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Best XI 2018/2019


Harrison
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7 hours ago, haz said:

What if we went for a marquee CDM, Mbia?

Another season of a Marquee warming the bench. 

The only way I can't see Malik starting is for injury. 

Obviously we haven't played, and we won't really know what to expect for 3 months and the squad is still got several signings that could drastically change it's complexion. The one thing for me that will carry over from last season is Wazza's mentality and tbh it doesn't fill me with confidence.

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3 hours ago, Jovan said:

The only way I can't see Malik starting is for injury. 

I know Joyce likes him but I can see us signing another CB and a midfielder, and then Malik has some serious competition. 

Even with our midfielders at the moment, I can see this as our midfield:

McGree - Caceres - Brattan

Joyce has probably had a big say in two of those signings so they are his preferred players. 

 

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35 minutes ago, Harrison said:

I know Joyce likes him but I can see us signing another CB and a midfielder, and then Malik has some serious competition. 

Even with our midfielders at the moment, I can see this as our midfield:

McGree - Caceres - Brattan

Joyce has probably had a big say in two of those signings so they are his preferred players. 

 

I actually like Malik which is somewhat unpopular but I just think it's his position to lose. And to clarify I like him only in deep lying midfield position and should not be considered at CB ever. When Malik was in form last season he was arguably the best in the League for a period but he is also capable of real crap also.

McGree I can't say I've seen enough of to really rate. Brattan in last years form is a nailed on starter for me and Caceras is also a maybe, he might prove his potential with a bit of confidence from the coach but from what he has shown previously he is very up and down.

So if we are playing a midfield 3 I think for the first few rounds it will be Malik and Brattan and either Caceras or McGree in the AM role. I can't see Wazza playing 2 forward midfielders he is pretty much a 2 screening midfielder coach. 

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4 minutes ago, Jovan said:

I actually like Malik which is somewhat unpopular but I just think it's his position to lose. And to clarify I like him only in deep lying midfield position and should not be considered at CB ever. When Malik was in form last season he was arguably the best in the League for a period but he is also capable of real crap also.

McGree I can't say I've seen enough of to really rate. Brattan in last years form is a nailed on starter for me and Caceras is also a maybe, he might prove his potential with a bit of confidence from the coach but from what he has shown previously he is very up and down.

So if we are playing a midfield 3 I think for the first few rounds it will be Malik and Brattan and either Caceras or McGree in the AM role. I can't see Wazza playing 2 forward midfielders he is pretty much a 2 screening midfielder coach. 

I think this is a pretty good take tbh.
McGree is prob more in the vein of a box-to-box whereas Caceres is a creative 10 so id say they'll prob duke it out for the AM spot, with McGree having the potential to chop out Malik or Brattan if they get injured/suspended etc, or even purely on form.
For that reason i suspect we'll go for a winger as our marquee and Vidosic will become a utility that can play anywhere in that front 4 subject to availability and form.

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9 minutes ago, bt50 said:

I think this is a pretty good take tbh.
McGree is prob more in the vein of a box-to-box whereas Caceres is a creative 10 so id say they'll prob duke it out for the AM spot, with McGree having the potential to chop out Malik or Brattan if they get injured/suspended etc, or even purely on form.
For that reason i suspect we'll go for a winger as our marquee and Vidosic will become a utility that can play anywhere in that front 4 subject to availability and form.

I'm thinking the same but although Bruno is untouchable a second striker could also be on the cards.

Imagine we could get a decent winger and Ross returns. 

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12 minutes ago, Jovan said:

I'm thinking the same but although Bruno is untouchable a second striker could also be on the cards.

Imagine we could get a decent winger and Ross returns. 

I doubt it purely on the basis that 442 seems to be pretty unpopular. But yeh sure maybe we could go for Ross and then have a setup such as:

                        Bouzanis
Atko            Bort       Visa      Jamo
O'Halloran Brattan Malik  McGree
                   Ross     Bruno

Galekovic, Dario, Caceres, La Rocca, Pierias, Delbridge, Wales, Najjarine, Najjar etc

Tbh i just think Ross will cost us far more than we can afford, esp after the Villa owners went spazzo over a loan fee that was peanuts in comparison to his sale price and what it would have done staying with us. There's no doubt they cut their nose off to spite their face with Ross and extending that loan.

