You're Paul Clement - how do you set up for QPR?

[Hound]

He's surprisingly skillful and one of the best crossers of the ball we've got. Stick him on the left wing.

Seriously I was thinking this for an ultra defensive 442 setup to not concede.

Just play every game stifling the opposition to get 0-0 draws and the odd win.

think that is an option. Play fairly direct with Bod and Yann up front. Or maybe Barrow CF. Problem is we lack wide midfielders who can defend. Be better if you had Obita and a fit McCleary (if that concept even exists anymore)

Plus don't trust our defence to keep a clean sheet.

[paultheroyal]

Mannone
Gunter Moore Elphick* Richards
Bacuna Kelly Evans
Aluko Bodvarsson Barrow

*if fit, if not, McShane**
**if fit, if not, Ilori

Yes please

[jar95]

Mannone
Gunter Moore Elphick* Richards
Bacuna Kelly Evans
Aluko Bodvarsson Barrow

*if fit, if not, McShane**
**if fit, if not, Ilori

Yes please

agree, although unsure on richards fitness? if he's injured put Gunter there and Bacuna RB and bring in Edwards?

[Hoop Blah]

Problem is we lack wide midfielders who can defend. Be better if you had Obita and a fit McCleary (if that concept even exists anymore)

Plus don't trust our defence to keep a clean sheet.

We lack defenders that can defend, let alone wide midfielders!

I'd expect Clement to go with something along the suggested 4-3-3/4-5-1 variations but the biggest thing that makes a difference won't be formation or selection but mindset and confidence.

The video of Clement talking through one of his early games at Swansea, the defeat of Liverpool, probably gives a decent insight into the kind of setup we might see against QPR. They're no Liverpool of course, but the situation is pretty similar.

[Snowflake Royal]

The real problem is whether Richards is fit IMO. If he is, we have balance.

I'd be looking at shoring up the defence and midfield so probably:

Mannone
.......... Ilori, Moore, Elphick*
Gunter,....Bacuna, Kelly, Richards
.................. Edwards
................. Bod, Barrow

I just don't think Aluko should be near the first XI right now and there are no other real options. Berg is too sluggish and error prone. Bacuna can drive us forward, Edwards to press from the front and arrive late. Barrow to have a free role.

Hopefully it gives us numbers to defend with, but allows a route forward, with two to look for Bod's flicks and break the lines andvthe wingbacks to stretch the width.

No Richards and we may as well give up, unless Watson is ready. Blackett's a terrible full/wing back and Bacuna has to be in midfield to give us an engine.

[NewCorkSeth]

The real problem is whether Richards is fit IMO. If he is, we have balance.

I'd be looking at shoring up the defence and midfield so probably:

Mannone
.......... Ilori, Moore, Elphick*
Gunter,....Bacuna, Kelly, Richards
.................. Edwards
................. Bod, Barrow

I just don't think Aluko should be near the first XI right now and there are no other real options. Berg is too sluggish and error prone. Bacuna can drive us forward, Edwards to press from the front and arrive late. Barrow to have a free role.

Hopefully it gives us numbers to defend with, but allows a route forward, with two to look for Bod's flicks and break the lines andvthe wingbacks to stretch the width.

No Richards and we may as well give up, unless Watson is ready. Blackett's a terrible full/wing back and Bacuna has to be in midfield to give us an engine.

If Mannone is going to stand all the way over there we have no chance of keeping a clean sheet..

[Forbury Lion]

If I was Paul Clement I would see how the players perform/respond in training and see how they performed (or not) in the last 10 or so matches, then make a choice.

Are there any players here that have worked with him before? - if he knows what any of them can do it that might influence his decision.

The important thing is to tell all players they have a chance, even if not selected for this particular game and even if it's a load of bollocks.

I personally would just visit hobnob, pick the most popular starting line-up suggested by the fans or not selected by Ian Royal and go with that, the rest of the time I'd spend house hunting around the local area.

[Snowflake Royal]

The real problem is whether Richards is fit IMO. If he is, we have balance.

I'd be looking at shoring up the defence and midfield so probably:

Mannone
.......... Ilori, Moore, Elphick*
Gunter,....Bacuna, Kelly, Richards
.................. Edwards
................. Bod, Barrow

I just don't think Aluko should be near the first XI right now and there are no other real options. Berg is too sluggish and error prone. Bacuna can drive us forward, Edwards to press from the front and arrive late. Barrow to have a free role.

Hopefully it gives us numbers to defend with, but allows a route forward, with two to look for Bod's flicks and break the lines andvthe wingbacks to stretch the width.

No Richards and we may as well give up, unless Watson is ready. Blackett's a terrible full/wing back and Bacuna has to be in midfield to give us an engine.

