joey_big_nose

That's just embarrassing!

Yeah, I think Wharton can play as all of deep Tugay style play maker, a left sided box to box centre mid, or a number 10 behind the striker. At the moment I'd be tempted to play Wharton in a midfield three with Wharton left, Tronstad deep centre, JRC right. But.... issue is that if we do that where does Szmodics go as the 10 role disappears in a 433? Means we either need to play him as a CF, or play him right wing instead of Brittain? But Szmodics is the sort of player who really excels in the 10 role but just doesn't offer as much really in other areas. Tricky really. So I think we are probably limited to a 4231 setup to retain Szmodics at 10 which means there is only one CM role alongside Tronstad. Option are drop JRC for Wharton, or put Wharton in and move JRC right and drop Brittain. In the end we've won and kept a clean sheet two games in a row so can't see much changing until results go south again. When that inevitably happens think Wharton has a great chance to come in to replace injured / out of form players.

Yes, but after Brittain impressed second half at QPR. Don't think anyone managed to really make that much of an impression against Cardiff.

Cant see us making any changes after two wins and two clean sheets. Would like Moran, Wharton and Ennis to all come on second half.

I like Tronstad but the improvement defensively is as much about Hill coming in at RB and the midfield partner (JRC atm) playing a more disciplined role. Think if something happened to Tronstad and Wharton came in hed be exposed much much less.

Think this is a bit harsh on Siggi and Szmodics - they had very little to work with as our passing out of midfield was very poor. When they actually got it they did okay imo.

Tend to agree with this. Not fully fit and team not used to playing with him. Ill be reserving judgement on Ennis till hes got a few more games under his belt .

Pretty sure both Dolan (for Ennis) and JRC (for Travis) were about to get subbed too.

Lol, great goal by our two players who were (imo) struggling the most. Well done Dolan and JRC!

I dont think im being harsh on JRC. In this game for me he's had it on the edge of the final third half a dozen times and not found Sigurdsson or Szmodics which is the main reason they've been mostly anonymous. Its important we pass it well into the front three. JRC has been decent without the ball. But basically due to the way we're set up most things will go through JRC so we need him on point, and if not working we should switch it.

Ennis and Telalovic hardly played so jury out, Morton was not brilliant but pretty decent. Mola Ill give you. The keeper looks good to me?

Classic trade off. We're playing a lot more conservatively to avoid conceding. Hill at RB, Tronstad properly sweeping up in CDM, JRC not bombing on like Travis was. So we look very solid.... But creating very little. I am assuming will gungho it up a bit late second half.

Feels like this is the game for Ennis to announce he is the number 9 weve been looking for since Graham left.

We really got away with that one... Never seen a goal disallowed like that. Issue for me is JRC is having a rare poor game. Wonder if we might try Wharton and Tronstad together?

That basically everybody who Gregg has brought in has been good except for Hirst who then went on to do very well at Ipswich makes me a bit hopeful Telalovic has something we haven't seen yet.

Tronstad is real quality. Very impressed with Gregg's business.

Look very solid but not creating much. Wonder if things tied at 60 mins we'll flip the system and bring Wharton and Ennis on and put JRC or Brittain at RB and go gungho. I guess we'll go back to it sometimes.

Team I would have picked. Think we improved the midfield defensively a lot with thay selection. Tronstad, Brittain and JRC offer a lot more solidarity than Wharton, Markanday and Moran. Do we lose something offensively? Maybe, will be interesting to see. Think Brittain will actually do really well on the right wing, and Tronstads forward passing was very good at QPR.

You got it right there. Dolan led the line and surprisingly well too.

Playing Phillips and Maguire in a key game like this though after they have hardly featured for their clubs and have struggled when they have, and are not match fit, does just seem very very strange. We do have decent if unspectacular alternatives on the bench, young players who need to kick on and have a future with England. Why stick with players who are obviously on their way out? Very odd situation. But hats off to Southgate - he got the job done as he usually does. In terms of results he's got us closer than anyone since 1966, and continues to look as likely as anyone to get us over the line. I wouldn't be particularly confident if we changed manager we would get someone more likely to get positive results. Been through that cycle with Capello, Eriksson etc. If there is an outstanding candidate then yes, but I can't see one. Most likely name to rock up would be Eddie Howe, and while a good manager I don't think I would be putting any bets on to say he will improve on Southgate's record.

I don't think we will see much of Wharton for a while, Tronstad has settled in very well. Adam is going to need to fight his way back into the team and it seems Wharton has got a fair way to go.

Leonard I am intrigued by. Some games he looks like he just isn't going to worry Championship defenders as neither quick or strong enough... but then I have also been impressed with his movement and he's scored a couple of goals. Really on the fence with him. I like that he plays as a proper striker who wants to get in the box, covers the ground, seems able to link up play. I am pretty sure we will start with Dolan up front on Saturday as he scored and had a good all round game. Then it's really up to one of Leonard, Ellis or even Telalovic coming on second half and looking the part. So we've got a lot of options, but no ones really grabbed it yet. But... I would hesitate to say all four of them will fail (Dolan, Leonard, Telalovic, Ennis). Based on our hit rate I feel like one of them at least will have a decent season in that striker role.

I don't quite follow what you mean by back five at QPR? looks like a standard sort of back four with the full backs pushed up and a sitting midfielder in front?

IMO I don't think that formation is an accurate presentation of Szmodics to be honest - Szmodics plays right in behind the striker or up top. It's much more a 4231 - see the average positions below from QPR, Covernty and Leicester (Szmodics is number 8 ). I think I've only ever seen one game where Szmodics has played as a proper midfielder rather than a forward some time last season (can't remember who against but we played 352 with him on the right side of the three centre mids). Every other game he's always in the final third very rarely anywhere near the midfield. Also not sure how Dolan or JRC get dropped after a very good performance at QPR. //

Agree with this in bold. But given Tronstad and JRC looked so good think Wharton and Travis will be warming the bench for the next game at least.