Game Thread: v Steaua (h)

[Glen C]

Don't see the point in playing maxi, he should have played pacheco instead.

[Josef Svejk]

That's the team apparently, still to be confirmed in case of late injuries.

 

Reina

Kelly

Soto

Agger

Konchesky

 

Meireles

Spearing

 

Maxi

Cole

Babel

 

N'Gog

 

How many of those, bar Reina, will play against United? Konchesky, Cole...?

[Delmar]

Play the best team in every match to win and get momentum? Gel in the new players with the established stars? Rotation? Bad Hodgson...

 

I think we will win 1-0, Ngog will score again. We have the best defensive 4 available playing, the rest will do just as well as anyone with the system we have been using.

[mouse1989]

That's the team apparently, still to be confirmed in case of late injuries.

 

Reina

Kelly

Soto

Agger

Konchesky

 

Meireles

Spearing

 

Maxi

Cole

Babel

 

N'Gog

 

I wonder who'll captain the side?

[Allan]

I wonder who'll captain the side?

 

If that line up is correct, then there can be only one candidate, Pepe.

[TheResonator]

Not a bad looking team.

 

Pleased to see Raul and playing and Agger at centre-back where he belongs. Also nice for Kelly and Spearing to have some minutes and a chance to prove their worth.

 

Still one of those clinging onto the faint hope that Babel will make it here - God knows we need him to at the moment with the lack of pace we have on the flanks.

[Pidge]

Good to see that line up, hopefully Raul gets taken off at or just after HT to keep him ready for Sunday.

[jboy14]

I can't believe Pacheco isn't starting.

[Trucker Paddy]

How many of those, bar Reina, will play against United? Konchesky, Cole...?

 

Johnson in for Kelly, Carra in for Soto, Gerrard for Spearing and Torres for Ngog, i'd leave the rest alone for Sunday

[redsfan]

I wonder who'll captain the side?

 

Has to be Pepe, there is no one in the side that i can see being captain material.

[Kevin D]

Think Gerrard and Torres should be starting but perhaps there are fitness concerns I don't know about.

[PaulMcC]

I'm glad we're resting players.

 

I think pacheco should've played with Cole on the left.

[stardorman]

why in the name of god, would maxi and jay spearing start??? surely pacheco or amoo should be in the starting 11. spearing is championship standard and maxi was like the tinman against birmingham. god this is gonna be a long season!!

[Guest TK-421]

Oh my god I can't believe Spearing is starting, how the hell did that happen? How...Spearing...start...what?!

[TheResonator]

why in the name of god, would maxi and jay spearing start??? surely pacheco or amoo should be in the starting 11. spearing is championship standard and maxi was like the tinman against birmingham. god this is gonna be a long season!!

 

I still don't get how people have made their minds up on Spearing after a handful of performances with us, and a spell at Leicester where he was one of their stand-out players.

 

We've kept him around for a couple of years to make up the quota, and the least he deserves is a chance to prove himself. He's got a good range of passing and an excellent record in our reserves, and looked great in 08/09 against PSV and Real Madrid when he was given sub-appearances. He has looked a tad off the pace in a couple of games for us but bringing him up to speed will take time.

 

Anybody calling for Pacheco, Amoo, Suso, Shelvey etc. to get minutes would do well to remember that people were saying the same thing about Spearing up until last year, when people seem to have given him a couple of matches in a team that was shocking for large parts of the season before writing him off.

 

It's a real shame for young players coming through because fans nowadays don't seem willing to let them have any chance to develop. So many people only seem interested in players who can slot seamlessly into the first time within the first ten minutes of their debut and anything else isn't good enough.

 

Footballers all develop at different rates and personally I think we should give them at least 15-20 games of first team football or a very substantial loan spell elsewhere before we write them off.

[stardorman]

to be fair spearing is nowhere near Pacheco, Amoo & Suso. these guys are 3, who IMO should be fast tracked to the 1st team. spearing is very average, not disimilar to lucas leiva. will do a good job at a club in the championship but will never be good enough for liverpool. if you're accepting that he is, then you're accepting mid table mediocrity for the foreseeable future.

[TheResonator]

No, what I'm saying is that neither you, nor I, nor anybody can make a sweeping statement like 'Spearing is championship quality' based on a handful of appearances and sub appearances for our first team which predominantly took place during a very difficult season for the club.

 

I'm also saying that what you are saying about Pacheco, Amoo and Suso was said about Spearing prior to last season.

 

The reality is that we don't know how well they'll make the step up, particularly if they keep playing as we have been. But the current trend seems to be to go from youngster to youngster on a flavour-of-the-month basis. I can guarantee you that if Pacheco or Amoo got the same run of games Spearing did and didn't look spectacular, it'll be 'Pacheco won't ever be good enough, too lightweight, might suit Spain better' or 'players like Amoo will never get us into the top four, bring Sterling through'.

 

The point is that snap judgements on developing players don't really help anybody and we could do with a bit more time before writing people off. Anderson, Hammill, Hobbs and the like were all highly rated prospects who were sold under Benitez, but he kept Spearing and spoke highly of him - Hodgson has done the same. So why don't we give him a bit more of a chance than one bad game against Sunderland where we lost to a beach-ball before we decide whether or not he'll ever make it here?

[Wor Horse]

He's no where near Shelvey.

[Rex Banner]

I've seen nothing in Spearing that makes me think he will ever become a first team regular for us. He seems to have no outstanding qualities and his physical limitations don't help either.

[TheResonator]

He's no where near Shelvey.

 

He might not be, but he still deserves a chance imo. If Shelvey struggles to make the step up to the premiership and drops in the fans estimations as rapidly as Spearing seems to have done, it could set him back considerably at his age. Personally, I think it would be beneficial to wait until after Christmas to use him in serious competition, bar maybe the odd Carling cup game or meaningless Europa League fixtures (if we have any).

 

Spearing is also nowhere near as bad as some make out and will have a good career in the premiership, whether with us or elsewhere. His vision and passing ability are too good for a championship side. I think the main thing he needs to work on is his defensive positioning and committing to tackles, but fortunately for him those are things that can be improved with experience. He's stayed with the club for years when in reality he could have demanded a move to a lower league at 19/20 and is obviously well liked by Carra et al. He deserves his chance I think.

 

Best of luck to him anyway.

[shaunstrudwick]

have seen loads of their players or coaches out in town today

 

pale blue trackie tops on

[Gigantic Lamb]

I recon Pacheco will get a start in the cup next week....

[Irishlad]

I recon Pacheco will get a start in the cup next week....

 

I'd start him on sunday if maxi is the only option.

 

-------------Reina

 

Johnson---Carra---Agger--Konchesky

 

----------Raul----Poulson

 

---Pacheco---Stevie----Cole

 

--------------Nando

 

 

That team there would give the manc some serious problems

[lfclad_4eva]

We will score goals tonight 3 or 4, set us up nicely for the mancs, win that and we will have had a good start to the season IMO just have to go on from there. hope torres gets some playing time tonight as well.

[YNWAViking]

Ideally today we'll score 2-3 goals before the break, then give some of our talented youngsters the chance during the last half hour - i.e. Suso, Shelvey, Amoo.. Sterling. That would be so great. I'm sure they'd show their quality if given the chance tonight.