Time for me to eat my words- here's next weeks team

[dannyboi-ffc]

I've been forever criticising the poor decision making of fofana and the purpose of keeping an unhappy ruiz but it's time to swallow my pride and eat my words but it comes at a price.

Here's some points i'd like to get off my chest and they won't all be popular
1) Kit was very foolish to not bring in a back up steady Eddie keeper which would've given him the opportunity to take Betti out of the firing line to recuperate from his lack of confidence after Sunderland.  The boys gone from a star to a lost boy who looks indecisive every time a ball comes in the box, sure he made an excellent save second half but all keepers are shot stoppers, it's the commanding your area which separates the good ones.  A bit like what man city did with Hart last season but they had a decent back up, we have Kiraly,  an issue that needed addressing on the cheap.

2) Tunnicliffe is crap- ill be the first to admit I was desperate for him to come back expecting him to improve the side but he isn't that talented.  A decent back up but despite fofana ' s faults he is better than him.  Drop tunnicliffe

3) Who on earth is Richards and more importantly why on earth did we bring him in??? Grimmer was probably our weak link when we were winning and we've managed to replace him with someone much worse. Backwards side wards running with his head down and then resorting to the easy option which killed off any potential attack we had. Poor player, drop Richards.

4) McCormack is slow fat and lazy. He has bundles of ability but so did berbatov. We are in a dog fight now, forget the pretty stuff Ross and the glory goals. We need you putting in a shift and pressing the defence defending from the front like Woodrow does. Drop Ross for Millwall.

5) Woodrow is better than Hugo in every way. Again Woodrow ' s work rate and link up play is better.  They are both awful in the air but at least Woodrow holds the ball up. Drop Hugo, something that should have happened weeks ago.

6) First touch- Ipswich were unbelievably organised and their pressing made me jealous. We never work that hard to close teams down but we made it easy for them today.  Every players touch was useless and they lost a yard or two of space just because a PROFESSIONAL footballer couldn't control the ball properly. That's like me not knowing how to use the brake when I drive my bus. A basic requirement and it's not good enough.

7) Leaders or lack of them- if these players think today was tough boy do they have a shock in store for them. As the weeks pass, the pressure will grow greater and greater. I saw a bunch of wimps today which worries me. Sure we will lose to teams better than us but I saw cowards who were hiding and didn't want the ball or even worse, prevented good attacks building because they didn't have the BALLS to play that through ball when they spotted a run or try something creative. Instead they all played safe, exactly what their manager does. Why wasn't a couple of leaders brought in in the window???

8) Ruiz has to start- ill never love him like others do but he made a big difference when he came on. Part of me felt sorry for him for not getting his move after today's dismal display. He must feel he's surrounded by a bunch of clueless conmen making a living out of football.

9) Matt Smith- i'd love a stat man to tell me how many headers McCormack Hugo and Woodrow won between them today. I think its a joke he isn't even an option. He is what you call a plan B even if he isn't a starter.  Ludicrous decision and that ones all Kit, not Felix.

That's enough for today lol. Here's my team for Millwall, I think we got to go for it.

                      Bettinelli
Grimmer     Bod      Hutch      Stafylidis

                  Parker     Fofana

Roberts              Ruiz                   Kaca

                       Woodrow

Subs
Kiraly
Burn
Kavanagh
LVC
Williams
McCormack
Hugo

[Riversider]

Roberts and Woodrow are no where near first team football , playing those two at Millwall in a relegation six pointer would be a complete and utter disaster.

[Max Headroom]

No, playing them in a relegation six pointer would be the act of A clueless man

Personally I would like to see Woodrow start and Roberts get 30 minutes not 5

[dannyboi-ffc]

Roberts and Woodrow are no where near first team football , playing those two at Millwall in a relegation six pointer would be a complete and utter disaster.

Your right let's play tunnicliffe and Hugo instead................

