Vranny

If the lad could finish I’d honestly be more excited about DCL at the moment than I was with Rom after his first season with us. Finishing ability is arguably the most important skill for a striker to have though, so we’ll have to just wait and see how develops in that area.

http://www.squawka.com/comparison-matrix#premier_league/2016/2017/romelu_lukaku/641/641/897/34/p|premier_league/2017/2018/dominic_calvert-lewin/819/819/22275/0/p#goals_-_inside_area/shots_inside_area#90 That Squawka comparison matrix tool is excellent if you're a stat head like myself.

I wouldn’t bothering bringing in another RB. Give Kenny some regular games there before Coleman hopefully returns before Christmas. Regarding a new CB, I’d only want to bring in a top class one, so I imagine it wouldn’t be ideal to buy one until the end of the season. Holgate could always use the experience of playing there every now and then, plus Funes Mori will be returning from injury at some stage anyway.

Just doing a direct comparison between Calvert-Lewin and Lukaku, DCL actually averages more chances in the box per 90 mins this season than Lukaku did last season (arguably you can throw the lack of service argument for this season out the window with that stat). If he was operating at Lukaku's shot conversion rate from last season he would already have 4 goals this season for instance (57% increase in our team's total goals). That's also ignoring the amount of time Sandro and Rooney have played up front and looked shite, so there's been even more lost opportunities to score when compared to what Lukaku would've likely brought to the team this season. But, no, Lukaku would've made no difference to this team.

Couldn’t you say the same about yourself jumping on anything Kenny did wrong in the match day thread? Also Beni gave the ball away quite a few times. Think he just needs to catch up with the pace of the game at this level though.

Not sure if we enough wide options available to play him centrally. Possibly Lookman could be a pacier option in behind DCL instead? I’m not sure where else to play the kid at the moment, as he doesn’t look a natural winger.

Said it in the cup game thread, but Rooney in behind DCL. Gives us a good balance of pace up front, while having someone in and around the area that can actually finish. I’m sick of trying to play Siggy into form when we just need to start picking up some points in the league.

I think it’s important to dump Sigurdsson and start playing Rooney and DCL together. We need at least one natural goal scorer on the pitch (it’s clear DCL isn’t one at this point in time), while DCL can still provide us with that out ball and counter attacking threat that we’d lack just playing Rooney up front on his own. Obviously these are just my thoughts and I’ll be curious to see how Unsy goes about it

My thoughts exactly. We always have Mirallas on the bench if he looks lost out wide, or too scared to dribble, but may as well play the lad while Bolasie is out.

He has started him in literally one game (after he scored a couple and would’ve been on a high) and many other people on this board were screaming out for it to happen too.

It felt like our away form under Koeman for all of last season was shite though. And I’d sure take winning the games we’re supposed to be winning at the moment then what we are doing now

I still think there were quite a few games where Schneiderlein, Gana, Davies and Barkley did the business towards the end of the season. I reckon the players just dropped their heads and had nothing to play for after the 0 - 0 game against West Ham late on (that’s the game I pinpoint at least). That was the biggest factor for our massive late season drop off for me.

I've been wondering if it's more of a stamina issue at his age. I know he's still capable of the odd gut-busting run, but he's sort of got to save those runs for exactly the right moment, rather than doing them constantly like he used to. Also while we're talking about Baines can someone tell him to stop floating his crosses in so much?

Honestly, to me it’s not even the biggest issue within the team, like it’s being made out to be. It’s picking another slow central mid around them like Siggy, Rooney or Klaasen (I don’t remember many people complaining about the combo of Schneiderlein, Gana and Davies during the second half of last season). That and just the complete lack of pace and width in the team. Like playing Rooney, Klaasen and Siggy as three no. 10s begins a striker, or pushing Davies out wide. Until last weekend, with Vlasic starting, I can’t remember the last time he started somebody approaching a natural wide player in an XI (Looking back, last weekend was literally the first time he’d done it in the prem). Vlasic isn’t even what you’d call and out an out winger, he’s got more similarities to Osman and Pienaar when playing wide. Coleman’s out injured and Baines is too old to provide the sort of width he used to, so we desperately need to just pick a couple of natural wide players in the team and see how they go.

I’d go with: Pickford Kenny Keane Holgate Baines Davies Schneiderlein Lookman Sig Vlasic DCL I’m not sure if Holgate would be comfortable playing as a LCB, but I think it spreads the pace and experience out better in the back 4. I’m also keen for Lookman to have a start. May as well play him while Bolasie is injured, Otherwise Lennon can sub for him. Also while Vlasic looked decent (amongst utter shite on the weekend) on the right, I think he suits playing on the left better. Allows him to cut in more and would bring Baines into the game I reckon.

DCL up front, with at least one actual wide-playing mid in the team (don't want to be too greedy asking for two of them in the side ffs.) It's a small wishlist, but I still doubt I'll see it come true on match day.

I want DCL, Vlasic and either Sandro or Siggy up top like on Wednesday. Need to get some pace into this team.

As long as we play DCL up front, Davies in midfield and at least one pacey wide player, if we're not playing wing-backs, I'll be (mostly) happy.

We were saying something similar about building a team around the likes of Stones, McCarthy, Barkley and Lukaku a few years ago and look how that turned out In all honesty I am excited about the future. The amount we're investing in the youth team alone is dwarfing our total transfer budgets of yesteryear.

I swerve that too to be honest! Of the big name Australian beers the only one I drink regularly is VB (Victoria Bitter), which you might see occasionally in the U.K. It's known as being a bogan beer over here though, so I really disclose that information

I've actually had some of the Anchor Steam stuff, but I've never even heard of the other breweries mentioned. I imagine it'd be the same if I started name dropping any craft/boutique breweries from Oz. Stone, Founders and Sierra Nevada are the main 3 US breweries that I usually look for over here, but I imagine we'll be getting more and more stuff imported from you guys in the coming years. In terms of personal taste I started off as a lager and golden ale person (find them too boring now), but I've really developed a taste for IPAs and other hoppy pales this last year. Always loved my stouts as well. Also, regarding Fosters it started out as an Australian brew, but it's owned internationally now. It's always mentioned as a bit of an in joke for Australians that we keep our best beer here and export our worst I don't think I've ever seen anybody in our country actually drink Fosters!

What have you been enjoying in the US Mark? We don't get stacks of American beer over in Australia, but I'm always keen to (potentially) try something new.

Bingo.

Didn't realise that Atlanta play with 3 and the back and 2 up front, so I can definitely see us matching them. If that's the case it'd be a good chance to give Holgate a game in a back 3, Kenny a game as a wing-back and DCL and Sandro a chance to play together up front.

Don't think he's gotten a game yet though, unlike Williams (at least not in the league).