Wanderers v Liverpool

[Lofthouse Lower]

I seem to recall Kev Davies writing on Twitter last week that McCann has retired

[t_o_molloy]

I seem to recall Kev Davies writing on Twitter last week that McCann has retired

Maybe he was too badly injured then.

[Bruce Rioja]

What's happened to Joey O? He was angling for a move out on loan not that long ago, so presumably he must be fit enough to sit on the bench.

Got injured in training.

That, and also that he's fookin' shite.

[a1]

Also why does Coyle keep saying we have the smallest squad in the league? Chelsea do. They only have 19 players in their 25 man squad and they still manage to fill the bench every week with players like McEachran etc.

i think i know this , someone told me the answer when megson did the 4 on the bench thing at arsenal ,

apparantly its -

if he puts some kid on the bench - the kid then get first team wages/bonus/whatever . i assume it upgrades their contract somehow. if the kid's not gonna touch the first team again for ages its wasting money.

[t_o_molloy]

Also why does Coyle keep saying we have the smallest squad in the league? Chelsea do. They only have 19 players in their 25 man squad and they still manage to fill the bench every week with players like McEachran etc.

i think i know this , someone told me the answer when megson did the 4 on the bench thing at arsenal ,

apparantly its -

if he puts some kid on the bench - the kid then get first team wages/bonus/whatever . i assume it upgrades their contract somehow. if the kid's not gonna touch the first team again for ages its wasting money.

Makes sense, but;
Connolly, Sheridan, O'Halloran and Eaves are all on professional contracts anyway.

[Bruce Rioja]

Also why does Coyle keep saying we have the smallest squad in the league? Chelsea do. They only have 19 players in their 25 man squad and they still manage to fill the bench every week with players like McEachran etc.

i think i know this , someone told me the answer when megson did the 4 on the bench thing at arsenal ,

apparantly its -

if he puts some kid on the bench - the kid then get first team wages/bonus/whatever . i assume it upgrades their contract somehow. if the kid's not gonna touch the first team again for ages its wasting money.

Makes sense, but;
Connolly, Sheridan, O'Halloran and Eaves are all on professional contracts anyway.

It is a bit of a funny 'un. Historically managers have preferred to expose young players to the whole first-team matchday experience by sticking them on the bench. Under Coyle it seems that they have to earn the right.

[Tombwfc]

Or he's putting pressure on the board, which is plausible considering these days he mentions our small squad like he's David O'Leary.

Either way I'm not that worried about it. I can't see us getting into any kind of mess during a game that would require us playing Sheridan and the like.

[TANGODANCER]

Maybe OC's just being bluntly honest with everybody. The playing squad has been reduced considerably by the long-term injuries to JOB, Sean Davies and Ricky Gardner and the demise of fading players like McCann, Andy O,Brien etc, plus our loanees, Tamir Cohen on compassionate leave and Chung Yong on international duty. Add that to the financial status of the club, lowered attendences etc, and it can't be easy to keep it all together.

[Athers]

Seems like some achievement to blame some of the financial results on our inability to offload senior players and still have our boss claiming to have one of the smallest squads in the league.

[RobbieSavagesLeg]

I've got a good feeling about this.™

Even though I've got a bad feeling in my head.

[Salford Trotter]

Also why does Coyle keep saying we have the smallest squad in the league? Chelsea do. They only have 19 players in their 25 man squad and they still manage to fill the bench every week with players like McEachran etc.

i think i know this , someone told me the answer when megson did the 4 on the bench thing at arsenal ,

apparantly its -

if he puts some kid on the bench - the kid then get first team wages/bonus/whatever . i assume it upgrades their contract somehow. if the kid's not gonna touch the first team again for ages its wasting money.

This is correct, I was chatting to someone close to the club last season and they pay £10k to an emerging player who makes it onto the bench for 1st team game. It's not a lot of cash in these times but significant enough to think about the merits of doing it or not.

[thebish]

This is correct, I was chatting to someone close to the club last season and they pay £10k to an emerging player who makes it onto the bench for 1st team game. It's not a lot of cash in these times but significant enough to think about the merits of doing it or not.

bloody norah!! no wonder we're in debt... that's half of what I'd get paid in a whole year - just for sitting on a bench in your tracksuit watching 90mins of football....

[TANGODANCER]

Biggest worry/hope today is that wecan keep it together as a team and that our formula isn't lost. Robinson out, both Holden and Steinsson very doubtful, Chung Yong gone off to Korea and now the mental stress KD must be living with right now. All gone a bit pear-shaped but we still need the belief. COME ON YOU WHITES.

[William the White]

Only four on the bench...

[midnitefooty]

I'd have felt good about this one if we had our regular squad. Hopefully we can still pull it together with what we have.
I'm going for a 1-2 with SKD heading in the late winner! COYW!

[Choppers]

Jussi,

Ricketts, Cahil, Knight, Alonso

Moreno, M Davies, Muamba, Taylor

K Davies, Elmander

Subs: Bogdan, Petrov, Klasnic, Blake

[bettyrasta]

Really, really hope for the best. Surely, surely it can't be an unlucky one-nil with a Stevie G dive or deflected shot. That sort of thing just couldn't happen to us.

[TANGODANCER]

Subs: Bogdan, Petrov, Klasnic, Blake

Hope to fxxk we don't get any defenders carded. Go OC, attack em and fxxk it!.

[t_o_molloy]

Subs: Bogdan, Petrov, Klasnic, Blake

Hope to fxxk we don't get any defenders carded. Go OC, attack em and fxxk it!.

I know about this 10k thing but surely we could have put Connolly there just in case.

[Tombwfc]

There is not a single other defender at the football club who could sit on that bench?

Seems a reckless way to prove a point.