[ScalleysDad]

I get where you are coming from but what about a plan to nullify Millwall on their patch first 5.3.2, then break them down, take the game to them, 4.4.2, by closing down and dominate the set plays. Bosh.
Get some of the kids in ..... damn. Get a spine of older players in ....... damn. Play to an out and out strike force ...... damn. Play the ball through Ruiz ....... damn. Play a baffling diamond to confuse the opposition ...... damn.

Has anybody mentioned the bit about getting some players in yet? What about a barn with no door being constructed in front of the shooting goal at Motspur Park and a throw in specialist. If the player fails with a throw in the throw in specialist throws a grenade at them. Should step things up a bit.

Actually danny what you have done is neatly summarise the deck of cards Symons has. Average replaces average or blindingly incompetent replaces untried. I liked your first team for all of 5 seconds and then saw an over exposed Grimmer. That means Roberts would have to go but for whom? Kavanagh to help shore things up so a blunt attack? Your 'dropped' list is very bold and frankly I agree with it but when we once thought we had some depth at last what we actually have is lots of square pegs for the round holes. Its not rocket science to surmise Holloway is probably telling his team"this game is a tad important lads so lets get to it". Why not completely nullify that by parking a bus for a while? We lack strikers and creative midfielders so to take the game to them is madness ......... damn.

[Fulham1959]

Well said, Dannyboi !

I don't necessarily agree with it all but at least it's reasoned and well written.

[RaySmith]

The confidence of our inexperienced team has nosedived under the pressure of a few bad results.

What once seemed a decent, eager, organised young team under a decent young manager now seems a disorganised, clueless rabble.

keep calm is all I can say, and I know people will jump down my throat, but it's important to get behind the team - and I think the team on the pitch needs to be organised and defensively solid -

it's not about this player or that player- good players now play as if they've never played together before, and only recently taken up the game of football - but Kit needs to instil some confidence and organisation and belief - one good result and we could turn it round again - as Kit did when he first came in.

Get behind the team at Millwall - COYW!

[dannyboi-ffc]

Ray did you see my post before the match about 'your club needs you' for Millwall.  We are the 12th man and I will back this team till the end. Every kickoff is a fresh start and I will naively believe but that doesn't mean they deserve relentless chances without being dropped.

Like you said some of them have no confidence and if kit isn't capable of getting them playing how they did when he first took over then that just proves
1) he isn't a good manager
And
2) those players need to be taken out for the greater good of the team.

I genuinely don't think the players I said to drop deserve their place next week.

Scalleys Dad, when did you start talking sense lol.(only joking) A good post and I suppose you're right about roberts. Grimmer would be very exposed.  Maybe LVC on the right wing and go 4411 with Ruiz behind Woodrow?  

[Baszab]

I would rather play Zverotic as cover on the right side - have Millwall got any good wingers ?

[snarks]

Ruiz made a difference when he came on. Tunni got in to some great positions but didn't get the ball. Scotty was my main concern as I just didn't feel he was positive enough.

To me LVC and Bod had their worst games this season. Richards is a better defender than grimmer, but doesn't add as much going forward, crying out for 3-5-2

[hovewhite]

I've been forever criticising the poor decision making of fofana and the purpose of keeping an unhappy ruiz but it's time to swallow my pride and eat my words but it comes at a price.

Here's some points i'd like to get off my chest and they won't all be popular
1) Kit was very foolish to not bring in a back up steady Eddie keeper which would've given him the opportunity to take Betti out of the firing line to recuperate from his lack of confidence after Sunderland.  The boys gone from a star to a lost boy who looks indecisive every time a ball comes in the box, sure he made an excellent save second half but all keepers are shot stoppers, it's the commanding your area which separates the good ones.  A bit like what man city did with Hart last season but they had a decent back up, we have Kiraly,  an issue that needed addressing on the cheap.

