FFs why loan Hutton if DF is going to play Knight, read on.

White84 what it comes down to for me is this. How is he playing now? I was at the match on Saturday and saw the incident you're making so much of. To be honest from where I sat it did NOT look to me as if Boggers was going to get there and Zat felt he had to take action. Yes his header could have been better and it MIGHT have cost us on another day but it didn't. In fact from that point on we looked rock solid and Zat had Rhodes in his pocket. 

I am completely with you in how he started the season but that was several months ago now. 

When a player is performing well and Zat did perform well on Saturday I feel it's wrong to drop them unless they are injured or you have a very compelling reason to do so. Alan Hutton may be useful but he isn't some World Class genius who's going to lead us to glory, he's a player we borrowed from elsewhere to strengthen our squad for the remainder of this season. In my opinion we already have too many loanees and it's no way to build a team for the future which I feel we should now have one eye on as this season is already dead barring a miracle or a catastrophe. 

I am interested only in how our players are performing NOW and Zat Knight is on form at the moment and should therefore keep his place. If Zat is playing badly by all means sub him off and put Hutton on but to say drop a man who's doing good work at the moment just because someone else has arrived is bad management. 

We all know what happened after the Leicester game, Nat was rightly up in arms and so were many others as all three goalscorers were dropped. I was one of the many fuming with anger when Dougie announced he would NOT make changes after the drubbing we took from Reading because if ever there had been a time for people to be dropped it was after that craven and woeful display. 

I am not a Zat Knight fan by any means, he's known as Knightmare with good reason most of the time but right now he's on form and I think given how the whole team performed Dougie should go with the same eleven as he used to start the match last Saturday. As the saying goes "it ain't broke so don't fix it" so why mess with a side that's winning well and has kept two clean sheets in a row while bagging six goals of our own?

I don't have a problem playing Knight and Wheater together at the moment. Wheater is just back from injury, so he needs games and Knight is still fresh, as he hasn't played as much as Mills & Ream this season.

As I said in another post, I would maybe rest Baptiste at right back on Saturday, who's had a long season and maybe bring in Hutton. Apart from that possible one change, I would leave the rest of the team well alone.

I think anyone who saw Hutton's performance for Scotland would agree he's fit enough to play and would be an improvement on Baptiste defensively. It's his natural position.
Baptiste has done very well getting forward and is undoubtedly a goal threat having scored a few, but he is troubled by pacy wingers. As is Ream on the left.
Wheater is probably a shoo-in as one of the CBs which leaves the other CB and the LB to be sorted.
Baptiste could play either, but Knight and Ream currently have the slots.
For the first time in ages Dougie has senior player options across the back and White may have to make way on the bench for one of the 3. 
Whatever Dougie goes for, I wouldn't have a problem with because he will have tried the permutations in training and will put out the best option based on current form. Nice problem to have though.

The problem with Zat Knight is he generally plays well for 89 and a half minutes, but always has a monumental cock up in him.

It doesn't matter if he plays like Vincent Kompany for 89 and a half minutes if he's going to gift the opposition a goal. Which often happens.

We were under very little pressure at home to Watford & Rovers, it will be different at Elland Road. Can anyone say they would choose Zat Knight in a pressure situation?

Knight shouldn't be anywhere near the first team, the stats speak for themselves, and the fact he would keep an international out is simply foolish.

Natasha Whittam wrote:
Knight shouldn't be anywhere near the first team, the stats speak for themselves, and the fact he would keep an international out is simply foolish.

I'm inclined to agree that he's erratic however it wouldn't be Hutton he's competing for a place with - it would be either Baptiste or Ream.

And are you forgetting that Knight is of course an England international himself? Not that either of his 2 caps (against Columbia and the USA) were particularly memorable.

Ream is also an international with 8 appearances for the US of A.

Wheater has represented England at all levels up to and including U21s.

So by your logic, Baptiste is the one who should be dropped as he's the only one who's not represented his country.

wanderlust wrote:
I'm inclined to agree that he's erratic however it wouldn't be Hutton he's competing for a place with - it would be either Baptiste or Ream.

And are you forgetting that Knight is of course an England international himself? Not that either of his 2 caps (against Columbia and the USA) were particularly memorable.

Ream is also an international with 8 appearances for the US of A.

Wheater has represented England at all levels up to and including U21s.

So by your logic, Baptiste is the one who should be dropped as he's the only one who's not represented his country.

Desperate post.

Hutton played for Scotland this week in Poland. Did any of the other names you mention?

Natasha Whittam wrote:

wanderlust wrote:
I'm inclined to agree that he's erratic however it wouldn't be Hutton he's competing for a place with - it would be either Baptiste or Ream.

And are you forgetting that Knight is of course an England international himself? Not that either of his 2 caps (against Columbia and the USA) were particularly memorable.

Ream is also an international with 8 appearances for the US of A.

Wheater has represented England at all levels up to and including U21s.

So by your logic, Baptiste is the one who should be dropped as he's the only one who's not represented his country.

Hutton played for Scotland this week in Poland. Did any of the other names you mention?

No. As far as I'm aware Scotland was the only nation who played Poland this week.
OR...
No. As far as I'm aware Hutton is the only player we have who plays for the Scottish national team.
OR..
No. Baptiste, Knight and Ream are all ineligible to play for Scotland.

Pick one

Nats on the money as Leeds away will be a different proposition as they are at home and have to come out and attack.Surely this Knights played well for a couple of matches does not mean when up against say Ross McCormack his play will be exposed.Thats why he is off to America.Hutton,Wheater,Ream ,Baptiste.Best back 4 available IMO.Why loan Hutton if he is sitting on the bench.Granted 99% of the time you don't change a winning team!but Leeds is a difficult place to go.Need the best 4 available.But hey all entitled to an opinion,that's why it's a forum.

White84 wrote:Nats  on the money as Leeds away will be a different proposition as they are at home and have to come out and attack.Surely this Knights played well for a couple of matches does not mean when up against say Ross McCormack his play will be exposed.Thats why he is off to America.Hutton,Wheater,Ream ,Baptiste.Best back 4 available IMO.Why loan Hutton if he is sitting on the bench.Granted 99% of the time you don't change a winning team!but Leeds is a difficult place to go.Need the best 4 available.But hey all entitled to an opinion,that's why it's a forum.

Don't get me wrong, I won't spit out my dummy if Zat does get dropped for Hutton but I think it would be harsh on him. He's in form, did very well last week and deserves to keep his place on merit AT THE MOMENT but I'd be the first to admit he's got a history of monumental cock up's at the worst possible moment that means Dougie might not want to risk him being in there against Leeds away. I'd like to see him start out of fairness to his current form but if he's dropped for the defence you suggest I won't be too bothered, it looks like a decent unit on paper (well a screen) at least.

White84 wrote:Nats  on the money as Leeds away will be a different proposition as they are at home and have to come out and attack.Surely this Knights played well for a couple of matches does not mean when up against say Ross McCormack his play will be exposed.Thats why he is off to America.Hutton,Wheater,Ream ,Baptiste.Best back 4 available IMO.Why loan Hutton if he is sitting on the bench.Granted 99% of the time you don't change a winning team!but Leeds is a difficult place to go.Need the best 4 available.But hey all entitled to an opinion,that's why it's a forum.

I'm wondering if Hutton will actually get a game whilst we continue to win?

If we win every game of the rest of the season with the current back four, no doubt Dougie will get slaughtered for wasting money on Hutton.

If Dougie starts him he'll be blamed for changing a winning formula.

What is guaranteed to happen is that any decision the manager makes will be scrutinised.