opionion. It''s not that he isn''t a good player but as I earlier suggested we MUST contain at least 2 ball winners in that midfield , which is where Korey Smith comes into contention.

 therefore I believe it''s a straight choice between whether Smith or Crofts as to plays at the base or on the right of midfield or vice versa.

                                Crofts/Smith

           Smith/Crofts                      Surman

                                Hoolahan

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the same team as last night should play saturday. we managed to spread the play a lot more than friday and drury and martin were covered well by smith and lappin.

neither of them deserve to be left out on saturday.

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I think he''ll only make one change from last night and that will be Crofts back in Korey. As good as Korey was last night I think it would be highly unjust to drop a midfielder who scored a great goal and set up our 2nd against Watford.

I think it''s a matter of Fox/Smith for the holding role, and would expect Lappin to keep his place.

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Team for Saturday

Ruddy

R Martin

Nelson

Ward

Drury

K Smith

Fox

Lappin

Hoolahan

Holt

C Martin

So - the same as last night (don''t know why I didn''t just say that). Based on Smith and Lappin''s performances I feel Crofts and Surman will have to get their place back.

Crofts was good against Watford, but I stilll think Fox has been very good over the two games.Keeps us ticking along and passing is very swift and accurate. However, if Lambert feels he needs a ''destroyer'' away from home maybe I would recall Crofts for Fox. Korey Smith must play.

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But Pabs, Crofts didn''t get dropped last night, he was called up to the Wales squad so that is why Smith played.  It would be very harsh to drop Crofts on Saturday now because of this.

I don''t think Korey Smith is fit enough yet so that''s why I wouldn''t play him but does anyone think it would be worth swapping Crofts and Fox in there positions so Crofts is on the base and Fox is more on the right.  Crofts would be able to win the ball more there and Fox can still do lots of passing and stuff.

                               

            

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i am wondering if it isn''t time, given the players available, to switch formation. with our central defence so slow for this level, more cover is needed, and maybe a 4-2-3-1- formation could be the answer.

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[quote user="star_manic"]i am wondering if it isn''t time, given the players available, to switch formation. with our central defence so slow for this level, more cover is needed, and maybe a 4-2-3-1- formation could be the answer.[/quote]I thought that too, but I really wouldn''t drop Martin or Holt. [:(]

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i am wondering if it isn''t time, given the players available, to switch formation. with our central defence so slow for this level, more cover is needed, and maybe a 4-2-3-1- formation could be the answer.

ruddy

martin ward askou drury

crofts fox

holt hoolahoop surman

martin

as you can see, i believe it is time to give askou a chance to stake a claim.

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It is difficult to make a choice between players on the basis of how they performed - last Friday we played a decent championship team.

On Tuesday we played a side two divisions below, and the result might have been different if we had gone 2-0 down, when fatso hit the bar. As it was we escaped from gaol and went on to equalise asnd then draw in front. It''s easier to shine in these circumstances.

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A side two divisions lower is an unfair reflection. Whilst true, we were in the same league three months ago. One went up, one went down, and our side last night wasn''t that much different to the side that played them in league 1. I''d say the performance against Watford was more indicative of what''s ahead for us this season. We haven''t automatically become "a Championship team" just because we went up. While we play in the Championship, whether we''re good enough to say we''re a Championship team come the end of the season is still to be seen.

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I expect Crofts to return for Smith, but Lappin gives us a defensive strength on the left. Surman would have been an interesting watch last night when Lappin could have got forward more, but I think left side is the only difficult decision for Lambert.

I like the look of Fox - he always looks to play a decent pass and is good with the dead ball - just needs to show a bit more bite at times.

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Would expect the only change from the Watford game to be Holt in for Jackson.

I think he''ll probably stick with Surman although he could do with adding a bit of the urgency shown by Simon Lappin last night into his game.

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[quote user="GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary"]

I think Lambert has a very diffiicult balancing act in the midfield department now and I think he knows this too after his comments on radio Norfolk after last nights game. He said that there were "other factors" besides the back four as to why we lost against Watford.

This in my opinion is eluding to the make-ip of the midfield.

I believe that within the diamond formation there can never be any less than 2 of the 4 four who are able to win the ball back when not in possession. Against Watford there just wasn''t enough of this type of player ,hence we were sliced apart all too often.

[/quote]I didn''t see the Watford game but as a general rule I think that''s true. Last season the division between ball-winners and ball-players (using very rough terms) was normally 3:1 in favour of ball-winners. Against Watford it was the other way round. A 2:2 split looks more sensible.I suspect also that against Watford the problem was compounded by not having Holt to hold the ball up further up the field. That made Lambert''s 3:1 split in favour of ball-players even more questionable.If Holt is fit enough to start games that solves that particular problem for now, but it still raises the question of whether we should have some kind of Holt replacement in the squad, the difficulties of attracting such a player notwithstanding.

