Remaining 2 games - stick or change

[bathlad61]

With final two matches to play, with still an outside chance of top two position, should MB stick with set-up as is - hopefully get the players to play through this woeful, damaging spell, but risking further injuries or even red cards, considering some players " mental attitude " at present, or shake things up, rest some key players for playoffs, and get in the likes of Shack / Halme / Edmundson / Diaz / Bogusz & co. Got feeling MB will go with former.

[WTF11]

Its strange that Bielsa hasn't given some of those you refer to more game time anyway, before the recent meltdown.

Halme might not have had all the composure you would want, but certainly showed promise and reason to believe he could develop, Shackleton must feel really pi55ed off given that he hasn't done anything wrong (and others have done next to f00k all right, no prizes for guessing). Reports from the development squad would suggest Bogusz might just be the replacement we have been looking for Saiz, and given the inevitability of the play-offs, why not give them all the opportunity to show the senior players how its done with Clarke in the mix (playing alongside and happier than watching the likes of Roberts and Bamford f00k it up)?

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

Would send those not playing from the core first team away for a week and then play

BPF

Shackleton Halme Cooper Davies

phillips

Gotta Diaz Dallas

Brown

Roofe

hossannah, struijk, Clarke, Edmondson, temenuz (etc), Bogusz and keeper

would then copy the Saracens playbook and say all about seeking to create great memories and no pressure but what do I know.

[BelfastAndy]

Hossannah may give us hope.....

😉

[leedsutdman]

He needs to use the two games to prepare for the playoffs so some tinkering is required. Not sure he will though.

[lasher]

He needs to use the two games to prepare for the playoffs so some tinkering is required. Not sure he will though.

I agree

[Silentman]

No way he'll make changes, he hasn't all season unless injuries have forced it and he won't start now; anyway he's got to get some confidence back into those that need to deliver in the play offs and the best way to do that is on the pitch not on the bench.

[WTF11]

No way he'll make changes, he hasn't all season unless injuries have forced it and he won't start now; anyway he's got to get some confidence back into those that need to deliver in the play offs and the best way to do that is on the pitch not on the bench.

Confidence? Injecting that into players who have either given up (Bamford, Roberts, Dallas, etc), or those who haven't given anything in the first place (Harrison, Forshaw), is never going to happen in sufficient degree to make the Villa game significant. Better to use the younger, hungry players if nothing else to give the "mature" players something to think about.

We're less than favourites to win any play off matches, we might as well give the young guns the opportunity to show what might be on offer in 19/20 as many if the established squad won't be here then.

[joellufcprice]

Baffles me people are saying play the kids? We can still go up auto, stop giving up on the team after 2 performances, yes they've been bad but this is the Championship it is not impossible to think we will beat Villa and Sheff U will bottle it at Ipswich, we get 3, they get 1 and all of sudden it all rides on the last game.

Play the team that has got us this far, forget the kids, yes they've done well against other kids but we played most of that team vs QPR in the cup and they got battered, what good does them getting battered vs Villa do, if anything we need to go full strength vs Villa incase of a playoff game we need the momentum over them, not a 4/5-0 drubbing at home.

Casilla
Ayling
Jansson
Cooper
Dallas (Sadly with Douglas and Alioski out)
Phillips
Hernandez
Roberts (I'd rather not, think he is wildly over rated)
Harrison
Roofe (Aware Bamford has scored some goals but Roofe for me is the more all round footballer for us)

[WTF11]

Baffles me people are saying play the kids? We can still go up auto, stop giving up on the team after 2 performances, yes they've been bad but this is the Championship it is not impossible to think we will beat Villa and Sheff U will bottle it at Ipswich, we get 3, they get 1 and all of sudden it all rides on the last game.

Play the team that has got us this far, forget the kids, yes they've done well against other kids but we played most of that team vs QPR in the cup and they got battered, what good does them getting battered vs Villa do, if anything we need to go full strength vs Villa incase of a playoff game we need the momentum over them, not a 4/5-0 drubbing at home.

Casilla
Ayling
Jansson
Cooper
Dallas (Sadly with Douglas and Alioski out)
Phillips
Hernandez
Roberts (I'd rather not, think he is wildly over rated)
Harrison
Roofe (Aware Bamford has scored some goals but Roofe for me is the more all round footballer for us)

It's not just the games against Wigan and Brentford (although they were probably the worst performances by a 1st team squad since we came back to the Championship), it's the faltering nature of play since January, and if they couldn't do it against those two sides, what is the likelihood of anything better coming from the Villa game?

At least if the youngsters played and lost, it would give some of the senior squad the opportunity to recharge batteries, train so as to come to the playoffs fit and ready to do the necessary, and if the youngsters do the business and we get a result, then Ipswich ought (emphasis on ought!) to be a more straightforward affair.

Play the seniors, lose or draw, and pick up a couple of knocks to let players and the playoffs would be our swansong.