Swansea(home)predictions

[AucklandRover]

I tend to be on his side, Saxo.
As I said, let's take it that everybody picks Walton, Nyambe, Lenihan, Tosin, Bell and Travis (with Williams and, perhaps, Mulgrew on the bench as defensive cover).
That leaves you five to make up your "best XI". Are you really saying those five can be selected easily and set in stone - especially when everyone is fit?
You tell me that magic quintet from: Johnson, Rothwell, Chapman, Davenport, Evans, Downing, Holtby, Bennett, Buckley, Rankin-Costello, Dack, Armstrong, Gallagher, Graham, Samuel, Brereton. (16!!) And I'm leaving out Smallwood and Butterworth.
There is actually no-one there you can't argue a case for.
Surely, flexibility is better than trying to choose a permanent "best five" from such a wide selection.

[robinrover]

I am for flexibility,just as long as players are not dropped following a good performance.
I keep going back to that game against wigan,changes were made that didnt need to and because of it we lost dack to injury too.
It could of happened the next game but the team that played Bristol city didn't need to be altered,certainly not to shoehorn a certain Bradley dack in.
Competition is great but not if it means tinkering will occur to keep everyone happy.

[champs95]

I am for flexibility,just as long as players are not dropped following a good performance.
I keep going back to that game against wigan,changes were made that didnt need to and because of it we lost dack to injury too.
It could of happened the next game but the team that played Bristol city didn't need to be altered,certainly not to shoehorn a certain Bradley dack in.
Competition is great but not if it means tinkering will occur to keep everyone happy.

For the first real time, I feel we are desperately missing Dack.

[robinrover]

Against stoke definitely we did.
A bigger loss at the moment is lenihan.
Tosin looks shaky without him and Bennett returns to right back to accommodate nyambe moving across.

[AucklandRover]

I am for flexibility,just as long as players are not dropped following a good performance.
I keep going back to that game against wigan,changes were made that didnt need to and because of it we lost dack to injury too.
It could of happened the next game but the team that played Bristol city didn't need to be altered,certainly not to shoehorn a certain Bradley dack in.
Competition is great but not if it means tinkering will occur to keep everyone happy.

I don't believe "tinkering...to keep everyone happy" would ever be on Mowbray's mind, Robin.
He has shown he can be quite ruthless at times. I think he genuinely tries to match the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition.

[champs95]

Plus he will leave you out if you aren't performing. Nyambe was left out of the side in the first half of the season and wasnt injured.
When fit, with what we have at the moment once Lenihan is back after Derby, 8 players pretty much pick themselves. The back 5 including Walton. And Travis, Downing & Johnson. Gallagher & Armstrong are generally going to be up front. Then it's either Samuel, Brereton, Graham with those 2.
And the likes of Rothwell, Buckley, JRC, Bennett as back up in midfield/attack.
You have to swap Rothwell with Johnson or Downing sometimes. Or give Trav a break. If players are left out in the cold for too long they go stale. So it's a must that he freshens things up. For me, I want Rothwell in over Johnson at times. As it means Downing is inside and is way more effective. But on Sat, Johnson came on and his physical side came out, it worked and he unsettled their midfield who had been bossing it after they went 2-1 up for a 10/15 min period. And he got a goal.
On Sat he felt SG could hassle their 2 centre halves and give them a tougher time than Armstrong. Who was asked to play wider than he normally had been. And sulked a bit I felt.

[robinrover]

I feel next season we could easily have a 3 prong attack of Gallagher,Armstrong and brereton,with dack and Holtby fighting for those spots when they return.
Behind them might be more of a issue though.
You would need an effective 3 man midfield to make that happen.

[AucklandRover]

Robin, on that midfield issue, let's hope Buckley and Rankin-Costello emerge as the answer!

[robinrover]

To have a attacking front 3,you need strength behind them.
I would like a back 3 of tosin,lenihan and Williams with nyambe and bell as wing backs.
Travis and Johnson/Davenport centrally.

[robinrover]

If we fall away from the play off race maybe try this,in readiness for the following season.