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Good point Salopian, we need our two strikers in the team though. i am worried about our central defense... The midfield, should stay the same as friday, although I think Korey is definitely staking a claim for  a place. But I''d keep him on the bench and see what the game brings on saturday. 

I think it''s all about our shaky defense and weither they can redeem themselves on saturday, because they''re gonna get stuffed if they defend like that against championship sides!

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people............ we were playing gillingham of league 2 last night.............. lappin has been found out at this level before, i believe korey smith when fit should sit at the base of the diamond in place of fox

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[quote user="simo86"]people............ we were playing gillingham of league 2 last night............ lappin has been found out at this level before, i believe korey smith when fit should sit at the base of the diamond in place of fox[/quote]Thank god for some sanity, well the first bit at least. Really cant see Lappin playing ahead of Surman under any circumstances other than injury or suspension, simply an inferior player (that was constantly being knocked last season but is now better than a former premiership player?). Yes he had a decent game last night against a league 2 team but would he really have covered for all the defensive mistakes against Watford? I dont think Surman can be blamed for the goals on friday and from what i saw of him going forward he looks fantastic so i dont understand the negativity.Smith hasnt played at the base of the diamond and did at RB in pre season so looks like it will either be RB or right of the midfield. He worked hard as always last night and contributed to some good moves but again against Gillingham and not a champ side. Crofts looked really good against Watford and scored a goal so again dont understand how there''s a debate at RM. Also Crofts offers too much attack wise to be considered replacing Fox at the base, only if Fox was injured etc would i want to see Crofts play there.All the questions seem to be about the midfield when i thought that was the strongest part of the game on friday and the one area that didnt need changing and seeing as 3 of the 4 were new players, simply need time to gel together as Fox, Crofts and Surman all look an improvement on what we had last season.The defence is the only worry imo. To have question marks over it after a game against a team 2 leagues below is for me by far the biggest issue even though there was an improvement from friday and also during the game last night. Thought it was a shame Askou didnt get a chance though can understand Lambert wanted to show a bit of faith in Ward and Nelson and not cause a panic by changing the back four after one blip (hopefully!). R.Martin and Drury were solid enough and decent going forward as usual and the CB pairing seem to be getting used to one another and show signs that they can play together, they were certainly reading the game better as it went on. Ward looked like he was getting closer to full fitness too.Holt and Martin were fantastic, enough said.So the only change id expect from the Watford game is Holt for Jackson as he really showed what we missed. With a bit of time i think the rest of the team will come good.

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I expect Crofts and Surman to start if fit.Holt and Martin will start up front.Smith and Lappin will make the bench.

 

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[quote user="Persnickety"][quote user="simo86"]people............ we were playing gillingham of league 2 last night............ lappin has been found out at this level before, i believe korey smith when fit should sit at the base of the diamond in place of fox[/quote]

Thank god for some sanity, well the first bit at least. Really cant see Lappin playing ahead of Surman under any circumstances other than injury or suspension, simply an inferior player (that was constantly being knocked last season but is now better than a former premiership player?). Yes he had a decent game last night against a league 2 team but would he really have covered for all the defensive mistakes against Watford? I dont think Surman can be blamed for the goals on friday and from what i saw of him going forward he looks fantastic so i dont understand the negativity.


[/quote]

Ok, well first of all, a lot of people seem to assume that the player at the base of the diamond has to tackle everything and be that kind of player. Perhaps Paul Lambert wants a ball player at the base of his diamond and if that is what he wants then he has got the right man in David Fox, he has already shown himself to be a very good footballer. He''s worked with Fox before, he knows what kind of player he is, he''s signed him for a particular role.

As for Lappin and Surman it''s pretty obvious that Surman is the more stylish player on the ball but Lappin is a pretty good player himself. He may not quite have the flair that we''re hoping to see from Surman but he does try to play the game the right way. The problem with Surmans performance against Watford was that he simply did not get himself involved enough and didn''t force the issue as much as he should. Lappin will be well worth his place when you need someone on the left side of the pitch who is going to run up and down for 90mins because I doubt you''re going to see that from Surman. It can''t always be lovely, free-flowing attractive football, sometimes you''re going to need a player in there who is going run his nuts off and get his kit dirty.

