Hindsight

Drop Anderson, play Butterfield in his position and Payne can play at the tip of the diamond.

 

Agree it's hardly rocket science, Anderson IMO offered little against Luton, I'd have gladly subbed him at half time.

 

No, no, no would rather Wright replaced Anderson

 

It's about balance.

Ball, OB, Butterfield and Payne playing together doesn't give us balance.

You need a Akpan, Anderson or Wright in there:

 

Eh? You'd rather have Wright in the team than Payne?

 

Payne needs to fight it how with Butterfield to get in the team.

I would have Wright over Anderson.

 

Why can't we play neither and go with both Butterfield and Payne?

 

Too similar players.

You need water carriers and players that will try to control play.

Even Man City play them kind of players

 

Payne, Butterfield, O'Brien and Ball all have real quality, but we're in the bottom two because we haven't found a system that works.

 

Spot on
Add Clarke. All too similar mate.

Getting rid of J'OB was a massive mistake.

 

Until they have actually played together I can't see how that comparison can be made.

 

Sorry wasn't you watching when Hopkin managed us and they all played together?

 

Ah....not sure where to start;
Firstly agree with Fordy, not keeping J’O’B was a massive mistake, would now rather have him than Payne. However I along with most fans agreed at the time that keeping Payne was essential in our rise up the table. Oh how wrong we all were!!
For reasons we will never know Hopkin appeared to be obsessed with players who fit the number ten mold. We have no backbone no desire, no will to win, December masked the fact that we have a team of talented “snowflakes”
Ps......comparisons of Beni & Payne Carbone = The best technical player ever to pull on a city shirt, and for those who think he was a luxury player, he ran himself into the ground, threw himself into tackles, see if you can find the footage of him nose to nose with Stuart Pearce!! The little Italian was different class

 

On the one or two occasions that Hopkin played them together, he played a 4231, which needs wingers to work. But we played Ball and LOB out wide and Butterfield too deep. Bowyer's been here a week and realised this doesn't work so plays a diamond where all three can play together in their natural positions.

Until we've played them all together in this system with the new style of play, which is the most appropriate it has been all season, we can't really judge if they can work as a midfield team or not.

 

We can't be sure O'Brien would have stayed he obviously wanted the security of a longer deal with Notts County.
I'm not sure we were so wrong wanting to keep Payne he was one of the trio that were getting us results in December.
I agree with you with regards Hopkin's comment, we were screaming out for cover at CD a bigger partner for Doyle and a wide man cover at LB, yet he brings in two more midfield players, we'll never know if the extra money we are paying Town to keep Payne was the reason he couldn't get the above said players in, but he didn't and now (not saying you) some are trying to make a case out for why Payne should not play.
I accept teams have to have balance but IMO you play the likes of Payne and balance the team around your players who can play, as your Carbone example above.

 

Bang on unfortunately with games running out and as many have said we looked more comfortable the last two games will he chance making that call ?.

 

I think Payne was rested rather than dropped in the last few games - I'd be amazed if he didn't start on Saturday. Plus Anderson looks unfit to me so there's no way he starts three games in a week.

 

A manager coming in looking for results and you think he would rest players? Really?

Sorry but he has been dropped