Your team - If the season started tomorrow

[mattbianco1]

PORTER....how can anybody think he is any good? Hoping Weir can see this before end of transfer deadline.

We are very short on strikers. Very unsure about Ironside, before his injury, can't say Miller was doing much to impress, Brandy might be ok but can't see where goals will come from.

UTB

I'm going to class all comments above that you don't get to many games??

Porter is great at holding up the ball and winning flick ons. Probably better than Kitson.

Miller.... Not doing much to impress? Were you looking away from the pitch all together? Miller getting injured was the end of our promotion push.

 

[metalblade]

I'm going to class all comments above that you don't get to many games??

Porter is great at holding up the ball and winning flick ons. Probably better than Kitson.

Miller.... Not doing much to impress? Were you looking away from the pitch all together? Miller getting injured was the end of our promotion push.

A bit like when a player gets sold he suddenly becomes a world beater and a legend

 

[mattbianco1]

A bit like when a player gets sold he suddenly becomes a world beater and a legend

Not sure I get you here? Are you disagreeing?!?!?!

 

[true99blade]

Long​

McMahon Collins Maguire Hill​

Brandy McDonald McGinn McFadzean
Porter Miller​

​

Subs: Howard, Higginbotham, McGinty, Doyle, Whitehouse, Ironside, De Girolamo​

This would be my automatic choice for when Miller and Diego return from injury (October/November for Miller...Early next year for Diego)....Otherwise I'd probably just stick Murphy upfront.

 

[sitwell]

PORTER....how can anybody think he is any good? Hoping Weir can see this before end of transfer deadline.

We are very short on strikers. Very unsure about Ironside, before his injury, can't say Miller was doing much to impress, Brandy might be ok but can't see where goals will come from.

UTB

Have you ever seen United ?

 

[yorkshirecoast]

I think we still do desperately need a striker. Miller was looking decent before his injury but has yet to prove himself and may not be fit for a while. Porter & Ironside just don't look good enough. I'm hopeful Brandy will have a positive impact but presumably on the wing.

 

[Pinchy]

I think we still do desperately need a striker. Miller was looking decent before his injury but has yet to prove himself and may not be fit for a while. Porter & Ironside just don't look good enough. I'm hopeful Brandy will have a positive impact but presumably on the wing.

We do, without doubt. The good news is that DW is well aware of it. I'll be astonished if we don't have at least one in before August. Maybe Boyd? Clarke? Who knows, but I've every confidence Mr. Where is already on the case.

 

[Darthblade]

Long
McMahon Maguire Collins Hill
McDonald Doyle McGinn
Brandy Porter Murphy

Subs:- Howard, McGinty, Higginbotham, Whitehouse, Flynn, McFadzean, Ironside

It’s difficult to see how we can accommodate two central midfield playmakers in a 4-4-2 formation.
Also, our defence was solid enough last season but neither full back is comfortable when going forward.
So I’m going for a 4-3-3 formation with McDonald and McGinn given license to attack and create.

Howard
Tea Lady - Maguire - Collins - McGinty
Tea Lady - McDonald - Whitehouse - Brandy
Murphy Tea lady

I hope to god we have 3 tea ladies or we sign a proper striker and a winger with pace !!!

UTB

 

[Putney Blade]

I'm going to class all comments above that you don't get to many games??

Porter is great at holding up the ball and winning flick ons. Probably better than Kitson.

Miller.... Not doing much to impress? Were you looking away from the pitch all together? Miller getting injured was the end of our promotion push.

Kitson was overpaid shxt, Porter is fxxing useless; how any footballer supporter can say otherwise is beyond me; and neither Ironside or Miller have not proved themselves. We need far more striking options...