If Mannone is going to stand all the way over there we have no chance of keeping a clean sheet..

I plan on movin the goalposts to disorient the opposition.

[NewCorkSeth]

The real problem is whether Richards is fit IMO. If he is, we have balance.

I'd be looking at shoring up the defence and midfield so probably:

Mannone
.......... Ilori, Moore, Elphick*
Gunter,....Bacuna, Kelly, Richards
.................. Edwards
................. Bod, Barrow

I just don't think Aluko should be near the first XI right now and there are no other real options. Berg is too sluggish and error prone. Bacuna can drive us forward, Edwards to press from the front and arrive late. Barrow to have a free role.

Hopefully it gives us numbers to defend with, but allows a route forward, with two to look for Bod's flicks and break the lines andvthe wingbacks to stretch the width.

No Richards and we may as well give up, unless Watson is ready. Blackett's a terrible full/wing back and Bacuna has to be in midfield to give us an engine.

If Mannone is going to stand all the way over there we have no chance of keeping a clean sheet..

I plan on movin the goalposts to disorient the opposition.

If they still had Zamora moving the goal posts over there would give them an extra 5-6 goals
Thinking about it now the only thing I want from the QPR line up is Jaakola dropped.

[Denver Royal]

I think we may well still see JVDB.

Heh, would win the fans over early, and put the 'Dutch-connection' conspiracies to bed.

If I was Paul Clement I would see how the players perform/respond in training and see how they performed (or not) in the last 10 or so matches, then make a choice.
Are there any players here that have worked with him before? - if he knows what any of them can do it that might influence his decision.
The important thing is to tell all players they have a chance, even if not selected for this particular game and even if it's a load of bollocks.

Yep, although given our situation, he likely has to go with his strongest eleven in the remaining 8 games, so the opportunity to look at everyone might be limited (unless we go on a run and secure safety early). I imagine quite a few are playing for their futures here, given that they aren't 'his' players, and so there will be turnover in the Summer. But yeah, will be interesting to see who he rates, and who he doesn't.

[Snowflake Royal]

If I was Paul Clement I would see how the players perform/respond in training and see how they performed (or not) in the last 10 or so matches, then make a choice.

Are there any players here that have worked with him before? - if he knows what any of them can do it that might influence his decision.

The important thing is to tell all players they have a chance, even if not selected for this particular game and even if it's a load of bollocks.

I personally would just visit hobnob, pick the most popular starting line-up suggested by the fans or not selected by Ian Royal and go with that, the rest of the time I'd spend house hunting around the local area.

Martin and Barrow.

[Gunny Fishcake]

Attack , attack , attack , 3-4-3 , two winger/midfielders, we've plenty

[Awayawayaway]

FAO strap can you come to the thread ease. I want to ask you something.

In Clements time at Derby was he a 442 man or a 451 or 541.

Also, I'm not really a stats man but in his one season with Derby, what was his average possession/shots on goal etc stats?

I might give us an indication on how he will play that's all.

Kind regards

Awayawayaway

[Snowflake Royal]

FAO strap can you come to the thread ease. I want to ask you something.

In Clements time at Derby was he a 442 man or a 451 or 541.

Also, I'm not really a stats man but in his one season with Derby, what was his average possession/shots on goal etc stats?

I might give us an indication on how he will play that's all.

Kind regards

Awayawayaway

In the temporary absence of strap, and because I'm not sure if his database covers other clubs, Whoscored.com is your friend.

It's not hugely reliable on the more subjective aspects, like formation, and it doesn't break it down by manager, but it has Derby down as playing 4-3-3 in 43 of their games in 2015/16. On the team stats page, Derby were top of the possession table with 54.2%, also 3rd in Aerial duels won - 52.6%, they had 3rd most shots per game (14.2 - coincidentally behind our 15.6), their pass accuracy was top at 78%.

So we can expect Clement to try to play a 4-3-3 passing game, with lots of shots, roughly evenly split between from outside and inside the box

[Awayawayaway]

FAO strap can you come to the thread ease. I want to ask you something.

In Clements time at Derby was he a 442 man or a 451 or 541.

Also, I'm not really a stats man but in his one season with Derby, what was his average possession/shots on goal etc stats?

I might give us an indication on how he will play that's all.

Kind regards

Awayawayaway

In the temporary absence of strap, and because I'm not sure if his database covers other clubs, Whoscored.com is your friend.

It's not hugely reliable on the more subjective aspects, like formation, and it doesn't break it down by manager, but it has Derby down as playing 4-3-3 in 43 of their games in 2015/16. On the team stats page, Derby were top of the possession table with 54.2%, also 3rd in Aerial duels won - 52.6%, they had 3rd most shots per game (14.2 - coincidentally behind our 15.6), their pass accuracy was top at 78%.

