Heaton
Lowton Keane Mee Ward
Boyd Barton Hendrick Arfield
Barnes
Gray

I think that's a fairly safe bet, CFS. In some ways I'd like to have seen Brady in from the start, but against 2 of the best attacking full backs in the game I can't see that tbh.

Heaton
Lowton Keane Mee Ward
Boyd Barton Hendrick Arfield
....Vokes..... Gray.....

Would love to see Defour in there with Hendrick pushed up to sit in behind Gray. Problem is though I'm not sure on the idea of Barnes or Gray up front on their own and it would be very harsh to drop Barnes therefore I would agree with what you have put.

Is Arfield injured ? If so who would be preferred to replace him?

BleedingClaret wrote:Heaton
Lowton Keane Mee Ward
Boyd Barton Hendrick Arfield
....Vokes..... Gray.....

Mmmh?

If Arfield is injured and with a view to there full backs then maybe?

Heaton
Lowton Keane Tarks Mee Ward
...Boyd ...Barton ...Hendrick
....... Vokes.......Gray.........

Arfield IS the replacement... who's gonna replace him?

We used to have Kightly, now I'd say put Barnes on the LW?

Dark Cloud wrote:I think that's a fairly safe bet, CFS. In some ways I'd like to have seen Brady in from the start, but against 2 of the best attacking full backs in the game I can't see that tbh.

Isn't Rose injured?

Defour looked a class above when he came on at Spurs.

Would be tempted to start with 451 in this one, still attacking but brings Brady in. That said BArnes tends to do well against spurs.

Heaton
Lowton Keane Mee Ward
Arfield Defour Barton Brady
Hendrick
Gray

cricketfieldclarets wrote:Defour looked a class above when he came on at Spurs.

Would be tempted to start with 451 in this one, still attacking but brings Brady in. That said BArnes tends to do well against spurs.

Heaton
Lowton Keane Mee Ward
Arfield Defour Barton Brady
Hendrick
Gray

^This

Not had a word about the team for the weekend yet but I would love to see Boyd have a free'er role sat behind a striker.

We'll have opportunities it we play Gray as Spurs usually play quite a high line. Barnes has been brilliant and if he pressures their CBs and roughs them up a little he could turn the game in our favour massively.

Heaton
Lowton Keane Mee Ward
Defour Barton Brady
-----Boyd-----
Gray Barnes

Could work well ... But with their break down the wings it could also very easily fall apart. Biggest chance we have is pressuring their defence into panicking and having Boyd running around for 90 mins doing that and also Gray harrassing them like Liverpool at hom... could be the answer to 3 points.

No chance he will play a side like that and dont think we should. He would be pillared if he sacrificed our stability and work rate to give Boyd a free role - something he has never played for us.

Dropping Barnes and Boyd for Defour and Brady gives us more flair, ore creativity and more deadball ability. But by playing 5 in the middle we keep the rigidity and able to compete in midfield. Spurs and Alli in particular would run ragged against that midfield above.

Bringing Hendrick forwards retains the physical and aerial threat Barnes offers.

I'm afraid we'll get the same old tired set-up.
Really we are past the time for experimentation but unless we do I fancy we might descend into an unseemly free -fall.

So for me

Heaton

Lawton Keane Mee Ward

Tarka. Barton

Defour Hendrick

Gray Boyd.

I'd like to try Agyei and Gray upfront and try the explosive route and certainly would give that a shout sometime in the match.

ablueclaret wrote:I'm afraid we'll get the same old tired set-up.
Really we are past the time for experimentation but unless we do I fancy we might descend into an unseemly free -fall.

So for me

Heaton

Lawton Keane Mee Ward

Tarka. Barton

Defour Hendrick

Gray Boyd.

I'd like to try Agyei and Gray upfront and try the explosive route and certainly would give that a shout sometime in the match.

I would be more afraid if we lined up like that

ablueclaret wrote:I'm afraid we'll get the same old tired set-up.
Really we are past the time for experimentation but unless we do I fancy we might descend into an unseemly free -fall.

So for me

Heaton

Lawton Keane Mee Ward

Tarka. Barton

Defour Hendrick

Gray Boyd.

