Sima Is Training Individually

[Valley Bluenose]

if Roofe could give us 90 minutes, I'd play him alongside Dessers or Sima because he's somebody who can potentially get you a goal. Even if he doesn't make the next game, it might be worth the risk. Matondo I'd always start off the bench, has the pace to cause trouble

no idea why nobody does the two upfront in the SPL when a lot of the time it can be benefical, certainly against the smaller teams

Roofe can barely give us an effective 9 minutes, never mind 90 mate. He's done. Kaput.

 

[Blue and True.]

All those saying take a risk with Sima? Will the player want too? Will his parent club?

 

[KarlSvenson]

Sima up against that goggle-eyed monster is key. If fit.

I prefer Sima on the left but having seen the beasts concede identical goals against Aberdeen I like the thought of him arriving at the back post.

That being said they will find some reason to rule it out

 

[Sheik Ma Shammy]

Assume you’re dropping Sterling and Silva. I’d probably start Sima on the left and keep Sterling on the right even if Matondo is fit.

I think we have to get sterling in the middle.

 

[mountloyal]

Problem there is that Sima is not our player for us to make that call.

Seems overlooked by many.
Also the player himself will not take a risk given his past problems.
It's way too big a game to have anyone not 100% fit.

 

[Cooper_11]

It's going to be a long, long week with all these mental suggestions.

Matondo has shown numerous times he is not a starter, never mind coming back from injury, and double never mind playing as part of a front two.

Sima may be training individually, but there's a world of distance between that, and being thrown in to the frontline at the beggar dome.

I get people are grasping for any positivity, but lets get real.

We will have a front three of Silva, Dessers and Sterling

A midfield of Cantwell, Lundstram and Diomande
Back 4 of Ridvan/Barasic Balogun/DAvies Souttar and Tav

Goalkeeper will be SJB

The defence is almost self explanatory based on the fitness of Yilmaz and Balogun. If fit I think they both start.
If Sima is fit, I'd have him starting wide right, with Sterling in midfield. I would only have Matondo on from the start if Sima's not fit, otherwise he'd be on the bench. I'd drop Silva from the starting eleven to accommodate either Sima or Matondo. Pace will be vitally important for us on Saturday, and those two bring the pace we generally lack when they're missing.
Tom Lawrence was more like the player we know he can be yesterday, and his goal was top drawer. Maybe the manager will see him as a starter on Saturday? Can any of you 'formation gurus' see a set-up that accommodates both Cantwell and Lawrence?

 

[rex555]

Butland
Tav Souttar Balogun/Davies Yilmaz
Sterling Lundstram Dio
Cantwell Silva Sima

would be ideal.

On paper, yes. Fitness wise going there not sure if it is ideal... Davies has hardly played. Yilmaz and Sima just back from injury. I can't see Clement starting with that as the left side of the field

 

[HarryBosch]

But he's not fit. He's training individually according to the OP, and therefore isn't training with the group.
If he even makes the bench it'll be a surprise

 

[Slide Away]

Training on his own with around 3/4 sessions before the game. Would be surprised to see him involved

 

[HarryBosch]

I think there’s a better chance of Silva sporting a mohawk and scoring a hat trick on Saturday than Sima starting

Mate, people are desperate and clinging to any hope they can. All rational thought has gone flying out the window.

If we amalgamated all the mental suggestions we'd line up:

Butland

Sterling, King, Souttar, Ridvan
DIomande, Lawrence McAusland
SIma Matondo
Cole McKinnon

 

[Gameboy]

Problem there is that Sima is not our player for us to make that call.

That is an issue, if Brighton say no then we are going to need to trust Silva there and use Matondo later in the game then.

 

[rex555]

Teams who have caused them the most problems have sat in tight to start with.

Do that and we'll concede early

 

[robbo89]

He couldn’t, could he?!

Matondo is also training.

If fit enough, I’d start them both.

where has it been reported Sima and Matondo are training again?

or it this inside info OP?

 

[Alfie shhh!]

Sima might not be fully match fit but he's a young professional athlete, so if his injury isn't niggling him then hopefully he can make a super sub impact.

 

[Valley Bluenose]

where has it been reported Sima and Matondo are training again?

or it this inside info OP?

Big Phil said this on Friday:

The Belgian said: "Abda is out now individually training and I hope to see him back before the end of the season but no timescale yet. Same thing for him (Matondo)."

Matondo said this at the POTY Awards:

He said: “We’ll see, that’s the aim. We’re just ticking boxes this week and if I’m involved I’ll look forward to trying to help the team. If I could score another goal like that it would be unbelievable. It's a nice pressure (the title race). It's where we want to be at the start of the season, albeit we'd like to have more points. But it's where we aspire to be and everyone is relishing the challenge."

 

[All of the Lights]

Silva while having a decent game, will be the target from their crowd. It’ll inevitably get to him and the ref will give him nothing

Exactly. The only thing that could make it worse is if he has Borna playing behind him on that side. Unthinkable.

 

[servicepoint]

Unlike some of the others I actually think Sima is up for it and would be prepared to put himself on the line for us.

