Most unluckiest player to be dropped

[colonel_muck]

was gonna post a thread like this myself. zabba for me i just really like the guy. last season he was superior to micah but fair play to micah he has been brilliant so far this year and definitely justified his place in the team. second is ned, and with dunne's two handballs in two games its only a matter of time before this time bomb goes off. get ned in for palace and i guarantee he will cement his place in the team for pompey. btw anyone got any idea when RSC is back?

[Dubaimancityfan]

For me. it would have to be Ned. He was our best defender last season and I would much rather see him play along side Toure than Dunne. Zabba is also quite unlucky not to play. I always thought he is better than Micah at RB.

[LookMumImOnMCF.net]

Richards is a better RB imo. And I agree that Ned is better than Dunne.

[Blue Blood]

We have so much strength in depth now its unreal.

Onouha
Zabba
Kompany
De Jong
Johnno
Santa Cruz
Bellers
and now Dunne too i guess.

All the above are all genuine first teamers, all are worth a start and are unlucky not to. I also expect all the above to push all our current starting players very hard this season. Every player has to really battle for there place now. Its got to be the first time since..... well..... since..... ever i can remember this being the case at city. It's fooking fantastic!

[john68]

Whatever the strengths and weaknesses of any of our players, whatever our opinions of them and no matter how those opinions differ from Hughes at any stage of the season, or against any opposition...We can rest assured that almost all of our squad will take some part in the season.
I posted recently that in both our League winning campaigns, we used over 20 players over the season.
The likes of Ned, Petrov and Zabba will all get their chances. I have said it before and will say it again, we have to start thinking SQUAD and not just 1st team

[avoidconfusion]

I think Zabaleta got injured against Barcelona to be honest that's why he didn't play against Wolves.

[10.Goater_Legend]

Defo has to be Ned on last seasons form.

[Pretty Boy Lee]

Ned and De Jong for me.

Ned was quality and I think the 2nd our back 4 look shaky he'll get back in, though the Lescott deal could make it harder now as well.

De Jong, just because I think the general consensus was SWP was going to be dropped and De Jong was in with Barry and Superman. Hughes shocked me and I'm guessing a fair few others by having so many attacking players in his lineup for Blackburn last week.

[Oooh Vonky Vonky]

Personally i think Bellemy was unlucky to be dropped for the Wolves game.

At Blackburn he did everything asked of him and was a great outlet in the last 20 mins at Ewood.


At the moment i would pick him over Robinho on the LHS of midfield ( especially away from home) ...........never thought i would say that..........but going off what i have seen then that makes us a harder team to beat

[john@staustell]

Bellamy more than anyone else will be rested mate, because his knee wont play 2 games a week. If we want the best out of him, at 100mph, he wont play all the games.

I would play him away from home instead of Robson personally.

[Mike J]

neds. cant remember him putting a foot wrong last year.

glad richards is in the team, if he can get back the form he had under sven i honestly believe we have one of the best young defenders in europe.

[dikdik]

Ned
No brainer

[Piccsnumberoneblue]

I thought Ned had been injured. Given his injury problems in the past I think it was/is right not to press him back into service too soon. His chance will come and I'm sure he'll take it. Personally I'd be happy to see him in at right back with Toure and Lescott as the centre half pairing. One way or another though, we look to have some impressive combos at the back.

[Oooh Vonky Vonky]

Bellamy more than anyone else will be rested mate, because his knee wont play 2 games a week. If we want the best out of him, at 100mph, he wont play all the games.

I would play him away from home instead of Robson personally.

Fair comments - and i agree with you over playing him away from home over Robinho........not so sure the majority will go for that, but i would rather him start away at Pompey on LHS than Robinho.

[Original Dub]

I don't really think any player has been unlucky to be dropped so far. Bellamy was a vast improvement on Robinho at Ewood park and caused more problems for them in his 20 mins than Robinho did for his hour or so IMO.

That said, if Hughes dropped Robinho for our first home game, knowing how good his home form generally is and the fans backlash, there wouldn't be many in agreement. The same can be said for Petrov in this case.

As for saying one of the defence should be replaced... we haven't conceded a goal yet and while folk will always look for the one player that saved us in each game, a defence is a unit that includes all four defenders and the goalkeeper. If as a unit we are not conceding it means they are building up an understanding of how to play together.

Every team we play will have one or two chances, that's what happens in football, even to the very best teams in the world... one player will make a slight slip and the goalkeeper will be tested. That's why we have a quality goalkeeper. But to say Shay has saved us for both games is a bit of an overstatement, because without some of the blocks and defensive headers in front of him, his position could have been a lot more precarious.

Some of the views on Ned I can understand to a certain degree. He had a pretty good season last year considering the rest of the defence was so shit... but is that not the same view on why we thought Dunne has been seen to be so good in the years before?
I think Ned has the credentials to be a top defender, but until we concede I don't think we should be making too many changes, bearing in mind Lescott will not be sitting on the bench for 20 odd million.

If some on here had their way, a defence that has not let ONE goal in yet should have three changes made to it, with Lescott, Ned and Zabaletta coming in?

Madness.

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

I don't really think any player has been unlucky to be dropped so far. Bellamy was a vast improvement on Robinho at Ewood park and caused more problems for them in his 20 mins than Robinho did for his hour or so IMO.

Bellamy played whole game in Ewood PArk. And was very good indeed.