Edited by bt50
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28 minutes ago, bt50 said:

McGree is prob more in the vein of a box-to-box whereas Caceres is a creative 10 so id say they'll prob duke it out for the AM spot.

But why would they if McGree is an 8? He and Brattan would sit behind Caceres. McGree isn't a 10 (unless I've completed missed something) so McGree battles Malik and Brattan for a spot, not Caceres.

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2 minutes ago, Harrison said:

But why would they if McGree is an 8? He and Brattan would sit behind Caceres. McGree isn't a 10 (unless I've completed missed something) so McGree battles Malik and Brattan for a spot, not Caceres.

Whilst I agree with you and feel like McGree will likely be partnered with Brattan/Malik, don't forget that our first choice #10 for most of last season was a player who was arguably more of an 8 than a 10 and who's main offensive strength was his tendency to make late runs and go beyond the striker, not too dissimilar to the way McGree would play if he was in that role IMO.

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3 minutes ago, Harrison said:

But why would they if McGree is an 8? He and Brattan would sit behind Caceres. McGree isn't a 10 (unless I've completed missed something) so McGree battles Malik and Brattan for a spot, not Caceres.

Well tbf Mauk wasnt a 10 either and played most of the season there due to his workrate. Purely speculation, but i would think Joyce perhaps sees McGree in a similar role, as well as rating the Malik/Brattan combo that was so effective last season.

I'm viewing McGree/Caceras as effectively the Mauk/Bud change of last year, depending on the situation of the game and the respective impact of the players. FWIW i still think Caceras will be more involved than what Bud was, but perhaps without the scoreboard impact.

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Just now, bt50 said:

Well tbf Mauk wasnt a 10 either and played most of the season there due to his workrate. Purely speculation, but i would think Joyce perhaps sees McGree in a similar role, as well as rating the Malik/Brattan combo that was so effective last season.

I'm viewing McGree/Caceras as effectively the Mauk/Bud change of last year, depending on the situation of the game and the respective impact of the players. FWIW i still think Caceras will be more involved than what Bud was, but perhaps without the scoreboard impact.

 

2 minutes ago, Embee said:

Whilst I agree with you and feel like McGree will likely be partnered with Brattan/Malik, don't forget that our first choice #10 for most of last season was a player who was arguably more of an 8 than a 10 and who's main offensive strength was his tendency to make late runs and go beyond the striker, not too dissimilar to the way McGree would play if he was in that role IMO.

Where did McGree play for Newcastle? Seemed to me like an 8 but looking at his stats he scored 5 from 12, which is pretty attacking. I still remember him tracking all the way back to the box whenever we played them though.  

But does Joyce see the Malik - Caceres - Brattan combination as attacking enough? Not many goals from that midfield.

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5 minutes ago, Harrison said:

But does Joyce see the Malik - Caceres - Brattan combination as attacking enough? Not many goals from that midfield.

Depends, do people view the Ninko-Brillante-ONeill combo as attacking enough? O'Neill and Brillante and pretty much par with Malik and Brattan in that regard, the obv difference being in the 10, where you'd hope McGree or Caceres could chip in with 6 or so goals.
I guess the point is the defensive screeners scoring goals arent super important if you have a front four that are all capable of scoring like Sydney did. You could certainly argue that we really only had Bruno and Dario that really looked like scoring (Arzani looked it, but rarely did) in the second half of last season so by making that front 4 all dangerous, the back 6 shouldnt matter too much.

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1 minute ago, bt50 said:

Depends, do people view the Ninko-Brillante-ONeill combo as attacking enough? O'Neill and Brillante and pretty much par with Malik and Brattan in that regard, the obv difference being in the 10, where you'd hope McGree or Caceres could chip in with 6 or so goals.
I guess the point is the defensive screeners scoring goals arent super important if you have a front four that are all capable of scoring like Sydney did. You could certainly argue that we really only had Bruno and Dario that really looked like scoring (Arzani looked it, but rarely did) in the second half of last season so by making that front 4 all dangerous, the back 6 shouldnt matter too much.

