That's very near mine too with Patterson for Holmes as not fit yet Waghorn for Lawrence

I thought about Waghorn for Lawrence but was looking for a bit of width even though he’s lazy I think we’re stuck with him starting.

I'd drop Lawrence, probably send him on holiday somewhere and tell him to not bother coming back.

Probably replace him with Sibley and adjust the formation accordingly. I still get the feeling of all the youth players we've seen he's the one most likely to add something to the team.

It does take out out another potential creative element, but the way Lawrence has been performing any opposition manager is just going to treat it as them having an extra man rather than worry about any potential threat. Having somebody who makes their presence known is more important.

I’d be holding back on the kids. Pride Park could get hostile if they look like repeating the Brentford performance against Cardiff and that will be bad for the youngsters conference.
Let’s get a couple of wins under our belt and then bring them in.
I agree Sibley is the one to watch.

I like Ramases' team except Lawrence. He has done nothing since the first game and I would replace him with Waghorn or Bennett or Patterson or anyone else at the club. Very good 9earchange, send him on his hols to Siberia, it is very nice at this time of the year.

We should have bought Ollie Watkins when we had the chance, I said so at the time. (I'm lying)

Paterson for Lawrence? I might agree with Waghorn. Shinnie is equally rubbish. I thought he was going to be a Van de Laan type midfielder but seems more of a Van Hudson. I saw him and Knight at Scunthorpe and Knight was head and shoulders better.

As Dowell has failed in the attacking midfield position why not try Lawrence there. If he plays deeper he has to do more work.

Pleased that Shinnie made the cut but disappointed that he has yet to make an impact.

Not just the Jock thing but he was really highly regarded, Aberdeen did not want to lose him and it should have been a good fit.

Perhaps time will tell?

He's not had a proper chance Heb.

I think he has energy, which is what we need in midfield, a proper box to boxer, fetch and carry, every team needs one. If as some suggest we play Waghorn, Martin and Marriott then Shinnie will be needed to do the hard yards.
Dowell has been given plenty of chances and has not looked anything like the player we thought he was. Paterson has looked ok but not had a run either.
Lawrence has had plenty of opportunity. Many on here think he's had enough opportunity, which is a fair shout.
For me he has a bit of something and if we can get a bit of form going he;ll come good.

I'm hoping Brentford has given Cocu a reason to ring the changes and I hope Martin benefits and Huddlestone, while he's not been bad, gets dropped.
It's all about tempo for me and Huddz slows it down to much.
Hopefully Holmes will drive on , Shinnie will ferret and Bielik will control.

Brentford beat us for pace in every square inch of the pitch.

Please don't put Waghorn in midfield! Put him up front with Marriott. Lawrence behind them.

Bielik doesn't appear any quicker than Hudz. He is better in the air but nowhere near as skilful. Don't see how he speeds our attacks up. Shinnie is league 1 class, learned control from Conor Sammon. Again fail to see how he will improve us. We need someone with a bit of quality and pace in midfield. Holmes has that but needs a partner.


Will Martin make a comeback? Some complain that he is too slow but he has better control than Waghorn. Waghorn can play wide and is not a bad crosser of the ball. Think Waghorn and Martin might pose some problems for Colin's thuggish defenders.

Bielik will be there mainly to win the ball and help shield the defence. Huddlestone isn’t very good at that although he is technically excellent. I would like to see if they can play together. When Bogle comes back we ought to be able to push the full backs on a bit which allows the wider forward players to come inside and link up the play a bit more. This worked really well at Huddersfield. None of our wide players are actually wingers after all. Lawrence has been poor since Huddersfield but I still think he offers the most threat from that position. I would have Lawrence, Holmes and Paterson behind Marriott against Cardiff to start.

Don't know what you've got against Shinnie, Spart.
He can't be scape-goated over defeats against Bristol and Brentford as he didn't play. He played in the cup games surrounded by kids so it's hard to judge in that capacity.
He'll be much better in the first team as he won't be trying to cover everything.

No to two DMs Vidal just no. It's time to stop being chickens, play Bielik who can tackle and get us moving and get any of Holmes, Patterson, Bennett, Shinnie who are all forward thinking to feed the forwards who have been starved in recent weeks.
Two DM's just means one extra man to pass sideways to and therefore delegate responsibility and ultimately miss to chance to transition quickly.

From what I have seen Shinnie doesn't appear to be technically proficient. At Scunthorpe the kids looked better than him, except Bird, who also lacks skill. Paterson has also been a disappointment, the new Leon Best, can score against us but not for us

If we want quick transitions we need midfielders who can play a quick accurate pass. Personally I prefer a team who can score by playing possession football rather than relying on the quick counter attack. Counter attacking teams only can get to the Premier League but not many hang around, Burnley, being a notable exception.

You don’t give people much of a chance Spart. Neither Paterson nor Shinnie have been given a run in the team.
I can make a judgement on Bennett who is at best an impact sub and not as a striker. Lawrence is infuriating because just as I’m about to give up on him he then goes puts in a match winning performance.
Huddz isn’t positive enough now. I’m going to reserve judgement on Beilik until he’s had a run in the DM role. I like Clarke, Keogh, Bogle, Roos and Lowe.
I’ve always liked Martin, he looks fit and if he isn’t involved in the match day squad v Cardiff then it’s not a football reason that’s keeping him out.
Holmes I like as well as Waghorn and Marriott.
Dowell could yet come good but he is the one real disappointment for me and I can judge that because i’ve seen him play 3 times in the league and the reports from the other three have not been flattering.

On the basis that we have gone over 3 hours without having a shot on target I can't see that recalling Martin is a risk. Cocu needs to do something urgently.

The problem with Shinnie, at least for me, isn't based on what we've seen of him, it's based on other research. Like Abdoul Camara, a little research shows nothing to be excited about. He's spent much of his career playing a part in average teams in a league that is barely competitive, and on the international stage against poor opposition he's been left wanting.

About the best I can say is that he exists as a player, he'll go through the motions.