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[quote user="GJP"]

[quote user="Persnickety"][quote user="simo86"]people............ we were playing gillingham of league 2 last night............ lappin has been found out at this level before, i believe korey smith when fit should sit at the base of the diamond in place of fox[/quote]

Thank god for some sanity, well the first bit at least. Really cant see Lappin playing ahead of Surman under any circumstances other than injury or suspension, simply an inferior player (that was constantly being knocked last season but is now better than a former premiership player?). Yes he had a decent game last night against a league 2 team but would he really have covered for all the defensive mistakes against Watford? I dont think Surman can be blamed for the goals on friday and from what i saw of him going forward he looks fantastic so i dont understand the negativity.


[/quote]

Ok, well first of all, a lot of people seem to assume that the player at the base of the diamond has to tackle everything and be that kind of player. Perhaps Paul Lambert wants a ball player at the base of his diamond and if that is what he wants then he has got the right man in David Fox, he has already shown himself to be a very good footballer. He''s worked with Fox before, he knows what kind of player he is, he''s signed him for a particular role.

As for Lappin and Surman it''s pretty obvious that Surman is the more stylish player on the ball but Lappin is a pretty good player himself. He may not quite have the flair that we''re hoping to see from Surman but he does try to play the game the right way. The problem with Surmans performance against Watford was that he simply did not get himself involved enough and didn''t force the issue as much as he should. Lappin will be well worth his place when you need someone on the left side of the pitch who is going to run up and down for 90mins because I doubt you''re going to see that from Surman. It can''t always be lovely, free-flowing attractive football, sometimes you''re going to need a player in there who is going run his nuts off and get his kit dirty.

[/quote]

I certainly do believe that and am in pretty good company too. The best exponent of the diamond formation in recent years also happen to be the best team in England in Chelsea, if they believe they need such a player within that formation (i.e Makelele, Essien,Mikel), I would say that we would to?

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[quote user="GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary"][quote user="GJP"]

[quote user="Persnickety"][quote user="simo86"]people............ we were playing gillingham of league 2 last night............ lappin has been found out at this level before, i believe korey smith when fit should sit at the base of the diamond in place of fox[/quote]

Thank god for some sanity, well the first bit at least. Really cant see Lappin playing ahead of Surman under any circumstances other than injury or suspension, simply an inferior player (that was constantly being knocked last season but is now better than a former premiership player?). Yes he had a decent game last night against a league 2 team but would he really have covered for all the defensive mistakes against Watford? I dont think Surman can be blamed for the goals on friday and from what i saw of him going forward he looks fantastic so i dont understand the negativity.


[/quote]

Ok, well first of all, a lot of people seem to assume that the player at the base of the diamond has to tackle everything and be that kind of player. Perhaps Paul Lambert wants a ball player at the base of his diamond and if that is what he wants then he has got the right man in David Fox, he has already shown himself to be a very good footballer. He''s worked with Fox before, he knows what kind of player he is, he''s signed him for a particular role.

As for Lappin and Surman it''s pretty obvious that Surman is the more stylish player on the ball but Lappin is a pretty good player himself. He may not quite have the flair that we''re hoping to see from Surman but he does try to play the game the right way. The problem with Surmans performance against Watford was that he simply did not get himself involved enough and didn''t force the issue as much as he should. Lappin will be well worth his place when you need someone on the left side of the pitch who is going to run up and down for 90mins because I doubt you''re going to see that from Surman. It can''t always be lovely, free-flowing attractive football, sometimes you''re going to need a player in there who is going run his nuts off and get his kit dirty.

[/quote]

I certainly do believe that and am in pretty good company too. The best exponent of the diamond formation in recent years also happen to be the best team in England in Chelsea, if they believe they need such a player within that formation (i.e Makelele, Essien,Mikel), I would say that we would to?

[/quote]

But I think you''ll find that "tackle everything" is not the type of players Makelele, Essien and Mikel are and when playing for Chelsea that isn''t actually their job. They may operate at the base of the diamond but their job is to read and break up the play before distributing the ball and spreading the play, even if it is just a simple side foot pass out to a wide midfielder or a fullback. Sure they have to provide a bit of physical presence/put a tackle in where required but they''re not there just to jump into tackle after tackle.

Makelele is only a little chap and certainly was not a physical powerhouse in midfield but he just knew how to read the game and get in the right place before playing the correct pass. I would suggest that actually Paul Lambert has picked Fox knowing that he''s a good enough player to play that kind of "Makelele role".

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time will tell on that but I don''t believe that he will be up to preforming that role and the make up of our midfield will require a rethink.........otherwise we may see a few more ''Watfords'' this season.

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Poor comparison to make with the Chelsea players - they were not brought in to be tackling machines. They play in a similar way to Carrick - they read the game, they intercept and break play down, then play it simply out of defence and into good positions. Essien and Mikel in particular. They may tackle better than other players, but you misunderstand their role if you think they are just tackling midfielders.

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