Burns on Blues: Best XI conundrum

Aug 31 2011 By Greg Burns

IT IS THE question that is constantly on the lips of all football fans: 'What is our best XI?'

And it is certainly something that Wanderers fans are scratching their heads about so far this season after a reasonable start sees them with five points on the board.

Gary Waddock has kept faith with the majority of the squad that took them up from League Two last season with just summer-signings James Tunnicliffe, Ben Harding and Joel Grant starting the game at Huddersfield on Saturday.

But the Blues boss has a large squad at his disposal (probably too big) and when the Football League cut matchday substitute numbers down from seven to five they threw a spanner in the works.

The dilemma left for Waddock was highlighted at the Galpharm on Saturday when last season's top scorer Scott Rendell could not even make the 16-man squad.

With Dave Winfield, John Halls and Danny Foster also missing through illness and injury, it shows Waddock has some tough decisions to make each week.

The question is, though, what is his best XI?

To be fair to the Wycombe chief, his side are not making it easy for him. Consistency seems to be the early-season problem.

Many players have performed well in games only to waste their second chance to impress.

But players like stability. It is all well and good having a big squad and having to keep people happy but a settled XI is a successful XI.

Take Danny Foster as an example. The right-back started in the season opener against Scunthorpe only to be dropped for two games before returning in the Leyton Orient win and then Bury defeat.

He was then played as a left-back against Forest in the Carling Cup. Hardly ideal for him to build up consistency and form?

But looking up-front shows the real conundrum. Who is going to bang in the goals? What is Wycombe's best partnership?

So far this season we have started with Rendell and Strevens twice, Stuart Beavon on his own, Beavon and Strevens twice, Rendell and Benyon once and Strevens on his own twice.

But are we any closer to knowing which is our best formula up top?

Something is clearly wrong when your top scorer Rendell is left out of the side while Strevens (six goals in last 31 games) and Beavon (one goal in 27 league games) are in the squad?

But, for me, Benyon is the key. His pre-season injury came at the worst possible time for Blues.

His fitness is returning but it could still be a few weeks before we see the best of the High Wycombe born front-man.

But I would pair him with Rendell.

Last season's top scorer may drift in and out of games but he knows where the goal is and his partnership with Benyon has yielded results before at Torquay. I would give it time to blossom.

I will sign off before I get onto discussing Gareth Ainsworth's form and who is the best partner for Stuart Lewis in midfield.

But team selection will certainly be an interesting debate for Blues fans in the coming months.

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