Best XI ?

Quoted from gtfc98

So, judging by that, and the fact that Connell's gone I'd probably go with:

                                                                                   Arthur

                                     Silk                  Kempson                     Garner/Pearson                Ridley

                                                                                  Church

                                                            Disley                            Artus


                                           Coulson                                                   Hearn

                                                                     Spencer/Duffy                                              

A very good one IMO.
Interesting you play Church as the defensive holding player, I can see the logic.
Here's mine.

.................McKeown
.^...Garner..Pearson..Kempo
.|.............................................|.
Wood....Church ...Disley........Artus
.|................Coulson................|
.v....................|.......................v
............Duffy...v...Hearn

3 at the back with wingbacks.

Ridley can swap with Kempson or even Artus, who like Wood, will bomb up and down the wings to put crosses in and run back as defensive cover.

Trouble is we ideally need an attacking left wing back to play this system.

Ridley isn't the ideal choice to bomb forward cos he has to run back. But he HAS shown he can get forward, cross and more importantly, is left footed.
Artus might be able to do it too, but someone said he wasn't that great defensively ?

Slightly bit worried the managers haven't spotted the "width" issue before they made their signings(why have we got Silk AND Marshall in the shake up?) and went 4-4-2, cos almost everyone(Eagle too) is best in the centre IMO.
Dare I say it, we could have done with Peter Bore's pace out wide ?  

Of course they'll probably go 4-3-3 in any case, but it's a shame cos IMO, Wood would be ideal to run down up and down the wing all day long and put useful crosses in.
3-5-2 also gives you an extra attacking player.

Alternatively, same as gtfc98's but with Coulson in front of a flat 3 man midfield behind the front 2.

I think through fact they have dragged the touchlines in either side  would suggest they will go for a narrow formation and play direct football. Playing wingbacks on this pitch would surely congest the midfield too much. As you say will probably be 433 and while its not for me to pick the managers team for them but I like the look of.....

Arthur
Silk Pearson Kempson Ridley
Disley Church Artus
Coulson Spencer/new striker Hearn