 

[strider]

Im trying to not get my hopes up

Phil strikes me as a manager who won’t play a player if he’s only 70% fit

Just do it Rangers

And I think the fact he's only here on loan will be a factor that way too.

 

[wilso10]

Sima would be worth the risk if anywhere close to being fit.

Not so much Matondo, he's more helpful from the bench.

 

[Dontwasteit!]

Can’t see Sima being involved on Saturday tbh.

 

[Jingle64]

Awful player but not a dud?

Ok i'll rephrase. Awful player who causes us major problems. That better

 

[RFC56]

The way Phil’s comments are from the weekend I don’t think there is any chance of a sima sighting tbh till the cup final.

 

[Ibroxkev]

Fingers crossed we can start him on the left and get Silva out of the team before he embarrasses himself any further.

 

[DBallZ]

Seems overlooked by many.
Also the player himself will not take a risk given his past problems.
It's way too big a game to have anyone not 100% fit.

The manager will make a fully informed decision on Saturday and it’s as simple as that.

 

[The newton ger]

Matondo is better as a sub, he very rarely makes an impact when he starts. Sima I would but I doubt he'll be ready.

Last throw of the dice if he has a chance I would play him.....

 

[mountloyal]

The manager will make a fully informed decision on Saturday and it’s as simple as that.

You miss the point. It will be a collective decision.

 

[Spart7]

But he's not fit. He's training individually according to the OP, and therefore isn't training with the group.
If he even makes the bench it'll be a surprise

Saved me typing it. Danilo is also training individually and he won't be seen again this season. Hearts for minutes and the Cup final will be his likely targets. No chance he plays a part this weekend.

 

[strider]

Last throw of the dice if he has a chance I would play him.....

It's worth considering how that works out when teams do it. I'd say it's at best 50/50 that said player has a good game or that they make no impact/go off injured early.

I rate Sima highly, I'd love to see us sign him even if it cost us £10m, but if he's not fully fit, we shouldn't take the risk. As good as he is, his game is mainly about his physical attributes and any sort of doubt there isn't likely to see him play to his best.

 

[EddiBrock]

Seems overlooked by many.
Also the player himself will not take a risk given his past problems.
It's way too big a game to have anyone not 100% fit.

Athletes compete not 100% all the time, including footballers. The bigger the event, or the stakes, the more likely they are to take that gamble - because the potential reward is so high.

Not saying he will. But don't agree with your reasoning

 

[DBallZ]

You miss the point. It will be a collective decision.

Yeah what I mean is that the manager will include him in the team/squad based on all the relevant factors.

Anyone from Brighton down to our medical staff or the player himself could veto it.

 

[DC_Bear]

Athletes compete not 100% all the time, including footballers. The bigger the event, or the stakes, the more likely they are to take that gamble - because the potential reward is so high.

Not saying he will. But don't agree with your reasoning

Problem is that it's a hamstring injury.

It's either repaired, or it's not. You cannot run thru any sort of hamstring tear or strain.

If he's running, and sprinting, then he's over the injury, but there's a risk of recurrence if he overdoes it, isn't match fit. He is a natural athlete and a young guy, so maybe he's ready to contribute, we can only hope so.

I thought our league chances were gone with Sima's injury, as we saw that they cannot live with his pace. If he's back, our chances at a treble are much higher imho.

 

[prsoandnovo222]

I just know dessers will.be starting.he was horrendous in the previous game at parkhead.Theres a place in the squad for dessers he will score against the rest but its grim pinning our hopes on dessers or silva leading the line at the piggery

 

[Bobby Russell's Perm]

How about playing Sterling at RB and Tav on the right wing?

I would try that. But it’s too an important game. I’ve always thought that Tav should be pushed further forward to wreak havoc in the opposition penalty box rather than ours….

 

[TynesideTrueBlue]

We can’t carry passengers on Saturday we need every player 100% fit and ready who starts the game it’s win or bust.

 

[Albus]

I just know dessers will.be starting.he was horrendous in the previous game at parkhead.Theres a place in the squad for dessers he will score against the rest but its grim pinning our hopes on dessers or silva leading the line at the piggery

Dessers had a perfectly good goal ruled out against them last time out. He'll score again, just depends on the ref. Oh feck.

 

[WATP]

Assume you’re dropping Sterling and Silva. I’d probably start Sima on the left and keep Sterling on the right even if Matondo is fit.

Sterling has to start on the right and sit deeper to protect our weak spot defensively which is our RB as has been proven time and again!!

 

[Dado_Prso_9]

We need some pace up top, because without the fear of us breaking quickly and getting in behind them, they’ll just pin us in and recycle the ball while building pressure.

Sima being fit to start and give us an hour, would be huge.

