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Post by stokebill on Mar 15, 2009 8:09:10 GMT
Will he go for this, especially for the home games?
Etherington is our most dangerous midfielder from open play.
Including Delap is surely a must at home, especially as his shoulder seems strong and the drier conditions mean we no longer need the towel (I'm yet to be convinced that teams have totally sussed his throw, more that the wet ball has reduced it velocity)
Whelan seems to have hit a decent vein of form, he offers more creatively than Faye or Diao. Looks likely to net again before the season is out.
Lawrence is back and suddenly we look threatening from set pieces, Shawcross finding the net regularly again.
Etherington and Lawrence work hard, Delap and Whelan can surely do what's required from a Pulis central midfield pairing. Obviously we might lose a fraction of our protection for the defense though, so will Pulis allow himself to do it?
For this cluster of tight 6-pointers surely we need as many goals as possible in our team, add Beattie and Fuller and it must be the only way forward??
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Post by henry on Mar 15, 2009 8:14:35 GMT
delap on the bench, lil faye in for me.
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Mar 15, 2009 8:18:34 GMT
I agree, Bill. Yesterday I couldn't see why Delap was subbed - although he hadn't had a good game, Diao was much worse. I'd have taken Diao off and moved Delap into the centre to give us the midfield you suggest. On current form Amdy Faye also looks a better bet than Diao - Whelan just doesn't seem to play well when paired with Diao - I'm sure playing with either Rory or Amdy would improve Whelan's game.
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Post by walrus on Mar 15, 2009 9:06:35 GMT
I thought this thread was going to be about ''what is our weakest midfield'' when I saw the title.
Delap - Whelan - L'il Faye - Etherington..............at home
and
Delap - Whelan - Diao - Etherington..................away
for me.
Amdy always plays much better at home and Salif seems to do better away.
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Mar 15, 2009 9:13:20 GMT
I may be wrong but I can't recall seeing Whelan ever play well when paired with Salif Diao. Certainly in his last few games he has been at his best when paired with Amdy Faye. And he looked ok last season when paired with Delap.
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Post by stokebill on Mar 15, 2009 9:19:42 GMT
stayingupforinthepremierleague, I probably should add that as an exile I don't see us every week, and therefore I'm informed largely by the odd live game, what I see on Football First or sketchy streams.
I am aware that Lawrence hasn't hit peak form since his return, but following the games the way I do I suppose inevitably you are drawn to the fact that Liam's dead ball delivery seems to be significantly increasing our goal threat. Whether his overall contribution during the 90 minutes merits his inclusion is the question, I suppose.
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Post by scfclifer on Mar 15, 2009 10:20:33 GMT
rory wouldn't get in to my away team at all he is too ineffective away from the brit and offers jack shit
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Post by Jamo on the wing on Mar 15, 2009 10:56:45 GMT
rory wouldn't get in to my away team at all he is too ineffective away from the brit and offers jack shit Trouble is though mate that's for the majority of the season he's been asked to play in wide areas where he is as you say totally ineffective. Get him in the middle and i'm sure we'd see an improvement. Stokebill's midfield is exactly what I would go with home and away. |
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Post by kingdeano on Mar 15, 2009 11:01:36 GMT
bill that team is spot on, but you should know by now salif is fucking pulis up the arse. either that or pulis is impotent and every night salif goes around and services mrs p for him.
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Post by FullerMagic on Mar 15, 2009 11:06:34 GMT
From Christmas onwards last season, I suppose Delap was arguably our player of the season playing CM and completely outshone Whelan.
It would be nice to see him given a chance there as he's increasingly ineffective out wide.
He certainly doesn't feature in our best XI out wide, home or away, but the spot alongside Whelan must now surely be up for grabs given Diao's recent impression of Henrik Risom.
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Post by tony harrison on Mar 15, 2009 11:08:46 GMT
delap on the bench, lil faye in for me. Would like to see Lawrence, Whelan, Delap , Etherington but Delap had a poor game yesterday so other option is Faye. Wouldn't play Diao, keeps giving away silly free kicks on the edge of the box and gives the team a negative approach. |
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Post by french toast on Mar 15, 2009 11:14:28 GMT
yes i agree but we wont see it, delap and whelan just aint got the presence that either of the black lads have im afraid, and pulis likes at least one big youth in the centre to help defend the corners etc
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Post by march4 on Mar 15, 2009 11:17:36 GMT
rory wouldn't get in to my away team at all he is too ineffective away from the brit and offers jack shit Funny then that yesterday the game turned for the worse when Rory went off and Ethers came on. Rory does a lot of hidden work and is an 'intelligent' player. Lenny should have gone off for Ethers yesterday. How we were playing, perhaps no one should have gone off at that point. |
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Post by kingdeano on Mar 15, 2009 11:25:02 GMT
rory wouldn't get in to my away team at all he is too ineffective away from the brit and offers jack shit rory breaks quite a lot up and covers a lot of ground, if anything he needs pushing in the middle, but we know that will never happen unless he grows a few more inches, puts his hair in corns and puts boot polish on his face! |
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Post by th05 on Mar 15, 2009 12:24:01 GMT
Would love to see it, but he will always play one of the defensive pair.
