Fulham (H) build up

[sycophantia]

I know everyone hates Edwards but I don't agree he can't pass a football, no he isn't going to ping any Paul Cook/Kev Mcdonald style 50 yarders but there's little wrong with his short passing game, usually quite intelligent passes, think he knows his limitations and makes the best of what he's got.
As for Coady, he gives you loads of energy and commitment but little else, when he came I was hoping for a budget Bryan Robson (not as good but without the injuries) but that hasn't worked out

 

[Tredman]

The main problem with Edwards passing is it's so slow, he takes longer to choose his pass and the pass itself rarely has any pace on it, hes basically allowing the defensive team the time to get organised.

We looked best on Thursday when saiss, and occasionally coady, looked to get the ball moving quickly out to Costa and cav, whether via a long or short pass.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

I think our best 3 in the end will be Saiss, Oniangue, Evans

Mind you, I rate Evans higher than most.

Edwards really isn't the answer any more. Neither is Coady. Saville and Wallace are obviously not. Price is probably up there with Evans as part of the three. Ideally I would like Saiss, Oniangue, ANOther but I reckon centre backs are going to be the January priority.

 

[Jinky]

He is 100 times the player that bloody price is.

Bloody hell, you're like a broken record about Price.

It'll be the same starting 11 as it was against QPR, except Hause in for Stears. It does, unfortunately, mean more Doherty & Coady.

 

[Johnny75]

I wouldn't disagree with any of that Johnny, I just hope those replacements want to come!

I've been watching the league highlights on 5 and Norwich seem to have their balance just right with Pritchard at 10, Dorrans in the Saiss role and Howson doing the box-to-box job.

The way I see it is that with Edwards at 10 we need a ball player like Mutch, Butterfield or Lansbury. If we decide to put Tex in at 10 in the Pritchard role (which he is clearly suited to) then we need an upgrade on Coady as he just doesn't have the brain to do that job.

Norwich also have a less attacking set of wide men/ forwards which to me means that Tex is unlikely to be used in the 10 role unless we find a Championship version of Kante who can run all day and keep the ball.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

We've had a problem at #10 (when we use one, which hasn't been very often at all in 2016) ever since Ken decided that he didn't fancy Jacobs there at Championship level and he was going to run with Dave and a succession of lumbering target men in the role (the latter was just plain weird thinking). If you are going to play a system which employs a genuine #10 then they should be your most technically adept player, the hub of all your attacking play, providing a perpetual link with the front man, constantly producing a goal threat and a creative force of their own. Dave Edwards is never going to be that man, having someone who runs a lot and knocks in around six goals a season isn't enough.

It's a moot point for now as we aren't playing with one.

 

[Johnny75]

I should have put that clearer. I think with we need to play with a more advanced midfielder like Pritchard (and Tex) who can do the dirty work as well as the brilliance of linking with the front 3. What we have right now is a player in Edwards who doesn't really defend but does do the tracking and pressing and has zero quality on the ball. He is scoring goals though which I can imagine makes him difficult to drop (I would drop him for Tex but that's s divisive point).

I think for our midfield 3 to retain the ball better we need a Tex/ Pritchard type with a Jonny Howson type OR we go with Edwards and get a Lansbury/ Butterfield type. All of those players listed have high energy. I think we are only 2 players away from a good champ side but 4 (GK, CB, LB, CM) away from a play-off side.

Of course the team will be the same against Fulham as I don't see there's a lot we can do differently as our midfield options are very average.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Oh yeah, this three man midfield isn't going to get us anywhere. Saiss' range of passing is great but he's always going to be really deep so it can only hurt the opposition in so many ways. Edwards and Coady offer the exact same thing bar Dave gets goals (in streaks, generally, and when they run out he goes ages without one) and Coady doesn't (0 goals in 54 games from someone who doesn't just sit in front of the back four is rubbish).