2) Tunnicliffe is crap- ill be the first to admit I was desperate for him to come back expecting him to improve the side but he isn't that talented.  A decent back up but despite fofana ' s faults he is better than him.  Drop tunnicliffe

3) Who on earth is Richards and more importantly why on earth did we bring him in??? Grimmer was probably our weak link when we were winning and we've managed to replace him with someone much worse. Backwards side wards running with his head down and then resorting to the easy option which killed off any potential attack we had. Poor player, drop Richards.

4) McCormack is slow fat and lazy. He has bundles of ability but so did berbatov. We are in a dog fight now, forget the pretty stuff Ross and the glory goals. We need you putting in a shift and pressing the defence defending from the front like Woodrow does. Drop Ross for Millwall.

5) Woodrow is better than Hugo in every way. Again Woodrow ' s work rate and link up play is better.  They are both awful in the air but at least Woodrow holds the ball up. Drop Hugo, something that should have happened weeks ago.

6) First touch- Ipswich were unbelievably organised and their pressing made me jealous. We never work that hard to close teams down but we made it easy for them today.  Every players touch was useless and they lost a yard or two of space just because a PROFESSIONAL footballer couldn't control the ball properly. That's like me not knowing how to use the brake when I drive my bus. A basic requirement and it's not good enough.

7) Leaders or lack of them- if these players think today was tough boy do they have a shock in store for them. As the weeks pass, the pressure will grow greater and greater. I saw a bunch of wimps today which worries me. Sure we will lose to teams better than us but I saw cowards who were hiding and didn't want the ball or even worse, prevented good attacks building because they didn't have the BALLS to play that through ball when they spotted a run or try something creative. Instead they all played safe, exactly what their manager does. Why wasn't a couple of leaders brought in in the window???

8) Ruiz has to start- ill never love him like others do but he made a big difference when he came on. Part of me felt sorry for him for not getting his move after today's dismal display. He must feel he's surrounded by a bunch of clueless conmen making a living out of football.

9) Matt Smith- i'd love a stat man to tell me how many headers McCormack Hugo and Woodrow won between them today. I think its a joke he isn't even an option. He is what you call a plan B even if he isn't a starter.  Ludicrous decision and that ones all Kit, not Felix.

That's enough for today lol. Here's my team for Millwall, I think we got to go for it.

                       Bettinelli
Grimmer     Bod      Hutch      Stafylidis

                   Parker     Fofana

Roberts              Ruiz                   Kaca

                        Woodrow

Subs
Kiraly
Burn
Kavanagh
LVC
Williams
McCormack
Hugo

nice well thought out and reasoned danny,but I do believe hoogland should be in at the expense of Roberts pushing fofona out wide with hoogland doing the defensive midfield role pushing scotty further forward .
I am really worried about this game as its massive and games like this make or break managers.

[grandad]

So our fat,lazy & slow player has scored 12 goals. Wow, a great idea to drop him. Roberts is wasted on the wing. Kaca is not the player we were expecting him to be. Fofana gives the ball to the oppo more than to his own players.

[One Martin Thomas]

Always agree with Dannyboi... however, not on the point about McCormack.  He's all we've got upfront.

Hugo's career in England is breathing its last. 
Woodrow needs more game time for me to judge as I am slightly on the fence.  He certainly turned the game in our favour away to Birmingham with his work rate alone.

To me, it is Smith and McCormack.  We've got to bring him back to the club.

[hovewhite]

if matt smith plays we need crosses into the box and ross playing alongside up top not in the hole helping midfield ,up top and the crosses into the box and our wide players have to be told that's there job.

[colinwhite]

Good post danny even if i don't agree with your team selection. As you quite rightly pointed out a lot of the basic errors are now down to kit and can't be blamed on anyone else .
Also agree with hove white that one of our main problems is getting quality balls int o the box , which sans that smiths recall may not effect things too much .
Agree with viewpoints about tunnicliffe and woodrow. Still think the sooner we can this side on the pitch the better.
                      Betts
hoogland  bodurov  hutch amorbietta
 lvc  parker  staffalydis
         ruis
        macormack  woodrow

Its basically the side that Kit started well with .