[Albion] If Dunk is fit, would you start him?

[Simster]

It's easy to be torn between the two age old mantras "don't change a winning team" and "pick your best players". But for me right now, Dunk is one of three CBs we can perm from, because Igor is turning into the player we hoped he'd be, and there is only space for 2 of them. Dunk simply isn't an automatic selection.

For that reason, I hope we don't bin off the current winning partnership. Dunky's time will come, and he'll know that.

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

Please bring him back for your game on Dec 5th.;-)

What so he can do this?

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Abso-bloody-lutely. I am shocked - SHOCKED - by the result of this poll..

Two-thirds of you would drop our captain and greatest ever player just because he got a minor calf strain a few weeks ago.

I am staggered by you lot

 

[rippleman]

If it was Palace my vote would be a resounding YES!

But as he has been out for a bit and the defence has played well enough, I'd have him on the bench and ease him back in. So it's a no from me for tomorrow.

 

[JBizzle]

Abso-bloody-lutely. I am shocked - SHOCKED - by the result of this poll..

Two-thirds of you would drop our captain and greatest ever player just because he got a minor calf strain a few weeks ago.

I am staggered by you lot

Well, he isn't being "dropped" is he? We'd be dropping Igor.

That said, I suspect it'll depend almost entirely on the available fullbacks. Sounds like Ferdi may not make it, Hinsh is touch and go and Pervis had a long flight back from a mid-week international. Knowing how ridiculously fast and aggressive their wingers are, the fullback will be a contributing factor and he's not 100%, throwing him in against mega pace would be a challenge.

I voted "no" because I would want him to start v Southampton with JP at CB and integrate him at a slower pace

 

[SeagullsoverLondon]

I suspect the choice of Dunk v Igor will not be this game, but rather the Southampton game which Dunk should be ready for.

I am not sure Fab will be willing to risk Dunk for Bournemouth unless he has to ( see Baleba last game).

 

[GT49er]

Maybe time to start using him as a squad player to be introduced as and when the situation demands. The post-Dunk era has to start sometime, same as the post-Duffy era did

He'll certainly have to fight to regain and keep his place from now on, which hasn't always been the case in recent years. In reality though, pretty much everyone is a squad player now, so it won't be just him.

 

[Crawley Dingo]

He is primarily a player so treat him like others returning from injury.

 

[Nicksinclair13]

I think up until a few games ago Dunky was a ‘must start’ whether fit or not he simply had to be on the pitch.

I’m not saying we should ‘drop’ Lewis Dunk for Igor but by the same token I wouldn’t now drop Igor for Lewis Dunk either.

With the changes in our approach (Hurzelerball) and Igor’s improvements I don’t see Dunk as a ‘must start’ at all now - which is a positive to be honest.

I absolutely love Lewis Dunk with all my heart and would build his statue myself! But we have had a complete over reliance on him and I feel our heads would dip if he wasn’t on the pitch - with our opponents feeling galvanised.

I find it quite re-assuring that this is starting to leave us and we now have different options at the back.

I think it can only be positive that we can now pick people based on how we want to set up, their form and their minutes etc to give a more rounded squad. Gone are the days of us just flogging players until they break and then sticking someone else in to patch up until they are back.

And there we have it… I have just sealed Igors worst performance yet and on Saturday evening I’ll be crying for our Captain.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

The Bournemouth game is too soon, as he hasn't been involved in and around the squad for a few weeks, but most certainly he should start for the Southampton game.

Dunky may well have lost a bit of pace at 33 but he is still captain fantastic as far as l'm concerned. Yes we need to start planning for a post Dunky era, but not quite yet a while.. Igor played well against Citeh, but that hasn' t always been the case when he has started games.

Lewis Dunk, still one of the first names on the team sheet for me.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

The Bournemouth game is too soon, as he hasn't been involved in and around the squad for a few weeks, but most certainly he should start for the Southampton game.

Dunky may well have lost a bit of pace at 33 but he is still captain fantastic as far as l'm concerned. Yes we need to start planning for a post Dunky era, but not quite yet a while.. Igor played well against Citeh, but that hasn' t always been the case when he has started games.