I still have a feeling he wants to play two strikers eventually, but we don't have the personnel to do it at the moment. For a start, as much as we like both of them, neither Dicko nor Bod are scoring or particularly looking like scoring. Probably going to be something he looks at doing if/when our season is all but dead from March onwards if, as I suspect, he steers us well clear of the bottom three but we aren't going to have a realistic shot at the top six unless something odd happens in the next couple of months.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Bloody hell, you're like a broken record about Price.

It'll be the same starting 11 as it was against QPR, except Hause in for Stears. It does, unfortunately, mean more Doherty & Coady.

Oh well, excuse me I do bloody apologise. Dan is the same about Doherty so perhaps you might fancy saying the same there? What about Lycan about Edwards?

Nope, let's pick on Paddy because he doesn't like the bearded wonder.

 

[Lycan]

We can't continue with those two midfielders in front of Saiss just ambling around doing nothing in particular. The first 15 minutes of the second half vs QPR showed exactly why, they dominated the play in the middle with 10 men. Edwards goal was probably only the 2nd or 3rd time he'd touched the ball in that half. The midfield 3 should be staggered instead of being so rigid. If you look at our 'affiliate' Benfica have got it pretty much nailed down with Fejsa in front of the back four, Pizzi (a player with genuine quality on the ball) going box-to-box and Horta furthest forward. Saiss is clearly our best bet to sit in front of the back 4 but I don't think any of our other midfielders are perfectly suited to either of the other 2 roles (maybe Prince or Joao but the jury is still out on both of them).

Maybe someone who watches the U23s will be able to tell me but Cristian Herc looks like he could play as an '8'. Quite a big guy, good stamina, good passer of the ball and a threat from range as well.

 

[Tony Towner]

I saw Herc pre season at Hednesford. In that game he was playing more as a 10 with Collins as a 9. At that point I thought he still needed to grow into his body as he was a bit lightweight but still scored a couple from memory. He may have bulked up more now though and has been doing well playing against men in the 'Sherpa Van'

 

[Stan Hullis]

Herc played as an 8 at Northampton and was really good although not spectacular.

 

[Freddeno]

i would go with this at Molineux

Lonergan (no other chioce unfortunately)

Iorfa
Batth
Hause
Silvio

Saiss
Price

Costa
Edwards
Cavaleiro

Dicko

...or

Lonergan

Iorfa
Batth
Hause
Silvio

Costa
Saiss
Edwards
Cavaleiro

Bod
Dicko

 

[Jolemai]

Sadly, I can see Saville and Price staring ahead of Cavaleiro and Saiss for this game.

 

[LG Wolf]

This please:

Ikeme

Iorfa Batth Hause Silvio

Price Saiss

Cavaleiro Teixeira Costa

Dicko

 

[Johnny75]

Sadly, I can see Saville and Price staring ahead of Cavaleiro and Saiss for this game.

After the Sheff Wed debacle I can't see this happening. It will be a very tough game but I expect the same starting XI from QPR with the obvious enforced changes (Lonergan Hause).

 

[Jolemai]

After the Sheff Wed debacle I can't see this happening. It will be a very tough game but I expect the same starting XI from QPR with the obvious enforced changes (Lonergan Hause).

I hope you're right.

 

[Peter_Knowles_Ghost]

It will be a very tough game but I expect the same starting XI from QPR with the obvious enforced changes (Lonergan Hause).

Is he Kortney's brother? :icon_wink:

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I aim to mock Kev by just shrugging everytime someone asks me a question and ambling to the bar at the pace of an 80 year old.

I'd love to play Silvio for the swoon factor alone but it appears we might as well forget him.

Lonergan

Iorfa
Batth
Hause
Mr Gloves

Saiss

Edwards
Price

Costa
Dicko
Cavaleiro

Subs: Flatt, Simpson, Coady, Herc, Ronan, Teixeira, Bodvarsson

I'm amending this after last night, Bright on the bench instead of Ronan. He's ready.

Although if we want him to start then we can't play this system.

 

[Jolemai]

That's the team I'd play, but certainly not the one I expect.