If you were appointed manager

[Tetteys Jig 830]

Say you got given the job and also pretend you had a reasonable reputation in football (so you''d have some respect coming in, not "who''s this bloke off the street")

What would you do? What key changes would you make?

For me, I would go back to a very systematic way of playing 4-4-2 and looking to dominate every game. Lots of posession, stretching teams wide and having one of the strikers working hard and dropping to offer an outlet to the midfield. Lots of crosses into the box and a capable strong striker like Iwan to win headers.

I would keep Hooper and RVW to compete to play alongside a bigger and stronger striker and see who had kickstarted their season before reassessing in January. If RVW does have and find the talent we thought, we''ll be out of that league in no time.

Becchio will probably go, but if not, I would have him as one option of ''the big man''

That leads me to my main signing. A tall, strong striker that many a championship promotion bid is built on.

Candidates would be Deeney, Holt, Ameobi. One of them three would be great.

Snoddy will no doubt be sold, it''d be nice to have him at that level but I can''t see it happening. Therefore i''d have Bennett and Redmond on the right competing and Surman and a new winger down the left. Eagles is one option but i''d try see if better is out there.

Centre mid i think Wes and Fer will leave. I''d leave Tettey, Johnson, Howson and Fox to fight it out for the two places here, i''d start with Tettey and Howson. We should only need two midfielders at this level as we should be dominating games if we plan to get out of this league.

I''d have no changes to the defence, Bassong and Yobo will leave though, so i''d get a back up player in to cover. Perhaps someone with a bit of pace. Not thought who yet.

Martin, Turner, Bennett and Olsson (i''d fight tooth and nail to keep him). The others would put pressure on though I think Garrido will leave.

Ruddy will probably go as well, so i''d hand the gloves to Declan Rudd and Bunn could compete with him.

Following this, i''d look into the loan market for a couple of flair players that may or may not blossom. Think people like Gnabry who probably need more games on short term loans.

My gameplan would be on a fitness based thing and i''d have the team playing wide expansive football looking to dominate posession and exploit the flanks most games. Should that not work, my plan B would be more allardyce based where the big man would provide an outlet for the other striker and the likes of Howson to load the box following the hold up play.

[Kirkstall Yellow 0]

I can see that working. Doubt we''ll get Holt back though.

I though fox went to barnsley on a permenent deal?

Bringing surman back into the fray will be good, and i think young josh murphy will get more than a few chances at championship level.

in terms of letting players go, i suspect Mcnally will try to restrict the exodus as much as possible. We are debt free and have no reason to sell. He wants us to be a buying club not a selling club so is suspect that we hold on to a few of our playing assets. Hopefully olsson, hoops and howson. snodgrass, ruddy, fer wessi and ricky will be out the door sharply i imagine though sadly. lets hope thats all we lose!

[Unhinged Canary 375]

[quote user="Kirkstall Yellow"] Hopefully olsson, hoops and howson. snodgrass, ruddy, fer wessi and ricky will be out the door sharply i imagine though sadly. lets hope thats all we lose![/quote]What???[:|]

[morty 0]

Grant Holt back?Seriously?

[Feedthewolf 4,844]

I''d buy a new goalkeeper to replace Ruddy – think we need a tall, imposing stopper in his mould rather than Bunn. I''d definitely look to retain the back four of Martin, R Bennett, Turner and Olsson at all costs – Yobo and Bassong can go, and maybe Gafaiti will be ready for a bench slot. I''d keep Garrido and Whittaker if they want to stay. Snoddy, Fer and Wolfie will go, and I guess Pilks too. I''d try to keep Wes – can''t imagine anyone in the Prem will come in for him, and he''s still a quality play at Championship level. I''d be looking at Becchio and Hooper as my strike partnership – if Hooper leaves, replace him with a striker with pace who can play off Becchio. If Becchio is injured or out of form, there''s always the Prem loan route, or Morris/Loza of course. My ideal first XI would look something like this:New GKMartin (c) R Bennett Turner OlssonE Bennett Howson Tettey RedmondBecchio Hooper (or new CF)Squad players: Bunn, Gafaiti, Garrido, Whittaker, McGeehan, Fox, Johnson, Josh Murphy, Hoolahan, Surman, Jacob Murphy, Morris, Loza.And that''s without any new signings other than a goalkeeper – a couple of good Prem loans and a couple of permanent signings, then letting some of the youngsters out on loan, and that''s a pretty strong squad IMO.

[morty 0]

Declan Rudd, would he not do?

[Hoolahans Left Foot 0]

I would re-sign Grant Holt at the drop of a hat.............................................

