Rousseau

2 minutes ago, DMAA said:

I'd actually be tempted to bring in Holt  and move Docherty to the central attacking midfield position. That way he would be right on top of Brown. With Holt and Docherty in there they wouldn't have much time on the ball in the middle, and Goss would be freed up a bit from the physical side of the game.

 

Very unlikely I suppose, but I do wonder about the wisdom of playing with 4 attacking players against Celtic. Maybe that would be showing more respect than we need to I'm not sure.

I like the idea, but I don't like Holt in these games; he just gets bullied. I'd prefer someone like Dorrans, if he was available.

You'd also lose a good out-ball in Windass. 

10 minutes ago, Tannochsidebear said:

Yes, the 2 rounds of the cup is the only time they have started together. I am asking why this is? Giving opponents (even poorer ones like Ayr & Falkirk) two troublesome busy strikers to worry about creates more opportunities for us to score. It also gives more than one target for the midfielders to link up with. This was the question I posed when we were linked with Cummings as I didnt see Murty playing them together very often as he likes one up top which doesnt suit Cummings at all. It's a difficult one to get the balance right.

 

Windass's home form isnt just poorer, its rank rotten in comparison to the away form. I dont see that opponents are setting up vastly different at their own grounds than at Ibrox, so I dont think it is that. Is he a big-game player? Can he play well at Ibrox in front of the big crowd and added pressure? To date you would have to say no, but lets hope on Sunday he shows he can do it.

 

I'm glad you're not too worried about Halliday, i'm feckin terrified!!

If you play two strikers you lose the midfield battle. The way teams break against us, I find playing two very dangerous; against Celtic that seems completely unthinkable.

I don't agree with that; it keeps getting trotted out every time Windass is mentioned. He's actually one of our best performers against the big sides, if not our best. Sure he goes missing at times, but what player doesn't; and no other pops up with Goals and Assists like he does. He has 4 Assists and 2 goals for us at home, mostly against Aberdeen and Hibs -- is that really "rank-rotten"? 

9 minutes ago, Tannochsidebear said:

Morelos starts without a doubt, the big question for Murty is who does he play with him?

 

By my reckoning Morelos & Cummings have only started 2 games together and we have scored 10 goals in those 2 games, which is impressive at any level.

 

If we take as a given that we will play a back 4 with Goss & Docherty sitting in central midfield mostly a bit deeper, it leaves 4 attacking spots in the team between Morelos, Cummings, Candieas, Murphy, Windass. Every one of them will rightfully be upset if not selected. My preference for leaving out would be Windass. His home form is truly awful (only 2 goals all season and numerous stinkers) and he has often went missing in tough games. If we were playing away I would play him as his goals tally in away games is excellent. Horses for courses and all that.

 

Of course there is not a hope in hell Murty is not going to start Windass, as he seems to be his absolute favourite, so we'll say he is due a good home performance in a big game and hopefully that will be Sunday. I think Murty will play Candieas and Murphy wide with Windass supporting Morelos, and Cummings, despite the hattrick, on the bench. Very harsh on Cummings but thats the way I see Murty going.

Haven't Cummings-Morelos only start together against Falkirk and Ayr? If so, that's hardly a reason to play them, no matter how many goals they scored. (Did they play against Fraserburgh?)

Windass is one of our best performers; it would be absolute folly to omit him from the team. His home form is poorer, but I think that's only because of the way teams play us at home -- Celtic will not play us like that.

I'm not too worried about Halliday. He's certainly not a LB, but I think he'll work hard for the cause. I'd prefer a proper FB, though.

13 minutes ago, theboyharley said:

Not even a debate for me. Morelos starts. He offers so much more and every defender in the SPL won’t enjoy an afternoon of him tormenting them. He looked like he just couldn’t be bothered today but still got into a few good positions


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I don't think he "couldn't be bothered"; it was just not his day, where nothing clicked for him. He certainly worked hard enough.