I want Brattan to pull the trigger outside the box. If he did that more and scored a couple then I'd be fine with a 10 and the front three. He used to be such a weapon from distance but for us he's never looked like even wanting to shoot. 

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27 minutes ago, Harrison said:

But does Joyce see the Malik - Caceres - Brattan combination as attacking enough? Not many goals from that midfield.

This is a point that keeps getting overlooked. Joyce is fundamentally a defensive minded coach and I don't think he will be different this season. 

So his midfield will be more built around work rate and shape rather than creativity and risk. So a traditional box to box will most likely be the most attacking midfielder (McGree/Caceras ).

Now whether this is favourable is up to your own preference. 

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6 minutes ago, Jovan said:

This is a point that keeps getting overlooked. Joyce is fundamentally a defensive minded coach and I don't think he will be different this season. 

So his midfield will be more built around work rate and shape rather than creativity and risk. So a traditional box to box will most likely be the most attacking midfielder (McGree/Caceras ).

Now whether this is favourable is up to your own preference. 

Tbf so was Arnie, but his creative midfielder just offered a bit more workrate and impact than what Bud did. I actually dont see Joyce's tactics as too dissimilar from what Arnie's are tbh, Arnie just had a better front four.

But yes as you said, whether thats to your liking as a tactic is obv a personal thing. For me i don't care, as long as the results reflect the (slightly) more defensive style.

Signing a marquee that can make things happen is absolutely crucial imo and will straighten us up entirely. As per when we had the trinity in 2015, if you have 3 genuine goal threats defences are forced to go more one on one and thats when you can start opening teams up.

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Sorry, I do not know many of your players so can not comment on your best IX. When MOH played for us and we won the Scottish cup our formation was 4:5:1 when defending and changed to 4:3:3 when attacking. MOH plays best on the right but can fill in on the left. The left and right wingers did swap a number of times during the games. On the occasions when we played 4:4:2 he played right mid

Hope this helps when discussing where you would like to see MOH play

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On 06/07/2018 at 11:45 AM, Harrison said:

 

Where did McGree play for Newcastle? Seemed to me like an 8 but looking at his stats he scored 5 from 12, which is pretty attacking. I still remember him tracking all the way back to the box whenever we played them though.  

But does Joyce see the Malik - Caceres - Brattan combination as attacking enough? Not many goals from that midfield.

8, Petratos was 10

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IF we do sign George (no firm reports so far) & Arzani leaves:

  • Vidosic, Caceras, George, O'Halloran  to rotate positions and subbing

lineup(2).png.f7a86a6c10d63deba36664fefeac6461.png

SUBS: Galekovic, Malik, Delbridge, Wales, Vidosic

RES: La Rocca, Pierias, Najjar, Najjarine etc etc

 

Edited by haz
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1 hour ago, haz said:

IF we do sign George (no firm reports so far) & Arzani leaves:

  • Vidosic, Caceras, George, O'Halloran  to rotate positions and subbing

lineup(2).png.f7a86a6c10d63deba36664fefeac6461.png

SUBS: Galekovic, Malik, Delbridge, Wales, Vidosic

RES: La Rocca, Pierias, Najjar, Najjarine etc etc

 

I would personally have Vidosic in the #10 position over Caceras.

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8 minutes ago, malloy said:

I would personally have Vidosic in the #10 position over Caceras.

Yea I was torn by this. Imo Caceras is more creative but goes missing, whereas Vidosic is more direct and also better in the air.

Hence why I said depending on the game Caceras and Vidosic should be fighting for that starting CAM spot (unless Vidosic is suppose to be our winger this season)

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I'm not getting too carried away with this just yet. We still have several signings to go. Depending on who they are, there might still be one or two departures if a player or two feels they are being squeezed out of a likely starting position. We have two visa positions left, one of which can be a marquee if we want to splash more cash, and then at least 3 more local players to go. If Arzani leaves then there will be another one.

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If Round 1 was tonight this is how I think we'd line-up. Pretty bloody good looking XI I reckon.

