Should Stokes be dropped?

Griffiths over Stokes all day long

 

Pretty much.

 

You're moving the goalposts now, away from the initial debate.

most of what you said there I agree with.

 

I would drop him for now to be honest, wasn't too pleased that he just waltzed back into the starting XI today after being suspended, ahead of the more currently deserving Pukki and Balde.

He will also be contending with Griffiths for a place beginning next weekend, and then Watt is due back in the summer. Interesting times ahead.

 

Balde cant fit into the way we play though. If Balde was starting games then Forrest, Commons and Mulgrew could roam around as much and play off each other as well as Balde couldnt get involved in that. If Balde was playing we'd need to be more one dimentional as he just cant play how the team has been playing. Stokes, Commons and Forrest drift around and mix positions often, Balde wont do that so would * them up, Stokes also recieves the ball from the midfield and holds it well, passing and moving around the box inviting others in, Bobo doesnt have the touch or awareness for that. If he was in the team, most of our play would have to be wide and Forrest and Mulgrew would rarely cut inside. Commons would be isolated in the 'hole' and it would probably be * to watch. We probably wouldnt dominate possession as much.

 

:smiley-laughing002:

* help Griffiths if he goes a couple of games without scoring.

 

Ideally he will be battling most of them for a slot next to a main striker.

That's when Stokes will shine.

 

I thought his first touch today was awful and looking at the goals the team have scored with Pukki in instead of Stokes, then yes he deserves to be dropped.

 

Who will be the main striker then?

Griffiths? Pukki?

 

Hopefully someone in the summer mate.

I've been using that word hopefully a lot over the last couple of days. :smiley-laughing002:

 

I would probably start Stokes next to Griffiths next game to see how they play together.

 

Watch the replay, Boeriggter was behind Stokes, simple as that.

He made a * of the finish and has apologised to his team-mate.

 

yes!

 

Hopefully next year it will be watt, but you never know Griffiths / stokes might be a match made in heaven.

 

Stokes saying that leads me to believe that, in the dressing room, it was agreed that Derk needs to speak up as he clearly never gave Anthony a shout.

That's why Stokes tweeted what he did.

The finish was * horrendous though.

 

If Lennon is insisting on playing only 1 striker then someone else should get a go. If he's playing two he'd be better off staying in beside someone, Griffiths and Stokes should play the next game as people have already said.

 

Aye gie it a go

 

Agree. Only Stokes gets away with being *. Would love it if Stokes could score goals, especially nice for the irish connection. But its actually getting quite hilarious how he have been getting away for so long. Bangura, Brozek, Watt, Atajic, Balde, Pukki (?), Lassad - none of them barelly gets a look in. Really strange.

 

That would mean dropping Commons though, as long as the clean sheet record continues I cant see us playing with 2 strikers. Once that ends then I think we will go back to 2 up front though along with Commons and probably Forrest.

 

Lenny is focusing so much on the clean sheet record that the one up front will continue for the time being I would have thought.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Griffiths go straight in, in place of Stokes next week.