Well, arguably our most important game this season to date is upon us tomorrow. The two worst teams in the League come to fight out who will push on and who is a lost cause.
We were doing alright at Fulham until Boyata. Coyle had set the team up to do what many had called for, defensive and looking not to concede. It looked alright with us hitting them on the counter until...well you know what happens next.
Positives from the game? Granted there are few, but Alonso was certainly one in my book. Solid defensively, and very good on the attack.
What worries me going in to this next game is something said on MOTD2 last night. Both Alan Hansenn and Lee Dixon agreed that Blackburn could get out of this because they were still playing alright, where as we on the other hand are playing as bad as our results. I worry we might do our old trick of making bad teams look good tomorrow.
We do have some advantages going in tomorrow though. Wheater is back! 100 x better then Knight. Should get his spot back instantly after Knight at Fulham. 2, the fans. There is one big difference between Blackburn and Bolton this season. We, by and large are still behind the manager and want him to succeed. Blackburn don't. Like us and Megson, the want him to loose. If we get as many fans to go as possible (I know many have said they are dreading it.) we can have a huge advantage. If we go out attacking and get the first goal, the mood of the Blackburn fans will be so hostile, the team could fall apart. The first goal is vital tomorrow, as is the fans backing.
Team: 442
-----------------------------Jussi
Steinsson----Cahill--------Wheats-----Alonso
Eagles---------Reo-C------Mavies-----Petrov
--------------------Klasnic-----Ngog
A couple of big decisions in this game. Not starting Fab in place of Petrov is a fairly big one. The lack of movement in the team is staggering sometimes, that has to change. We will be very vulnerable from the counter which makes me worried. Part of me wants to put Mavies on LM and put Fab in but if we want to set out to get goal one, this would be the way ahead IMO. The other big call is dropping Davies. He's the kind of player we need in a fight like this, but his performances have been bad. Give NRC the band and hope Ngog can turn Samba inside out.
For this to work, players have to move off the ball and we CAN'T hit it long to Ngog all the time. This is a team set out to play it around.
Line Up For Must Win Game?
posted on 19/12/11
I do think N'gog is a decent player but the fact we only seemed to go in for him when we couldn't sign Cameron jerome probably says a lot about how desperate Coyle was to bring in antother striker.
posted on 19/12/11
dont mind giving tuncay a run, but in the situation we are in i would rather see a squad player fighting for us than a loan player,but we do need somthing different,and we have very few to choose from
posted on 19/12/11
We all debated that choice to death and I have to admit out of the two I would've gone for N'Gog as well. He is obviously just content to just sit on the bench like at Liverpool, because he is doing the exact same and we are all saying the same things as the scousers. He doesn't seem to want to take the opportunity he has and I think the problem is between his ears.
We have to accept that even when we set up defensively not to concede we still concede, so only way to win is to go gung ho and score more than them.
It has to be quick tempo and if SKD starts we have to pummel them with cross after cross from the wings. If we can get the first goal, the game will be ours. It all hinges on that first goal.
posted on 19/12/11
I do think N'gog is a decent player but the fact we only seemed to go in for him when we couldn't sign Cameron jerome probably says a lot about how desperate Coyle was to bring in antother striker.
--
We were never in for Jerome, Gartside came out and said we weren't interested in him.
posted on 19/12/11
^^^^plus he was injured at the time anyway
posted on 19/12/11
Wheater IS out - boo and hiss. But I'll defend Zat Knight on the laughing & joking at full time situation. He was chatting & catching up with his old team mates. If he was chuckling away to himself then that's another matter entirely. Ask yourself this what would you do if you went back to the place you spent some years and met up with old mates again? Probably the same.
posted on 19/12/11
He was chatting & catching up with his old team mates
---
That was my take on it at the time. He did spend 8 years there & I doubt protocol allows for a bit of a natter before or after a match.
Any way, who do we start tomorrow night?
My guess is that it will be a new combination of 11 players that we haven't tried yet this season.
posted on 19/12/11
I was ready to lambast Zat Knight for smiling at the final whistle on Saturday, but then I heard he didn't attend the players Christmas do in Dublin earlier in the week, because of recent results.
posted on 19/12/11
Oh and this would be my XI tomorrow:
--------------------------- Jaaskelainen-----------------------------
Steinsson ------Knight-----------Cahill------------------Alonso
Mark Davies----Muamba------Reo Coker-----------Petrov
-------------------Eagles (in the hole)
------------------------------------Klasnic
Subs
Bogdan, Robinson, Boyata, Pratley, Tuncay, K Davies, Ngog
posted on 19/12/11
If I was to exploit one thing against B'burn, it would be to put Eagles on the right wing against Pederson. Pederson has been awful at left back for them.