I'd much rather it be your way, LeChuck, but I remember something about Souey saying that he could play Matteo in midfield on the road, which would suggest that he'd be a bit more attacking at home and play with a proper midfielder instead of the naturally defensive-minded Matteo. Not that Yorke is a proper midfielder, but if Dickov is still playing then the only way to accomodate him would be to put him in the hole behind the strikers--not a prospect I'd be looking forward to but one that I think is a possibility for tomorrow nonetheless.

That being said, give me the lineup LeChuck had but substitute Yorke for Dickov, and I'd be a pretty happy camper.

Just finished reading this article on Soccernet. Sky Sports seem to think that Dickov will start on the bench because of the knock he picked up this past week, but the article mentions that all three new arrivals are expected to be in the starting eleven tomorrow. If Soccernet turns out to be right, I think we'll see the following:

              Friedel


 Neill   Matteo   Amoruso   Gray


  Emerton   Ferguson   de Pedro

              Yorke

          Dickov  Stead

I hear you, American... I was waiting to see about Vieira, but now that it seems he's staying I'm leaving Arsenal as champions. As for everyone else, this is your last notice:

If you're going to enter your predictions or edit your existing ones, you must do so by 12:45 (English time) tomorrow!!!

Not that you'll win anything by coming in first in this little contest, of course... but personal pride is at stake here.

Apologies for two posts in a row, but I thought this would make the most sense in the match preview thread.

Just a question for everyone: IS ANYONE ELSE WORRIED BY REPORTS THAT DWIGHT YORKE IS STARTING TOMORROW?

I certainly hope he comes good and I'd love to eat my words on this... but I'd much rather see Dickov or Gally or even Jansen in the XI as of right now. I mean, it's all well and good to make up with Yorke because you don't have enough strikers, but to automatically vault him into the first team is completely ludicrous IMO. Am I alone on this?

<< Rodney Marsh : On Blackburn >>

The other interesting thing on that page is that there are 12 candidates for "top-scoring Englishman" in the poll on the bottom left--including Francis Jeffers and Emile Heskey--but young Jon Stead is not one of them.

Ignore me...

We always do, Pringle... we always do.

Well, if it lasts for the whole season (or at least a substantial portion of it), it will certainly make Souness look stupid.

Then again, Souness has (up to now) not been wrong when letting players go who he thinks are past it... I just hope Cole isn't his first mistake.

6. C.Palace

7. Charlton

8. Chelsea

Shouldn't Crystal Palace not come after Charlton and Chelsea?

You're absolutely right Tango... everyone knows that Chrystal Palace comes behind Charlton and Chelsea alphabetically.

The sad part is that given the current unpredictability of the Premiership, Pringle's table will probably be closest out of anyone's come the end of the year.

With reference to new signings, my main grouse is that despite being painfully short of attacking pace in the squad last year we have not attempted to remedy this. De Pedro and Dickov are hardly speed merchants are they? Our build up play is often far too slow and square to trouble good defences and is indicated by our record penaltyless(?) season. Just compare this to Portsmouth where HR has signed Lua Lua to play alongside Yakubo, with Berko pulling the strings in front of a defensive midfield. As we know to our cost last season they will cause other teams big problems, especially away from home.

The current rules re: fouling attackers by the last man mean that more than ever before genuine pace will always trouble most defenders (as we know all to well! ) so the option of having a genuinly quick player, even one who is not top quality, can provide enough options to change the balance of a game.

btw Dont ask me who I'd go for though but Matt Jansen regrettably would have to be the one to make way.

Perhaps Souness realizes this, which would explain his interest in El Hadmouai (who is described as a very pacy forward).

Like jim, though, I'm still wondering where the goals are going to come from.

Are we doing the Premiership Predictions League thing (or whatever it was called) this year? I started missing predictions so I gave up on the whole thing, but I didn't know if anyone else kept up.

How did it work again? Three points for a correct result, one extra for correct goals for one of the sides and three extra for a correct scoreline? To be honest I don't even remember.