I'd like to try Agyei and Gray upfront and try the explosive route and certainly would give that a shout sometime in the match.

Picking a striker who has been dead for over 20 years at right back is a bit too experimental for me.

So aBlueClaret wants to play an extremely narrow formation against a team that plays with width? And Boyd up front?

We would get tore a new one.

ablueclaret wrote:I'm afraid we'll get the same old tired set-up.
Really we are past the time for experimentation but unless we do I fancy we might descend into an unseemly free -fall.

So for me

Heaton

Lawton Keane Mee Ward

Tarka. Barton

Defour Hendrick

Gray Boyd.

I'd like to try Agyei and Gray upfront and try the explosive route and certainly would give that a shout sometime in the match.

Ahhhh the good old 4-2-2-2, the perfect formation for a starting 11 containing 5 defenders, 3 central midfielders and 1 striker.

More seriously, I'd actually love to see Agyei in the side next to Gray from the start to give us a bit more pace, but cant see us dropping Barnes at all except maybe as a last 10 mins sub. Doubt Agyei could quite play the role Barnes plays.

Heaton
Tarks + Keane + Mee + Lawton
Barnes + Barton + Defour + Hendrick
Gray + Brady

....but I know absolutely nothing about football! ; )

......................Heaton
....Lowton Keane Mee Ward
Arfield Barton Westwood Defour
.............Barnes Gray

Barton and Westwood partnered very well against Chelsea.
Arfield and Defour add some creativity.
Hendrick is playing reasonably well but just seems to be lacking consistency.

Heaton
Lowton Keane Mee Ward
Brady Barton Hendrick Defour
Barnes
Gray

we are at home. lets go for it.

The back 5 are a shoe in.
Gray and Barnes up top is most likely.
Hendrick and Barton in the middle most probably.
It then boils down to how we play on the outside. Do we go with the more defensive framework of Boyd and Arfield or something with a bit more attacking flair such as Brady?

It could be that we may opt for a 4 5 1 formation with Vokesy leading the line again. Midfield is where it could be won or lost against this particular opposition.
Boyd, Barton, Hendrick, Defour, Arfield, providing a mix of defensive and offensive players that provide cover down the flanks and support to Vokesy.

No Ney Never wrote:The back 5 are a shoe in.
Gray and Barnes up top is most likely.
Hendrick and Barton in the middle most probably.
It then boils down to how we play on the outside. Do we go with the more defensive framework of Boyd and Arfield or something with a bit more attacking flair such as Brady?

It could be that we may opt for a 4 5 1 formation with Vokesy leading the line again. Midfield is where it could be won or lost against this particular opposition.
Boyd, Barton, Hendrick, Defour, Arfield, providing a mix of defensive and offensive players that provide cover down the flanks and support to Vokesy.

Unless there is an injury to either Barnes or Gray there is little or no chance of Vokes starting. We haven't played 4-5-1 for some time so we won't be playing it on Saturday unless injuries force our hand.

4-5-1 for me.

Heaton

Lowton Keane Mee Ward

Boyd Defour Hendrick Barton Arfield/Brady

Gray

It's painful to see quality like Defour and Brady not starting but we all know what SD will go with and hope somehow to keep a clean sheet and then maybe nick something in the 2nd half . I'd love him to stay but you get the feeling Defour may not be in claret for much longer

This really is about the front 6, as stated by most the back 5 are a given of Heaton, Lowton, Keane, Mee and Ward.

I really would like to see Defour start, he is probably our most gifted midfield player. Barton alongside him worked well earlier this year. Now how the heck do you work the other 4 players out. Gray has to start as he can keep the Spurs defenders on their toes, Barnes must surely start too? That leaves Brady, Westwood, Hendrick, Boyd, Vokes and Arfield for two places. Hendrick and Boyd it is then!

..............................Heaton,
..................Lowton, Keane, Mee, Ward,
...........Barnes, Barton, Defour, Hendrick, Boyd,
.................................Gray

I agree with Vin Rouge's 11 players, but would swop Defour and Hendrick around so that Defour is in the middle. Hendick can get up and down the pitch for 90 minutes to cover Lowton's runs. Barnes needs to get close to Gray for Tom's long kicks. Walker is the danger so Boyd needs to be on that side.