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

Long
McMahon Maguire Collins Johns
McFadzean McDonald Doyle Murphy
Brandy Porter

Subs:- Howard, Hill, Whitehouse, McGinn, Flynn, Murphy, Ironside

 

[Pedro Verde]

neither Ironside or Miller have not proved themselves

Miller proved himself as far as Im concerned before he got injured, not his fault Wilson didnt play him to start with. Whether he is the same player when he comes back from injury is another matter. Im pretty sure if Miller had played until the end of the season we would not be in this division.
Why do you think Miller 'did nothing to impress before his injury' he scored goals FFS

 

[mattbianco1]

Kitson was overpaid shxt, Porter is fxxing useless; how any footballer supporter can say otherwise is beyond me; and neither Ironside or Miller have not proved themselves. We need far more striking options...

Miller got 8 goals in 19 games. How many times did he come on as sub?

 

[Putney Blade]

He's just ok, nothing more, but more worryingly his fellow strikers are nothing special either...

 

[DazBlade88]

Porter is not "fucking useless". He has limitations, and isn't a natural goalscorer but his hold up play and work for a second striker is good, and with the right people around him he would be effective.

The thread title suggests picking a side if the season started tomorrow, and with the squad as it is he is one of the better options. He's better than Ironside and Cresswell, and would partner Murphy/Brandy/Miller/De Girolamo depending on our set up. If he played as a lone striker with wingers and attacking midfielders supporting him he'd be ok too.

I'm not saying we can't do better, and if we get promoted we will probably let him go, but as a back-up striker at least he is absolutely fine at this level.

 

[Guesty]

We do, without doubt. The good news is that DW is well aware of it. I'll be astonished if we don't have at least one in before August. Maybe Boyd? Clarke? Who knows, but I've every confidence Mr. Where is already on the case.

I'm not sure Kris Boyd is the player you'd want leading the line and having the other attackers play off him. He seems more in the Andy Gray mould, scores goals but offers bugger all else. He's struggled as a loan striker in the past, in teams a damned sight better than ours. On the other hand if we just one someone prowling the six yard box to convert the flurry of chances created, he might be your man.

 

[sitwell]

He's just ok, nothing more, but more worryingly his fellow strikers are nothing special either...

Why do you use every post you make to slag off something about Utd ?

 

[OllyBlade]

Mmm choices, choices, choices… all of them terrible.

I'd like to see Westlake take over at right-back though. McMahon's main strength to me was his set-pieces and fantastic delivery. If we want to transition to a team that attacks well on the ground, we need to sacrifice that for Westlake's desire to get forward and play more passes along the floor. Hopefully he can be coached to be more aware of his defensive position.

Long​

Westlake Collins Maguire McFadzean​

McGinn Doyle McDonald​

Brandy​

Murphy Porter​

​

That's my effort. 4-4-2 seems problematic to me when we have such a paucity of options for the wing. More attacking full-backs, Doyle told to sit very deep and not do much else, Brandy given free-role.​

​

Thoughts after trying to pick a team - we need options out-wide, up front, and preferably another tough-tackling midfielder, if Doyle can't pick himself up.​

 

[sitwell]

That's the exact team I thought of.

 

[bartman]

Porter is not "fucking useless". He has limitations, and isn't a natural goalscorer but his hold up play and work for a second striker is good, and with the right people around him he would be effective.

The thread title suggests picking a side if the season started tomorrow, and with the squad as it is he is one of the better options. He's better than Ironside and Cresswell, and would partner Murphy/Brandy/Miller/De Girolamo depending on our set up. If he played as a lone striker with wingers and attacking midfielders supporting him he'd be ok too.

I'm not saying we can't do better, and if we get promoted we will probably let him go, but as a back-up striker at least he is absolutely fine at this level.

But you seem to forget, we need to have a scapegoat ;-)

 

[bartman]

Mmm choices, choices, choices… all of them terrible.

I'd like to see Westlake take over at right-back though. McMahon's main strength to me was his set-pieces and fantastic delivery.

Trouble is, Westlake is not as good as McMahon at defending.

