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The plan for the Stoke game


alpine_saint
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Put out what you consider to be a full-stregth team (including the underachievers like Lallana) in the supposed aim of winning the game and getting up to a potential 10th/11th finish, or give some playing time to the players at the fringes of the squad (mainly youngsters) that in your view have a long-term future with the club, and risk losing and ending up 17th ?

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Need to go for the win. The amount of cash you get for each position in the table is big. We can still finish 10th or anything down to 17th which could be enough to finance a new signing or not in the summer

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We have to play the best team available. Get three points and we could still finish 10th, meaning something like an extra £4m in prize money from 17th.

 

Boruc

 

Clyne - Fonte - Hooiveld - Shaw

 

Schneiderlin - Cork

 

Puncheon - Davis - JRod

 

Lambert

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800k difference in prize money for every league position you finish means we need to go with strongest team and finish as high up as possible.

 

Had we be going into the game where our league position would be unaffected by the result I would have been tempted to start a team half made up of Academy graduates (Lallana, Shaw, JWP, and three debuts) or at very least have the players on the bench to be able to finish the game like that.

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I think someone mentioned the difference in prize money between 17th & 10th is about 3m. For that much, I cannot imagine Cortese accepting its a good time to give those on the edges of the squad game time.

 

Can't believe we will be anything other than full strength (Boruc, Clyne, Jos, Fonte/Yoshi, Shaw, Cork, Morgan, Jay, Davis, Lallana/Punch, Lambert) Of the 2 close calls, I would personally go with Fonte (as potentially better suited v Stoke) & Punch (form).

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As others have said, if we were certain to finish in a narrow band of final places (say 13th-15th) might be worth experimenting, but given there's over £5m at stake, we really do need to field our strongest team and go for the win.

 

That's probably the same team we put out on Sunday - except I might start with Puncheon and drop either Steve Davies or Lallana to the bench (I'd probably keep Jos at the back given Stoke's aerial threat).

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Put out what you consider to be a full-stregth team (including the underachievers like Lallana) in the supposed aim of winning the game and getting up to a potential 10th/11th finish, or give some playing time to the players at the fringes of the squad (mainly youngsters) that in your view have a long-term future with the club, and risk losing and ending up 17th ?

 

Lallana - underachiever? 25 year old in first season in prem. Playing in a side that was so bad that you said would be so far adrift by Christmas safety would already be impossible.

 

Managed 3 goals, 5 or 6 assists. Playing well enough to get called up for his country.

 

Impressed both managers enough to capt side.

 

Impressed MP/NC enough for 5 year contract.

 

Led team, with his underachieving, to what you thought was impossible - safety.

 

Suffered bad injury.

 

Loves the club.

 

Opposition fans after seeing us invariably rave about him over most others.

 

But with your clearly limited understanding of football slag him off as an 'underachiever'. FFS but a lot of pro footballers wish they underachieved like that in their first season in prem after two in league 1 and 1 in championship!

 

To answer OP; I would go for blend. Can't see point in full youth/reserve team.

 

I also want to see players who have done well and who deserve their day - Boruc, Yoshida, Clyne, Shaw, Morgan, Jay Rod, Lambert.

 

I would like to see Forren and Mayuka get decent part of game.

 

Think, but not sure, that we can only play youngsters if were listed in 25 man squad (although wouldn't count for 25). Don't really know enough about those to know who is close and maybe worth sub? Jack Stephens?

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To be honest, we might make up the £3m difference for finishing 11th-ish in transfer fees by showcasing the likes of Hooiveld, Fonte, De Ridder, Richardson and Guly before flogging them to Championship sides.

 

Come to think of it, Forte, Dickson, Barnard and Sharp's would be eligible now too - assuming we named them in the squad in January (which I can't remember if we did). Obviously Fox is suspended and Chaplow injured. ;)

 

But I'm not suggesting we pick that team. Though we could probably incorporate a few of them if we really wanted. I think a run for Ward-Prowse and Mayuka might not be a bad idea, the other thing Pochettino might want to do is put some doubt in the minds of the regular starters about their "guaranteed" places, in order to drive their preseasons to new levels. Who knows ?

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This thread is silly. MP will pick whatever he feels is the best side to win the game as there is approx 5m at stake here.

 

I think he could "experiment" from the bench (e.g. include a couple of youngsters amongst the subs but only seek to use them if we're 3-0+ up or 3-0+ down)

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Ok, it is a no-brainer, since I didnt know its 4m difference in prize money.

 

Suppose the question now turns to what constitutes the strongest team. Currently that seems to exclude Lallana for Puncheon.

 

Do you think we are mugs, are we supposed to believe that you created a tread without actually knowing all the facts....

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Try and win the game with the best team available.

 

I would imagine though that JWP and Puncheon are both now in the managers minds for starts. Yoshi will probably come back in.

 

You could put the likes of stephens, chambers etc, on the bench though.

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