Spijed wrote:Isn't Rose injured?

If he is I'll be very pleased! (And SLIGHTLY more optimistic)

Probably play a very weak side. We've got Spurs at home the day after.

We'd better not have...

Dark Cloud wrote:If he is I'll be very pleased! (And SLIGHTLY more optimistic)

He is. They said he was due back early April, so I suppose it's possible he'll be fit for Saturday, but unlikely.

LoveCurryPies wrote:Heaton
Tarks + Keane + Mee + Lawton
Barnes + Barton + Defour + Hendrick
Gray + Brady

....but I know absolutely nothing about football! ; )

Keep taking the tablets.

Could've sworn we were playing them on Sunday

Probably a day for the tried and trusted.

You can make an argument for Brady for Boyd, certainly in an attacking sense, but I think we'll want Boyd on our left to track Walker, presuming he plays.

Defour to start for me. The 5 man midfield with him as part of it looked very good when Barton played too.

It will be tried and trusted from here on in. One might argue it's the most likely way to get the necessary points and SD has proved that before more particularly when going for promotion, but for me his innate conservatism at this level is also the most likely route to relegation.
By fielding a side with limited potential week after week he is betting everything on the value of continuity, his failure to become a side with adaptability built in, which for a brief period appeared to be his thinking, leaves him vulnerable if the victories do not come.
Experimenting becomes more and more unlikely to succeed the deeper into the season you go. SD has chosen to abort experimentation in favour of a rigid formulaic framework. I hope he gets it right because he and the side deserve to survive, I just think this side could have been heading confidently into the last few games if he had been more adventurous and confident in the skills of his players.

Let your ******* agenda go

I'd hardly call injuries and suspensions aborting experimentation, more like adapting what you have available against the opposition in order to achieve the target of survival. The bloke's doing a fantastic job.

We haven't lost a league game at home for over 4 months - almost half a season. We're 8 points clear of the bottom three.

Tried and trusted seems alright to me.

Tried and trusted it will be, I just think SD has retreated back into this formula when the evidence was he was beginning to be successful breaking out of it.

I hope he is right, but I think he is taking the most dangerous route.

Be honest ablue, you don't hope he is right. You want him to lose and fail then you can bang your daft little drum about things you know little about. You would really enjoy football so much more if you took if for what it is. Stop thinking you know more than Dyche about the players he works with every day, stop your daft formations and players out of position and just enjoy it.

ablueclaret wrote:Tried and trusted it will be, I just think SD has retreated back into this formula when the evidence was he was beginning to be successful breaking out of it.

What evidence would that be?

In general I prefer Vokes to Barnes but Barnes has a good record against Spurs, mind you so has Vokes.

Keep it tight for 60 minutes like Dyche always tries then get into em.

I think we will need brady on the wing to keep up with Walker, and if Walker encounters Brady speed it may make him think twice about bombing forward

I hope SD succeeds, I think he deserves to, but I don't like his methods, and I hope he is replaced by someone who allows a bit more freedom of expression. I've never hidden my feelings about that.
Some didn't like EH's style of play, I don't particularly like SD's although It has obviously been very successful.
Personally I think this squad could achieve more with a slightly less rigid set-up, but we will never know.

One man's "freedom of expression" is another man's "relegation fodder". Particularly when you're up against people who are quite frequently better than you.

Rather brady and defour start against Stoke.lets just be solid Saturday against one of best sides in keague.
Brady and stevie should get on the ball more Tuesday night and be fresh.

Tinribs wrote:Rather brady and defour start against Stoke.lets just be solid Saturday against one of best sides in keague.
Brady and stevie should get on the ball more Tuesday night and be fresh.

Who would have thought it .... burnley with 20million plus of talent on the bench possibly.amazing!! Utc.

Heaton
Keane Tark Mee
Lowton Barton Hendrick Ward
Brady
Agyei Gray

I would like to see Barnes drop to midfield, just because it would sound good...

Boyd Barton Barnes Brady

Think you whipped that team from me KRBFC, but I like it. Never see it mind.