[Yellow Wal 314]

Haven''t you seen enough of Redmond on the left wing yet?

He is a right winger with a right foot. He comes in far too much and shoots too often when he is on the left.

[Tetteys Jig 830]

[quote user="morty"]Grant Holt back?Seriously?[/quote]

I''d entertain the idea. We know if motivated he still can score at that level. I''d prefer other names but getting Holt back would repair a lot more than just getting a target man in. The funny thing is, I think he''d be ideal foil for Hooper or RVW.

[Tetteys Jig 830]

[quote user="morty"]Declan Rudd, would he not do?[/quote]

The guy looks class and Bunn is a perfectly capable keeper too. Not a priority for me. I''d be tempted to keep Ruddy a year though, he''s willing to stay and I don''t think his value would drop loads.

[morty 0]

[quote user="Jimmy Smith"][quote user="morty"]Grant Holt back?Seriously?[/quote]

I''d entertain the idea. We know if motivated he still can score at that level. I''d prefer other names but getting Holt back would repair a lot more than just getting a target man in. The funny thing is, I think he''d be ideal foil for Hooper or RVW.[/quote]Is that the same Grant Holt that had an entirely unspectacular time at Wigan, and then was basically bought by Lambert to troll Norwich City?Next season will be about two seasons too late for Mr Holt.

[morty 0]

[quote user="Jimmy Smith"][quote user="morty"]Declan Rudd, would he not do?[/quote]

The guy looks class and Bunn is a perfectly capable keeper too. Not a priority for me. I''d be tempted to keep Ruddy a year though, he''s willing to stay and I don''t think his value would drop loads.[/quote]I don''t think we''ll have a choice, especially if Ruddy goes to the world cup.I would see no harm in cashing in on him and having Rudd as number one, he has had an excellent season at Preston.

[Tetteys Jig 830]

Wigan was a pay day and he couldn''t be arsed after his injury and if he''s good enough for Villa, he''s good enough for the championship. The fans would love it and it would get Carrow Road rocking.

[morty 0]

[quote user="Jimmy Smith"]Wigan was a pay day and he couldn''t be arsed after his injury and if he''s good enough for Villa, he''s good enough for the championship. The fans would love it and it would get Carrow Road rocking.[/quote]Lol, you''re entitled to your opinion[Y]

[Matt Juler 148]

I would only play people in their natural positions.  I''d rather play a third choice kid in their natural position than swap things around to play the best available eleven.

[Feedthewolf 4,844]

Responses to my original post:Morty – I think a top-class keeper

is an absolute priority. Neither Bunn nor Rudd have enough experience

at the top level. I''ll admit that I''ve not seen much of Rudd''s loan

spell at Preston, but we need to have a big, imposing goalkeeper who has

a real presence and an ability to boss his back four and dominate his

area. Bunn certainly isn''t that; whether Rudd is, we will see. I''m not dead against the idea of Rudd; if he proves to be that guy

then great. If Ruddy would stay I''d keep him without doubt, but I can''t

imagine he''d be short of offers after the World Cup.Yellow Wall – I think Bennett should start on the right, he offers excellent support to the full back, has a bit of pace and skill, and can cross reasonably well. Redmond has suffered from overexposure this season, but I think with the right coaching he could still do a good job on the left. Much as it''s predictable that a right-footer on the left will cut inside the vast majority of the time, it''s equally predictable that a right-footer on the right will tend to go outside. If he can improve his left foot then he could be a real weapon in the Championship, almost Huckerby-esque. I think he could also play behind the striker in a 4-4-1-1 if Wes goes – that kind of pace through the middle could also be devastating.

[Yellow Wal 314]

Feedthewolf - I take your point. I have nothing at all against the player and, in fact, am very pleased to see him with us.

My problem is playing him on the left.

I feel the system of a right-footed Redmond on the left and left-footed Snodgrass on the right has been the main reason for our demise.

Big money signings RvW, Hooper and Fer have all suffered because our attacking play has been suffocated.

And yes. I would love to see Redmond going on the outside and getting crosses in (something else he needs to improve upon) just as much as I am sure RvW, Hooper and Fer would have loved to see that as well.

[Feedthewolf 4,844]

[quote user="Yellow Wall"]Feedthewolf - I take your point. I have nothing at all against the player and, in fact, am very pleased to see him with us.

My problem is playing him on the left.

I feel the system of a right-footed Redmond on the left and left-footed Snodgrass on the right has been the main reason for our demise.

Big money signings RvW, Hooper and Fer have all suffered because our attacking play has been suffocated.

