team for sat

[bailojnr 0]

                          green

helveg      charlton         shackell      drury

             safri                     holt

                         francis

                        huckerby (roaming)

            mckenzie           ashton

[DumbleDelia is Magic 0]

Charlton won''t be playing.  Would have thought it''ll be

          Greeno

Helveg  Flem  Shacks  Drury

Jonson/stuart Holt Damo Hucks

    Deano  Leon

Not sure who he''ll pick out of Jonson and Stuart.  Jonson hopefully

[ZLF 271]

Love the defence  but hate the midfield - far too immobile and no city team should have both safri and holt in it and playing 3 against Boltons 5 is sheer madness, we havent dominated enough in midfield anyway with conceeding this sort of possession.

Sticking to 4-4-2 i would go

Green

Helveg Charlie (or Doc) Shackell Drury    

Stuart     Safri   Francis            Jonson

         huckerby    Ashton

Subs

Ward Leon, Holt, McVeigh Doc/Charlie

I would be happy with Jonson and Hux on the wings given Leons current form (I think stuart and francis in the middle would work well for us) but still think above is a better containing and attacking team overall

I expect worthy to go with

Green

Eddy   Flem  Shacks   Drury  

Stuart Holt  Francis  Huckerby

        Leon   Ashton  

 

OTBC

[Tore Raaen 0]

Well, bailojnr....Interesting, but we all know that won''t happen..

First of all, Charlton will not start, as Shackell is impressing and Drury playing pretty well..

Some people on this site feel Fleming should be dropped....Can''t say I disagree, but deep down I feel Worthy will NOT replace him....

Helveg (if he is fit) may replace Eddie, but that''s impossible to say.

So in defence: Eddie/Helveg, Fleming, Shackell, Drury.

In midfield there are several options, though I feel there''s no GOOD options.

Most likely: Francis and Holt in center.(Man, what the hell is Holt doing in our team) Safri may replace Holt, and that is about time, but again impossible to say what''s going on in the head of Worthy..

And Hucks on the left and Jonnson (I guees his ban is over?)on the right...

McKenzie has been impressing, so he will without a doubt start upfront with Deano...

Tore

 

[Campbell 0]

I pray that Edworthy and Fleming are dropped, giving us:

Green

Helveg
Doherty/Charlton
Shackell
Drury

Jonson
Holt
Francis

Huckerby

McKenzie
Ashton

What we''ll get:

Green

Edworthy
Fleming
Shackell
Drury

Stuart
Holt
Francis

Huckerby

McKenzie
Ashton

[Anderz 0]

Or how about:

                      Green

     Fleming      Shackell     Charlton

 Edworthy          Holt            Drury

            Safri               Francis     

             Ashton       Huckerby

Subs: Gallacher, McKenzie, Doherty, Jonson/Stuart, Helveg

[Stella Canary 0]

Worthy will go unchanged for Saturday - He should drop Flem for Charlton and drop Holt but he won''t and who would we bring in instead of Holt - Safri???? no thanks

It''s a tough one - but at this stage of the season I think we are all aware that very few members of our squad have what it takes.

I hope Bentley can get back in for the last month or so of the season.

nevermind - I''ll still be there on Saturday whatever team Worthy goes with - June is on it''s way and that means no football

[allways travelling 0]

stella canary how can you call safri we aint seen enough of him i think he is decent given a proper run out. fleming is slower than malky was. thats who we should be moaning about dont think we would have leaked as many if flem had gone to west ham instead of malky.  

[Stella Canary 0]

[quote]stella canary how can you call safri we aint seen enough of him i think he is decent given a proper run out. fleming is slower than malky was. thats who we should be moaning about dont think we would ...[/quote]

There''s a reason we haven''t seen enough of Safri - and what I''ve seen is plenty!,  he''ll do a job for us in the Championship but he is well out of his depth in the Prem.

[Tumbleweed 106]

I would actually go for 4-5-1:

Eddy Flem Shacks Drury

Stuart  Francis  Safri  Holt Huckerby

Ashton

......but I know Nigel prefers 4-32-3 to 4-5-1.

Flem will play as Nigel has shown no inclination to drop hm.

My plan would be to dominate midfield and instruct Hux and Francis to get up to support Ashton. Ashton has shown he can hold the ball up and with Francis and Hux both capable of getting into scoring positions should not be left isolated too much. The alternative would be for Safri to do  what  Makalele does for Chelsea and go 4-1-4-1

With Leon on the bench we could revert to 4-4-2 if its not working.

[Ayrton Twigge 0]

Latest news following Worthy''s successful trial of his cloning machine.

Team will be

Green

Fleming Fleming Fleming Fleming 

Holt Holt  Holt

Huckerby

Leon   Ashton  

[YankeeCanary 0]

I actually think this could work AT. Four Fleming statues positioned strategically in a 25 yard diameter defensive circle and three Holts, with a 15 yard space between themselves, racing continuously around the Fleming circle. The opponents stand frozen, with hands on hips, totally mesmerised, while our magical forward trio heads up the other end to pop in three or four goals, before resting and joining the applause for the carnival at the other end. Of course, we must not get careless and forget to allow for stoppage time.

[Kent Canary 0]

[quote]Or how about: Green Fleming Shackell Charlton Edworthy Holt Drury Safri &n[/quote]

I quite like that formation Anderz, its certainly something different though I doubt we will shake it up that much this late in the season.

