With a few injuries we are getting down to the bare bones. Do we pack the midfield bringing in Stephens? Does Cornet go up top with WW?

Think I’m edging towards this:

Pope
Lowton Collins Long* Taylor
Roberts Cork Brownhill McNeil
WW Cornet

*Tarks obviously if he’s fit.

Arguably Pieters could come in for more solidity. Roberts and Lowton on the right as Son is a big threat. Cornet up top to provide at least some threat on the counter.

If we get anything from this game it will be a miracle. Sadly Spurs will steamroller us.

Pope
Roberts Collins long (Tarks if fit) pieters
Cork Stephens
McNeil brownhill cornet
Weghorst

Milltown1882 wrote: ↑

Sun May 08, 2022 5:08 pm

Pope
Roberts Collins long (Tarks if fit) pieters
Cork Stephens
McNeil brownhill cornet
Weghorst

Yep also wouldn’t mind this team.

Pope
Lowton, Tarks, Collins, Pieters
McNeil, Stephens, Cork, Brownhill
Lennon
Barnes

To try and keep it tight and hopefully get something from a set piece.

Lennon for Cornet if fit.

Pope
Lowton Collins Tarky Pieters
Brownhill Cork McNeil
Lennon Weghorst Cornet

We can’t go there playing 442. Hopefully spurs get beat off Arsenal this week and have nothing to play for!

Pope
Roberts Collins Long Taylor
Lennon Brownhill Cork McNeil
………. WW……….Cornet……….

Pope
Lowton
Collins
Tarkowski/Long
Taylor
McNeil
Stephens
Cork
Brownhill
Cornet
Weghorst

Pope
Roberts Collins Long Taylor
Lennon Brownhill Cork McNeil
………. WW……….Cornet……….

Steve-Harpers-perm wrote: ↑

Sun May 08, 2022 5:13 pm

We can’t go there playing 442. Hopefully spurs get beat off Arsenal this week and have nothing to play for!

We got a solid point at Arsenal playing 4-4-2.

4-5-1 with Stephens holding in front of back four

Cornet replacing Lennon and Wout up front

But fear Jackson is also from the 4-4-2 school

Plus, playing Lennon wide left didn't work against Watford and we went on to win that game after he changed wide men round

So why start the same way on Sat against Villa ?

We have to play 5 in the middle for the next two away games

RVclaret wrote: ↑

Sun May 08, 2022 5:27 pm

We got a solid point at Arsenal playing 4-4-2.

We had Mee and Tarks in the spine for Arsenal

jojomk1 wrote: ↑

Sun May 08, 2022 5:28 pm

We had Mee and Tarks in the spine for Arsenal

Fair point.

Pope
Roberts Collins Mee Taylor
McNeil Brownhill cork Pieters
Cornet Barnes

Pope
Lowton Tarks Collins Taylor
McNeil Cork Westwood Pieters
WW Cornet

How far away is Ben from fitness?

Iloveyoubrady wrote: ↑

Sun May 08, 2022 5:56 pm

Pope
Lowton Tarks Collins Taylor
McNeil Cork Westwood Pieters
WW Cornet

Think Westwood might struggle. Unless we stick him in the net with his crutches.

RVclaret wrote: ↑

Sun May 08, 2022 5:59 pm

Think Westwood might struggle. Unless we stick him in the net with his crutches.

Haha no idea why I said that obviously meant brownhill. Channeling my inner SD…

Pope
Lowton Collins Long Taylor
McNeil Cork Brownhill Pieters
Weghorst Cornet

Conroy92 wrote: ↑

Sun May 08, 2022 6:09 pm

Pope
Lowton Collins Long Taylor
McNeil Cork Brownhill Pieters
Weghorst Cornet

Kane and Son v Collins and Long

Pope
Roberts Collins Long* Pieters
————-Cork
—Brownhill—-McNeil
Lennon———————Cornet
—————WW

---------------Pope
------Collins Tarks Peters
Roberts Cork Brownhill Taylor
------Cornet Wout McNiel

If Tarks is out then Collins in centre and either Long or Lowton on right hand side of back 3. If Tarks and Cornet are both out then we're f*cked

Steve-Harpers-perm wrote: ↑

Sun May 08, 2022 5:13 pm

We can’t go there playing 442. Hopefully spurs get beat off Arsenal this week and have nothing to play for!

