Birmingham(home)predictions

[robinrover]

A chance to put the disappointing wigan result to bed and get back on track.
Hopefully a return for tosin and a return to winning ways.
2-1 win

[AucklandRover]

Hope you all had a good Christmas Day.
I still find the summer Christmas down here weird. We had an excellent game of cricket, though: 16 adults and 11 children!
We surely can't be as wasteful with the ball, again, as we were against Wigan. (If that excellent tackle hadn't taken the ball off Graham's toe early on, the whole game might have been different, of course).
I'd be tempted to drop Armstrong, but that's less likely with Dack out.
Unfortunately, Birmingham will have seen that we are not comfortable when pressed early.
All the same, I'd expect a reaction, so I still think we might sneak it.
I'll go for 1-0.

[robinrover]

I fully expect a few changes for this one
If tosin passes fit,then he needs to be back in the starting lineup.
His calm influence and ability to start attacks from the back was massively missed on Monday.
Johnson obviously for Evans if again he fails to recover in time.
This will probably make champs cringe but Bennett in for Armstrong and of course Holtby in for the injured dack.
It's a game we need to win really if we have any eyes on the play off prize as the games in January look a little tougher on paper.

[champs95]

Scrappy 1-0 win. Hopefully Tosin plays we are a completely different side with him in it.

Auks I get your view on Armstrong. There is no middle ground with him. He will either cause problems and score a good goal to win us the game. Or we get absolutely nothing from him at all.
I still think with Dack being out, our potential match winners are thin on the ground. So for that reason, I'd play him.
I'm not Rothwells biggest fan, but I thought he played very well 2nd half the other night vrs Wigan. And rolled his sleeves up and got on with his game. And did cause them problems running at them with pace. If we do stick with 4-3-3 I'd maybe play him in Dacks role. And bring Holtby in midfield.

[champs95]

I'm changing my mind. 0-1 loss.
I don't feel confident in this team hrs picked. Some are forced changes, which I get. But just got here and not feeling this at all. I hope I'm wrong. Makes me eat my words lads

[seventwo]

I was thinking of a 3-1 win but TM must have a hangover and has picked Buckley by mistake.
As always anything could happen.
We're due to lose one and Brum are my son in laws team, hmm, no goal scorers in the team, 1-1.

[seventwo]

It's supposed to be on the red button but isn't. I drove past the ****ing ground on my way home too

[seventwo]

You'll need to update the table now Robin

[champs95]

I was thinking of a 3-1 win but TM must have a hangover and has picked Buckley by mistake.
As always anything could happen.
We're due to lose one and Brum are my son in laws team, hmm, no goal scorers in the team, 1-1.

Buckley was our best player today. He was excellent. Hes a much much better footballer than Rothwell. I hope he plays more. He shapes up better.

[AucklandRover]

Champs - he just seems to get into the game more. I suspect he (and, possibly, Rankin-Costello will be regulars next season).
I think Rothwell and Armstrong have to be either-or.
To be fair, though, Armstrong was better today than in the Wigam game.
We still struggle when teams set out to stifle us, and the last two games have been littered with fouls, which obviously doesn't help the flow.
I was disappointed that we didn't win (especially as their penalty was another 50-50 call), but then I looked at the other results. I doubt that I'd have called more than three of them correctly in advance.
We just have to accept that there are many teams of roughly equal standard.