| We’ve a total of 84 changes…. 13:39 - Mar 18 with 2803 views | Bloots |
….to our starting line ups this season, more than any other team.
We’ve never named an unchanged starting eleven.
Obviously some of that is due to injuries, but that really isn’t a healthy situation to be in. |  |
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| We’ve a total of 84 changes…. on 13:46 - Mar 18 with 2741 views | Ryorry |
Not “some” of it but most of it (plus suspensions) I’d have thought.
Big difference. |  |
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| We’ve a total of 84 changes…. on 13:50 - Mar 18 with 2692 views | SaffronWaldenBlues |
Injuries aside one of the killers for me was dropping form players for new signings. Wolfenden, Burgess, Chaplin, and Burns when fit all should have been on the teamsheet. It's part of what killed us this season. |  |
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| We’ve a total of 84 changes…. on 14:01 - Mar 18 with 2613 views | Steve_M |
I'm curious to know how many we made in each of the last two seasons. Certainly far fewer enforced changes there but still a large number.
And whilst, the defence and bits of the midfield look as though McK as a fairly clear view of his best team, the goalkeeper and at least one attacking midfielder* have changed a bit too much.
Edit: to add that in some ways, not totating Leif and Morsy more had left them looking knackered going into January.
*One position in the attacking three. [Post edited 18 Mar 14:02]
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| I'm sure that we would.... on 14:06 - Mar 18 with 2582 views | Bloots |
| We’ve a total of 84 changes…. on 14:01 - Mar 18 by Steve_M |
I'm curious to know how many we made in each of the last two seasons. Certainly far fewer enforced changes there but still a large number.
And whilst, the defence and bits of the midfield look as though McK as a fairly clear view of his best team, the goalkeeper and at least one attacking midfielder* have changed a bit too much.
Edit: to add that in some ways, not totating Leif and Morsy more had left them looking knackered going into January.
*One position in the attacking three. [Post edited 18 Mar 14:02]
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....have named an unchanged team numerous times over the last couple of years.
There's obviously nothing wrong with a bit of rotation, but we're making an average of 3 changes per game.
Partnerships need time to develop, whether that's CBs, CMs, right side etc.
Sure there's mitigation this season, but it still doesn't feel right. | |
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| We’ve a total of 84 changes…. on 14:12 - Mar 18 with 2540 views | bournemouthblue |
| We’ve a total of 84 changes…. on 13:50 - Mar 18 by SaffronWaldenBlues |
Injuries aside one of the killers for me was dropping form players for new signings. Wolfenden, Burgess, Chaplin, and Burns when fit all should have been on the teamsheet. It's part of what killed us this season. |
It has sucked the fluidity out of the team
The side against Forest whilst it might have more quality on paper looked like a team of strangers in that first half
We also have a particularly selfish front 4 who don't have the same cohesion of selflessness of the promotion winning side
That's definitely a problem going forward [Post edited 18 Mar 14:14]
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| We’ve a total of 84 changes…. on 14:23 - Mar 18 with 2489 views | itfcjoe |
Think there is a fair argument to say that for all the talk of what we have got right, what we have got wrong, could we have done x, y or z that with the level of injuries we've had and missed games from key players that whatever we did we'd have been relegated as wouldn't have been able to get over that |  |
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| We’ve a total of 84 changes…. on 14:50 - Mar 18 with 2377 views | Vaughan8 |
I still don't think Mckenna really knows his best 11.
We can blame injuries but I would suspect a lot of it is down to not knowing our best team.
Surely the more players injured the less players we have to select so should be easier to select the same 11? |  | | |
| Indeed.... on 14:55 - Mar 18 with 2340 views | Bloots |
| We’ve a total of 84 changes…. on 14:50 - Mar 18 by Vaughan8 |
I still don't think Mckenna really knows his best 11.
We can blame injuries but I would suspect a lot of it is down to not knowing our best team.
Surely the more players injured the less players we have to select so should be easier to select the same 11? |
....the long term injuries to Burns and Ogbenne, plus the relatively long ones to SS, Chappers and Axel should have led to a more settled 11 really.
He definitely doesn't know his preferred 11.
The "number 10" position is a perfect example, he plainly thinks that it's Omari's best role, pretty sure he said something to that effect early in the season. But he's played Chaplin there, SS and loaned in Enciso.
