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the exile 11:37 Wed Feb 16
Team for Newcastle

Newcastle have seen an upturn in form recently due to their new signings (are you listening, Moyes?), but with both of their first choice full-backs out it could be a good time to play them.

Too many of our players seem below par at the moment, but apart from attacking midfielders we simply don't have the resources to be able to shuffle the pack. But I would like to see substitutions made a bit earlier than the 80th minute if Lanzini and Fornals are looking like they need replacing.

The other issue is dealing with St Maximin. Many will disagree with this, but Fredericks is the only one who can match him for pace, so I would bring him in for the out of form Coufal.

Fabianski
Fredericks Dawson Zouma Cresswell
Soucek Rice
Bowen Lanzini Fornals
Antonio

daveyg 9:20 Sun Feb 20
Re: Team for Newcastle

Yeah Exile
Fantastic bit of defending to earn that yellow card and marking for their goal.
We have better in Johnson and Ashby.

Mex Martillo 2:36 Sat Feb 19
Re: Team for Newcastle

And you were right on Fredericks, Exile!
Lanzini dropped for Benramha though.

FatboyChelseaScum 12:23 Sat Feb 19
Re: Team for Newcastle

I'd probably rest Soucek for this one and play Lanzini deeper. They'll just have one plan - break fast, if we control possession and build from deeper with Lanzini I don't think they'll have an answer.

the exile 12:19 Sat Feb 19
Re: Team for Newcastle

Mex - that's exactly what I have been saying. Sadly, one or two immature individuals simply can't cope with anything positive being said about a player that they have taken against.

Anyway, this has been a much more interesting thread than they were when we had a settled team in great form and picking itself. But it might be good if we could get back to that!

Mex Martillo 9:11 Fri Feb 18
Re: Team for Newcastle

Fredericks obviously can defend and pass and attack making crosses into the box. He is fast, and faster than Coufal and Johnson.
However, Coufal and Johnson are better than Fredericks at defending, passing, attacking and making crosses into the box.
I'm not sure why Moyes went for Fredericks before Johnson when Coufal was doing so poorly against Barns.
But I'd say Fredericks is definitely not ahead of Coufal and Johnson for first team selection to start Premier league games. Johnson was first choice for a while and I think over this season has been our best RB. For me Coufal is a very close second. Fredericks is clearly third choice and a bit behind them.

Darby_ 7:26 Fri Feb 18
Re: Team for Newcastle

I doubt that Fredericks would man mark St Maximin out of the game. His positioning is terrible and his pace doesn’t make up for being woefully out of position. Considering how quickly they counter attack, his bad positioning could easily cost us.

Offensively he’s very fast but he wastes it by picking the worst option, like shooting from an acute angle when three players are screaming for it in the box.

Charoo 6:35 Fri Feb 18
Re: Team for Newcastle

Let’s hope 7.5 hours on a luxury coach takes more out of the Newcastle players than 45 mins on a plane. Some nice tight hammy’s for ASM with a bit of luck!

kylay 5:16 Fri Feb 18
Re: Team for Newcastle

the exile 11:28 Fri Feb 18

I'm with you on absolutes, but Fredericks is still a very limited option. His only real attribute is pace, so he can man-mark St. maximin out of the game IF he can stay focused. Newcastle will sit back, and we need someone who can pose some threat down that side to open some space for Bowen. Fredericks should be able to do that with his pace alone but he reads the game so poorly both offensively and defensively that he's far more liability than threat

Norflundon 12:22 Fri Feb 18
Re: Team for Newcastle

——————-—-fab
Johnson-Dawson—Zouma—cresswell
—————rice——-Soucek
Bowen————-Lanzini——Benrahama
———————-Antonio

Was a toss op to who to leave out between Soucek and fornals would be tented to leave Soucek out and play lanzini at 6 and fornals at 10. If we had a reserve left back and a striker I’d probably dropped cresswell and Antonio it’s just unfortunate there aren’t any on the entire planet good enough

the exile 11:28 Fri Feb 18
Re: Team for Newcastle

daveyg - here you go again - extreme, black and white.

"Fredericks can't pass, shoot or defend." "He offers nothing."

Absolute bollocks. Take a look at Sir Alf's contribution a few posts back. That's what you call analysis, looking at the positives as well as the negatives - a balanced, grown up approach. You should try it some time.

daveyg 7:50 Fri Feb 18
Re: Team for Newcastle

Exile.
Whether my opinions on certain players are extreme is based on analysis. Seeing what they do during a game. Fredericks can't pass,shoot or defend. It's easy to see.He offers nothing. Attackers find him easy to get by and defenders easy.
How many times has he put in a cross or assist. Defended well, not just one tackle here or there. Johnson on the other hand has been MoM or part of a defence that has played well and solid of a course of games. That's analysis not saying " he's not as bad as people make out".
You were claiming the same about Masuaku don't deny it.
No middle ground we are worse off with him.
Ashby would be an argument for playing instead, playing in a team full of confidence,u23's. Look at Fredericks body language. Shocking..
Get over it yourself that you're wrong.

