trousers

Probably, but there's every chance a 'full strength' starting 11 would do too given, I suspect, the natural instinct of those players wouldn't be to bust a gut because they've got one eye on the playoffs. Either way, I'd imagine the Leeds players will take their foot off the pedal as the game progresses due to Ipswich probably being out of sight by half time, when their natural self-preservation instincts will also kick in. P.s. Good point regarding McCarthy. Yep, on reflection, probably best he plays given his lack of game time this season, if he's going to be the 1st choice keeper for the playoffs.

Lumley Bree - Stephens - Lawrence - Meghoma Charles - Bragg Rothwell - Brooks Dibling - Amo-Ameyaw Leeds 4 Saints 2 Bring on the playoffs!

Live stream here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/business-68946609

Ha... Very astute... 😂

Fair point, but I'm flabbergasted how someone in such a high position can speak so much gibberish in a public enquiry. He's either got serious mental health issues or he's an oscar worthy actor.

How does someone of Singh's questionable intellect ever get appointed to the role of Head of Criminal Litigation in any organisation? Unless he's actually very clever and is a superb actor....?

If it's a different team to the one that starts in the playoffs then the performance is immaterial too.... #liketalkingtoabrickwall

"Yeah, but the players that don't play will get all demoralised if the players that do play lose badly....it happened once in 2003 so its bound to happen again, innit..." Or some other illogical non sequitur....

Why would they do that given the result of this game doesn't matter?

Russ intimating at the pre match press conference this morning that certain key players won't be in the squad and some will be but won't play 90 minutes. Good to see logic and common sense prevailing. Mara out injured so I reckon Dibling should see some action at long last (?) P.s. he confirmed Ross Stewart will definitely be on the bench with the hope that he can play a key role in the playoffs....

Why would a 'B team' getting thrashed affect the moral of the 'A team'...?

Sloppy

You appeared to imply that there wasn't any difference but offer my apologies if I misinterpreted

Yep, that is indeed the shorter answer

And there was silly old me thinking we were talking about a specific upcoming scenario rather than in general... 🤦‍♂️

It's not just about "avoiding injuries", however.... https://wimbledonclinics.co.uk/blog/professional-footballers-face-much-higher-risk-of-injury-in-matches-than-training/ "Professional football players are far more likely to get injured in competition than during training sessions, according to a new study. Researchers in Spain and the UK found that the risk of injury during competition matches is 12 times higher than during training sessions."

That's more of a sign of inadequate man management and/or lack of player mental strength, rather than it being the wrong approach per se, IMO.... Logically, if it's largely a different team that plays in the 'dead rubber' match compared to the team that then plays in the ensuing important game(s), then the players that play in the latter game(s) have no reason to feel demoralised (if the former game is lost) because they should understand the context behind the decision to play a weakened side in the first place. If the confidence of our better players drops because our 'B team' loses then you've got to question their underlying mental strength + intelligence, and the ability of the management to convey the context and logic to them...

It's a valid fear, but until we get the benefit of hindsight in due course, we can't say with any certainty right now what the best team selection approach for the game vs Leeds will be. All we can do is aim to deduce which approach presents the least risk to our chances in the playoffs, and there's inevitably a degree of subjectivity in doing so.

Yep, agree with that 👍

Pretentious restaurant menus that just use a whole number, rather than proper currency notation, to denote the price of each dish

To my mind, it's not a matter of being "scared to play", it's more about being pragmatic and minimising the risks. There are risks associated with either approach to this game. I just think it's logical and sensible to rule out the biggest risk: i.e. we put our strongest team out and still lose.