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So what do we do when mansell is back from suspension. Do we accommodate our skipper who has hardly been on form and was part of a team that didn't win in four outings, or do we stick with the team that has won two on the bounce in his absence ??

if it isn't broke dont fix it.

Agree, a genuine dilemma for Lingy. Can't believe he will leave Mansell out but who will be sacrificed?

If it was me I'd leave it alone, I'm a big believer in dont change a winning team. Sorry manse until we loose mate you will have to have a rest.

Leave things be, if Manse were to come back in then DON'T UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES alter the formation. We may be fine. Alter the formation and revert back and we're back to square one. A dilemma indeed.

Keep him out, hasn't been anywhere near his best this season

Leave him out. He's pretty good at the commentary so he can just do that instead.

He could probably do a better job than Bodin on the wing?

Modgull wrote:He could probably do a better job than Bodin on the wing?

From what I've seen of him this season, I could do a better job than him on the wing. But that's probably me being a little bit harsh.

Wouldn't be surprised to see either Easton or Craig dropped for Mansell unfortunately, but a midfield of Manse/Craig would be my first choice.

Craig doesn't suit the CM/CDM role

I'd swap craig into Jarvis position then choose 2 of Mansell/Lathrope/Easton for the CM's

Though Easton looked tidy on the ball today but at times we had no-one in the middle of the park

I think the difference with Manse missing is that we are forced to be more forward thinking. Manse plus Lathrope or Easton or both is far too defensively minded. With Manse missing, we play NC where he is most effective in the middle and we get forward more and get to take advantage of our extra man up front.

Matt.

It's going to be a crucial call and could really decide which way our season pans out. I know Martin is a very loyal manager and I feel personally that he will bring him straight back in, which in my opinion is the wrong call. But I also feel he will stick with the more attacking formation, so then it's a case of who does he leave out. If it was me making the call on yesterday and recent performances it would be billy bodin having a rest. I thought Jarvis and Easton did really well yesterday. Easton was doing all the stuff that gets unnoticed normally, he's breaking up of the play and work rate was to be admired.

IMO opinion the main reason TUFC won yesterday is that the team gave the ball away less and only gave away 2 free kicks inside their own half from what I recall.

So frustratrated were we at Mansell giving the ball away in recent matches that we actually counted the times he lost pocession (from poor passes and being tackled when on the ball) against Southend .....and frighteningly it was 14 times during the time he was on the pitch . He also have given away at least 4 free kicks in dangerous positions.

Yesterday's performance from the team was more disciplined than in previous home games, they worked harder and encouraged each other more.....so I cannot see a good reason why Mansell should be let back into the team at present.

Managers who manage through an "old boys network" style alway seem to loose the dressing room in time. If the team get a point or 3 at Bradford it will be Ling's biggest call yet as Manager, espceially with Exeter City coming up which could be argued is Mansell's "type" of match.

I believe we should leave things as they are.

Mansell is having a poor to average season and isn't the player he was a couple of years ago. The rest might actually rejuvenate him and then when he comes back, he can boost the team over the busy Christmas period.

Think Lingy is lucky insofar that he has the Northampton match as room for manouvre, would be a much harder dilemma if the Exeter game directly followed the last match of Manse's ban. I am a big advocate of not changing a winning team and irrespective of the result at Valley Parade I would give Easton and Craig another bite of the cherry against Northampton as acknowledgement of their good work halting our poor run of form. However I do think Mansell is the sort of player you need in derby matches and the sort of player who will thrive on the big match atmospheres, he understands better than anyone the implications of winning these type of matches. By not picking him against Northampton the manager has proven his point and Mansell has an extra match off to get himself fired up for a tough Christmas period. He is our fittest player by far and in my opinion it is only a matter of time before he comes good, much like Easton and Nicho are starting to show themselves to do so.

The bigger dilemma for me is how to incorporate Mansell. I would be loathed to change a formation that at present does seem to be giving us a bit more prowess in the final third, conversely though Ryan Jarvis has not got near to scoring in either of his two starts, and has tired markedly around the hour mark in both. He just looks woefully short on confidence and sharpness. I can not fault his work-rate at all, and whilst we are winning that is enough to justify his inclusion against both Bradford and Northampton in my books however matches against Exeter and Plymouth are different propostions and we can't afford to carry passengers. Pushing Bodin into the second striker role and moving Craig out wide would be completely counter-productive to the team's creativity so in my mind Ferrylover is right that Craig should tuck in behind Howe (in a role that got the best out of EO-K) allowing Bodin and Stevens to continue their increased influence on the wings and allowing Easton and Mansell to boss things in a less crowded centre midfield.

It would have been unthinkable last year to be discussing a midfield without either Lathrope or Mansell but that is how football clubs evolve and we should be celebrating the strength in depth this demonstrates and if Easton's form continues to improve then once again Lingy's transfer policies will be completely vindicated.