Pick a team, stick with it, I say....

North Lower Neil

I think Pards should pick his best team now, and stick with it as much as possible, that way, we may be able to build up a bit of team spirit, understanding and form by the time of the play-offs, if we're there.

The argument against would obviously be it would make them complacent....

I reckon:

Weaver
Moutuaokil, McCarthy, Sodje(Bougherra if fit), Youga
Ambrose, Holland, Zheng, Cook
Gray, Lita (Varney if he leaves).

Thoughts?

LenGlover

The guy next to me made an interesting point today. He said 5 or 6 of that Preston team were involved when they lost the play-offs to West Ham.

Claudio "Tinkerman" Pardew had 4 loan players out there today. Ok Sodje has been with us a while but there is little or no rapport between Halford, Sinclair and Lita and the rest of them for obvious reasons.

You can have too much change for changes sake.

The problem, which is probably partly why he does tinker, is what IS our best team?!

North Lower Neil

Exactly - the strikers can't know whether they are coming or going at the moment for example - Iwelumo is in and out, ditto Gray - how are they supposed to get into any kind of form.

Wingers are the same - Sam has been in, then Cook gets 30mins, does well and disappears, Thomas starts then can't get on the bench.

Sinclair looks rubbish - if you play Ambrose, you can't also play another winger who won't track back, close down, mark, cross....at least Ambrose chips in with a few goals though, can't see Sinclair doing that.

LenGlover

[cite]Posted By: North Lower Neil[/cite]Exactly - the strikers can't know whether they are coming or going at the moment for example - Iwelumo is in and out, ditto Gray - how are they supposed to get into any kind of form.

Wingers are the same - Sam has been in, then Cook gets 30mins, does well and disappears, Thomas starts then can't get on the bench.

Sinclair looks rubbish - if you play Ambrose, you can't also play another winger who won't track back, close down, mark, cross....at least Ambrose chips in with a few goals though, can't see Sinclair doing that.

I said on another thread send Sinclair back to Chelsea as soon as!

bingaddick

What I don't understand is that on Tuesday we started with Thomas at left wing and Ambrose playing almost as a third striker. Today we dump Thomas (injured?) and play Sam at right wing with Ambrose on the left. When Sam is injured on comes Sinclair who goes out to the left wing and Ambrose shift position again yet on Tuesday when Sinclair came on he went to play on the right.

Varney's position/role changes every week. Then he takes him off and brings on Gray. Given that Lita is short of match practice, surely it would be better to take him off?

I think that Pards has made the classic mistake of thinking that you can improve a team by bringing in better individuals when what makes a team is the right balance and get them to play together with understanding. Also our players just aren't good enough technically to cope with the rotation that Premier League teams can operate. Having more and more player options makes the task of selecting the right team harder not easier because you chop and change things too much.

My team would be:

Home games

Weaver

Moo2 Magic Paddy Youga
Sam ZZ Holland Thomas
Varney Lita

Subs

Elliot
Big Chris
Semedo
Sodje
Gray

Away games

Weaver

Halford Magic Paddy Youga
Semedo
Sam ZZ Holland Thomas
Varney

Subs

Elliot
Big Chris
Lita
Sodje
Ambrose

northstandsteve

good post bing,you have hit the nail on the head we don't play as a team and we dont have any team spirit.The pre-match huddle is a farce.

paulbaconsarnie

imo, the temptation to change personel when things aren't going to plan has been used as an easy option.
i know we've had injuries, but we've used 34 (i think) players this year.
our squad at the start of the season was touted as one of, if not the best in the division.
we've had 6 loan players and bought gray to further enhance the squad, and had the emergence of basey and youga (as bonuses) to add to that squad.
maybe more work on the training ground with the players we originally had would've produced better results.

letthegoodtimesroll

i think the pre match huddle is for holland to introduce the players to each other...

Stig

I don't think you can have a midfield with both Ambrose and Zheng in it. They are too lightweight to have the pair of them in there, especially in a league dominated by overly physical hoof-merchants. I'd swap either one of them for Semedo. I bet he can't believe he's not getting a game.

Barn Door Varney

I would not have Holland in my best 11. As I said in the Semedo thread. Holland and ZZ don't seem to know what the other is doing.

Semedo offers more to the team as everyone then knows what they are doing. Semedo is the holding player, ZZ has licence to do what he does best and attack.

I think our best 11 on paper is:-

Weaver
Moutokil, McCathy, Sodje, Youga
Ambrose, Semedo, ZZ, Thomas
Lita, Varney

North Lower Neil

Lita/Varney was a problem for me - we need someone who can get on the end of a cross/goal kicks.

I'd have Gray/Lita - Gray links up well, but had a problem when Varney also dropped in - Lita doesn't so much.

bingaddick

The sad thing is that the tinkering with the team and playing players out of position was one of the major criticism of Pards by West Ham fans during their time in the Championship. My best mate is a Hamsters fan and he was constantly berating Pards for playing Harewood out wide instead of at centre forward. West Ham's form was extremely erratic during that period even though they stumbled into the play-offs on both occasions.

What I find totally bizarre is that we have swapped managers with West Ham. Their form has dipped once they got to 40 points and their fans are moaning at the Charltonisation of their club. Whereas we have been struggling to find any consistency, our players are being switched around, our form is erratic and we are stumbling along on the edge of the play offs.

We are truly "through the looking glass"

I'd still like to be on the Hammers side of the glass though.

ThreadKiller

"My record shows my teams are stronger in the second half of the season so that bodes well." Alan Pardew.

northstandsteve

thats what i woz thinkin yesterday,what a knob

cunningstunt87

Weaver
Halford, Bougherra, Sodje, Basey
Thomas, Ambrose, Holland, Cook
Varney Gray

Subs
Elliott
McCarthy
Semedo
Sinclair
Iwelumo