[essexcanary 0]

i love evryones suggestions of bringing in helveg and safri. we are forgetten something though, this is NIGEL WORTHINGTON we are talkin about. He will never play helveg above eddie now or even think about playing Safri and dropping holt.  Why would we play safri, its not like he can pass the pass as well as holt (being sarcastic).  worthy will probaly play jonson becasue he scores SO many as well!!

my team for sat:

 

[essexcanary 0]

i love evryones suggestions of bringing in helveg and safri. we are forgetten something though, this is NIGEL WORTHINGTON we are talkin about. He will never play helveg above eddie now or even think about playing Safri and dropping holt.  Why would we play safri, its not like he can pass the pass as well as holt (being sarcastic).  worthy will probaly play jonson becasue he scores SO many as well!!

my team for sat:

            green

eddie     shacks   charlton   drury

               safri

 helveg               francis

              hucks

ashton           mckenzie

[ZLF 271]

[quote]I would actually go for 4-5-1: Eddy Flem Shacks Drury Stuart Francis Safri Holt Huckerby Ashton ......but I know Nigel prefers 4-32-3 to 4-5-1. Flem will play as Nigel has shown no inclination...[/quote]

I do quite like that shape against Bolton TW, 4-5-1 could work as long as the midfield keeps its shape and Hux does the defensive bit.

Personally I would play Jonson instead of Holt (ineffective chasing of the ball and passing to people in non yellow shirts enormously out number the number of times he wins the ball back as a defensive ''ball winning'' midfield enforcer) and have J wide right, with Francis Stuart and Safri in central midfield, with as you suggest, Safri making the most of his limited mobility by playing a sweeping role in front of the back four - similar to Makelele or Carsley for Everton.  

This is effectivelythe system that worked so well in the second half against the trotters earlier in the season so could work again.  Last time we had Bents, Jonson and Hux behing Sven,  this time it could be Hux, Jonson and Stuart behind Ashton - bring home the three points!

Controlling the ball, having possession, not giving it away and getting it back easily would make the defences job much easier, and playing our best defenders would actually help - but that does not seem to be our bosses way at the moment...

OTBC

[Tumbleweed 106]

Indeed Zipper, Nigel''s only tactics other than traditional 4-4-2 seem to be (a) 4-3-3 which has been a catastrophe in the Prem leaving our midfield hugely exposed and our defence overwhelmed, or (b) play a deep 4-4-2 allowing territorial dominance to the opposition with not enough pace to break forward other than Hux.

We have some useful blocking midfielders who are too often left standing for pace- why not use them all and ask the slower ones to cover less ground while the younger fitter ones support the lone man. Its a tactic that Sir Alex has used quite successfully many times and Mourinho also with Drogba as a target. OK they have better players but the principle is the same.

Probably agree with Jonno in on the right, perhaps put Stuart in place of Holt who lacks Stuarts passing and composure.

While I think we need to play our own game we do need to be more mindful of the strengths of opponents and Bolton''s physicality could overwhelm us if we try just to match them 1 on 1.

3 points on Sat would put the cat amongst the pigeons for those above us, while anything less would really reinforce our current thinking on next years'' destinations. I would love Nigel to take a bit of a calculated risk- its virtually a no-lose situation.

[allways travelling 0]

tumbleweed leon on the bench. did you watch him last game and the previous one  goals in two games shame on you do you not think his on form. him and ashton up front a must we have got to win sat. 

[ZLF 271]

[quote]tumbleweed leon on the bench. did you watch him last game and the previous one goals in two games shame on you do you not think his on form. him and ashton up front a must we have got to win sat.[/quote]

Leon did have one of his best games of the season (good header for the goal against Chelski - should have done it 20 mins later though and we may have got a point but thats a different discussion entirely!) but as always failed to deliver much quality in the last third of the pitch and failed to hold on to the ball enough; as usual  he ran his heart out.  He is improving but is still well short of the standard needed.

I think TW is making the point that having 5 in midfield will sheild the defence from the aggressive appoach of Bolton and with good support from that midfield going forward we may be able to create enough chances to win the game - going 4-4-2 will leave the midfield exposed down the left flank as Huckerby is not good enough defencively -thats not a criticism but a fact and we all want him doing what he does best and week in week out - attacking the opponent not running from 80 yards away from their goal.  If the midfield 4 becomes three as they cover the left both the middle and right side of midfield get stretched as the 3 move across giving bolton 5 on three as they do play with 5 in the middle.  They also push their fullbacks on which would overload Drury/Eddy too much and would lead to us conceeding teh inevitable goal.

Blackburn and palace are ahead of us not because of the goals they have score but the goals we have conceeded.  They have tightened up at the back and we need to do the same.  Playing 4-5-1 (I have just convinced myself here TW!) gives us some security defensively and keeps our attacking players in place to sneak that elusive away goal - the last one was 5 games ago on new years day...

I agree it would be harsh to drop Leon (2 goals in 2 games makes him a form striker) but sometimes you need a team to beat a particular opponent - and 4-5-1 looks best to beat Bolton (working well in the home game)  In which case who should be the one?  Ashton IMO holds the ball up far more effectively that Leon and so gets the starting berth...  harsh but thats footie. 

OTBC 

[Tumbleweed 106]

I agree with you that leon has done very well recently. However the main thrust of my formation was to bolster midfield to contain and hopefully dominate the middle of the park to prevent us being outmuscled. This leaves room for only one up front and that would really have to be Ashton. Leon on the bench would be to allow Nigel to go to a 4-4-2 or a 4-3-3 if necessary but I am not suggesting that Leon should be dropped for lack of form, just that you couldn''t have him and Deano in a 4-5-1.