Although your analyses are excellent we do still have Weston, Weir and Rowley available in midfield, we have at least three players who would be more suited to wingback than pure full back or midfield, and we now have four players whose best position is centre back ....... so there are combinations available .......
Not to harp on it about it, but to me the bugbear seems to be accommodating Weir in the long run. I once asked what he actually does and no-one really answered ........ He doesn't have the energy to be a box-to-box midfielder, he lacks the pace, power or trickery needed to be a wide midfielder, he lacks the vision of a passing midfielder, he doesn't tackle well enough to justify himself as a purely defensive midfielder. To me he seems a bits and pieces midfielder who might be your fourth pick in a four-man midfield if you lacked a more exciting option. He's unlikely to get you a goal, slightly more likely to make the odd one, will put in the odd tackle and will try and contribute to a passing move ......... But MA seems to have lumbered himself with him as captain, which to me says more about Weir's personality than his play. OR is that very unfair?
I agree that MA's statement about his squad must have been made for psychological effect. He knows the game and must have guessed it could only be a matter of time before his team was found out ....... unless he was very lucky.
But I do disagree with this football-manager trope of playing the left-footed centre back on the left. I want his stronger foot on the inside (because that is where the goal is!) & so he pushes his opponent out wide. Why on earth would you want to make cutting inside the best option for the opposition? If he can't tackle with both feet why is he a pro', and you seriously don't want a defender who squares himself up to the oncoming forward, you want one who forces him away from the goal and is angling himself to make that the more tempting option and is ready to run with his man rather than standing square like a bollard.
Not to harp on it about it, but to me the bugbear seems to be accommodating Weir in the long run. I once asked what he actually does and no-one really answered ........ He doesn't have the energy to be a box-to-box midfielder, he lacks the pace, power or trickery needed to be a wide midfielder, he lacks the vision of a passing midfielder, he doesn't tackle well enough to justify himself as a purely defensive midfielder. To me he seems a bits and pieces midfielder who might be your fourth pick in a four-man midfield if you lacked a more exciting option. He's unlikely to get you a goal, slightly more likely to make the odd one, will put in the odd tackle and will try and contribute to a passing move ......... But MA seems to have lumbered himself with him as captain, which to me says more about Weir's personality than his play. OR is that very unfair?
I agree that MA's statement about his squad must have been made for psychological effect. He knows the game and must have guessed it could only be a matter of time before his team was found out ....... unless he was very lucky.
But I do disagree with this football-manager trope of playing the left-footed centre back on the left. I want his stronger foot on the inside (because that is where the goal is!) & so he pushes his opponent out wide. Why on earth would you want to make cutting inside the best option for the opposition? If he can't tackle with both feet why is he a pro', and you seriously don't want a defender who squares himself up to the oncoming forward, you want one who forces him away from the goal and is angling himself to make that the more tempting option and is ready to run with his man rather than standing square like a bollard.