And yes. I would love to see Redmond going on the outside and getting crosses in (something else he needs to improve upon) just as much as I am sure RvW, Hooper and Fer would have loved to see that as well.[/quote]It''s a difficult one. My thinking is that Elliott Bennett is an experienced player with Premier League and Championship experience, and his best position is undoubtedly right of midfield. He''s a very balanced player and for me would be an automatic starter when fit. However, Redmond is too good to be an ''impact'' player at Championship level – if we are able to keep him, he needs (and deserves) to be starting. How would you approach that situation, out of interest?

[Syteanric 1]

Andy Marshall is "good enough" for Villa too.. perhaps we should re sign him...

I''d look to playing a 4-2-3-1 formation with wide midfielders rahter than wingers.

Will pin their full backs deep and allow the attacking midfielder to wreak havock knowing he is backed up by Tettey and Fer

I would look to sign a striker as a "complete" package, pace, power, good in the air, capable of playing upfront on his own and terrorising defences... we obviously wouldn''t sign Bony or Lukaku but someone of their ilk would do.

Rudd or Bunn can fight for the number 1 spot.

 

[Matt Juler 148]

[quote user="Feedthewolf"][quote user="Yellow Wall"]Feedthewolf - I take your point. I have nothing at all against the player and, in fact, am very pleased to see him with us.

My problem is playing him on the left.

I feel the system of a right-footed Redmond on the left and left-footed Snodgrass on the right has been the main reason for our demise.

Big money signings RvW, Hooper and Fer have all suffered because our attacking play has been suffocated.

And yes. I would love to see Redmond going on the outside and getting crosses in (something else he needs to improve upon) just as much as I am sure RvW, Hooper and Fer would have loved to see that as well.[/quote]It''s a difficult one. My thinking is that Elliott Bennett is an experienced player with Premier League and Championship experience, and his best position is undoubtedly right of midfield. He''s a very balanced player and for me would be an automatic starter when fit. However, Redmond is too good to be an ''impact'' player at Championship level – if we are able to keep him, he needs (and deserves) to be starting. How would you approach that situation, out of interest?[/quote]This goes back to what I was saying earlier, I''d only play people in their natural positions.  If Bennett offers more than Redmond, Bennett would start ahead of him on the right.  On the left side I''d play a left footed winger.  It''s not about the best eleven players, it''s about the best team of eleven.  A subtle but very key difference.

[Tetteys Jig 830]

Both Redmond and Bennett would have a fight on their hands. Who knows, Bennett may settle at right back. He''s done well there before. Redmond may have a new lease up front? What is certain is that both would start as key components to my squad. If that changes then it gets addressed in January.

[Olly 0]

Elliott Bennett played pretty well in that role behind the striker last season on the few occasions he played there (thinking cup away at Peterborough)

I wouldn''t be adversed to seeing a three of Redmond, Bennett and Murphy behind the striker. Some serious pace and threats there, and could all interchange

Think its vital we get Turner back (sure his contract is up?). Otherwise we''re seriously short on CB''s providing Bassong leaves.

[Feedthewolf 4,844]

[quote user="Matt Juler"][quote user="Feedthewolf"][quote user="Yellow Wall"]Feedthewolf - I take your point. I have nothing at all against the player and, in fact, am very pleased to see him with us.

My problem is playing him on the left.

I feel the system of a right-footed Redmond on the left and left-footed Snodgrass on the right has been the main reason for our demise.

Big money signings RvW, Hooper and Fer have all suffered because our attacking play has been suffocated.

And yes. I would love to see Redmond going on the outside and getting crosses in (something else he needs to improve upon) just as much as I am sure RvW, Hooper and Fer would have loved to see that as well.[/quote]It''s a difficult one. My thinking is that Elliott Bennett is an experienced player with Premier League and Championship experience, and his best position is undoubtedly right of midfield. He''s a very balanced player and for me would be an automatic starter when fit. However, Redmond is too good to be an ''impact'' player at Championship level – if we are able to keep him, he needs (and deserves) to be starting. How would you approach that situation, out of interest?[/quote]This goes back to what I was saying earlier, I''d only play people in their natural positions.  If Bennett offers more than Redmond, Bennett would start ahead of him on the right.  On the left side I''d play a left footed winger.  It''s not about the best eleven players, it''s about the best team of eleven.  A subtle but very key difference.[/quote]I don''t agree that a right-footed midfielder should always play on the right. We need fluidity, not rigidity. Surely a right-footer on the right is equally predictable in his predilection to go outside as a left-footer on the right is to cut inside? In some ways, I prefer the style of football that allows cutting inside, quick exchanges of passing around the edge of the box and overlapping full-backs coming outside, rather than the traditional ''get to the byline and whip it in the mixer'' style of play. I know I''m talking in generalised terms here, but hopefully you can see where I''m coming from?