So we can expect Clement to try to play a 4-3-3 passing game, with lots of shots, roughly evenly split between from outside and inside the box

Good work. I just wanted to compare with Stam this season so see if their will be more entertainment going forward

Looks like an improvement

[Snowflake Royal]

FAO strap can you come to the thread ease. I want to ask you something.

In Clements time at Derby was he a 442 man or a 451 or 541.

Also, I'm not really a stats man but in his one season with Derby, what was his average possession/shots on goal etc stats?

I might give us an indication on how he will play that's all.

Kind regards

Awayawayaway

In the temporary absence of strap, and because I'm not sure if his database covers other clubs, Whoscored.com is your friend.

It's not hugely reliable on the more subjective aspects, like formation, and it doesn't break it down by manager, but it has Derby down as playing 4-3-3 in 43 of their games in 2015/16. On the team stats page, Derby were top of the possession table with 54.2%, also 3rd in Aerial duels won - 52.6%, they had 3rd most shots per game (14.2 - coincidentally behind our 15.6), their pass accuracy was top at 78%.

So we can expect Clement to try to play a 4-3-3 passing game, with lots of shots, roughly evenly split between from outside and inside the box

Good work. I just wanted to compare with Stam this season so see if their will be more entertainment going forward

Looks like an improvement

Ok, full comparison

Team / Possession / Shots per game / pass accuracy
Derby 15/16 / 54.2% / 14.2 / 78%
Reading 17/18 / 55.6% / 10.6 / 78.4%
Reading 16/17 / 56.7% / 11.8 / 80.6%

It's quite interesting to see these stats are basically the same for Stam across both seasons, both excellent and terrible. But basically, Clement has slightly less possession, about the same pass accuracy and significantly more shots per game.

[Awayawayaway]

In the temporary absence of strap, and because I'm not sure if his database covers other clubs, Whoscored.com is your friend.

It's not hugely reliable on the more subjective aspects, like formation, and it doesn't break it down by manager, but it has Derby down as playing 4-3-3 in 43 of their games in 2015/16. On the team stats page, Derby were top of the possession table with 54.2%, also 3rd in Aerial duels won - 52.6%, they had 3rd most shots per game (14.2 - coincidentally behind our 15.6), their pass accuracy was top at 78%.

So we can expect Clement to try to play a 4-3-3 passing game, with lots of shots, roughly evenly split between from outside and inside the box

Good work. I just wanted to compare with Stam this season so see if their will be more entertainment going forward

Looks like an improvement

Ok, full comparison

Team / Possession / Shots per game / pass accuracy
Derby 15/16 / 54.2% / 14.2 / 78%
Reading 17/18 / 55.6% / 10.6 / 78.4%
Reading 16/17 / 56.7% / 11.8 / 80.6%

It's quite interesting to see these stats are basically the same for Stam across both seasons, both excellent and terrible. But basically, Clement has slightly less possession, about the same pass accuracy and significantly more shots per game.

I suppose it also depends on where they were passing the ball. Most of Jaaps were probably in his own half. I wonder if Clement is pore progressive with the ball.

[Hound]

Quite interesting that Snowflake

More shots per game would certainly be welcome

[Snowflake Royal]

Action zones:
Derby 15/16 35% / 26% / 29%
Reading 17/18 30% / 45% / 25%
Reading 16/17 33% / 43% / 23%

Interesting thing here to me is that this season we've actually had more possession in the final third and middle third and less in ours compared to last year, when you might think the reverse was true. Clearly the quality of that possession higher up the pitch has been poorer, with worse movement and worse pace. It speaks to me that once we get to the middle of the park we don't know what to do with it.

Clement seems to play a fair bit at the back but also much more in the opposition third, which goes with more shots I guess. The positive interpretation is that Clement likes his side to play quickly through midfield... which is exactly right.

Of course these stats will be skewed by the performance of Derby under the person they placed Clement with. Maybe the stats were much closer to Stam's before and his replacement dragged it away. Or maybe it was further away and the replacement dragged it back.

Oh and to round it off,

Derby Attack Zones: Left 35% / Centre 26% / Right 39%

[Zip]

I would like to see Swift start. He really should be fit enough to start by now. I would go with the following team

Mannone
Gunter
Moore
Elphick if fit
Richards if fit
Bacuna
Kelly
Swift
Barrow
Aluko
Bodvarsson

We need to win. We need to be braver. I would play Bacuna in a CDM role ahead of Evans. If Elphick isn’t fit then we are struggling as Illori has been so poor with Blackett no better.