May be interesting given that it's the north London derby on Thursday.

Spurs are still chasing a champs league spot.

They may not be at full strength. Not saying we will win but there may be worst times to play them.

clarethomer wrote: ↑

Sun May 08, 2022 8:00 pm

May be interesting given that it's the north London derby on Thursday.

Spurs are still chasing a champs league spot.

They may not be at full strength. Not saying we will win but there may be worst times to play them.

Our best hope is they beat Arsenal in the derby, then in typical Spurs fashion throw one in at home to a struggling side, now that's a long shot admittedly, especially given our depleted resources, but stranger results have happened in football over the years, so we've got a chance of taking something from our trip to London albeit a slim one.

Pope,
Roberts, Collins, Tarkowski (or Thomas) Taylor,
McNeil, Cork, Brownhill,Cornet,
Weghorst, Rodriguez (or Costelloe)

Pope
Lowton Collins Long Taylor
Pieters
McNeil Brownhill Cork Cornet
Wout

Think we need to park the bus on this one.
Pope
Lowton Collins long/Tarks Taylor
Roberts Cork Wout Brownhill McNeil
Barnes

Cornet off bench when we go behind.

Hobsons choice unfortunately

Pope
Lowton Collins Tarks/Long Taylor
Pieters
Brownhill Cork
Roberts Weghorst/J Rod McNeill

Need to help protect the Centre Halves from the Spurs pace

I would play 5 at the back in the next two games be very hard to beat try and nick a win but will take some doing which 5 his down to who is available utc

Deluded anyone who has wout playing waste of a space waste of a wage
Play cornet up top with Lennon
Dwight and Connor roberts out wide

Pope
Pope Pope Pope Pope Pope
Pope Pope Pope Pope
Cornet

Longsidelenny1882 wrote: ↑

Sun May 08, 2022 9:38 pm

I would play 5 at the back in the next two games be very hard to beat try and nick a win but will take some doing which 5 his down to who is available utc

Against Spurs, if Tarkowski, Mee, and Vydra are out with Jay 50/50 then it's worth giving it a go, we leave Lennon, Barnes and Jay (if available) on the bench and try to stay in the game for an hour and see where we are then. If plan A doesn't work then change things at half time. If Weghorst is isolated it won't work but the plan has to be to get Cornet and McNeill to support him.

If we play a normal back four with Long for Tarkowski we'll be at least two down by half time, to be honest we are so depleted I don't know what we can do on Sunday to get a positive result. We need Everton levels of luck on our side.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<Pope>>>>>>>>>>>>>
<<<<<<<Collins - Long - Taylor>>>>>>>
Roberts<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Pieters
<<<<<<<<<Brownhill <<>>Cork>>>>>>>
McNeill<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Cornet
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<Weghorst>>>>>>>>>>

Basically we need to hope mee is fit enough to start which gives us a natural left sided cb, I wondered over last couple of weeks whether the management set up had left Collins and Tarkowski be because it seemed they were forging a partnership, although mee hasn't figured on the bench, but if fit would perhaps give us a better option to go 3 at the back with Collins in the middle at least to provide us with more in an attacking sense with the wide men, we really need McNeil, cornet, Lennon and weghorst on the pitch from the start as that gives us the best chance of winning the game, if of course jrod isn't fit. Very limited options I guess, maybe it's time we through costello in, seems to be doing OK in u23s.

Pope
Roberts - Collins - Long - Taylor
McNeil - Cork - Brownhill - Pieters
Weghorst - Cornet

Boydesque wrote: ↑

Sun May 08, 2022 9:47 pm

Deluded anyone who has wout playing waste of a space waste of a wage
Play cornet up top with Lennon
Dwight and Connor roberts out wide

Don't you watch us play, like Wood Weghorst gets no service at all.

ClaretMov wrote: ↑

Mon May 09, 2022 10:35 am

Don't you watch us play, like Wood Weghorst gets no service at all.

