Squad Rotation

[Posh Hibby]

It's an obvious risk not to play your best XI, but it's also a risk not to rotate your squad when you have 9 games in a month like we do.

Finishing 2nd is paramount to our promotion hopes, but I also feel that Stubbs will have to utilise his squad and use his substitutions better if we have a chance of getting to the play-offs without suffering burn out.... again. This is a small criticism I have of Stubbs.

I personally hope that he takes some risks and gives players like Gunnarsson some starts to rest full backs, Keatings/Dagnell/Farid some starts to rest Stokes/Cummings, and if Fyvie/McGeouch/Carmichael are fit, rotates are midfield often.

This doesn't need to be every game obviously, but if he relies on players to play nine 90 minute games in a month before going into the play-offs I think a slip in performances is inevitable. It's a tough balancing act.

Thoughts?

[Zazu62]

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It's an obvious risk not to play your best XI, but it's also a risk not to rotate your squad when you have 9 games in a month like we do.

Finishing 2nd is paramount to our promotion hopes, but I also feel that Stubbs will have to utilise his squad and use his substitutions better if we have a chance of getting to the play-offs without suffering burn out.... again. This is a small criticism I have of Stubbs.

I personally hope that he takes some risks and gives players like Gunnarsson some starts to rest full backs, Keatings/Dagnell/Farid some starts to rest Stokes/Cummings, and if Fyvie/McGeouch/Carmichael are fit, rotates are midfield often.

This doesn't need to be every game obviously, but if he relies on players to play nine 90 minute games in a month before going into the play-offs I think a slip in performances is inevitable. It's a tough balancing act.

Thoughts?

We finished 2nd last season and it made no difference did it

[Sir David Gray]

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It's an obvious risk not to play your best XI, but it's also a risk not to rotate your squad when you have 9 games in a month like we do.

Finishing 2nd is paramount to our promotion hopes, but I also feel that Stubbs will have to utilise his squad and use his substitutions better if we have a chance of getting to the play-offs without suffering burn out.... again. This is a small criticism I have of Stubbs.

I personally hope that he takes some risks and gives players like Gunnarsson some starts to rest full backs, Keatings/Dagnell/Farid some starts to rest Stokes/Cummings, and if Fyvie/McGeouch/Carmichael are fit, rotates are midfield often.

This doesn't need to be every game obviously, but if he relies on players to play nine 90 minute games in a month before going into the play-offs I think a slip in performances is inevitable. It's a tough balancing act.

Thoughts?

We've just lost our last four league games to Dumbarton, Queen of the South, Morton and Raith Rovers - how much further can our performances slip?

[Posh Hibby]

When we come back from this break we will be well rested, and will start with out best XI. We're all hoping we recapture our form..

But looking ahead across our congested fixture list I think Stubbs will have to make some hard decisions.

[Onion]

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When we come back from this break we will be well rested, and will start with out best XI. We're all hoping we recapture our form..

But looking ahead across our congested fixture list I think Stubbs will have to make some hard decisions.

Stubbs management career will be seriously impacted by what happens to Hibs over the next 7 or 8 weeks, so he should be motivated to make those tough decisions. No point in him looking back with regret think if only...

[Shore Thing]

For the first time in years we have a very strong squad, and a lot of real options for different formations and personnel.
I agree with the o.p. This is something we should be taking advantage of.
Could a change of formation at half time give us the element of surprise against some of these teams who simply 'park the bus'?
For example, diamond midfield in the first half followed by pacy wingers in the second. I feel we've become too predictable and need to force the opposition onto the back foot from the kick off in both halves.

[superfurryhibby]

I would like to see Gunnarson start more games, Keatings less and Farid play. With the guys who are reurning becoming available, I'd hope we have enough in the squad to see us through.

Not sure Stokes needs a rest, he 's only played a dzen games or so this season. Handling has a part to play too. If he genuinely is going to succed at Hibs then he needs to make his mark. I sincerely hope he does!

[Brooster]

We absolutely need to give all first picks a rest at some stage during April. We need everyone fit, as fresh as can be and available for May. Gunnarson, Carmichael, Dagnall, Handling, Farid and Boyle (all fringe players) should all play lots of minutes in the league games against bottom half teams, not all at the same time of course.

