Our starting eleven as it stands now...

[Mala591]

Is this our strongest 11 as things stand at the moment?

Hennessey
Lowton Collins Long Taylor
McNeil Brownhill Cork Cornet
Rodriguez Barnes

Some thoughts/comments:

Lowton or Roberts at right back
Kevin Long is definitely good enough for the Championship
A new centre forward would be my priority - I’m ok with Rodriguez OR Barnes but not together

[Im_not_Robbie_Blake]

That's a decent starting 11

[RVclaret]

Long won’t suit Kompany ball, expect him to be moved on this summer. I’d hope to see Thomas / Bedeau in before him who are more suited.

If we start the season with Barnes and Jay up top it might be time to pack in.

[tiger76]

Is this our strongest 11 as things stand at the moment?

Hennessey
Lowton Collins Long Taylor
McNeil Brownhill Cork Cornet
Rodriguez Barnes

Some thoughts/comments:

Lowton or Roberts at right back
Kevin Long is definitely good enough for the Championship
A new centre forward would be my priority - I’m ok with Rodriguez OR Barnes but not together

That would still be a decent starting XI at Champ level, but I strongly suspect the XI which line up at Huddersfield will be very different to that one.

Definitely need a nippy centre forward, pity Vyds is side-lined for the foreseeable as he'd have been a useful option to utilise.

Agree on Barnes/Rodriguez, I'm not sure they work as a pair, too static for my liking.

[clarethomer]

Not a bad side on their day and probably depends on the formation and style we want to play.

Probably the strongest 4-4-2 SD style team.

[randomclaret2]

Depressingly, still 7 over 30s in that line up

[RVclaret]

Hennessey
Roberts Collins THB Taylor
McNeil Cork Brownhill NEW
Jay NEW

Sorry I know the thread is starting 11 as it stands now but I think this will be closer to what it’ll be at Hudd.

THB sounds close at Cb so I’ve included him. Then a new wide man and striker.

[ksrclaret]

Does Kompany play a bog standard 442? I was hoping we’d move away from that with a new manager.

[ervi34]

Long won’t suit Kompany ball, expect him to be moved on this summer. I’d hope to see Thomas / Bedeau in before him who are more suited.

If we start the season with Barnes and Jay up top it might be time to pack in.

How do you know Thomas is more suited when he has 0 apps for us?

[RVclaret]

Does Kompany play a bog standard 442? I was hoping we’d move away from that with a new manager.

http://www.uptheclarets.com/messageboar ... ny+tactics

I’d suggest giving this thread and articles attached a read

[RVclaret]

How do you know Thomas is more suited when he has 0 apps for us?

He’s played in cups? Saw him at Millwall and was very impressive. And from what I’ve seen for the 23s + pre season for us, he’s far more comfortable in possession than Kevin Lump It Long.

[Jambo]

Roberts over Lowton and Cornet will probably go, so JBG in, but close enough aye. Solid enough basic foundation to build on but would hope Long isn't a regular starter. I don't really understand the assumption he's good enough for the Championship. On what evidence? He usually looks very out of his depth in the PL. Every chance there are at least three or four new faces in the team for the opening day anyway.

[ervi34]

He’s played in cups? Saw him at Millwall and was very impressive. And from what I’ve seen for the 23s + pre season for us, he’s far more comfortable in possession than Kevin Lump It Long.

Yeah, I forgot he played against Millwall. But still, one cup game against a weak opposition and a few pre-season games are far from an optimal sample.

[ervi34]

I don't really understand the assumption he's good enough for the Championship. On what evidence? He usually looks very out of his depth in the PL. Every chance there are at least three or four new faces in the team for the opening day anyway.

Standard of Championship football is miles off the one played in Premier League. Sooner our fans realize that, the better. On top of that, Long did well when needed. He has flaws and certainly has a mistake in him, but he certainly wasn't out of his depth. In fact, I think he did pretty well in two big spells he had for us; during the season we finished 7th and during Project restart. Don't get me wrong, I certainly wouldn't want him to be our starting CB but he is not nearly as bad as some think.

[Smile]

Standard of Championship football is miles off the one played in Premier League. Sooner our fans realize that, the better. On top of that, Long did well when needed. He has flaws and certainly has a mistake in him, but he certainly wasn't out of his depth. In fact, I think he did pretty well in two big spells he had for us; during the season we finished 7th and during Project restart. Don't get me wrong, I certainly wouldn't want him to be our starting CB but he is not nearly as bad as some think.

Spot on. I think the only people who query things like that are those who haven't seen much of the Championship since we were last there. They can't have done as otherwise they wouldn't be questioning things like that. Long would be absolutely fine in the Championship, although I'd still want us to bring better in, obviously.

[ClaretTony]

Does Kompany play a bog standard 442? I was hoping we’d move away from that with a new manager.

He plays a version of 442 apparently

[Jambo]

Don't want to turn it into a Long thread but even when we finished 7th, I make it 19 points from the 16 games he started. Not saying that was all his fault obviously, the injuries we had contributed to a big downturn in our results in the second half of the season, but it doesn't suggest he was playing brilliantly. Four clean sheets in that run, two of which were right at the start when we were flying, plus a later one against Huddersfield, who were terrible. He was alright at the end of the Covid season though, fair enough.

[KlyBfc]

Standard of Championship football is miles off the one played in Premier League. Sooner our fans realize that, the better. On top of that, Long did well when needed. He has flaws and certainly has a mistake in him, but he certainly wasn't out of his depth. In fact, I think he did pretty well in two big spells he had for us; during the season we finished 7th and during Project restart. Don't get me wrong, I certainly wouldn't want him to be our starting CB but he is not nearly as bad as some think.

Kev Long makes some horrendous decisions when you watch him. His decision making as a centre half surrounding runners off the ball is below champ level. If it’s all going on in front of him he’s alright but any form of semi intelligent movement and he’s lost. He’s a lg1 centre half, and that’s not an insult because the fact he’s a professional football means he’s still blooming good and I’m still jealous, but he’s not ever going to be good enough to start for us.

[Newcastleclaret93]

Is this our strongest 11 as things stand at the moment?

Hennessey
Lowton Collins Long Taylor
McNeil Brownhill Cork Cornet
Rodriguez Barnes

Some thoughts/comments:

Lowton or Roberts at right back
Kevin Long is definitely good enough for the Championship
A new centre forward would be my priority - I’m ok with Rodriguez OR Barnes but not together

Maybe swap Costelloe for Cornet and that’s probably about right.

[BurnleyFC]

Barnes and Rodriguez up top as regular starters is fairly depressing.

[RVclaret]

Maybe swap Costelloe for Cornet and that’s probably about right.

So you’d have Costelloe over Cornet as things stand?

[tiger76]

Barnes and Rodriguez up top as regular starters is fairly depressing.

Both will offer something over the course of a long Championship season, but if they're our first choice pair come the end of the window our recruitment has gone badly wrong.

I fully expect both Cornet & Weghorst to depart, and Vydra even is he does re-sign won't be available before Christmas at a guess, so we will need a striker, and ideally a young pacy one to offer us another dimension up top, Richardson might push for a 1st team place, but it's asking a lot to expect him to come in and fire us to promotion.

[KRBFC]

That's a poor old side, especially when you take out Collins and Cornet.

[Newcastleclaret93]

So you’d have Costelloe over Cornet as things stand?

I meant to say that’s the team for the first pre season game.

I suspect Costelloe will start as Cornet won’t be back in time