Lewis Dunk, still one of the first names on the team sheet for me.

Sorry, but that makes absolutely no sense from a cold clinical EPL point of view. Not much room for sentiment in that rarified sphere where performance levels are sliced and diced to the nth degree

 

[chickens]

I want him back, but not necessarily straight in tomorrow. Perhaps off the bench, give him some minutes and check he’s all systems go for the next match.

TBH, if JPvH and Igor have a great game, he may have a battle on his hands. For the first time I can remember in the PL era, I don’t automatically assume our defence will be shit if Dunk isn’t starting.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Well, he isn't being "dropped" is he? We'd be dropping Igor.

That said, I suspect it'll depend almost entirely on the available fullbacks. Sounds like Ferdi may not make it, Hinsh is touch and go and Pervis had a long flight back from a mid-week international. Knowing how ridiculously fast and aggressive their wingers are, the fullback will be a contributing factor and he's not 100%, throwing him in against mega pace would be a challenge.

I voted "no" because I would want him to start v Southampton with JP at CB and integrate him at a slower pace

Effectively it would be dropping him. Igor has been his stand-in whilst he has been recovering from a minor injury. If he is fit and in full-training he should get his place back, and yet many seem ready to put his career out to pasture because Igor has played well. I'm delighted Igor has played well, but Dunk is our captain and has been playing as well as he ever has. His last game was Newcastle, and he was fantastic in that game.

 

[chickens]

Effectively it would be dropping him. Igor has been his stand-in whilst he has been recovering from a minor injury. If he is fit and in full-training he should get his place back, and yet many seem ready to put his career out to pasture because Igor has played well. I'm delighted Igor has played well, but Dunk is our captain and has been playing as well as he ever has. His last game was Newcastle, and he was fantastic in that game.

The question being asked is “would you start him in the next game?” not “would you permanently drop him?”

I’d rather see him on for 15 minutes at the end and ease him back in.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

The question being asked is “would you start him in the next game?” not “would you permanently drop him?”

I’d rather see him on for 15 minutes at the end and ease him back in.

That may be true, but the answers seem to be more along the lines of 'we should start phasing him out now'.

 

[JBizzle]

Effectively it would be dropping him. Igor has been his stand-in whilst he has been recovering from a minor injury. If he is fit and in full-training he should get his place back, and yet many seem ready to put his career out to pasture because Igor has played well. I'm delighted Igor has played well, but Dunk is our captain and has been playing as well as he ever has. His last game was Newcastle, and he was fantastic in that game.

That may be the case for some, but it's not what I'm advocating. He should 100% be back for the Southampton game and beyond, in my opinion. My worry is that Bournemouth have a very specific, pace-driven style that may be a problem for someone returning from a calf injury, whereas Southampton are shite.

 

[Hotchilidog]

I'd bring Dunk back. That said I'll support whatever Fabian does, this is not a manager who cuts his nose off to spite his face. Hürzeler will make the best decision for the team.

 

[Zeberdi]

IMO A ‘winning team‘ is only as good as the last game. The next ‘winning team’ is only as good as individual players have been in training in the days before the next match and what combination of players are available.

Who the opponents are is also a key factor in deciding the starting line up.

If we have the attitude that only 11 players in a squad are starters the rest either ‘fighting for a place’ or ‘they are half way out the door because another player is doing the job as well or better’ then maybe we are missing the point of having a deep squad?

If Dunky has been in peak condition during training, I say start him as he needs match time to keep up his competitive level unless people think we should go back to managing with less CBs. If not, let’s be grateful for Igor who’s really growing into the role because that’s given us more options at the back.

 

[HCxUK]

If Dunk is fully fit he should go straight back in. From the presser it seems as though Hürzeler is insinuating he may not be 100% - maybe he starts on the bench and gets some second half minutes depending on the state of the game. Fully expect him to be back in for Southampton though

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

That may be the case for some, but it's not what I'm advocating. He should 100% be back for the Southampton game and beyond, in my opinion. My worry is that Bournemouth have a very specific, pace-driven style that may be a problem for someone returning from a calf injury, whereas Southampton are shite.

Not so shite that they couldn't target Dunk's lack of pace tho eh