[Eyrie]

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I would like to see Gunnarson start more games, Keatings less and Farid play. With the guys who are reurning becoming available, I'd hope we have enough in the squad to see us through.

Not sure Stokes needs a rest, he 's only played a dzen games or so this season. Handling has a part to play too. If he genuinely is going to succed at Hibs then he needs to make his mark. I sincerely hope he does!

Keatings needs to play less in midfield and more up front, although it would be a brave call to drop Cummings.

[B.H.F.C]

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Keatings needs to play less in midfield and more up front, although it would be a brave call to drop Cummings.

Wouldn't really see it as brave to drop Cummings. In fact I think leaving him out for a few games might do him good. I've always stuck up for him but his performances over the last few weeks have been poor. I'd leave him out to get him fresh for playing when we really need him, because he will start scoring again. Couple of games on the bench might give him a wake up call though.

[Brooster]

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Wouldn't really see it as brave to drop Cummings. In fact I think leaving him out for a few games might do him good. I've always stuck up for him but his performances over the last few weeks have been poor. I'd leave him out to get him fresh for playing when we really need him, because he will start scoring again. Couple of games on the bench might give him a wake up call though.

I thought Stokes and Cummings were excellent together at Inverness. Showed us what they are capable of.

[Waxy]

Yes squad rotation is a must if we want to keep a freshness at the business end. I mean even if we played our so called worst 11. (Whoever they are?) it would still be a damn good team most likely capable of a result against anyone.

[J-C]

Unfortunately we've had a few injuries which have hampered us in the past few weeks but the main concern was Stubbs pig headedness in his team selection and his refusal to drop certain players when it was obvious they were bang out of form. In the last post game interview he did he hinted that he'd had enough from certain players and that changes would be forthcoming, we'll see if he's true to his word in our next game back.

[Big_Franck]

We'll definitely need to rest key players at some point, no way can the same players start all 9 games in April and be 100% fit for all of them. I'd think home to Livi and home to Dumbarton (both midweek) are likely to be games where we see the most changes to the starting 11.

[Hibby Bairn]

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Wouldn't really see it as brave to drop Cummings. In fact I think leaving him out for a few games might do him good. I've always stuck up for him but his performances over the last few weeks have been poor. I'd leave him out to get him fresh for playing when we really need him, because he will start scoring again. Couple of games on the bench might give him a wake up call though.

Scored two today. Is that him back in favour or still needing a wake up call?

[Sammy7nil]

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We'll definitely need to rest key players at some point, no way can the same players start all 9 games in April and be 100% fit for all of them. I'd think home to Livi and home to Dumbarton (both midweek) are likely to be games where we see the most changes to the starting 11.

Lets win the next 6 games confirm 2 place then rest players. If we had won 2 of the last 4 games we could be planning when to rest players but hey ho the difficult path is the Hibs way

[Keith_M]

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Scored two today. Is that him back in favour or still needing a wake up call?

I'm not one for knocking Cummings but, no it's not.

You have to take into account the opposition, a very poor Northern Ireland side. I don't think it necessarily indicates a return to form.

[Iggy Pope]

We changed a winning side in the name of rotation and we've pretty much imploded since.
Strongest side on Saturday is essential.
And keep it that way.

[Iggy Pope]

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Scored two today. Is that him back in favour or still needing a wake up call?

Kirkcaldy would have been his wake up call. Love him to bits but he needs goals. Hibs goals. Soon.

[B.H.F.C]

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Scored two today. Is that him back in favour or still needing a wake up call?

That'll do him good. Still doesn't change my opinion on how he has performed for us lately, which is all I really care about.

[Eyrie]

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We changed a winning side in the name of rotation and we've pretty much imploded since.
Strongest side on Saturday is essential.
And keep it that way.

Our last league win was 3-0 at home to Alloa with that rotated team, then imploded when we reverted to our supposedly stronger line up.

[Iggy Pope]

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Our last league win was 3-0 at home to Alloa with that rotated team, then imploded when we reverted to our supposedly stronger line up.

Paul Hanlon on the bench v Morton in the next game meant a non-strongest starting XI there too.

[J-C]

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Paul Hanlon on the bench v Morton in the next game meant a non-strongest starting XI there too.

He also changed formation that game too, went 3-5-2 against a very defensive Alloa side and it worked a treat, then reverted back to his diamond next game, it's almost like he's determined to get all his midfielders playing no matter what.