Parky Wake Up - Here is your starting line-up on Saturday

I believe we can all agree that Parky needs help in picking his side... putting AlF upfront with two six-feet defenders and no help.  So, pick your line-up and pray that Parky reads the blog every day!  We desperately need points to stay up and with the right line-up, we can do it.

Pick your starting eleven vs Derby!

Whittam

Whittam - Whittam - Whittam - Whittam

Whittam - Whittam - Whittam - Whittam

Whittam - Whittam

What about Whittam? Heard she's handy at dealing with long balls.

You bitch.

The team I picked for the Birmingham game.

Parky's just as likely to go with it for this game as he was v Brum.

Wilbraham or Ameobi up top.

ALF has been playing well. Even against Birmingham he didn't play bad as such, he was just lost.

Osede is about as much use as a fart in a hurricane, so we may as well have played two up front instead.

Personally, I'd bring Clough straight back in - probably be tempted to leave Osede in Bolton - not necessarily to play in any one given position.

I'd also drop Burke who to me looks too slow and generally poor with the ball at his feet. Beevers has also been dire of late but obviously the alternatives aren't aplenty.

I guess there will be changes but as I've explained we are 'locked' into a system and so we really don't have much room for manoeuvre, or players to change drastically the system we play.

I guess the choice is to go with three at the back or stick with a back four.

Three at the back makes us that bit more positive by means of having more attack minded wing backs - but the problem still remains as to what to do with the ball once they get it - pass it on to the winger in front of them, pass it sideways to the likes of Henry and Derik, or cross it for 5 foot 2 inch (or whatever they are) Alf/Clough, for them to watch their 6 foot 8 inch markers to simply nod away all day long.

Fwiw I think I would stick with a back four we have but play Robinson in front of Taylor on the left (in place of Buckley) to allow each other work better together and improve better defensive cover - they can interchange and let one or the other to attack whilst the other defends and visa versa - I also think that Robinsons undoubted energy and athleticism would maybe help to get around the back of the Derby defence and knock balls back into the front of the Derby goal for our players to turn their defenders and run on to.

Similarly I think I would play Morais on the right in front of Flanagan as he at least is capable of delivering a good ball in and has been our talisman really since his arrival. Flanagan seems to be less inclined to attack and has an England cap, so should be more competent to stay in his more natural role as a defender and hopefully help solidify the defence.

I would of course bring in Pratley for Derik. His athleticism should also help in attack as well as defend in front of Beevers and Burke.

That being the case I would push Ameobi up front - I know he's not a target man but he's tall and gives people a target to aim for - and let's be honest he should at least keep one of their defenders tied up during the match - and play Alf as the goal poacher / number 10.

This would mean dropping Vela and playing a sort of old fashioned 4-4-2.

We need to make sure we don't get battered by Derby - at the end of the day it might be goal difference that decides if we stay up or go down - but hopefully my side above may make us a little bit more positive than we have been recently.

Failing that selection I would obviously go for the eleven 'Whittam' side.

Sluffy wrote:I guess there will be changes but as I've explained we are 'locked' into a system and so we really don't have much room for manoeuvre, or players to change drastically the system we play.

I guess the choice is to go with three at the back or stick with a back four.

Three at the back makes us that bit more positive by means of having more attack minded wing backs - but the problem still remains as to what to do with the ball once they get it - pass it on to the winger in front of them, pass it sideways to the likes of Henry and Derik, or cross it for 5 foot 2 inch (or whatever they are) Alf/Clough, for them to watch their 6 foot 8 inch markers to simply nod away all day long.

See what you're saying but if we manage to get players high and wide it doesn't mean that their crosses have to be high at all - whipping it low across the box and ideally behind their CBs would be perfect for ALF.
We haven't got a quality target man so there is no point in long hoofs or high crosses - we need to play it on the ground.
The key thing is that whilst the ball is wide it gives the midfield an opportunity to step up a further 5 or 10 yards to connect with the attack thereby increasing the chances of constructive passing around the opposition penalty area instead of holding so deep they have to hoof it.
All good in theory but it would require quality possession and passing as we would leave ourselves open to the counter if we gave it away higher up the pitch - and we haven't showed a great deal of quality in possession recently.
Looking forward to seeing the team sheet to see how "radical" parky is with his selection.