[Syteanric 1]

[quote user="Matt Juler"][quote user="Feedthewolf"][quote user="Yellow Wall"]Feedthewolf - I take your point. I have nothing at all against the player and, in fact, am very pleased to see him with us. My problem is playing him on the left. I feel the system of a right-footed Redmond on the left and left-footed Snodgrass on the right has been the main reason for our demise. Big money signings RvW, Hooper and Fer have all suffered because our attacking play has been suffocated. And yes. I would love to see Redmond going on the outside and getting crosses in (something else he needs to improve upon) just as much as I am sure RvW, Hooper and Fer would have loved to see that as well.[/quote]
It''s a difficult one. My thinking is that Elliott Bennett is an experienced player with Premier League and Championship experience, and his best position is undoubtedly right of midfield. He''s a very balanced player and for me would be an automatic starter when fit. However, Redmond is too good to be an ''impact'' player at Championship level – if we are able to keep him, he needs (and deserves) to be starting. How would you approach that situation, out of interest?
[/quote]This goes back to what I was saying earlier, I''d only play people in their natural positions.  If Bennett offers more than Redmond, Bennett would start ahead of him on the right.  On the left side I''d play a left footed winger.  It''s not about the best eleven players, it''s about the best team of eleven.  A subtle but very key difference.
[/quote]

 

Great Point Matt! It doesn''t matter what level of football you work at you put out your best team.. your best team very often does not consist of your best players.

[Ray 111]

Olly,

We do have some very good (CB) prospects in the U21s Toffolo, McFadden and Gafaiti, having seen them all play quite frequently, I would expect one or more of them to step up and do a good job.

[morty 0]

[quote user="Feedthewolf"]Responses to my original post:Morty – I think a top-class keeper

is an absolute priority. Neither Bunn nor Rudd have enough experience

at the top level. I''ll admit that I''ve not seen much of Rudd''s loan

spell at Preston, but we need to have a big, imposing goalkeeper who has

a real presence and an ability to boss his back four and dominate his

area. Bunn certainly isn''t that; whether Rudd is, we will see. I''m not dead against the idea of Rudd; if he proves to be that guy

then great. If Ruddy would stay I''d keep him without doubt, but I can''t

imagine he''d be short of offers after the World Cup.Yellow Wall – I think Bennett should start on the right, he offers excellent support to the full back, has a bit of pace and skill, and can cross reasonably well. Redmond has suffered from overexposure this season, but I think with the right coaching he could still do a good job on the left. Much as it''s predictable that a right-footer on the left will cut inside the vast majority of the time, it''s equally predictable that a right-footer on the right will tend to go outside. If he can improve his left foot then he could be a real weapon in the Championship, almost Huckerby-esque. I think he could also play behind the striker in a 4-4-1-1 if Wes goes – that kind of pace through the middle could also be devastating.[/quote]

In my opinion, Rudd will be a number one goalkeeper at Norwich City.

[Tetteys Jig 830]

Rudd is class. In the few games he''s had for us he looked completely assured and pulled off some great saves. I hope he''s given his chance with us and doesn''t stagnate as Lewis did.

[morty 0]

[quote user="Jimmy Smith"]Rudd is class. In the few games he''s had for us he looked completely assured and pulled off some great saves. I hope he''s given his chance with us and doesn''t stagnate as Lewis did.[/quote]He has had an excellent season in the Championship, he won''t want to come back here and warm the bench. Unfortunately its use him or lose him, so if we want to keep him we have to cash in on Ruddy.

[Syteanric 1]

[quote user="Jimmy Smith"]Rudd is class. In the few games he''s had for us he looked completely assured and pulled off some great saves. I hope he''s given his chance with us and doesn''t stagnate as Lewis did.[/quote]

3 managers failed to pick Joe Lewis, not just in the league but even against tin pot clubs like Tamworth in the cup.. an Ideal time to blood him.

Looking at his career since it seems like those 3 managers (including Roeder) were right?

[Olly 0]

[quote user="Ray"]Olly,

We do have some very good (CB) prospects in the U21s Toffolo, McFadden and Gafaiti, having seen them all play quite frequently, I would expect one or more of them to step up and do a good job.[/quote]

I''d be happy to see them as backups behind Turner and Bennett, don''t think we should chuck them in the deep end much like with Morris/McGeehan