Our starting 11

[shinAUFC]

Its pretty clear there are going to be some tuff choices for rini.

If we assume all players are fit apart from mullen and costa who are write offs for the season

Reid, barbiero, hughes, watson and keenen are pretty well fighting for that 1 DM role!

leckie, ramsay, pantelis and dodd are fighting for a spot on the wing.

--------Van Dijk
Slory.....Flores......Leckie
Reid.......Pancho
Cassio..Fyfe..corny.... New RB
..........Eugene

bench
Keenan
dodd
Hughes
Birra.

Thats how i would see it, although that leaves barbiero, Ramsay, PANTELIS,boogard and watson out of the team.

it has to be said there is some major talent on the bench, let alone the ones not making it on the park!

Things will be especially interesting with the ramsay dodd slory leckie pantelis situation, i think pantelis is offically cooked now. He has a better chance as a back up AM now i think, but with keenan lingering this is doubtfull

/discuss

[double07]

Looking good. Currently I'd probably take Hughes over Reid, but that's just me.

[Zehle]

I would have boogaard or Mullen instead of Cornthwaite but they're both not ready yet

[Spiro]

competition for places is healthy

some players will be absolutely packing their dacks right now and know that they need to lift their socks

ie Pants, Dodd, Hughes, Reid, Barbs

[redhorse]

Ok so this new signing??? does that mean we can count on flores leaving in january??? otherwise either keenen is going on Slory will only be the short term deal??

am i correct?

[Chips]

I wouldn't have 3 midfielders on the bench. Boogard straight into defence with flakes on the bench. He can play cd or rb worse case.

I don't think Flores will leave until end of season or till end of his contract. Cassio will get citizenship and 5 overseas players van dyke Flores usucar slory Keenan. But I think Keenan is replaceable with a local an could get a better overseas player.

[redhorse]

I don't think Flores will leave until end of season or till end of his contract. Cassio will get citizenship and 5 overseas players van dyke Flores usucar slory Keenan. But I think Keenan is replaceable with a local an could get a better overseas player.

Good point, will interesting what RB we are getting, very exciting times none the less.

[shinAUFC]

guest signings i believe dont count as visa spots, im not sure on injury replacements though.

If flores was going we'd have signed an AM,

[nick_111]

Life would be so much easier if the FFA let A-league teams have more than 3 outfield players and a keeper on the bench!!

Picking a team would be easier for Rini and this also means he could make good tactical substitutions eg game against sydney where cornflakes was put as a striker (but then again it turned out to be a good move anyways haha)

[Steelinho]

If we assume all players are fit apart from mullen and costa who are write offs for the season

Reid, barbiero, hughes, watson and keenen are pretty well fighting for that 1 DM role!

--------Van Dijk
Slory.....Flores......Leckie
Reid.......Pancho
Cassio..Fyfe..corny.... New RB
..........Eugene

bench
Keenan
dodd
Hughes
Birra.

Thats how i would see it

Humour me. Why would you drop Hughes, who has been one of our best and most consistent players this season?

Also, there are two DM spots, not one.

[Adrian]

If we assume all players are fit apart from mullen and costa who are write offs for the season

Reid, barbiero, hughes, watson and keenen are pretty well fighting for that 1 DM role!

--------Van Dijk
Slory.....Flores......Leckie
Reid.......Pancho
Cassio..Fyfe..corny.... New RB
..........Eugene

bench
Keenan
dodd
Hughes
Birra.

Thats how i would see it

Humour me. Why would you drop Hughes, who has been one of our best and most consistent players this season?

Also, there are two DM spots, not one.

no

[Steelinho]

You wouldn't know, you wear glasses.

[Hewie]

Reid in the team should never be underestimated. The guy is brilliant at what he does. If I had to drop one of the two, it would be Hughes.

[Steelinho]

Reid in the team should never be underestimated. The guy is brilliant at what he does. If I had to drop one of the two, it would be Hughes.

So we're letting Pancho walk into the starting XI without even having seen him play? It just seems ridiculous.

[shinAUFC]

i do agree,

Hughes IMO has been the best DM in the league this season apart from maybe paartlu from what ive seen of him.

But how can you take off reid? its definetely a hard one, but i think read tend to set things up from the back a bit better, however maybe this will be pancho's role, therefore hughes the HMAS destroyer would start?

who ever gets relegated to the bench will be a great defensive sub in the second half,

I would think slory and pancho would start on the bench at the AO game, but i think will find a slot in the 11 very quick due to playing 4 games in 12 days

http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/192097,r ... althy.aspx

ADELAIDE'S Adam Hughes says United have been put on notice with coach Rini Coolen revealing two signings in a week and potentially a third to arrive during the January transfer window.

Coolen unveiled Uruguayan midfielder Francisco Usucar last week and announced on Monday that former Dutch international winger Andwele Slory would be joining the club by the end of the week.

It was also reported in some sections of the media in Adelaide that a third international signing is also set to join the club.

Hughes said the Reds would welcome the healthy competition for places in the squad and acknowledged it is exactly what United needs and could prove to be the difference in winning a championship.

"It's what you want at a football club," he said.

"If you haven't got competition you can get lazy in that sense and you need to have people there competing for positions on the park because that is what will take you to the next level and probably what will take Adelaide to a championship.

"With these boys coming in hopefully it can freshen things up and it will certainly be a benefit for the club."

Coolen expressed his desire to keep the squad together and hopes current members of United won't leave the Reds to chase more game time if displaced by the new signings.

The Dutchman said his players are true professionals who will improve significantly with the arrival of quality international imports.

"I hope no one leaves," he said.

"I told them weeks and months ago it's something they have to work on. You have to work hard for your position.

"That's the difference between here and overseas. You have to work harder for your position and there's more pressure on the players.

"Everyone wants to be one of the best squads and get good results. You need more competition between the players and everybody wants competition.

"There won't be a problem with our squad. They are real good professionals, they work real hard. They know exactly what we want together."

Hughes denied top spot has slipped away from the Red's clutches after a shock 2-1 loss to Melbourne Heart with United coughing up a 1-0 lead in the dying minutes.

The Reds are 10 points adrift of league leader Brisbane Roar, but could get to within a point if they win their two games in hand and claim victory over the Roar in Adelaide on January 2, in what will be United's fourth match in 12 days.

"Top spot is still there. Mathematically we're still a chance so it's something we're still aiming for," he said.

"We've still got Brisbane to come at the end of this thick schedule coming up so we have to take each match as it comes by and we've got to pick maximum points up as we go by.

"They're far outplaying everyone else at the moment and that's a game where we have to pick the three points up to continue on and keep close to them.

"

It would seem from the article, that our midfield players out of contract i hoped to be re-signed by coolen , so thats a huge plus