Spine of the team

[Collar Feeler]

Shame about Big Brez getting injured because Gus's team spine was starting to look pretty good:

Brez

Greer/Elphick?

Kish/Sparrow

Murray/??

Obviously still need another established experienced striker but with Brez fit that looks ok to me.

 

[algie]

Bennett without a shadow of doubt.He will be a key player.

 

[Blue and White Tiger]

Navarro shirly?

 

[FFF]

I've never really understood the obsession with the 'spine' of the team.

Some managers would argue that full back is the most important position on the pitch and the majority of creativity comes from the wingers.

Why are they not as important?

 

[Diatribe]

dont see kish as a starter, think he will be a squad plauyer. also would say barnes is lelvel with murrey, maybe ahead of him. He started siome games in front of him didnt he?
i hope gus will put dicker at teh heart of the midfield, trying him on the left in the frinedly agains o maybe not.

 

[Spider]

Shame about Big Brez getting injured because Gus's team spine was starting to look pretty good:

Goalie doesn't really worry me. Who's to say Brez would have started ahead of Poke anyway? Presumably we haven't signed Poke thinking he's a mug and I'm sure Gus will be happy with starting a goalie he has signed!

 

[Collar Feeler]

ha I'd genuinely forgotten about Barne's!

I just had a moment feeling as if we'd just signed another striker! Bloody hell I'm 41 and the Alzheimers has kicked in already.

Have we signed that Barnes fella yet?!?

 

[Marshy]

dont see kish as a starter, think he will be a squad plauyer. also would say barnes is lelvel with murrey, maybe ahead of him. He started siome games in front of him didnt he?
i hope gus will put dicker at teh heart of the midfield, trying him on the left in the frinedly agains o maybe not.

i think kish will start, just my opinion like

 

[BensGrandad]

I think this'spine of the team ' stems from Brian Clough saying that if you had a good goalkeeper, central defender and striker you could carry other not so good players, obviously not 8 others but some having an off day.

 

[Trigger]

I'm not convinced we have the right striker yet.

 

[fleet]

I'm not convinced we have the right striker yet.

Agreed - without a main goal scorer we will struggle, with one it could be a great season. Will one of the players we have step up to the mark, not sure and that is why we need the proven scorer

 

[ABIMEG2]

So Calderon and Painter arent considered apart of the spine either ? I always think the defence is the spine of a good side, with those 4 fit and Brez in goal we wont be leaking many this season i think ,midfield Bennett Sparrow Navarro Kishishev maybe Lua-Lua Barnes up front top 6 finish me thinks

 

[Narrowing the Field]

You certainly need a strong spine in your team. Start from there and build outwards....

 

[Simon Morgan]

Spine is important, probably more important than wide positions I would say, but it is bloody brilliant to have 2 excellent fullbacks and Bennett.

 

[severnside gull]

just re-visiting this idea of 2 players competing for each position and reckon this is how it might look:

Goal: Brezovan/Poke/ Walker (Development Squad)
RB: Calderon/Whing
LB: Painter/(Kishishev)
CB: Greer/Elphick
CB: El Abd/New signing/ Dunk (DS)

DM: Navarro/Kishishev
AM: Dicker/Sparrow/Hendrie(?)
AM: Battipiedi/Jamie Smith/ Caskey/Wilkins (DS)
RM: Bennett/Hart
LM: Baz/LuaLua or Townsend(?)
F: Murray/Barnes/ Barker (DS)
F: New Signing/Holroyd/Midtgarden


...a squad of about 25 with 4/5 from the development squad ready to make the step up. Depending on how we want to line up it's fairly well balanced. Now we just need to get on with signing a decent striker, a centre back, Hendrie and LuaLua

 

[BensGrandad]

If we sign this prolific scorer everybody wants then obviously he will be 1st choice alongside Murray so we would then have Barnes and either Holroyd or Midtgarden if we sign him, so this would suggest that possibly Gus is looking at sending Holroyd out on loan to maybe a Div 2 side. Or am I looking into the crystal ball too deeply.

 

[severnside gull]

If we sign this prolific scorer everybody wants then obviously he will be 1st choice alongside Murray so we would then have Barnes and either Holroyd or Midtgarden if we sign him, so this would suggest that possibly Gus is looking at sending Holroyd out on loan to maybe a Div 2 side. Or am I looking into the crystal ball too deeply.

I think you may have seen the future and I hope it's true because the lad needs to build confidence - we should learn from Davies' comments on leaving that not scoring preyed on his mind and ruined his (ability to play his) game

 

[FFF]

Spine is important, probably more important than wide positions I would say, but it is bloody brilliant to have 2 excellent fullbacks and Bennett.

Would you say that Messi is not part of the Barcelona spine?