Given how Bull has successfully established out Premiership credentials, isn’t it now time to try out players like Gelhard and Greenwood,or has the manager got eyes on the European spots and will continue down the same line?
Personally I’d love to see the former. We can get an idea if we can rely on our resources rather than the transfer market. The closed season cannot give a true reflection on how these boys can step up. Surely now it’s the time.
If we did push on and grab a euro slot, I think we would over extend ourselves next season.
But saints manager confirmed Jan Bednarek (also in the Poland national squad in the euro's) will be involved tomorrow evening, he is only coming back from injury himself.
Hasenhuttl also confirmed that Ryan Bertrand & Will Smallbone will miss leeds game.
Klich & Koch given the rest of the season off to prepare for Euros.
Kinnear says he expects Greenwood, Gelhardt, Drameh and Summerville to break into the first team squad next season, and that new signings for the u23s will be needed.
In my opinion we need to give the left wing back spot to leif Davies for the remainder of the season (allows us to know if we need to buy or not here - i believe he can fit easily in and we do not need to buy). The position that Klich plays needs to be given to Shackleton as well (i know he played well today but his age is limiting his week to week performance - Klich that is). Like to see Jenkins get game time as well.
I think on balance I'd like us to stick with the guys who did so well against Spurs, but use the bench to give some game time to a couple of the U23s if we're winning. Just getting that bench spot is a learning curve and a sign of recognition.
I feel next season's U23 academy league will be a much bigger test for some of the squad and the summer will allow a couple to get a squad promotion proper.
Burnley are a big physical side soopa and i think if we lineup with a few U23's they will get stuck into those players as they will see them as the weakness. We all know Burnley will hoof the ball long for vydra/wood to chase it down hassle the defender into knocking it out of play or forcing him into a 50/50 pass back. They wont play it through the middle of the park it will be like RU, territory first play second.
That however is not to say dont bring any of the U23's into the matchday squad, we should, and "if" the game is going well for us bring on 1 or 2 and let them taste PL football. I personally wouldn't like to see an inexperienced U23 starting any game and exposing / embarrassing him (in front of the TV cameras) and i think MB has learned that from our FA Cup defeat earlier in the year.
But i do agree the best way to see if any player is ready for the PL he needs to play in PL games. Hadnt realized 12th was as low as we can finish how many on here would have said 12th would be the highest we would finish back in Aug/Sept last year.
The Glory Days are back (well almost)
MOT
Has the scenario changed? We find ourselves with 3 games to go, unable to be lower than 12th now and in all probability unable to finish higher than 8th.
Place pot is secure. What do we think?
Surely the time has come to utilise some of our talented youngsters in the first team.
Starting to grate on me why we are persisting with players that will not be here next season i.e Alioksi or players that have hit the wall like Klich. How are we going to know if the U23’s are going to make the grade if we don’t play them now? If Paddy is injured or off form who have we got to replace him? Why was Beradi on the bench when we know in our hearts he is not the future? Some strange decisions IMO.
Evidently if wba win all of the games left including against us by a marg of 5 they can pip us
The hardest part will be getting a load of promising U23s a chance to step up. Drameh, Cresswell, Davies, Huggins, Summerville, Poveda, Geldhart and Greenwood all have the ability with many others also not too far away like Jenkins and Casey.
Then you have the returning McAlmont, Gotts, Edmondson and Hossanah.
Cannot see Mujica or Kun making it here though.
Big big next few weeks for these kids.
Lots of people see Koch and Llorente as the first choice CD partnership. I beg to differ. Struijk is Cooper's sub and possibly replacement long term not Koch. I see Koch as Llorente's cover and also Philip's cover
I think the current recognised 1st team players will want another crack at Liverpool and Man Utd and see if they can overturn the previous results. After that, I'm all for giving Gelhardt and Greenwood a go in the team although we also need to factor in some serious game time for Rodrigo and Koch.
Bambi still doesn't look right so Gelhardt could step in here and Rodrigo for Roberts. In order for Greenwood to get in, probably Dallas would need to drop to full back instead of Alioski.
I would also replace Cooper with Koch and get the partnership with Llorente up and running for a few games. I still see this as the future pairing so the sooner they get an understanding the better, at least that's my opinion anyway.
You gotta reward players that delivered that performance over City. Same team go out and take the game to liverpool. Everyone looking at Aprils fixtures would have settled for 3 points, we have played 2 games and bagged all 6 points.
Regarding possible european spot for me our initial goal for the season was survival that is now secured (if it already hadnt been prior to City result). I agree we should reassess our target but i also believe we should take it one game at a time with a little eye on next season and possibly bringing in one or two others for some PL experience.
However and in all this euphoria we are all feeling after Saturday we cant expect a team 8months ago to "survive" in the premier league to a European spot with 2 months left in the season.
Yes reassess
Yes try and finish as high as we can
BUT 100% REALISTIC TARGETS
No point in setting the bar way over the top leaving the players deflated in May, step by step lads Rome wasnt built in a day.
By God wasnt Saturday brilliant, the weekend flew long may these feelings continue. MOT
I'm torn on whether we should blood some of the U23's or whether we keep pushing on.... I don't think the European places are a realistic target but there is something like £3M extra prize money for every place, so getting a 9th place finish rather than a 14th place finish is worth something like £15M (that's our new LB).
I would say Gelhardt, Summerville, Dramah and Greenwood are a cut above the others. They were all transfers in their own right. And I tend to agree, Gelhardt looks as good a striker as any other up and coming youngster on the market. Summerville can't be less of a risk than an expensive winger. Guess their involvement will ultimately all depend on hi close we get to a European placing.