Joey Barton has hinted he has some "barmy" solutions in mind when it comes to Bristol Rovers overcoming the injury and suspension issues that have marred the build-up to Saturday's game against Lincoln City.
The Gas were set to have just one centre-back available for the visit of the Imps to the Mem – Luca Hoole – but Alfie Kilgour's midweek red card being rescinded has eased the shortage of options available to the manager. Still, he is without a number of players in key positions.
But Barton has never been afraid to think outside of the box during his time at Rovers. At Portsmouth earlier this season, he raised eyebrows with an experimental formation featuring a back three without wing-backs, and he later insisted he would continue to persist with some of his unconventional tactical theories, confident his players can master them and create an edge against opponents.
