Oakboy wrote:Mikey Brown wrote:FKAS wrote:We can't give every player the excuse that they are playing on a misfiring team.
There’s a point where you have to wonder why we’re unable to consistently get much out of any of the backs we have available. Trying to bed in new combinations with our revolving door approach to the coaching staff and tactics is obviously going to have a big impact.
I know we’re lacking some clear world-class midfield (yes, 10, 12, 13) talents, but we do have 5 or 6 players who are definitely capable of delivering at this level. Trouble is we’ve now been in this limbo state for such a long time there is no real trustworthy combination of players/tactics to fall back on. Ford/Farrell/Slade is the last combo that got any decent sort of run, and I think we all hoped to have moved forward from that by now.
MB, your last sentence sums it up. Ford and Slade somehow produced despite being hampered by Farrell at 12!!!
Of course, punditry and some on this board see it the other way round with comments like 'Slade has never produced'.
Ideally, pick Ford, Slade, Marchant. With Jones still there, it will have to be Farrell at 10. Basically, anything but Farrell at 12 (even if Ford and Slade have contrived to make him look adequate there occasionally, in the past)!
Strangely, I feel like Slade has been better with Farrell than without. It feels like whenever he's asked to step up as a senior player, he just doesn't. Despite the fact he's no longer the young tyro, he still plays like it. Some players seem wise beyond their age (Ford), while others seem like they're always 21 (Slade, 36, Danny Care until he hit his mid 30s).
Right now, I would probably pick Smith-Farrell-Marchant in my midfield. But I'm not wedded to that midfield, and despite being a Smith fan, I'd have Ford back the instant he was fit.
At which point, I'd be sorely tempted to bring in ANYONE for Farrell. It is strange how we fail to produce players in certain positions, though. I feel like Australia would just go "feck it", and play Ford/Smith at 10/12, and screw the absolute mess it would make of defence.