Get back to the topic shall we?
Rafa's 4-5-1 formation at Valencia is successful because they have John Carew (1.95 m and well over 200 pounds) being able to hold on to the ball while his team mates joined in the attack. Also Valencia has a superb midfield to support the lone striker. While our midfield has potential, it isn't exactly kind of superb yet.
4-5-1 formation places a lot of emphasis on the lone striker up front being able to hold on to the ball. Players like Vieri, Adriano, Shearer, Van Nistelrooy, Viduka have some success on their own cuz they have the size and strength to hold off defenders.
Fielding Sinama Pongolle alone upfront is no good (as shown in the Birmingham match where he is shrugged off the ball by bigger sized defenders)
Hence we should field Mellor.....