Can we not

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

Yep but it's the Bielsa dynamics that fans and our new players need to grasp.
This is what I and many others see week in and as Pete says this is why Bamford starts week in,IMO.
There's a hell of a lot of work rate going on off the ball before the final delivery and a lot of man handling being inflicted onto the lone striker role trying to interrupt our flowing movement may I add .........

I get all that MrsO but MB recognises the importance of scoring. He got expected goals way before it was articulated as a thing.

Bamford is a good player but he is not a natural 9 more a second striker.
from watching games he is much improved from last year which is a big plus but
he misses the target more than he hits it. his conversion rate is poor. For me the biggest thing is often he doesn’t make the run or decision to force the mind of the player with the ball so we waste opportunities.

eddie is a natural goal scorer with plenty of pace and a desire to get into position to score. He stretches defences and pulls them in ways Bamford can’t. He has potential to be a great player - Bamford does not. The evidence of our eyes and the stats all say one thing - if we want to score more goals Eddie should start.

nothing is certain in life but I am sure MB will start him sooner or later and then we will all know.

[WTF11]

I get all that MrsO but MB recognises the importance of scoring. He got expected goals way before it was articulated as a thing.

Bamford is a good player but he is not a natural 9 more a second striker.
from watching games he is much improved from last year which is a big plus but
he misses the target more than he hits it. his conversion rate is poor. For me the biggest thing is often he doesn’t make the run or decision to force the mind of the player with the ball so we waste opportunities.

eddie is a natural goal scorer with plenty of pace and a desire to get into position to score. He stretches defences and pulls them in ways Bamford can’t. He has potential to be a great player - Bamford does not. The evidence of our eyes and the stats all say one thing - if we want to score more goals Eddie should start.

nothing is certain in life but I am sure MB will start him sooner or later and then we will all know.

Spot on (and I hope MB works on the "sooner" rather than later).

[spaldy]

I think what Mrs O and others, including myself, are saying is that you have to look at the whole game plan in total.

You can't just assume that if Eddie starts he scores at his current rate of that the team plays with the dominance that we do. It's a team game with a very demanding coach that expects each do their role.

The proof would be if you start Eddie and Costa and continue the dominance. The other item would be whether you could do that all season and maintain the momentum and pressure. The team play will generally win out over just straight talent. How many teams have been assembled over the years with high priced "stars" and have done nothing? Teams such as Man City are very, very rare that combine both the talent and team play.

Injuries or suspensions will force the changes but maybe MB wants to ride out the current lineup as long as we can. We are top of the table and dominating play. Everybody brings their "A game" for us and we still dominate.

a far cry from several years back.

[WTF11]

I think what Mrs O and others, including myself, are saying is that you have to look at the whole game plan in total.

You can't just assume that if Eddie starts he scores at his current rate of that the team plays with the dominance that we do. It's a team game with a very demanding coach that expects each do their role.

The proof would be if you start Eddie and Costa and continue the dominance. The other item would be whether you could do that all season and maintain the momentum and pressure. The team play will generally win out over just straight talent. How many teams have been assembled over the years with high priced "stars" and have done nothing? Teams such as Man City are very, very rare that combine both the talent and team play.

Injuries or suspensions will force the changes but maybe MB wants to ride out the current lineup as long as we can. We are top of the table and dominating play. Everybody brings their "A game" for us and we still dominate.

a far cry from several years back.

I take that it's a team game, but comparing Harrison/Bamford with Costa/Nketiah performances you can't but conclude that we should start the latter rather than the former (and that unless we do, we will never know if doing so will make us more threatening or not).

[fredlufc74]

Where to start? Bamford has played well and I can understand his frustration at being subbed on Sunday. He dragged Halme around and wore him down whilst being fouled and the ref never gave him anything. He scores only for it to be ruled offside, think it was Costa that the ruling went against.

He sometimes looks isolated but I think he holds the ball up well and does a lot for the team except score more.

I'm not sure if I want to see Costa and Eddie start together or maybe give Bamford a chance with Costa starting. Costa delivers better balls into the area than Harrison imo, Don't get me wrong Eddie is a sublime player with pace and an almost sixth sense for where he needs to be, but I'm not going to write off Bamford just yet.

If Eddie starts then his pace will drag defenders around knackering them out and maybe Bamford can come on against a tired defence.

I believe we play better football in the second halves of games, whether this is because Costa comes on and he delivers more dangerous crosses and can run and beat defenders better than the player he is replacing or Bielsa gives them a right royal rollicking.

It's a conundrum I'm glad we have because it means we have options.

[pete1967b]

Sorry Pete, for all that I like Bamford to have come good this season, he's had plenty of chances and a whole shed oad of game time and isnt doing what's required. Nketiah has converted fewer chances with very limited game time yet his scoring record equals Bamfords. The only way playing both makes sense is that Bamford is a foil to Nketiah, and whilst for the team that might make sense, for Bamford it would be a bitter pill to swallow (and he might well not take kindly to the prospect). Better to give him time (and the team the opportunity to change formation/tactics where required), and start with Costa/Nketiah.

No need to be sorry, this is your opinion, we all have them.

[Billyni]

If it wernt for missing the onion bag v swansea and then gettin a last minute kick in the bollox, then we wudnt be worrying.

[Ozwhites]

That was a result that I didn't think was totally unexpected mate. Was always going to head either way. It was the Forest game that really got under my claw. Should have won it ten times over with the chances we had!

[ganpati23]

Forgive me for suggesting that we should play our 2 strikers up front. Unheard off in football.

The only good thing for us last season was Auba and Laca's partnership. We've been using them to paper over our MF and defensive cracks. So even in this lone no.9 world, it can work.

That Costa lad I saw in a couple of clips looks quite tasty, too.

[whitestomper45]

Bring the lads like Eddie on slowly, there's a hell of a load of games yet to play in this unrelenting league. "Stubborn" Bielsa is likely the main reason he and other's have joined the club in the first place.
Top of the league if it works why break it? (until we have to with suspensions/injuries)