 

[ahmnoatim]

Butland
Tav Souttar Balogun Ridvan
Lundstrum Diomande Sterling
Sima Cantwell Matondo

 

[KingDado]

The defence is almost self explanatory based on the fitness of Yilmaz and Balogun. If fit I think they both start.
If Sima is fit, I'd have him starting wide right, with Sterling in midfield. I would only have Matondo on from the start if Sima's not fit, otherwise he'd be on the bench. I'd drop Silva from the starting eleven to accommodate either Sima or Matondo. Pace will be vitally important for us on Saturday, and those two bring the pace we generally lack when they're missing.
Tom Lawrence was more like the player we know he can be yesterday, and his goal was top drawer. Maybe the manager will see him as a starter on Saturday? Can any of you 'formation gurus' see a set-up that accommodates both Cantwell and Lawrence?

I was thinking about this after Sunday as I really think we need to have both of them in the team as I just can’t see us doing it playing the predictable set up/line up. Flood the midfield, get Borna/Ridvan and Tav as the width with the full back protectors Dio and Lunny when they bomb forward. Interchange the front 3 constantly to %^*& with their heads.

—————Butland
Tav—-Souttar—Balogun-Yilmaz
——-Lundstram—Dio
Sterling——Cantwell—-Lawrence
—————-Dessers

 

[Michael Mols]

No, Sterling in midfield with Lundstram and Diomande.
And I’d be tempted to go with Silva ahead of Dessers, too.

Actually, scrap that, right now, if Matondo and Sima are fit, I’m thinking a 4-1-3-2:

Matondo Sima

Raskin Diomande Sterling
Lundstram

Yilmaz Souttar Balogun Tavernier

Butland

Agree that he needs to change the system. The 4-2-3-1 hasn’t worked against them. We get outnumbered in midfield and our wingers aren’t good enough.

 

[BigBadJohn]

Why would anyone start Matondo? He's absolutely woeful. Even worse when he starts.

At least as a sub he's had a few bright moments. Starting him would be mental for me.

 

[mountloyal]

Athletes compete not 100% all the time, including footballers. The bigger the event, or the stakes, the more likely they are to take that gamble - because the potential reward is so high.

Not saying he will. But don't agree with your reasoning

Not sure if true nowadays. Players do not have the same attachment or love for clubs. They look after their bodies and career.
Gone are the days when a Greig or McNeil would play with a plaster on a broken foot

 

[RFC56]

Why would anyone start Matondo? He's absolutely woeful. Even worse when he starts.

At least as a sub he's had a few bright moments. Starting him would be mental for me.

Probably because the severe lack of pace will hamper us in the game at the weekend. We have no pace out wide. Having an option of Matondo on the pitch helps a lot, especially if we’re trying to counter on them.

 

[dereksmallsloyal]

Probably because the severe lack of pace will hamper us in the game at the weekend. We have no pace out wide. Having an option of Matondo on the pitch helps a lot, especially if we’re trying to counter on them.

We should solidify the midfield with Sterling, Dio and Lundstram and then have an out ball. That needs pace and is why Matondo (or Sima) should be in contention.

We don’t need another game of Cantwell or Lawrence chasing shadows.

 

[wsb&warmy]

Why would anyone start Matondo? He's absolutely woeful. Even worse when he starts.

At least as a sub he's had a few bright moments. Starting him would be mental for me.

Correct on all fronts.

 

[JCDarcheville]

Silva is a bit of a fannny, but he remains one of our best 2 wide options.

If Sima is close to fit he should start on the right.

The only way to get silva to the bench is if sima is ready, Sterling goes central and
Cantwell from the left (but we’ve seen that be ineffective before).

 

[Sticky]

Sima up against that goggle-eyed monster is key. If fit.

Hows that gone before?

 

[Sticky]

Unlike some of the others I actually think Sima is up for it and would be prepared to put himself on the line for us.

Don't get the clamour for Sima unless it is as a striker in place of Desssers.

He's best central where he doesn't have to think about controlling the ball, he just has a go, unlike 5 touch Deessers.

 

[The People]

Don't get the clamour for Sima unless it is as a striker in place of Desssers.

He's best central where he doesn't have to think about controlling the ball, he just has a go, unlike 5 touch Deessers.

Agree with this
Sima through the middle could make a difference on Saturday

 

[EddiBrock]

Problem is that it's a hamstring injury.

It's either repaired, or it's not. You cannot run thru any sort of hamstring tear or strain.

If he's running, and sprinting, then he's over the injury, but there's a risk of recurrence if he overdoes it, isn't match fit. He is a natural athlete and a young guy, so maybe he's ready to contribute, we can only hope so.

I thought our league chances were gone with Sima's injury, as we saw that they cannot live with his pace. If he's back, our chances at a treble are much higher imho.

Hamstring injuries are different injuries with some magical different situation to other injuries

The support staff with the coaches and players will make a call on whether or not he is "fit". But it's always a best guess at the end of the day and they (player, coach, staff) will be more willing to push the envelope in terms of risk if they believe it is outweighed by the reward.

The greatest predictor hamstring injury is a prior hamstring injury. But if the decision makers believe the player is ready to play, he will play. And their bandwidth for making this decision will be looser than normal because of the stakes.

We recently sent an athlete to an Olympic qualifying event much before the standard quoted 9 months because it was an Olympic qualifier (for every month beyond 9 months post surgery, the risk of reinjury massively decrease. That's why I mentioned this)

Such risks are taken in elite sport