West Ham United come to Sincil Bank on Wednesday, and I think this could be the moment for Chris and Tom to make a few changes.
Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Sheffield United did not convince me that everything we have done this season is wrong. We have won three successive away games playing broadly the same way, but the individual quality in this division is higher than I expected, and some of those decisive moments at Bramall Lane showed it.
The players who took us up earned their opportunity to prove themselves in the Championship, and I think the coaches have been right to show loyalty. However, we also made some significant signings in the summer, and there comes a point when those players need to come into the team.
I’ve gone through the squad and suggest this is the strongest XI I’d like to see face off against the Hammers.
George Wickens
George did not cover himself in glory on Saturday, and I think he should do better with the second goal. It came from a tight angle, and while the shot should never have been allowed in the first place, I still want my goalkeeper to stop it. The first and third are different, because we have defenders around the scorer who should be doing more to prevent him from getting his effort away.
However, George has credit in the bank, and one disappointing afternoon does not change my belief in him. He is a good shot-stopper; he has been commanding his area well, and we have shown we can keep clean sheets in this division. We are nine games in, with 37 still to play, and he remains my goalkeeper.
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