He's not the only one confused by it all! | |
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| We’ve a total of 84 changes…. on 14:56 - Mar 18 with 2317 views | SaffronWaldenBlues |
| We’ve a total of 84 changes…. on 14:12 - Mar 18 by bournemouthblue |
It has sucked the fluidity out of the team
The side against Forest whilst it might have more quality on paper looked like a team of strangers in that first half
We also have a particularly selfish front 4 who don't have the same cohesion of selflessness of the promotion winning side
That's definitely a problem going forward [Post edited 18 Mar 14:14]
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Delap, Hutch, and Enciso simply don't work that well together in that respect, all hold the ball for too long and miss the moment to pass it. I must admit I was not a fan of Enciso before he arrived anyway, so I was slightly biased as I wouldn't have gone near him as a signing for us. I felt the same with Muric and O'Shea, and while O'Shea is functional, he's not a Premier League player by any stretch. He makes Delaney look like Maldini at that level. | |
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| Indeed.... on 15:55 - Mar 18 with 2203 views | itfcjoe |
| Indeed.... on 14:55 - Mar 18 by Bloots |
....the long term injuries to Burns and Ogbenne, plus the relatively long ones to SS, Chappers and Axel should have led to a more settled 11 really.
He definitely doesn't know his preferred 11.
The "number 10" position is a perfect example, he plainly thinks that it's Omari's best role, pretty sure he said something to that effect early in the season. But he's played Chaplin there, SS and loaned in Enciso.
He's not the only one confused by it all! |
I think he does know his best team, and we've basically settled on what I imagine will see us through now - but because we are losing people think he hasn't settled on it | |
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| I'm sure that we would.... on 16:03 - Mar 18 with 2126 views | Steve_M |
| I'm sure that we would.... on 14:06 - Mar 18 by Bloots |
....have named an unchanged team numerous times over the last couple of years.
There's obviously nothing wrong with a bit of rotation, but we're making an average of 3 changes per game.
Partnerships need time to develop, whether that's CBs, CMs, right side etc.
Sure there's mitigation this season, but it still doesn't feel right. |
Yeah, I'm just musing about the last two seasons really rather than disagreeing your point.
It's quite telling that we could drop Edmundson in for the odd game, in place of either Wolfy or Burgess, where we felt his attributes were more suitable with no loss of effectiveness whereas now the coherence looks all over at times the place even without changing the defence (see the third Forest goal...).
We've definitely had more enforced changes this season than in the last two put together but, I do agree, that we don't have the relationships on the pitch. Not sure Greaves and O'Shea have looked much like a partnership since the West Ham match despite being the clear first choices. | |
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| We’ve a total of 84 changes…. on 16:04 - Mar 18 with 2117 views | Herbivore |
| We’ve a total of 84 changes…. on 14:50 - Mar 18 by Vaughan8 |
I still don't think Mckenna really knows his best 11.
We can blame injuries but I would suspect a lot of it is down to not knowing our best team.
Surely the more players injured the less players we have to select so should be easier to select the same 11? |
But different players have been injured at different times. We've had a few massively long term absentees but then plenty of others who have been out from 2-6 weeks at various points of the season. We've never had a full strength squad to choose from and most weeks we've been dealing with three or four absences as a minimum, but not always the same players being absent. |  |
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| We’ve a total of 84 changes…. on 16:17 - Mar 18 with 2039 views | Ryorry |
| We’ve a total of 84 changes…. on 16:04 - Mar 18 by Herbivore |
But different players have been injured at different times. We've had a few massively long term absentees but then plenty of others who have been out from 2-6 weeks at various points of the season. We've never had a full strength squad to choose from and most weeks we've been dealing with three or four absences as a minimum, but not always the same players being absent. |
Exactly. | |
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| We’ve a total of 84 changes…. on 16:21 - Mar 18 with 2014 views | BlueBadger |
| We’ve a total of 84 changes…. on 16:04 - Mar 18 by Herbivore |
But different players have been injured at different times. We've had a few massively long term absentees but then plenty of others who have been out from 2-6 weeks at various points of the season. We've never had a full strength squad to choose from and most weeks we've been dealing with three or four absences as a minimum, but not always the same players being absent. |
Plus, we won a lot more games in the past two seasons. Easier to maintain a settled XI if it keeps winning. |  |
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| We’ve a total of 84 changes…. on 16:27 - Mar 18 with 1983 views | positivity |
never change a winning team, they say. we've had 3 wins and each time had to make enforced changes.
