I think VK got to caught up in the heavy cup defeats we suffered against the Manchester teams last year.

Muric
Assignon
O Shea
Al Dakhil (or Ekdal, or Beyer if fit)
Vitinho

Cork
Cullen
Berge

Fofana
Bruun Larsen
Rodriguez


Nearest team we could put out to last season.

Come on Vincent, be brave.

Benson to come on after 55 mins

Agree, but the ship has sailed as far as Muric and Benson is concerned. VK may get lucky with Cullen and a few others.

I wouldn’t play anybody that isn’t likely to be here, either. What’s the point in playing Assignon when he’s off soon? Or Fofana? Get the defence settled, and do it now. Give us a platform to work with.

I’d completely write off the next 12 games and use them to gel the players and system for next season. It at least gives the fans something to get behind, and encouragement that there’s a plan in place.

But I don’t think VK has the humility to do this.

Cork and Cullen sitting like the did for the first half of last season, Berge in a free role and then finally get benson on the right

Perhaps we should revert back to playing against championship sides

boatshed bill wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 24, 2024 9:34 pm

Perhaps we should revert back to playing against championship sides

I don't think that's gonna be a problem.

He can't play Muric, Trafford got a clause in his contract that he starts every PL game when he's avaliable.

Or so the fans I spoke to at the services today seem to think

TsarBomba wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 24, 2024 9:24 pm

I’d completely write off the next 12 games and use them to gel the players and system for next season. It at least gives the fans something to get behind, and encouragement that there’s a plan in place.

But I don’t think VK has the humility to do this.

I don’t agree with this Approach TB. We should be putting out a side that try and win as many games as possible. We have six more home games and we are half arsed enough already without turning them into glorified training sessions.

Furthermore there will be a massive churn of players again at the end of the season so we don’t know who will and won’t be here in August.

boatshed bill wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 24, 2024 9:34 pm

Perhaps we should revert back to playing against championship sides

We will

We should already be planning for next season in the Championship because nobody including Pace or Kompany believes we can avoid relegation.

ClaretLoup wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 24, 2024 10:23 pm

I don’t agree with this Approach TB. We should be putting out a side that try and win as many games as possible. We have six more home games and we are half arsed enough already without turning them into glorified training sessions.

Furthermore there will be a massive churn of players again at the end of the season so we don’t know who will and won’t be here in August.

Doubt there'll be a big turnover this summer, can't afford another £100m

alwaysaclaret wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 24, 2024 10:31 pm

Doubt there'll be a big turnover this summer, can't afford another £100m

Well, for a kick off nearly all the old guard are out of contract except for Roberts who has one year left but I can’t see him coming back. Muric Benson Twine and Zaroury may well want a fresh start.

The three new loanees will be off plus Brun Larsen. So that’s double figures already.

Team on Saturday has to be

Muric

Assignon
O’Shea
Esteve
Taylor

Cullen
Cork or JBG
Berge

Benson
Fofana
Odobert or Tresor

TsarBomba wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 24, 2024 9:24 pm

Agree, but the ship has sailed as far as Muric and Benson is concerned. VK may get lucky with Cullen and a few others.

I wouldn’t play anybody that isn’t likely to be here, either. What’s the point in playing Assignon when he’s off soon? Or Fofana? Get the defence settled, and do it now. Give us a platform to work with.

I’d completely write off the next 12 games and use them to gel the players and system for next season. It at least gives the fans something to get behind, and encouragement that there’s a plan in place.

But I don’t think VK has the humility to do this.

Write off 12 games? Gel the players and system for next season? Presumably you would expect people to travel a variety of distances and pay handsomely to witness these glorified training sessions. There has been no signs of any plan for the last 6 months. If I wasn't so desperately disillusioned I don't think I would have replied so readily to the absolute inaneness( is that even a word?) of this post. Perhaps we are all on the precipice of sheer bewilderment and obfuscation but please let me believe that my current mental disarray is only a blip in my attempts to secure some level of natural order in a country well on its slippery way to oblivion.

123EasyasBFC wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 24, 2024 10:45 pm

Team on Saturday has to be

Muric

Assignon
O’Shea
Esteve
Taylor

Cullen
Cork or JBG
Berge

Benson
Fofana
Odobert or Tresor

I agree with the defence and midfield

Muric

Assignon
O’Shea
Esteve
Taylor

Cullen
Cork
Berge

JBG
Fofana
Odobert

but Benson after an hour would be the ideal impact sub. Ideally Cork won't have received his obligatory caution within the first twenty minutes.

Obviously we know Trafford will start, so this is a pointless discussion.

Silkyskills1 wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 24, 2024 11:57 pm

Write off 12 games? Gel the players and system for next season? Presumably you would expect people to travel a variety of distances and pay handsomely to witness these glorified training sessions. There has been no signs of any plan for the last 6 months. If I wasn't so desperately disillusioned I don't think I would have replied so readily to the absolute inaneness( is that even a word?) of this post. Perhaps we are all on the precipice of sheer bewilderment and obfuscation but please let me believe that my current mental disarray is only a blip in my attempts to secure some level of natural order in a country well on its slippery way to oblivion.

The rest of the season is already a write off.

And I think we’re fast approaching a stage now where only the hardcore that travel to every away game are left anyway.

Exactly- there has been no plan for 6 months, so instead of this complete dissaray, let’s try and use these 12 games to build some familiarity.

It’s going to be difficult to predict who will be here next season, of course, but 15/16 combinations at the back already this season is unacceptable. Carry on with this approach until the end of the season, and it gives us a harder job in the summer.

Don’t play Assignon, and forget the loan players and those OOC that won’t be here. Even if we just settled down the back 4, reintegrating Cullen again to sit in front, then it would be a start.

Trafford isnt going anywhere, and his confidence is absolutely shot. Its an absolute priority that we build him back up again and we do that, in part, by having a settled back 4 that have confidence in him, and vice versa.

Its all a moot point anyway as Kompany doesn’t have the humility to do this.

And just to add, the priority now is not attempting to stay in the league - that’s long gone, but damage limitation heading into next season.

Wembley09 wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 24, 2024 9:49 pm

He can't play Muric, Trafford got a clause in his contract that he starts every PL game when he's avaliable.

Or so the fans I spoke to at the services today seem to think

Then play Trafford in the amdouni position, with muric in goal.

Get some experience of the pitch, players who know how to play at this level to help the younger ones around them.

Muric
Assignon - O’Shea - Beyer - Taylor
Cullen Cork Berge
JBG Fofana Foster/Jay

Sleeping Cat wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 25, 2024 9:45 am

Get some experience of the pitch, players who know how to play at this level to help the younger ones around them.

Muric
Assignon - O’Shea - Beyer - Taylor
Cullen Cork Berge
JBG Fofana Foster/Jay

So Cork and possibly Jay seen as the only others with experience of this level started yesterday?

I’d definitely support Jay ahead of Amdouni right now but not sure Cork has the legs anymore.