I would go for

Long

McMahon Collins Hill MacFadzean
Brandy Doyle McDonald McGinn
Porter Murphy

This is assuming Miller wont be fit to start the season and also assuming Harry will be sold in the next few weeks (I hope not but we do need some money).
If Harry is still here I would have the same back 4 as last season and play MacFadzean left midfield and let pre season form decide the middle 2 between Doyle, KMac and McGinn

 

[KenMcnaughtsNuts]

Holding the ball is fine if we sign Fabregas and Messi.

In the absence of those, we need a striker who can actually score goals.
We'd be better off gambling on some no name foreigner or non league striker who can stick em away at park level than play strikers who we know couldnt score in a crackhouse.

 

[Ashtonsmashton]

i don't even know

 

[Foxy]

Porter is not "fucking useless". He has limitations, and isn't a natural goalscorer but his hold up play and work for a second striker is good, and with the right people around him he would be effective.

The thread title suggests picking a side if the season started tomorrow, and with the squad as it is he is one of the better options. He's better than Ironside and Cresswell, and would partner Murphy/Brandy/Miller/De Girolamo depending on our set up. If he played as a lone striker with wingers and attacking midfielders supporting him he'd be ok too.

I'm not saying we can't do better, and if we get promoted we will probably let him go, but as a back-up striker at least he is absolutely fine at this level.

You could be bothered to type more or less exactly what I was going to

Disagree slightly though, create him chances and he will score. We just don't create those chances. What he isn't, is a player who'll create himself a goal out of nothing.

We could do with better, but at our level, he's certainly nowhere near useless.

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

If you'd have told me in January 2012 that we would be starting the 2013-2014 season in League One with Chris Porter still in the team I would have thought you were genuinely insane.

 

[KenMcnaughtsNuts]

I was probably being a tad flippant.

I'm not really willing him out the door. If we put in a whole load of decent crosses and corners, he probably would get on the end of a few. But i don't see that happening anytime soon. More to the point, we can't realistically start him week in week out and expect to win matches. He's ok to bring on late on, helps us keep the ball and/or could get on the end of a corner etc. But he can't start unless we have a massively prolific striker alongside him, which we all know we won't have. If we can afford to sign 1 or 2 strikers AND keep him then that's ok. But if keeping him means we can't afford to get somebody better in, we have to get rid of him.

 

[JohnDenver]

Holding the ball is fine if we sign Fabregas and Messi.

In the absence of those, we need a striker who can actually score goals.

Equally, if we play Miller up front without a target man, he'll look like a lost child.

 

[Jehovah]

Its blatantly obvious we need strikers, so I am sure we will sign one or two. The hatred of Porter, as some have pointed out, is ridiculous. He is superb in the air, winning flick ons and is excellent at holding the ball up. I reckon hed get 15 goals in a full season which is a decent return.

The manager has already said Miler will not be ready for the start of the season. Howard, however, might be and would start for me.

 

[highpeakblade]

Rumour is that Miller won't be fit for the start of the season and it could even be November before we even see him kick a ball in a Blades shirt again so we really need to get a striker in before the season starts.

I would go for 5 in midfield with the wide men making up the forward numbers. A steady four at the back as usual and hopefully one of the best back fours in the league again will do me nicely and 1 up front but with the wide men and one behind him in Midfield making up the front line.

Long

McMahon Maguire Collins Hill/McFadzean

Mcdonald Doyle

Brandy Murphy McGinn

**TBC**
(nobody at present, need a striker)

 

[mekkyblade]

Trouble is, Westlake is not as good as McMahon at defending.

I would go for

Long

McMahon Collins Hill MacFadzean
Brandy Doyle McDonald McGinn
Porter Murphy

This is assuming Miller wont be fit to start the season and also assuming Harry will be sold in the next few weeks (I hope not but we do need some money).
If Harry is still here I would have the same back 4 as last season and play MacFadzean left midfield and let pre season form decide the middle 2 between Doyle, KMac and McGinn

The only way westlake will Improve defensively is playing regularly, personally I would like to see him given a decent run of games, good forward thinking full back who is confident in possession