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Duffman

Centre Backs this weekend.....

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I know its early and we don''t know exactly who is or isn''t 100% fit but lets assume that Barnett, Nelson and Whitbread are ready for Saturday.

I''m struggling to work out which partnership would work best....they all have cases.

Nelson = Shut out QPR and hasn''t put a foot wrong when called upon this season

Whitbread = Shut out QPR and looked every bit a proper footballing defender against LO on Saturday. Very similar to Ward in being comfortable on the ball

Barnett = Been awesome all season and had 1 poor''ish game against Pompey

I guess its a good problem to have and if they all stay fit then its going to get harder when Ward comes back in the next week or so.

So, who gets the nod this week and who do you see as the long term partnership for the rest of the season?

I genuinely can''t call it so was interested to see what other peoples thoughts were

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I think Nelson and Whitbread would be best (just because the one partnership they had, went really well, why not test it again?) but will probably be Whitbread and Barnett....

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I don''t think you ever change the back 4 unless its injury or you are chasing a game.

The only thing that makes me think Barnett will play is that Chopra is quick, Nelson and Whitbread are awesome in the air and QPR didn''t have a real pacey striker who would look to run in behind them but with Chopra you know he will always play on the shoulder. A foot race between him and Nelson would just be cruel. I reckon on current form Russell Martin will be fine with Bellamy especially with the whole crowd up for it and will be cheering everytime he makes a tackle on him.

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OK, how about all 3. R Martin as Right wing back, Drury as left wing back (to be replaced after an hour because of the work rate required) a central 3 of Wes, Crofts and Lansbury, Holt and Martin up front. Martin dropping slightly off Holt and interchanging. We''d have to play through midfield on the floor at least and I think Lansbury and Wes would thrive on that.

What do we think?

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This is a really tricky one. I think Nelson should definitely get a start though because just what has the guy done to warrant being dropped? He came back into the side against Coventry not having played in ages and we won the game. I dont like pointing fingers but if anything Ward was at fault for the goal we conceded to Marlon King in that one. He got a goal against Sheffield United and helped us shut out QPR. Then played a big part in us getting (what I believe) was a decent point at Boro.

My other selection would be Barnett as this would continue to simply allow Whitbread to settle back in from injury gently. What happens when Ward is also fit is anyone''s guess. Its a fantastic turnaround though from the Roeder days where we often went into games without any recognised central defenders.

Once Ward is also fit again it might be a good idea to try and get Askou off the wage bill in January. Its very unlikely he will get offered a new deal I would have thought. Nelse I reckon is definitely worth another year at least.

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Barnett, though he takes a little while to really get going, gives us a bit more athleticism and speed at the back. I''d combine him with Nelson, who to his immense credit never seems to let us down no matter what team we seem to be up against. Whitbread is starting to show signs of being a non-injured, competant centre half, but is still less familiar with the rest of the defence than our other guys. Keep him on the bench to play a similar role like he did for QPR.

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Whitbread and Barnett for me. Staggering to think that a few weeks ago some posters were suggesting terminating Zak''s contract!

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[quote user="Duffman"]

Whitbread = Shut out QPR and looked every bit a proper footballing defender against LO on Saturday. Very similar to Ward in being comfortable on the ball [/quote]

I didn''t think he was anything special on the ball against Orient. No different to what you''d see Michael Nelson do, to be honest.

 

He often had plenty of time on the ball because Orient only had one up top and infact once or twice his knocks out from the back had Chris Martin shaking his head with disappointment.

 

Perhaps there''s more to come from him in that department but so far he doesn''t look notably any better than any of the others (well, apart from Askou).

 

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Tricky. Chopra has some pace but i''d be more wary of his aerial prowess which makes me favour Nelson. Then again, Bellamy could make the Admiral look a little silly if he wanted to!

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So we''re discounting Ward being fit to return..?

If no Ward, then Barnett and Whitbread for me. If Ward''s fit, then Ward and Barnett, although as we''re finding, Lambert''s got quite a selection poser on his hands.

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I think I''d have to have Barnett in the team for the way he attacks the ball but also because he has clearly got more pace than the others and will have a better chance of recovering situations.

 

But who goes with him out of Nelson and Whitbread is a very tough one to call, I''d be happy with either of them.

 

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[quote user="city till i die"]nelson and whitbread for me - when barnett plays we let in goals...... look at the stats!! but i do love barny so can we play all 3[/quote]

That''s my choice too. Barnett has looked suspect on occasions (eg: Ipswich) whereas the others have been more dependable, and Nelson scores goals, although of course Whitbread may be lacking fitness.  

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