Pretty sure since Dyche left our XG is in the top 5 in the league.

I wouldn't like to pick our starting line up, what a bad time of the season to have 5 or 6 player's out, long and Barnes in the team really shows the work this club needs to do this summer along with recruiting a brand new management team

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Mon May 09, 2022 10:38 am

Pretty sure since Dyche left our XG is in the top 5 in the league.

Nothing at all to do with it

Pope
Lowton Collins Long Pieters
Roberts Brownhill Cork Stephens Taylor
Weghorst

10 men behind the ball and pray for a clean sheet. A draw means Leeds would need to win 1 and puts pressure n them.

Boydesque wrote: ↑

Sun May 08, 2022 9:47 pm

Deluded anyone who has wout playing waste of a space waste of a wage
Play cornet up top with Lennon
Dwight and Connor roberts out wide

Nonsense

Got to be:

..........................................George Boyd
George Boyd .....George Boyd .....George Boyd .....George Boyd
..........................................George Boyd
.......................George Boyd.............. George Boyd
........George Boyd.............................................George Boyd
..........................................George Boyd

If Tarks and Mee arent fit we simply cannot play 4-4-2

Id switch too this, with Roberts and Peters / Taylor playing as wing backs, and Cork holding.

Pope
Roberts Long Collins Taylor Peters
Cork
Brownhill McNeil
Cornet
WW

ClaretMov wrote: ↑

Mon May 09, 2022 10:42 am

Nothing at all to do with it

You said we don’t Create chances?

Pretty much entirely reliant on Cornet being fit but I'd bang the drum I've been banging since January and play 4231, with a couple of minor tweaks in personnel:
Pope
Lowton Long Collins Pieters/Taylor
Cork. Brownhill
Roberts/Lennon/McNeil Cornet/McNeil
McNeil/Cornet/Pieters
Weghorst

I'd probably favour Lowton in defence for added solidity, Lennon advanced right purely for his pace, and McNeil/Cornet exchanging roles in the hole and wide left, with Taylor behind. Alternatively Pieters wide left for added stability and McNeil/Cornet exchanging in the centre and right, or Roberts right instead of Lennon (but even if he's dipped recently the reason I'd possibly favour Lennon is pace is invaluable in attack and we are barren for pace without Vydra). Roberts would give more defensive support though if pegged back so possibly start him and bring Lennon on if we need pace.

Focus on using a relatively fluid midfield three with the wide players trying to get in behind and cut it across for Weghorst, and whoever is in the hole offering a central support option or late runs from deep for a cutback. I think it's a system we could have made work well with Vydra fit- you could realistically have him, McNeil and Cornet occupy any positions as needed in that 3 and both Vyds and Cornet have intelligent running which could see them lose markers in a fluid system. It also would get more out of Weghorst, with quick players further up around him to overlap when he drops deeper. Without Vydra we're a little taxed for personnel for this but I think it's still our best setup and actually still involves an XI capable of shifting to 442 451 or 4411 if things aren't working.

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Mon May 09, 2022 10:48 am

You said we don’t Create chances?

No I didn't, I said Wood and now Weghorst get no service

ClaretMov wrote: ↑

Mon May 09, 2022 12:11 pm

No I didn't, I said Wood and now Weghorst get no service

Which is clearly nonsense

We might be fielding a similarly experienced team to Sculthorpe as the injuries continue to mount. And might be on the end of a similar score!

One of these two - if Tarky isn’t available then possibly Long or Pieters as left sided centre half .

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Mon May 09, 2022 12:17 pm

Which is clearly nonsense

Oh yes I'd clearly forget the 37 goals Wood had scored this season before we sold him and the 29 goals Weghorst has got since we signed him

Pope
RB: Pieters
LB Lowton
CB : (2 of) Tarks/Collins/Long
RW: McNiel (switching wings/cutting in to make 3rd forward)
LW: Cornet (switching wings/cutting in to make 3rd forward)
DCM: Stephens
CM: Cork
ACM: Brownhill
CF: WW

Subs including: RB/RM Roberts, Jay Rod (ACM/CF) Taylor (LB/LW)