Just curious.

For me it all depends on whether Vieria leaves as to whether Arsenal retain the League Title - they look far less impressive without him imo.

I forgot to mention that bit, Tango. If Arsenal end up selling Vieira then I'd have to pick Chelsea to lift the trophy at the end of the season. I realize that sounds like I'm just covering all my bases... but I'll decree (since I started this thread ) that anyone can edit their predictions until the season officially kicks off on Saturday.

I'm seeing a lot more pessimism than last year... two out of twenty-one (den and The Dart) have already picked us to go down. For what it's worth, Soccernet's Premiership predictions have us picked to finish thirteenth--but then again they have Boro finishing fifth so what do they know?

Oh, and I thought it would be kind of fun to make a game out of this, so here's my idea: at the end of the season, for every spot each person's off for each team, you gain a point. For instance, if you have Rovers predicted to finish 19th and they finish 14th, you're given five points. Picking the correct champion subtracts ten from your total score, and you get three apiece for each relegated team you get right. Person with the lowest score wins.

Alright come on, let's hear some more... jim, where'd you go?

I did this last year but we never really brought the topic back at the end of the season... this time I'd like to bring it up again and see who did well.

So I'll start things off with my prediction.

1. Arsenal

2. Chelsea

3. Manchester United

4. Newcastle

5. Liverpool

6. Tottenham

7. Aston Villa

8. Birmingham

9. Charlton

10. Middlesborough

11. Blackburn

12. Manchester City

13. Portsmouth

14. Fulham

15. Everton

16. Bolton

17. West Brom

18. Southampton

19. Crystal Palace

20. Norwich

Arsenal to win, Spurs (as much as it pains me to predict it) finally realizing their their potential and pipping that sixth spot, and Southampton pulling a West Ham and surprisingly going down.

For what it's worth, I'll pick Reading to win "The Championship," Hull to win "League One" and Rushden & Diamonds to win "League Two." And Accrington Stanley to win "The Conference."

Alright, let's hear it--your predictions.

from the official site:

Encks

Neill Nissa Amo Gray

Douglas Fergie Matteo de Pedro

Yorke Stead

Replace Enks with Brad (if he's indeed healthy in time), Yorke with Dickov, and Douglas with Emerton, and methinks you've got the starting XI for next Saturday's game.

The only thing that's worried me a bit this preseason is that every match report seems to begin with some mention of Rovers starting slow before coming into form--Bray and Preston stand out as the most obvious examples. I know it's just preseason and all that, but I'm just hoping that this doesn't become a trend that's carried into the season... while starting slow is all well and good against the likes of Bray Wanderers and Bohemians Prague, it becomes another matter entirely against West Brom and Southampton.

Excellent preview, Scotty and Nuclearsox, it was a great read.

2-2 the final scoreline, with Dickov and Thommo on the scoresheet for Rovers.

  I'd

think that would leave

the side a

bit

defensively vulnerable

I think the one really positive thing about the Moore signing is that it proves how serious Souey is about improving the defense. The addition of Matteo and, to a lesser extent, de Pedro, shows the gaffer's commitment to balancing the side and consequently tightening up a defense that let the team down last year.

If Matteo winds up starting in a holding midfielder role--something that is looking increasingly likely--then Rovers will be playing less of a 4-4-2 and more of a 4-1-3-2, with Dom lying very deep to cover the back four and give the other three midfielders license to get forward.

If my suspicions are correct then the starting XI should look something like this:

                  Friedel

Neill      Amoruso      Nissa      Gray

                 Matteo

    Emerton     Ferguson     de Pedro

             Stead    Dickov

If Matteo proves that he can do a job there--and I'll admit that I'll be skeptical until he does so--but assuming he does play well, then that has all the makings of a well balanced and, most importantly for Souness, defensively sound side. Given that formation and Emerton's form from last season, I'd almost rather see Thommo on the right, but Brett should get a clean slate and a fair crack of the whip this year before he's dismissed.

