Hindsight

Wouldn’t that mean Butterfield playing deeper than the past two games? Games you’d argue he’s been our outstanding player in?

Does Payne warrant a start? Ideally I’d have both in the starting XI but as @Fordy117 says, not on the risk of losing balance which is something I don’t think any of us can argue Bowyer has brought to the team. You only have to take Walsall to understand just how all over the place we were.

 

It was all going so well.

Anderson and Wright will never be the player that Payne is - ever. I understand the balance that you refer to and agree we need one but to look past your most creative and a player most likely out of all of our team to score and assist and put in a player that hasn't played for 5 months is absurd.

Anderson and Wright are bench warmers at best.

 

You really can't compare the football HopkinS played with Bowyer. It's polar opposites.

 

You'd never have thought that Sterling, Sane, Silva, B Silva, Gundogan would work in a midfield would you. But it really does.

 

I agree. I think against 2 strong physical teams it was a good decision to rest Payne. It worked. Now against a team on a bad run, like us scrapping for their survival he should be able to show what he's made of. Anderson was ok on Saturday but poor on Tuesday and ran out of steam.

 

I agree. I thought Patrick would come on for Anderson and play on the right and Payne would come on for Ball and play up top with Doyle.

 

Gundogan is a totally different player

Sane and Sterling are totally different to the Silva's and Gundogan

And City's most important player is Fernandinho

You can't have a team of ball players it makes it unbalanced.

 

Listening to Oldhams problems sounded just like our last chairman ..... signing players on 2 year contracts then not playing them, meddling in team selection etc etc

 

Fernandinho hasn't played as much this season and he's the holding player. All the above are ball players. None of them really carry water, they all play football. On paper they are the most unbalanced team in the premiership.

 

I think the proof of the pudding is in the eating the last two matches have shown that the formation played is better.
If Payne is to play it should be as an out and out striker. On a separate note I wonder if Scannell might be on the bench tomorrow

 

Butterfield would be playing deeper, but not as deep as hopkin had him playing. And you mention how unbalanced we were at walsall and I agree, but as I said in an earlier post, Hopkin had 3 players out of position that day, whereas in Bowyer's diamond system, none would be out of position. So really we don't know until we've tried it.

 

Wow! Bowyer been in the job for 2 games and fans questioning his methods already.

I'm with Bowyer. Payne and Butterfield shouldn't start together.

However, my concern at the minute is L'ob who looks shattered.

 

Young 'uns today....no stamina....when I was a lad we'd play all day without stopping

 

When you've been carrying a team all season you start to get a bit fatigued

 

No need. During the school holidays it ended up something like 26-a-side

 

Yup - extendable pitch!

 

How do you get 90% of a job ? Just asking like