Ideally we sign another CB so we do not have to play Malik there. 

If Arzani goes Vido to replace him on the wing and Caceres (or hopefully a marquee) in at AM. 

Bench largely picks itself, although I think we need another back-up striker for if Bruno gets injured/suspended/needs a rest. Would rather not use a VISA on that tho and not sure of any Aussies available so hopefully there is someone good in the youth ranks. 

 

lineup.png

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17 minutes ago, icantthinkofacoolname said:

Bench largely picks itself, although I think we need another back-up striker for if Bruno gets injured/suspended/needs a rest. Would rather not use a VISA on that tho and not sure of any Aussies available so hopefully there is someone good in the youth ranks. 

IMO Vidosic is capable and O'Halloran has experience playing there so they are good backup options. Young Najjar is a decent up and comer in the striking position too so imo we dont need to sign anyone there to backup.

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1 hour ago, icantthinkofacoolname said:

If Round 1 was tonight this is how I think we'd line-up. Pretty bloody good looking XI I reckon.

Ideally we sign another CB so we do not have to play Malik there. 

If Arzani goes Vido to replace him on the wing and Caceres (or hopefully a marquee) in at AM. 

Bench largely picks itself, although I think we need another back-up striker for if Bruno gets injured/suspended/needs a rest. Would rather not use a VISA on that tho and not sure of any Aussies available so hopefully there is someone good in the youth ranks. 

 

lineup.png

Already good. Will get better. 

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1 hour ago, icantthinkofacoolname said:

If Round 1 was tonight this is how I think we'd line-up. Pretty bloody good looking XI I reckon.

Ideally we sign another CB so we do not have to play Malik there. 

If Arzani goes Vido to replace him on the wing and Caceres (or hopefully a marquee) in at AM. 

Bench largely picks itself, although I think we need another back-up striker for if Bruno gets injured/suspended/needs a rest. Would rather not use a VISA on that tho and not sure of any Aussies available so hopefully there is someone good in the youth ranks. 

 

lineup.png

(With a marquee CAM and VISA CB) Mcgree, Malik, Caceras/Vidosic on the bench is unfair for the other teams!

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

@Missing_Moy I see you have a change to you team selection. What makes you think Berenguer is better than MOH. Have you seen him play or do you believe the standard of player in the 2 division French league better than the SPFL. Bearing in mind a number of Australian internationalists now and in the recent past are playing or have played in the SPFL.

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21 minutes ago, Inchcolm said:

@Missing_Moy I see you have a change to you team selection. What makes you think Berenguer is better than MOH. Have you seen him play or do you believe the standard of player in the 2 division French league better than the SPFL. Bearing in mind a number of Australian internationalists now and in the recent past are playing or have played in the SPFL.

I just think that with how fast MOH is he will be well suited to winning us games at the 60” mark running at tired defenders! But it is very hard to fit Vidosic MOH Mcgree and berenguer into the 3 starting positions 

Edited by Missing_Moy
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1 minute ago, Missing_Moy said:

I just think that with how fast MOH is he will be well suited to winning us games at the 60” mark running at tired defenders! But it is very hard to fit Vidosic MOH Mcgree and berenguer into the 3 starting positions 

I agree it will be hard to fit 4 into 3. What makes you think that he cannot win us us games over the 90'. He is not an impact player. His head will go down if he is not playing and bringing him on a sub does not work. I seen it in his early days at St Jonstone. He can maintain his fitness, strength and speed from the 1st to the last minute, why waist 60' with him sitting on the bench. Unless you thin Berenguer is a superior player

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I am finding it a bit strange if our marquee (assuming we sign one!) is a LW/RW/CAM/ST. We are packed in those areas while our centre of defense is held together by Bort, what happens if he gets a long term injury!? Unless Joyce is on the shrooms, why would he sign another attacking player? Does he expect us to do what we did in 15/16 and just try and score 4 goals every game?

Are we possibly changing our formation? I doubt it though as I dont think Joyce is the type of manager to do so.

Ill reserve my judgment until we annouce our final VISA (if we sign one), but I will be confused if we go into the season with a CB pairing of Bort-Malik or Bort-Delbridge.

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