Team For Burnley

[HonradaRaposa]

I'd play the same team that started on Saturday, maybe with Fryatt in for DJ.

[caz05]

Hopefully this week Sousa will be able to bring in some players so we never have to rely on the dithering Howard or shambolic Dyer unless it is an emergency.

[caz05]

I'd play the same team that started on Saturday, maybe with Fryatt in for DJ.

Yes i agree

[Heskey2011]

What?

He's been quality so far this season and dropping him is unfair.

hardly quality, absolute garbage pre-season and yeah had a good start but have you forgotten last season, looked average at best,

if Sousa can get more out of him then brilliant but, i can't see it, or where the sudden Nielson love has come from? i thought he was in the spl reject category judging by crowd reaction at the walkers last year.

[Unabomber]

hardly quality, absolute garbage pre-season and yeah had a good start but have you forgotten last season, looked average at best,

if Sousa can get more out of him then brilliant but, i can't see it, or where the sudden Nielson love has come from? i thought he was in the spl reject category judging by crowd reaction at the walkers last year.

In case you hadn't noticed the majority of people find it fair to judge players on their current form, and at the moment although it may not be a fantastic game Neilson is at the top of it.

[Salieri]

Gotta be the same team, would be unfair to drop anyone given that it was a good performance.

I think its inevitable that Lamey will replace Neilson, but it would send out the wrong message to do it now whilst Neilson has found a bit of form.

Similar thing with Oakley, he played very well and deserves to keep his place, but in the long run i'd like to see Moreno in a midfield trio with Wellens and King.

[The Doctor]

Gotta be the same team, would be unfair to drop anyone given that it was a good performance.

I think its inevitable that Lamey will replace Neilson, but it would send out the wrong message to do it now whilst Neilson has found a bit of form.

Similar thing with Oakley, he played very well and deserves to keep his place, but in the long run i'd like to see Moreno in a midfield trio with Wellens and King.

before we do that we need to find another partner for hobbs since playing alongside morrison at palace and 2nd half macc'field they both looked very shakey.

And with tunch being a perma-crock and vitor's failed return from injury it would be up to one of the youngsters.

i'd keep the same team, dyer looked a bit lost at times yesterday but there aren't really any other options that would improve the performance.

[marbelladave]

Can't see how playing the same team can be remotely viable...

Burnley will be tough, tougher than Middlesboro and if we play as we did on saturday we will get beaten. We need to tighten up and play to our strengths if we are going to get something out of the game.

Our defence will need to be at its best, so for me the back 5 has to be unchanged, the confidence from keeping a clean sheet will be important and anyway I doubt Vitor, the only player who could make a real difference, will be fit.

In midfield King needs to return to center stage, playing fairly deep but with Oakley playing the holding role he performed so well on saturday. I know some will disagree but the third member of the midfield should be Gallagher, his creative play around the box is badly needed as our limp performance in front of goal on saturday showed.

Up front is easy, Fryatt needs to replace Howard, he may only be half as involved but he is far more likely to make or score a goal, we missed that threat on against 'boro.

So...

Weale

Neilson--Moreno--Hobbs--Berner

King-- Oakley--Gallagher

Dyer--Fryatt--Campbell

[Mr Happy]

Don't try fixing it if it isn't broken,.. same team that played against boro for me

[Houdini Logic]

Hopefully this week Sousa will be able to bring in some players so we never have to rely on the dithering Howard or shambolic Dyer unless it is an emergency.

I would love to know your logic behind that statement

[marbelladave]

Don't try fixing it if it isn't broken,.. same team that played against boro for me

But it is broken...

Played 'boro off the park for much of the game and still failed to win, at home too!

Not good enough!

[Tommeh]

Gallagher in for Oakley in the midfield 3, leave the front 3 of Steve, DJ and Dyer and they should cause plenty of problems.

Maybe I'm being harsh on Oakley after only seeing him at Palace where he did ok but I've always liked Gallagher in the hole remember him playing it really well at Blackpool last season, could restrict King slightly though, Wellens obviously the other midfield man.

[Leicester Rule!]

But it is broken...

Played 'boro off the park for much of the game and still failed to win, at home too!

Not good enough!

Swopping Fryatt for Howard, didn't you see how ineffectual Campbell and Fryatt were at Palace? They don't seem to work well together.

[marbelladave]

Swopping Fryatt for Howard, didn't you see how ineffectual Campbell and Fryatt were at Palace? They don't seem to work well together.

I did and you are right, up to a point.

Against Palace we played both well forward in a system that saw us outnumbered and under pressure in midfield so a lot of the time the 'out; ball from midfield was the ball over the top, pointless as you say.

Play the same system as 'boro but with Fryatt leading the line, I know he will be only half as involved as Howard but he is twice as likely to score or make a goal. Burnley are at home and will push forward, Fryatt down the middle, Dyer and Campbell roaming free from wide positions could all be good on the break.

King to be the focal point in midfield, important this, as his ability to switch the play and move the ball forward quickly could be pivotal as we break on the counter.

I'll stick with the team I posted above...

[Sooper Steve's shin]

I didn't think we particularly needed to bring any subs into the game on Saturday (although the crowd is inevitably looking for that when we're not winning at home. I thought we were dominating Middlesbrough, definitely looking the more likely to score. Fryatt and Gallagher did not particularly change that; Lamey added a bit of pace and would be the one possible change I'd consider from the starting XI purely on the fact that we lacked a lot of width on Saturday. There were many occasions when the midfield had the ball in the centre and looked to push it out wide but there was no-one there. Neilson doesn't bomb forward in the same manner as, say, Kerrea Gilbert when he was with us - he looked sold but just is not that mobile. Berner also looks to have lost a bit of mobility and got caught upfield once or twice (similar to Palace's third goal on the opening day). I'm not saying drop Berner just yet, but if neither full-back is supporting the midfield fully then we lose a lot.