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Post by henry on Mar 15, 2009 12:26:01 GMT
apart from throwing the ball, i really fail to see what delap has to offer both at home and away. i don't buy into this "hidden qualities" crap, thats the kind of bullshit pulis comes out with to vindicate his selection week in week out. games pass him by.
just know he will start next week ahead of larry or ethers though.
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Post by scfctilidie on Mar 15, 2009 12:29:44 GMT
I was on about this midfield to my dad and grandad yesterday, questioning whether he would ever try it.
For me, pulis always has to have a defensive midfielder in diao or faye in the middle as the mentioned midfield is way too attacking for him.
Diao has been absolute garbage lately, but as has been said already we should have an away midfield and a home midfield, of which neither should contain salif diao.
Best midfielder at this club by a country mile?
Prove it then salif..
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Post by Paul Spencer on Mar 15, 2009 12:38:22 GMT
he will always play one of the defensive pair. The thing that worries me is that as recently as the Pompey and Villa games Pulis still believed it was right to start with BOTH of them! With Boro and Newcastle at home and the Baggies away in our next three games then there surely hasn't been a better time all season for the manager to finally let his players go out onto the pitch believing in their own abilities instead of being sent out terrified of the oppositions. |
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Post by icelandpotter on Mar 15, 2009 12:40:50 GMT
Whelan did nothing yesterday, neither did Diao, we need to try something fresher in the middle, so I think i'd go with
Etherington - Little Faye - Delap - Lawrence
or
Etherington - Whelan - Delap - Lawrence
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Post by serpico on Mar 15, 2009 12:54:05 GMT
Yep, thats the midfield I would like to see for the next few games, or at least giving it go against Boro, Diao hasn't impressed me at all, and not matter how good Pulis likes to think he is, he has not produced and imo he still doesn't look fit, he looks sluggish and his distribution is poor to say the least.
I don't see putting Delap in the centre as being a gamble, he's played there lots of time, and as Fullermagic pointed out, he was arguably the best player in the second half of last season, he's much better with the ball at his feet than both Diao and Faye and will put his foot in when needed .
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Post by stokiemama14 on Mar 15, 2009 12:56:29 GMT
Etherington - Little Faye - Delap - Lawrence
or
Etherington - Whelan - Delap - Lawrence
they both sound good to me (:
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shooters
Youth Player
POTTER POWER
Posts: 474
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Post by shooters on Mar 15, 2009 13:07:29 GMT
Diao offered sweet FA yesterday for 90 mins. Was on the train back with 7 everton fans who said once we took delap off it seemed to drift away from us which looked a fair assessment. Line up should be as you said - Fuller & Beattie to start as well.
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Post by expectedtoulouse on Mar 15, 2009 13:13:55 GMT
The midfield that played the second half of last season was Lawrence Delap Whelan Cresswell. Diao was nowhere to be seen. He's unfit, slow and rarely does anything to merit a place in the team. With 3 must-win games coming up we really need to go for it and play
Sorro
Wilko
Shawcross
Ab Faye
Higgy
Lawrence
Whelan
Delap
Etherington
Beattie
Fuller
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Post by foreverstoke on Mar 15, 2009 13:22:27 GMT
after delaps performance yesturday amdy should replace him
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Post by serpico on Mar 15, 2009 13:34:17 GMT
heres what i would go with
---------------------------------- sorrensen ------------------------------
Wilko---------------Shawcross-------------AbFaye----------------Higgy
Lawrence----------Whelan ------------- Delap ------------Etherington
---------------------Beattie--------------Camara-------------------------
According to Pulis Fullers shoulder still isn't 100% so I think another appearance from the bench is in order, Camara should be given a start at home to show what he can do, he'll be chomping at the bit to impress, and Mama and Beattie hasn't hit it off as well as I expected it to, so I'd put Mama on the bench.
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bigboots
Youth Player
Annie eat your oatcake
Posts: 436
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Post by bigboots on Mar 15, 2009 15:03:15 GMT
we need as many matchwinners on the pitch as we can get. so a midfield four of Lawrence - whelan - delap - Ethrington, with Beattie & Fuller up front gives us the best chance of winning games.
Pulis seems to have a real soft spot for Diao with his ' best midfielder by a mile' comment. Diao looks like his legs have gone abit if im honest. people can almost walk past him nowadays.
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Post by sage on Mar 15, 2009 16:10:28 GMT
Etherington - Whelan - Delap - Lawrence
I vote yes
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