Overall I'd have to say I'd be pleased with this lineup and the tactics. Neither Emerton or de Pedro is a flying winger per se, as both tend to stay a bit narrow, but that merely gives Neill and Gray more opportunity for overlapping runs. Stead and Dickov will perhaps be the most active strike duo in the Premiership, and the club is finally going into a season with a relatively settled defense.

All of this makes me (cautiously) optimistic.

Dickov receiving the No. 10 shirt raises an interesting trivia question (not that I know the answer)... of the teams who have escaped relegation in Premiership, who has been the worst No. 10 for his team?

Not calling Dickov a poor player, just pointing out that in he's certainly no No. 10. If Rovers do manage to escape relegation, I have a hunch that they'll be doing it with possibly the least heralded No. 10 striker in Premiership history.

3. What happend to Flitcroft?

No mention by anybody recently. Abducted by aliens? Injured? I would like to see him go to finance a move for someone like Carrick but surely if we still have him he should be in the squad. Bizzare....

Completely agree.

By all accounts, Matteo is best suited to central defender, and while it's nice that he can provide backup in the center of midfield, it's apparently quite clear that that's not his natural position. With Thompson, Tugay, Flitcroft and Douglas available for selection at center mid, I'd much rather see Dom fighting for a place in the back four than displacing one of our true midfielders.

As for Flitcroft in particular... make a decision Souey. I'd rather he stay (although his wages would undoubtedly be high for those of a squad player), but if Souness has made up his mind that he's definitely not going to feature, then he needs to get rid and try to recoup some cash. Immediately.

I don't think this has been mentioned yet, but Charlton's upper management has said they will not stand in the way should Sven be sacked and Curbishley be lined up as his replacement.

Soccernet article: "Curbishley free to fill Sven's shoes"

He says that stuff all the time. The facts as presenteded to any club outside the top 3 + liverpool and newcastle. are that each is capable of doing well and going for europe or doing badly and being involved in a battle! The aim is clearly to stay in the premiership, but on top of that every season you do look to improve. Souness has said as have others that our target is to get around 10th but our overall goal is survival.

Well said, modes. To be perfectly honest, I think that is all that needs to be said on this matter, so everyone should quick bickering about the same old stuff (albeit under a new guise).

Rev, perhaps the primary reason is that while the club has a number of central defenders, strikers seem to be in short supply.

Barry Ferguson has way too much to his game to be purely a "holding player".

Perhaps being a bit pedantic, but the holding midfielder role isn't necessarily reserved for low-skill grafters. Players such as Vieira, Keane, Makelele and Davids have been world class playing in that central holding role, and they certainly have (or at least had, at the height of their career) more to their respective games than our Fergie. That is no disrespect to Barry Ferguson... just pointing out that he could play a quote/unquote holding role and still have the freedom to get forward at key times as Keane and Vieira and company do.

That being said, if Thompson proves fit enough I wouldn't disagree with reverting to the classic 4-4-2 formation you proposed as the best option.

Just going off of what Lee put on the official site, but it seems like the strikers couldn't finish today to save their lives... which means that it's good it's just preseason.

The more encouraging thing is that it seemed that de Pedro was at heart of the majority of Rovers good chances while he was on.

Anyway, keep the clean sheet streak going!

What an udderly stupid thread this has turned into.

I agree, things have gotten a bit cheesey around here.

Still, I think the Cole issue was settled here... "Souness: Yorke and Cole are 'babies' "

There it is in black and white... Souness thinks Andy is a coward.

Not that any judgments can be made on this, but Thommo didn't look half bad in the friendly against D.C. United last summer (at least, the few minutes he played before injuring himself) when he was given more of a central role. The size and tackling ability isn't quite there, but he has the motor and aggressiveness to make up for some of his defensive shortcomings. Obviously, putting him in the center would require Ferguson to play a more defensive role, but I'm inclined to think that that's something he's capable of... hopefully he surprises a few people as T4E says.