BFTG - Brentford

[Hound]

Where's Chris Coleman nowadays? China isn't it? Reckon thats our best chance of a decent return on him

Happy enough if he stayed one more year tbh. He is good enough back up and clearly a good team man. He's no Aluko, who I, and no doubt every other fan, would happily never see anywhere near RG2 again

[NewCorkSeth]

Where's Chris Coleman nowadays? China isn't it? Reckon thats our best chance of a decent return on him

Happy enough if he stayed one more year tbh. He is good enough back up and clearly a good team man. He's no Aluko, who I, and no doubt every other fan, would happily never see anywhere near RG2 again

Theres my argument. A Chinese club would def sink 2 million into him. Sorted.

[sandman]

Disappointing that what should have been a pretty positive thread on the Brentford game has descended into another war of words over Gunter.

There is so much criticism over his apparent failure to close players down and allow crosses to come in. I would suggest that over the past couple of seasons a lot of this is probably due to the failure of whoever is playing ahead of him on his side of the pitch failing to drop back and do their defensive duties properly. Gunter then has to decide whether to cover the player who is moving in more centrally or get drawn out wide to try to stop a cross coming in. To my mind, leaving a player unmarked in a more central position poses the more significant immediate threat.

Pah, stop talking sense and reason. You're taking all the fun out of it.

You clearly don't know RoyalBlue very well.

[Snowflake Royal]

Where's Chris Coleman nowadays? China isn't it? Reckon thats our best chance of a decent return on him

Happy enough if he stayed one more year tbh. He is good enough back up and clearly a good team man. He's no Aluko, who I, and no doubt every other fan, would happily never see anywhere near RG2 again

Gunter is an excellent, if maybe excessively expensive, back up full back.

[Lower West]

I would suggest that over the past couple of seasons a lot of this is probably due to the failure of whoever is playing ahead of him on his side of the pitch failing to drop back and do their defensive duties properly.

Aluko and Barrow weren't/aren't exactly the hardest working of players. Walking back when the team loses possession of the ball. A real weakness in the team.

[URZZZZ]

I would suggest that over the past couple of seasons a lot of this is probably due to the failure of whoever is playing ahead of him on his side of the pitch failing to drop back and do their defensive duties properly.

Aluko and Barrow weren't/aren't exactly the hardest working of players. Walking back when the team loses possession of the ball. A real weakness in the team.

Apart from McCleary, we haven't had a hard working winger for a while. Barrow was lazy but is improving on this side of his game, Aluko was lazy, Beerens was lazy, Piazon was lazy etc

Yeah, Gunter should take some blame for his performances in the last couple of seasons, but there seems to be a correlation between how well a full back plays to how hard the winger in front of them works

[bcubed]

Of all the regular debates on HNA, the Gunter one is surely the dullest

Amen brother

[SCIAG]

Bod is scoring a goal every three games this season. That's roughly the level of our other senior strikers at their best. If we're planning on signing Oliveira for £7m (31 goals in 100 games at this level) then we should be looking to get £5m for Bod (16 goals in 55 games for us - translates to 29 goals in 100 games - obviously weighed down somewhat by his crap record at Wolves but he hasn't got worse since we paid £3m for him).

Guess there's an argument that Meite, Oliveira, and Novakovich with Baldock and McNulty or Loader as alternatives is plenty, but I don't get where the "Bodvarsson isn't good enough" thing is coming from.

Edit: bah, Leon comes in and says pretty much what I agree with. Don't think the balance would be right with a three of Baker, Ezatolahi, and Rinomhota but I want all three in the squad.

Really like the thought of:
Southwood; Yiadom, Moore/Miazga, McIntyre, Blackett; Ezatolahi/Baker, Rinomhota, Swift-but-not-Swift; Meite, Oliveira, Barrow
Subs: Jaakola, Osho, Gunter, Ezatolahi/Baker, new winger, Baldock, Bodvarsson

Even better if we kept both Moore and Miazga, but I'd rather we focused on Baker and Ezatolahi - McIntyre and Osho both look ready to step up but East does not.

I’ve always like your posts SCIAG unemotional and intelligent.

Coincidentally that's also how my ex describes me.

My point about midfield was these were the ones we should keep. We also need creativity from the centre so I guess Swift or similar is required. However if we’re playing a front 3 more solidity rather than creativity as you’d expect Barrow etc to provide that and tbf the three I’ve put in can pass a ball.

Personally I like having about "4.5" attacking players/goal threats. Think a 4-3-3 with Baker, Ezatolahi and Rinomhota would only really have 3.5 goal threats unless Baker started playing in a much more advanced position. Which I guess he'd have to if Ezatolahi was in the team.