He always takes a temper tantrum when he misses -- whether he's got 2 in the game or none. That's just the type of guy he is; it's a nice trait to have in a striker, I think.

24 minutes ago, buster. said:

Couldn't believe it when Cummings was the futherest player back and cleared up a dangerous situation in our box yesterday. He's working hard and gets about the pitch, all over the pitch but I don't think he helps our fluidity at the moment, in the way Murphy has been. Perhaps with more games, he could find his way into the style of play better but unless there are injuries, I doubt that he'll get much more than sub appearences.

 

If fit, Morelos simply has to start. You don't change something that has been getting results and besides, I see it as a positive that the goals are shared out between various players.

 

We could really do with Murphy back in time for next week though, he would make it much more difficult to defend against us.

That's because he was playing wide-left; he wasn't playing as an out-and-out forward.

I got annoyed at how the commentators kept mentioning it: that was his job, to track back. It wasn't that he was a striker that was doing a lot more work than he should have; he was doing what he had to do for the role. He was playing on the left, of what was essentially a 4-1-4-1. 

Goss won't have to stay on QPR's bench if he keeps passing the ball straight out of play. Genius.

I thought Windass was playing a different role: instead of running in behind, he was deeper, playing passes into the front two. I thought he played some nice passes, but they didn't come off. It requires the work of Docherty, who was excellent again.  Halliday's energy was important too on that left side without Murphy.

I think it was a 4-3-3 for us today in attack. Windass came inside, and then Cummings or Morelos would drift wide left; Candeias was his usual self on the right. Worked well: we created chances easily. It looked like a 4-4-2 in defence, though. Nice flexibility.

It's the first time in a long time that I've been absolutely certain we'd win the game. It was pretty comfortable.

The Referees are just incompetent; I'm bored mentioning it.  

Interesting.

He's broken into the Man Utd first-team recently, and Mourinho seems to like him. He's a box-to-box midfield player; a worker with a good technique and pass --- a bit like Darren Fletcher, actually.

A await the Scotland manager playing him in the wrong position -- and the fans expecting too much from him. 

Can we move them outside the stadium? Preferably to a gazebo on the clyde with a 12'' TV? 

No, that's silly; they'll not fill that.

Amazing what can happen in a year. Gio would've been a dream move last season, now I'm not interested! However, to be fair, I don't know enough about his style and tactics to make an informed judgement.

I take it we're playing them soon?

I think I posted above that the reason Goss was not playing for QPR was style, rather than his quality. 

Just saying.

We can lose the next couple of games and there will be a post about wanting Murty out now.

Too early to say. He'll be judged at the end of the season.

That Sporting game was phenomenal!

I'd forgotten about him...

I really didn't take notice of their nationality. I recall Daly simply because there was a 'story' about it; no one I knew cared one jot.

3 minutes ago, Bluedell said:

"The club has signed only two Irish players in its recent history, in 2015 while in the second tier of Scottish football."

 

I had to google who they were. That's how big an impact their nationality made on me, and presumably a vast majority of other bears.

Jon Daly and... ?

Brandon O'Neill?

Are we assembling the Pope's XI? 

Shame.

It's about time we were giving it out. 

1 minute ago, onevision said:

I know but that was one of the seven i got right....

Me too, but it was a complete guess.

Why was the Preston question in there?

YAASSS! I got 15 out of 15! *

* on my second try...

I don't think Goss suits QPR's game. They're expected to scrap it out, in 50/50 games all season for a mid-table place at the moment, which requires a certain type of player. Goss is not that player; he needs to be on the ball, controlling things, in a team that dominates -- like at Man Utd, and although it was the Youths, the demand and type of game is the same. I think Rangers suit his game more. 

There's a reason why he can go from getting no first-team appearances at a mid-table side, to virtually dominating in a team that 'dominates', or is at least expected to. I thought that when we signed him: no first-team appearances because he's not found the club he needs to show off his game.