[Flynny]

Neilson doesn't bomb forward in the same manner as, say, Kerrea Gilbert when he was with us - he looked sold but just is not that mobile. Berner also looks to have lost a bit of mobility and got caught upfield once or twice (similar to Palace's third goal on the opening day). I'm not saying drop Berner just yet, but if neither full-back is supporting the midfield fully then we lose a lot.

Probably why he's looking better tbf. Yet to see us this season but last season he used to charge into the final third and lack the pace to get back. Given that he was following on from Gilbert he was probably being asked to do so to begin with, but if he's stopped doing that it might be why he looks more solid.

[MC Prussian]

Weale

Berner

Hobbs

Morrison

Neilson

Dyer

Wellens

King

N'Guessan

Campbell

Howard

Subs: Logan, Lamey, Moreno, Adams, Oakley, Fryatt, Gallagher

[MrSpaM]

Am i the only one who thought we looked worse at the back when Lamey came on dropping Neilson would be hugely unfair after the way he played on saturday.

[ousefox]

Has to be the same team that played Boro. I was very surprised at how well Neilson played and there is no reason why he shouldn't keep his place.

[dandannieldanok]

But it is broken...

Played 'boro off the park for much of the game and still failed to win, at home too!

Not good enough!

It isn't broken, we've had 2 games in the league, have a little patience. We won't improve if we keep fiddling around with the team. Of course we should have different options, but to say it's broken, whatever 'it' is, seems ridiculous to me. It's not always about us, you have to look at what the opposition did and in my opinion Middlesbrough's excellent defensive work was the main reason it was 0-0, not to do with any problems from our side.

[davieG]

Probably why he's looking better tbf. Yet to see us this season but last season he used to charge into the final third and lack the pace to get back. Given that he was following on from Gilbert he was probably being asked to do so to begin with, but if he's stopped doing that it might be why he looks more solid.

I thought Neilson got forward quite a lot in fact at times he seemed like he was up there on his own, he won several balls up there even inside the box, I do feel that many times people see what they want to see to reinforce their current view of players.

As for Lamey he gave the ball away at least 3 times in his first 4 passes yet everyone seems to think he was wonderful, not saying he hasn't got the potential but on Saturday's showing I didn't think he was much of an improvement on Neilson.

Likewise Moreno who hardly got his head to the ball once and but for a last ditch challenge by Hobbs at least one miss would have led to a goal yet he seems to be many people's solution to the CB spot.

Perhaps the foreign names are clouding people's judgement.

[marbelladave]

It isn't broken, we've had 2 games in the league, have a little patience. We won't improve if we keep fiddling around with the team. Of course we should have different options, but to say it's broken, whatever 'it' is, seems ridiculous to me. It's not always about us, you have to look at what the opposition did and in my opinion Middlesbrough's excellent defensive work was the main reason it was 0-0, not to do with any problems from our side.

The 'broken' phrase was not mine but used in a reply to my post by Johny H, and no I do not really believe it is broken...

It is however not yet right, adjusting a team to make improvements at this stage of the season is not fiddling, it is necessary adjustment.

After saturday I feel we need to switch from defense to attack more quickly, which is why I want to see King given the pivotal role in midfield, he moves the ball far, far quicker than Wellens and I think that is important. Replacing Howard is for a similar reason, Fryatt is quicker and sharper and a real goal threat, something that Howard is not.

I want us to play the same system as we played on saturday, just the two changes for the reasons given above, fine tuning really...

[Bryn]

Can't see how playing the same team can be remotely viable...

Burnley will be tough, tougher than Middlesboro and if we play as we did on saturday we will get beaten. We need to tighten up and play to our strengths if we are going to get something out of the game.

Our defence will need to be at its best, so for me the back 5 has to be unchanged, the confidence from keeping a clean sheet will be important and anyway I doubt Vitor, the only player who could make a real difference, will be fit.

In midfield King needs to return to center stage, playing fairly deep but with Oakley playing the holding role he performed so well on saturday. I know some will disagree but the third member of the midfield should be Gallagher, his creative play around the box is badly needed as our limp performance in front of goal on saturday showed.

Up front is easy, Fryatt needs to replace Howard, he may only be half as involved but he is far more likely to make or score a goal, we missed that threat on against 'boro.

So...

Weale

Neilson--Moreno--Hobbs--Berner

King-- Oakley--Gallagher

Dyer--Fryatt--Campbell

Gallagher looked well off the pace on Saturday.

[marbelladave]

Gallagher looked well off the pace on Saturday.

Fair comment, but then I never saw Gallagher as a sub who would make any kind of 'impact'.

He is the sort of player who sort of weaves his way into a game until, without really seeing it coming, he is virtually your best player. He remains one of the few players we have who make things happen around the box, scores the odd goal too...

I will also admit to another reason, I really do not like it when Wellens and King play together in midfield, Wellens as the senior player tends to take control and this tends to squeeze King into a support role. This was ok a year or so ago but I now think that King is much the better player and ready to shoulder the major job of running our midfield,

With Wellens in the team this is not going to happen!...

[Legend_in_blue]

Same team as on Saturday except swap Fryatt for Howard.