Chiefy said that Baze said 5 Nix players were on the shortlist for the March squad and two others were on standby. Any guesses of who they are?
I personally think Paulsen, Payne, Surman, Rufer, Old, Kosta should be in the squad, and that would likely leave LKH as the 7th player. I think Sutton should be in the conversation but hasn't been playing enough to earn a spot, and LKH's versatility might help his chances of getting selected, but I think McGarry is likely to get the second LB spot seeing as he was picked previously & only dropped out of the squad due to injury, and is fit again.
Surely Marco should be in the squad again too now that he is starting & scoring again, and considering how good he looked in the Qatar half game not so long ago.
I personally think Paulsen, Payne, Surman, Rufer, Old, Kosta should be in the squad, and that would likely leave LKH as the 7th player. I think Sutton should be in the conversation but hasn't been playing enough to earn a spot, and LKH's versatility might help his chances of getting selected, but I think McGarry is likely to get the second LB spot seeing as he was picked previously & only dropped out of the squad due to injury, and is fit again.
Surely Marco should be in the squad again too now that he is starting & scoring again, and considering how good he looked in the Qatar half game not so long ago.
Good to know I was on the money with that call. But it makes sense - All are getting good minutes and are in excellent form. You should be rewarded for that. Good mix of youth and experience in there too.
As for the chat around Tuiloma, well he simply hasn't done enough on a football pitch recently to earn a call up. Early days in 2024 MLS season as well, but it's looking likely to be another bench warming role this term.
It's not his fault whatsoever, because he doesn't get a say in the move, but that transfer from Portland was possibly the worst move of his career. Nailed on starter in the West, to being on the periphery in North Carolina. Football can be a cruel game.
As for Bindon v Surman - Bindon takes it for me. He's earning rave reviews over in England. Great reading (😎) of the game and has a slightly better technical level than Surman (not by much though) Wasn't he also being scouted by Arsenal or Tottenham or some London PL club not that long ago too?
Just my opinion of course - Surman is really not far behind at all, and as someone above alluded to, he already has more to the physical side of his game than Bindon, who should be looking at smashing the gym in the upcoming off-season. But for all that chat around those two lads I don't get all the squabbling either. It's just great to have a couple of quality young CB's coming through at club level an hopefully shining in the national team setup. I hope they both keep progressing at the rate they have been - Could easily be a cornerstone AW's CB pairing for the next 10-15 years all going well.