"some of that is due to injuries" is one of the understatements of the season! | |
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| Indeed.... on 19:21 - Mar 18 with 1736 views | billlm |
| Indeed.... on 15:55 - Mar 18 by itfcjoe |
I think he does know his best team, and we've basically settled on what I imagine will see us through now - but because we are losing people think he hasn't settled on it |
I'm sure obgenne tuanzebe and if fit SS , would have started most games, with burns playing a very big part down that right which has been pretty much ruined all season, not quite sure why SS seemed out of favour a bit at one time didn't seem to play him unless he already had an injury back then, him and burns there work rate is sorely missed down the flanks in a defensive duty, |  | | |
| Indeed.... on 08:54 - Mar 19 with 1443 views | stonojnr |
| Indeed.... on 15:55 - Mar 18 by itfcjoe |
I think he does know his best team, and we've basically settled on what I imagine will see us through now - but because we are losing people think he hasn't settled on it |
Ain't that the truth, there's alot of narrative building based on our position that makes MoTd pundits look like mystic Meg in comparison.
Loved the one where someone actually admitted they were biased against a player, no reasoning, and still thought bawling them out was their measured take lol | | | |
| We’ve a total of 84 changes…. on 09:03 - Mar 19 with 1417 views | Hipsterectomy |
That’s my biggest disappointment towards McKenna this season and something that he is in control over (injured and suspensions aside) yet inexplicably decides to do. A lot of our success was down to unchanged teams whenever it was possible.
Things like Woolfy and Burgess playing well then being dropped, an ever changing midfield etc. Bringing players back into the starting 11 who have been injured, who then get injured again.
It doesn’t feel like he actually knows his best team and hasn’t this whole season. |  |
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| We’ve a total of 84 changes…. on 09:34 - Mar 19 with 1349 views | BseaBlue |
| We’ve a total of 84 changes…. on 09:03 - Mar 19 by Hipsterectomy |
That’s my biggest disappointment towards McKenna this season and something that he is in control over (injured and suspensions aside) yet inexplicably decides to do. A lot of our success was down to unchanged teams whenever it was possible.
Things like Woolfy and Burgess playing well then being dropped, an ever changing midfield etc. Bringing players back into the starting 11 who have been injured, who then get injured again.
It doesn’t feel like he actually knows his best team and hasn’t this whole season. |
But you've pretty much answered your own concern. Injuries and suspensions have hampered us all season. Unfortunately, we don't have the depth that other sides have to cope with it.
Same with the midfield really. Cajuste and Phillips haven't really been fully fit all season so he has had no choice but to make changes. |  | | |
| We’ve a total of 84 changes…. on 09:59 - Mar 19 with 1323 views | gsoly |
| We’ve a total of 84 changes…. on 09:03 - Mar 19 by Hipsterectomy |
That’s my biggest disappointment towards McKenna this season and something that he is in control over (injured and suspensions aside) yet inexplicably decides to do. A lot of our success was down to unchanged teams whenever it was possible.
Things like Woolfy and Burgess playing well then being dropped, an ever changing midfield etc. Bringing players back into the starting 11 who have been injured, who then get injured again.
It doesn’t feel like he actually knows his best team and hasn’t this whole season. |
Pretty certain he does know his best team - you saw it on Saturday.
O'Shea (Axel), Woolfy, Greaves, Davis
Phillips, Cajuste
Philogene, Omari, Enciso
Delap
But then at half-time we're 3-0 down and going into the next game people will be begging for changes. Likewise, Greaves had a shocker and was hooked at HT.
Injuries and suspension have absolutely killed us - and KM's ability to pick a settled side. |  | | |
| We’ve a total of 84 changes…. on 11:10 - Mar 19 with 1236 views | MK1 |
We really needed a settled back 4/5 going into the second half of the season. All the chopping and changing cost us badly. |  |
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| We’ve a total of 84 changes…. on 19:42 - Mar 19 with 1032 views | bournemouthblue |
| We’ve a total of 84 changes…. on 14:56 - Mar 18 by SaffronWaldenBlues |
Delap, Hutch, and Enciso simply don't work that well together in that respect, all hold the ball for too long and miss the moment to pass it. I must admit I was not a fan of Enciso before he arrived anyway, so I was slightly biased as I wouldn't have gone near him as a signing for us. I felt the same with Muric and O'Shea, and while O'Shea is functional, he's not a Premier League player by any stretch. He makes Delaney look like Maldini at that level. |
I disagree on O'Shea, I think he is actually a pretty decent centre back, he has good physicality and is rapid but he's not a great technical footballer, he isn't a ball player like Wolfy albeit I think he defends better
I like Wolfy but I don't think we concede that third Elanga goal if O'Shea is on Wood
Greaves came in and looked great initially but seems to have gone off the boil, I think Burgess probably does most things better than Greaves, it's just the raw attributes which suggest his shelf should be higher, time will tell on that one | |
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