Mirallas a doubt for Saints trip

If both can be accommodated, it would be great, as would having someone stationed further up field to help Lukaku.

Pienaar
Mirallas
Hibbert
McGeady
Gibson
Besic (?)
Deulofeu (?)
Baines

The team really picks itself:

Howard
Coleman Jagielka Stones Galloway
Cleverly McCarthy Barry Barkley
Kone Lukaku

SUBS: Robles, Oviedo, Browning, Besic, Deulofeu, Osman, Naismith

Already two games in we are addled with injuries to key player's, no doubt Mirallas will go missing for a few weeks and if Deulofeu plays, and sprints, he'll pull up with yet another frustrating setback.

Deulofeu only started 9 games that season.

No point in bring up Gibson or Pienaar - neither has featured for the last 18 odd months. Besic, McGeady and Hibbert are not first teamers.

Only issues are with Baines, Mirallas and Deulofeu - still shit but we 'only' really have 3 injuries to be worried about. Baines is gone till Dec so may as well get used to it.

Would be harsh on Kone if he doesn't get a start after his goal but Martinez is fixated on 4231 so will see.

Kone/Lukaku with Barkley playing behind.... there's goals there. I'm more worried about keeping them out at the other end.

I guess their playing styles and also the roles (winger) they play are more of the solo types and hence, often they can be misread as being selfish. Both of them have the ability and good at making those solo bursts down the wing, skipping past defenders, cutting inside etc. but such players can easily mistaken for as selfish players.

To me, he's been a disappointment overall in his time here. Injuries have for sure played a part - and he's had fuck all protection off some of the excuses for referees the Premier League puts out. But he or his agent have been regular visitors to the "Rumour Mill" section through their various comments attributed to them.

When he signed I thought he'd use us as a stepping stone to a bigger CL club, unless we did something spectacular, so I fully expected him to go. His new contract takes him up to 30, so whilst he may still go, if he doesn't we'll have had him during his "best" years.

I hope he starts showing what we know he's capable of on a consistent basis. That'll only happen if the referees start giving him protection from some of the yard dog players the promoted and lower teams seem to favour.

Last season especially he was our biggest goal threat; I know given how poor we were at times last season that may not be saying much. Even in Miralles' first year with us (Moyes' last) he was one of our stand-outs after Jelavic completely lost his goal-scoring ability.

Creativity, pace and counter attack goal threats coming

Kev, Geri and Rom front 3 would be excellent to see ...

The season starts here.

there's nothing wrong with being greedy, some other players should try it instead of the safety first pass it back to where it came from routine.

It's difficult to reconcile the word selfish with Del Boy, as my overriding memory of him was constantly trying to beat the right back to put the ball into the box. Not the actions of a greedy player, ala Mirallas, who would take on the defender then try and go at goal (again, not necessarily a bad thing...on occasion)

Two very good players who I am glad are here

McCarthy should be adequate cover for the back four, no need for Barry as a starter. Cleverley (with Besic as backup and Gibson when fit) is a more progressive passer and Barkley can drive forward from deeper to support Lukaku.

We don't need two defensive midfielders and we don't seem to play well when we employ this system. The mad thing is we don't look more defensively solid with two. Have McCarthy sitting deeper and make it his job to regain possession and move the ball wide or to Cleverley. Barkley and Cleverley should be given more freedom to get forward and support Lukaku. The wide men (Deulofeu and Mirallas) can either give us width or move inside to support Lukaku. Both are accomplished finishers.

Presuming we get in Lennon, a backup centre back and another striker to cover / challenge / partner Lukaku, I don't think our squad looks too bad. I can't see the fabled Number 10 arriving in this window so we should utilise what we have effectively and abandon the two DMs!

Now if Deulofeu can start scoring goals and be a bit more direct like Mirallas, I will be delighted. Too often for me when he was here before he beat two men, got into the box, and then no good cross or shot. If he's inside and no obvious cross on then he has to shoot more.

I didn't see any of our game last weekend but the big question for me at start of the season was... Will RM go back to the crab shite slow buildup play or will he have learnt to get it forward quicker, even if you lose the ball? How we can concede 2 goals to a newly promoted team with 2 DMs I just don't know. I know it's very mean to say but I hope Barry gets injured and so the decision is taken out of RM's hands.