Baines and Oviedo ready to return

Hope they can both have sustained runs in the first team this season.
They both deserve a trouble free season Baines for his club loyalty and Oviedo because he's long overdue a run of good luck.

Martinez doesn't want the kind of balance you're talking about. He believes, along with many others, that teams set up in that simple way just become simple to play against.

We play with a wide man on the right and two "number 10s". Martinez has referred to this as playing 'between the lines', and the idea is that they take up slightly unusual & unorthodox positions, finding little pockets of space between the opponents midfield and defence, and between their central and wide players.

This is why he's committed to playing Osman, Naismith and Barkley 'on the left'. It is why Atsu never once got a run out on the left and it's why so many of us are hankering after Pienaar, because he's been doing this well for years.

You can feel free to disagree with the theory but there's no point wishing for something that I can promise you isn't going to happen.

However, it's clear that this policy is not working as the personnel are not good enough to pull it off. Therefore a bit a simplicity in formation could work wonders!

As you quite rightly state, Pienaar could be the answer?! Otherwise I'm all for square pegs in square holes!

Baines being back is always good news, and Oviedo has showed some brilliant flashes. I like the idea of him as an extra midfield option and he is a superb back up to Baines. I also fear though that his time in midfield will be curtailed by our central options.

Oviedo has been so unlucky with injury so I hope he gets an uninterrupted season now. I think he needs to reestablish himself to challenge for a starting spot but the competition is more than welcome.

Pienaar, your time is up...

It concerns me that his team selections and in-game changes are so robotically made that his fellow managers read him like a book.

I desperately want to see the guy succeed and cling to the hope that his first season was 'the real deal' rather than the horror show that followed it.

I assume that last season's throw-in training consisted of Baines holding the ball for ten seconds while watching half-a-dozen traffic bollards. Then a kit-man picked up one of the bollards and moved it three feet, at which time Baines threw it at the bollard and it bounced off for an opposition throw.

The bollard then went off to show Lukaku how to trap a ball.

I love this site and it gives me such reading enjoyment whilst working in the call centre.

May I finally add my gratitude to all supporters who have made my trips to Gwladys Street a real joy, many more to follow I'm sure.

Roll on 8 Auguat 2015... optimism is running through my veins

COYB

Lukaku will still be on pens that's obvious, at least until he eventually stutters up and misses, which probably isn't far away!

I'm not for one moment suggesting Baines got the cigars out; I just think he had already reached his peak and is now on a slow decline. That, coupled with Pienaar's legs going, drastically reduced his effectiveness.

Mike (#13), your analysis seems worryingly correct and it doesn't work. If he is going to persist with 4-2-3-1 then he needs natural width on both sides. RM winds me up just as much as Moyes ever did.