I think we’re gonna win a lot of games 1-0 this season and it aint gonna be pretty…
Ala the season we went up under Money. We didn’t score much, but also didn’t concede too many.
Can’t think many fans were happy with us starting the season with Butler and Sam as a main front two at the time. We signed Benjamin and Harper halfway through which gave us the push we needed. What’s to say we won’t do that in January should it be needed?
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In theory, only Gordon stayed from the previous squad. Rest had been replaced, so new manager, his squad. And serious rebuilding job too. Waiting to see, how first team will look like.
I wouldn’t be opposed to playing Guthrie a bit higher up the pitch in a more CAM kinda role. Although he might not have the legs anymore, one of the things he’s renowned for is his distribution and quality on the ball. Could easily do the Chris Lines role that Clarke likes and bag a fair few assists to our strikers I reckon. Plus he can take a decent set piece so would imagine his long shots are alright.
Rose
Norman Clarke Scarr/Jules Sadler Pring
Kinsella Guthrie Sinclair
Gordon/New Striker Adebayo
Liddle for cover at the back and in midfield
Rose in goal surely?
I think the only guaranteed 3 on the team sheet are Clarke, Sinclair, and Adebayo, irrespective of the formation 3-5-2, 4-4-2, 4-3-3.
The rest are up for grabs.
In goal I don’t think we know who will be #1, Roberts or Rose.
If we play wing backs then the choice is Norman or Facey on the right and Pring or C-M on the left.
If we play full backs then it could be Norman, Facey, Liddle or Clarke on the right and Pring, C-M or Sadler on the left.
At centre back perm any 2 from Scarr, Liddle, Sadler, Jules (assuming Clarke is a given).
In midfield you can choose 2 from Guthrie, Liddle, Kinsella, Hardy, Bates, Kiersey to play alongside Sinclair.
And up front choose from Gordon, Ferrier, Holden, McDonald, Candlin and a new striker (depending upon formation) alongside Adebayo.
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I think today’s team will determine who he starts with next week. I also think he’ll give Rose a chance today from the off and if he performs well play him next week.
If he plays Jules, will he play him in the centre of a back 3, or move Sadler over and put Jules on the left as he can also play left back? Someone said that they think Liddle will end up playing and I think they may be right, but he himself has admitted he hasn’t really had a preseason, so he’ll be integrated slowly.
Surely next week he’ll keep a settled (as much as can be) midfield 3 of Guthrie, Sinclair and Kinsella. And I think once a striker is signed he’ll start with Adebayo, who has shown much more than Gordon during preseason.
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Don’t necessarily disagree with most choices on here, but two observations I’ll make;
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those full back positions worry me. A right back who, last season, couldn’t come close to displacing a player who some called the worst defender ever to play for us. And a left back who was loaned out to lowly non league and didn’t make a huge impression. This feels like a huge step down from the two we had last season, despite what some thought of them. Let’s hope they can both step up and have great seasons.
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everyone is assuming kinsella will start. We have Sinclair who is first on the team sheet. We have Guthrie who is the one midfielder who can pick a pass. I think the other midfield position is very much up for grabs. We might start the season with him but it wouldn’t surprise me if, after a handful of games, we’re starting with Sinclair, Guthrie and liddle
I mentioned a few times whether Scarr was actually in DC’S plans and I would suspect Jules and Liddle, are both serious competition for his place.
Very surprised Norman seems to be in the frame as a starter, must have impressed pre season.
Given the nature of the signings, I am confused at the signing of Rose, who hasn’t any sort of experience or track record, would really have thought a 30 something would have come straight in.
As others have said Norman, Scarr, Roberts and Gordon are the only regulars left from the Keates disgrace and all 4 perhaps won’t be in the first xi come Xmas.
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You don’t include kinsella as a Keates man?
Roberts played well today. Made a decent stop at end of first half and more importantly caught the crosses that came his way.
Hopefully he can keep his head when the proper stuff starts. I worry a bit if he drops a cross early infront of away end next week.
Have to say full back options look a bit disappointing to me particularly on right. Was expecting Facey to be going forward all the time but he checked back so much. Norman came on and tried a few crosses but most of them just hit the first defender.
I do wonder with the debate about how creative Kinsella is and now the depth of CMs in that area whether having him as a wing back might be worth looking at.
I always was a bit wary of him playing RB in a flat 4 due to his height and teams just hitting the long diagonal but he has played plenty there. With his energy I could see him being a wing back and would allow him to drive forward much more than central midfield.
Plus CCM, Kory Roberts (when fit), Ferrier, and Bates. All made first team aopearances under Keates. 3 of these started today, and the other 5 you’ve named also played (and Kory took part in the warm up).
And don’t forget that Kouhyar is still on the books pending his injury. He’s looked promising to me when I’ve seen him.
Oh, nearly forgot … and Candlin is still here. Add in Leak and Little (who I admit I don’t expect to get much first team action) and even with 14 new faces there is a big chunk of the squad who were here at the end of last season.
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As I said in the Tranmere match thread, I expect it’s going to be more a case of the formation/system that we are playing being the key factor rather than the bodies executive it. There are quite a lot of identikit players who can be swapped in and out rather than any stand out player in any position to build something round.
Won’t be exciting but does mean that, unlike in recent seasons, we won’t be just relying on a Cook or an Ozzie and stuck if they are firing blanks.
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No because he wouldn’t pick him for parts of the season , another “fallout”.
Stop talking rubbish, he never picked Bates in the league, CCM was completely blanked and dumped out on loan and Roberts was injured the whole season! None were signed by Keates anyway!
I never mentioned the league, just that they made first team appearances (admittedly Kory’s last was in pre-season) and were here at the end of last season.
Keates did sign Ferrier and must have made some sort of mark on the others.
Thought about starting a new thread but it’s only an extension on the theme of this one so …
By my reckoning, and confirmed by the OS, we now have a squad of 25 (well 26 according to them but they’ve forgotten to remove Dobson from the first team profiles even though his departure was announced before our 3 latest signings who have been added 
).
That does include Kory Roberts who was warming up with everyone else at Tranmere even though he’s not quite ready for a competitive game yet, but not Maz Kouhyar whose future at the club won’t be assessed until he’s over his injury, nor Adam Chambers about whom we still haven’t heard any definitive word. And it doesn’t include the mystery Player X who is expected to be announced tomorrow, the only hints to whose identity being he’s a ginger haired Irish striker currently at Salford called Rory Gaffney (other than that we can only guess who it might be! 
).
Assuming Rory X is announced, that would give us a fully fit squad of 25 to start the season (potentially rising to 26, 27 or even 28 later once injuries have cleared), only 3 of whom are loans in Rose, Pring and Holden (so potentially still capacity on that front once the Premiership and Championship teams have settled their squads).
We can only declare 17 for any game so who are the 8 who are going to be down amongst the dead men struggling to make it to the bench? I think Leak, Little and Candlin are givens so just the other 5 to identify.
Could be any, as I think DC will mix up his squads and formations depending on we are facing.
I think the three you’ve mentioned will be used during cup games but won’t be in many match day squads to start anyway.
Surely Kiersey will also miss out as he hasn’t featured in the last two friendlies. K. Roberts for the foreseeable future and then I think you’ll see players such as McDonald, Holden, Bates, Hardy and Scarr et al move in and out the 18.
Even though DC switches formations and teams a lot, I think the only so called ‘certainties’ are Clarke and Sinclair as they’re his tried and tested.