I don’t think that’s far off our best 11 if I am honest. 

2 minutes ago, CrazyL said:

Could just as easily be Hackney and McGree as two ‘8s’ and no 10?

Looks like the standard 4231 to me. Don't think he's changed it since the day he came in... Seems a hill he's happy to die on if results don't improve.

4 minutes ago, TheJew said:

Random team selector again. Not the team I would go with but I suppose at least McGree is playing.

So who exactly would you go for that isn’t playing and available? The defence imo looks fine, midfield is what 99% of people I’ve seen asking for. The forwards yea I can see a couple I’d want swapped, but overall I’d say a far better team selection than last week.

4 minutes ago, CrazyL said:

It might not be exactly the same. Similar, but if he asks O’Brien to sit a little deeper and protect the CBs a bit then the shape would be improved for me.

My point is we had two weeks to sort a playing system out and if indeed O Brian sitting deeper is the new plan why didn’t we play it on Saturday. Seems more like desperation stakes to try and make something (anything) work

14 minutes ago, BoroDave4 said:

Why do you say that out of interest?

Because the club has been like a vault for leaks since Carrick took over (and Cattermole left), and now things are being leaked again.

It's a sign that discipline has broken down if some randomer is able to name the team 2 hours before it's announced.

It only started happening under Wilder when things had badly gone to ***.

It might just be as innocent as Coburn told his mate that he's starting out of excitemen and it's spread, but I'm not a fan.

Edited September 19, 20232 yr by TeaCider24

2 minutes ago, wilsoncgp said:

Even if it was a 4-3-3, I'd expect Crooks to be in midfield and McGree out wide. McGree played a lot of games out wide for us last season. I don't think Carrick has given us any reason to think it's a 4-3-3 though. I dread to think of it as Crooks out wide, remember him playing there in his first game at Fulham. Lightyears away from what he has produced since.

Could be 4-4-1-1? Or 4-4-***-2!

Just now, pikerman said:

My point is we had two weeks to sort a playing system out and if indeed O Brian sitting deeper is the new plan why didn’t we play it on Saturday. Seems more like desperation stakes to try and make something (anything) work

Maybe it’s the same system from Saturday but he realised (and admitted) that O’brien didn’t work on the left?

Positives... looks likes putting O'Brian in his proper position and at the expense of Howson. Mcgree finally starting.

Negatives.... Somehow Crooks and Silvera get starts again. Would be less baffling if we didn't have 1 billion options for those positions but seem to be stuck playing the two worst/most out of form options. 

Another black mark against Carrick overall although we are playing the worst team in the league so we should still have enough. 

15 minutes ago, TeaCider24 said:

Really concerning that teams are heing leaked again now.

I agree but this information usually gets out when people inside the club are not happy…

1 minute ago, pikerman said:

My point is we had two weeks to sort a playing system out and if indeed O Brian sitting deeper is the new plan why didn’t we play it on Saturday. Seems more like desperation stakes to try and make something (anything) work

I 100% agree. I’m desperate for us to play a proper 4 cos I think that space in front of the back 4 is costing us big style. Maybe I’m just hoping the penny has dropped after Satdy!

2 minutes ago, TeaCider24 said:

Because the club has been like a vault for leaks since Carrick took over (and Cattermole left), and now things are being leaked again.

It's a sign that discipline has broken down if some randomer is able to name the team 2 hours before it's announced.

It might just be as innocent as Coburn told his mate that he's starting out of excitemen and it's spread, but I'm not a fan.

I seem to remember us winning a few when the team was leaked before hand. Maybe the club signed off the leak to give us a bit of a good luck boost

1 minute ago, TeaCider24 said:

Because the club has been like a vault for leaks since Carrick took over (and Cattermole left), and now things are being leaked again.

It's a sign that discipline has broken down if some randomer is able to name the team 2 hours before it's announced.

It might just be as innocent as Coburn told his mate that he's starting out of excitemen and it's spread, but I'm not a fan.

I used to read the secret footballer back in the day, he said within football all teams know each others starting 11 within hours of managers announcing it, so I don’t think it’s a huge concern. Personally id agree with the Coburn thing I think that’s exactly what’s happened here.

16 minutes ago, SmogDane said:

17 minutes ago, Aphex_Boro said:

Forss, Bangura, Smith, Dijksteel all injured then

Smith is on the bench

This season that doesn't mean that he isn't injured though 🙃

13 minutes ago, Neverbefore said:

It is better than the weekend.  But my point is, again, its completely different. There's just no plan, he's just changing lots in the hope it works.

It's really not completely different. You've got effectively one unenforced change in the side up until the front 4, which is bringing one of the front 4 from the last game back into midfield. So in the front 4, you have lost one player to that, one player to injury and one player who had a bad game in front of goal at the weekend. Coming in, you've got one of our best players from last season into that front 4 too.

It's also a midweek game, we've got a decent sized squad now so inevitably some players will be dropped due to fitness.

Some of the reaction to this line-up seems a lot greater of an overreaction than his actual changes, to me.

15 minutes ago, wilsoncgp said:

Not sure what the big problem is, personally. Not like anyone who isn't in the side has been producing enough to justify their inclusion. Coburn came on for a good cameo the other week and has rarely let us down. McGree back in the side. O'Brien partnering Hackney in midfield is what we need to see more of.

Is there anything anyone can see there that is unquestionably and justifiably wrong with the team tonight?

How would you determine that exactly?  And does this mean that the previous selections were wrong because they were different teams to this one or is every team right because it's the one that gets picked?