With five strikers chasing two places in his West Bromwich Albion starting line-up, Tony Mowbray has the problem that all managers crave.
Albion, who play at Colchester tonight, are the leading scorers in the Coca-Cola Championship and have a style of play that is geared towards the men up front.
But five into two does not go and, with Mowbray hinting that changes are likely to be made, that could be good news for the Nathan Ellington, Sherjill MacDonald and John Hartson.
It is possible that Mowbray could rest either Diomansy Kamara or Kevin Phillips (or both), giving Albion a freshness that was lacking during the match at home to Southampton last Saturday.
Mowbray began the match with Kamara and Phillips up front and ended it with Ellington and MacDonald, giving an indication of what could happen tonight.
With Hartson also "chomping at the bit" — Mowbray's stock phrase for over-enthusiastic strikers — the Albion manager has much to consider for what could be their toughest match of the season to date.
"I am conscious of our options upfront and conscious of the fact who hasn't played and who needs a rest and who we should be putting on the bench," Mowbray said. "All those little equations you need to take into the full equation."
With seven matches in a month to come, Mowbray could be set to adopt a policy of rotation. That is sure to mean more action for MacDonald, the young Dutchman, who has signed on loan from AGOVV Apeldoorn.
A graduate of the famous youth academy at Ajax of Amsterdam, MacDonald has played in the Uefa Cup for Anderlecht. He is eager to impress Mowbray, in a bid to sign a permanent contract with Albion, and is sure to make the starting line-up at some point over the next four weeks.
"Sherjill MacDonald is, for me, an exciting prospect," Mowbray said. "He is a young boy and in training you can see flashes of superb football feet.
"He is quick, with great control, a good turn, and can shoot with both feet. He has got all the attributes.
"At this moment he is adjusting and settling into a new environment. He has got to integrate with the squad and, while footballers naturally have a warmth towards a new signing, he is from a different country and needs to find his place in the dressing room.
"But I am sure that will happen very quickly and he has got the talent as we see every day in training to make an impact here.
"We will make a decision about any permanent move when we need to. We will give him all the time. He is here to the end of the season. The conundrum is 'does he get enough time on the pitch'. If everyone stays fit, we do have options in the striking department. We are carrying five strikers at the moment so we will wait and see how minutes he gets on the pitch."
It is to MacDonald's advantage that he can work with four experienced strikers. He has the quick feet of Kamara, the strength of Hartson, and the determination of Ellington. What he now needs is the experience of Phillips.
It is rare for a player aged 33 to have slipped out of the Premiership but still be good enough to return there.
"I am only delighted that Kevin Phillips is here," Mowbray said. "With the work ethic he has got and a nose for goals, he continues to work hard for the team and leads by example.
"He is a 33-year-old footballer who still works and trains and gives everything he has got every time. He is some example to have. I hope he is playing in the Premiership next season. For us."
When selecting his line-up, Mowbray will consider the attributes of the opposition. Colchester and Albion have much in common. They share a splendid home record and both score goals at an encouraging rate.
"Everyone in this league has found Colchester a very difficult place to go and, like us, they have a good record at home," Mowbray said.
"I don't know why that is other than good footballers, and good organisation. Whether some teams have disrespected them, I don't know. Whether Layer Road gives them an advantage, I don't know.
"But they win football games because they've got some good players and have a manager who organises his team well so they will be a handful for us. We will have to use all those qualities of resilience and a competitive edge and hopefully that will get the right result for us."