Darby_ 5:41 Fri Feb 18
Re: Team for Newcastle

Interesting idea playing two up front. People have the feeling that something about the team isn't working like it used to, and they think that we can freshen things up by dropping Coufal or Soucek or whoever.

But maybe the problem is that the system itself is getting stale and other teams are learning to play against it. Antonio, for example, is being marked and fouled out of the game, but what if he had someone like Bowen playing just off him?

Dr Matt 10:15 Thu Feb 17
Re: Team for Newcastle

Areola
Johnson Dawson Diop Alese
Fornals Rice Soucek Benrahma
Bowen Antonio

White Pony 10:09 Thu Feb 17
Re: Team for Newcastle

Fab
Dawson Zouma Cresswell
Coufal Rice Vlasic Soucek Johnson
Bowen Antonio

Sir Alf 10:03 Thu Feb 17
Re: Team for Newcastle

Fredericks issue is simply technique in terms of passing and control. He struggles with passing accurately over a longer distance and sometimes over 5 yards too. His control is dodgy too with the ball often bouncing off him in the same way it does for Antonio.

However, he (Fredericks) is very quick and has some value if given a specfic job to stop St Maximin as he is able to match him for pace. ASM really only has that and as a team we struggle with it since we really don't have too many players with pace. I can see him coming on again if, as could be the case, Coufal gets torn a new one because its highly likely that Moyes will pick him to start again. Btw, I still think Johnson is a better defender than both of Fredericks and Coufal but he needs to develop some attacking capabilities as he struggles to beat a man and get a good cross in. So I would go for Johnson and have Fredericks to come on if St Maximin starts causing us problems as Barnes did.

The other 2 positions for possible changes are central midfield and striker. While I agree Antonio couldnt trap a bag of cement these days, he actually played a little bit better against Leicester and occupies the CBs enough to create room for Bowen at times.

As other say, Vlasic needs to be tried centrally at some point but don't see Moyes doing that just yet. Not sure why? Its his best position so why buy him anc not play him there?

Benrahma and Lanzini are a conundrum. Both struggle when starting or trying to play 90 mins? THey only look effective when coming on around the 60 min mark or even later?. Think I would start with Lanzini again but be ready for Benrahma to be the impact sub if it all goes tits up.

Will be interesting to see how Newcastle approach the game? Will they try to dominate possession and try to open us up or will they do as many teams do now at the Bowl, sit back and look to pick us off on the counter. I suspect the latter and hence another struggle.

Stevethehammer 8:53 Thu Feb 17
Re: Team for Newcastle

Vexed, Johnson might have been roasted a few good times but the games I've seen Coufal play in he has been dogshit. Hardly gets a cross into the box, gets beat every time down his side and can't pass 5 yards. Yes I agree he came in did well all for the cost of as you say 5 pence. However he is clearly out of form and has cost us goals. He hasn't been the same since getting injured at Man utd and looks a shadow of what I saw was a 7/8 out of 10 every game he played in last season. This season he has been shit and keeping a young player out of the side, not that the blame there lies with Vlad but with Moyes.

Huffers 8:03 Thu Feb 17
Re: Team for Newcastle

Fredericks haha, I can’t wait until we play against him next season, assuming some Div in the PL signs him

Hammer and Pickle 7:41 Thu Feb 17
Re: Team for Newcastle

No way should Antonio be starting and why not try Vlasic in a central role? If we are to play Lanzini and Fornals together, the latter should be the first receiving the ball from defence. Also want to see Soucek in a more forward role. Coufal needs a rest, Rice needs to take care of Cresswell while Diop and Catzouma in the centre for me. Oh and what’s the pint of Areola if we keep playing an ancient Fabianski?

the exile 7:23 Thu Feb 17
Re: Team for Newcastle

Fuck off yourself, daveyg. Your opinions on players are so extreme - everything is either black or white to an imbecile like you. I never said Masuaku was decent - I said he's not as bad as you make out, and the same is clearly true of Fredericks. Any simpleton can call out just about any player and write them off on the basis of a few specific errors. I'm arguing for the middle ground here, which is where truth and reality are almost always to be found. I can recall occasions when Fredericks has made a terrific last-ditch tackle or his pace has got him back to defend effectively when other full-backs would have been left behind. Yes, if course he has his limitations and I would not normally have him in my first eleven, but I am just making a case for selecting him on this occasion on the basis that he is the only defender we have who can match an opponent with exceptional pace. Get over it.

eastend joker 7:15 Thu Feb 17
Re: Team for Newcastle

no problem with Antonio starting because he becomes the focus of the central defenders , it frees up Bowen behind him .

⚒️ 6:10 Thu Feb 17
Re: Team for Newcastle

Been saying it for a while…exile is a clueless, boring cunt.

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