Wouldn't have a clue Ex, just spoke to a Donny fan in the local shop, said Redfern and another manager were at the game last night against Wallsal. Can't think either of them 2 have anyone we'd be interested in.
I keep saying it and I know other opinions are valid but the 442 versus 451 debate is a distraction. We have both won and lost games playing both ways.
I suspect that NR prefers the comfort of the 451 because frankly he knows that if teams get at our defence we are in big trouble.
The problem is that whichever is your choice, you have to have two traditional central midfield players and at the moment we have Smallwood and Green. No disrespect to them (Smallwood has his qualities and Green has been a good player in his time), but neither is very good on the ball and as a pair in there they do not fill me with any confidence. To be honest, Frecklington for all he has been great for us is not the player he was even when he is fit (which isn't often). If I was NR I would be very worried about playing 442 and leaving any two of those three to protect our back four, which is shaky at the best of times.
In a nutshell, the problem isn't so much the formation but the personnel. We score goals but defensively we are a shambles. If you were managing a team against us what would you do? I would press Smallwood and Green hard to try and nick the ball and get straight at our back four on the counter, and every time I got a set piece I would load the six yard box and land it on top of our goalkeeper. How many more goals are going to go in our net from headers less than six yards out?
We are desperate for a commanding central midfielder (in my opinion to play alongside Smallwood), we need Camp (or someone else) to command his box more, and our defenders need to stop chasing the ball like the Keystone Cops.
We still aren't far away from being a good side, and I am looking forward to the rest of the season starting at Bolton. Win lose or draw, I am enjoying us being in this division and competing.
Wouldn't have a clue Ex, just spoke to a Donny fan in the local shop, said Redfern and another manager were at the game last night against Wallsal. Can't think either of them 2 have anyone we'd be interested in.
Maybe Redders was taking another look at Tom Bradshaw, Walsall.
Edit: Tom Bradshaw is a striker.
-- Edited by tiger cub on Wednesday 3rd of February 2016 07:10:15 PM
You have Charlton at home, a team that hasn't won since God nicked Adam's rib. You play 4 -3-2-1 and get tonked (deservedly) for not trying to take the game to them. I am unimpressed.
You have Charlton at home, a team that hasn't won since God nicked Adam's rib. You play 4-4-2 and get tonked, but have had a crack at it. I can live with that.
Ultimately in my opinion we would have faired better against Charlton with a different team selection and formation which favoured attack. Maybe it would have been 0-0 and maybe we would have lost 6-4, I don't know.
What I do know is it couldn't have been much worse.
All I would say is that three of Charlton's goals were scored on the break when we were exposed because we were having a go. So were all three of QPR's goals, when we were playing 442. We beat Brighton playing 442 and hammered Bolton playing 451.
I am not advocating one system or the other. I am saying that I think the debate itself is a bit of a red herring.
What I do know for sure is that whatever attacking formation we play, we have got to stop conceding soft goals. Teams aren't having to score wonder goals against us - they are cutting through us on the counter like a knife through butter. We seem preoccupied at the moment with how we are set up in attack, but we do score goals however we set up. We scored 2 at Cardiff and (if JCH puts his penalty away) should have scored at least 2 against Charlton, but have 1 point to show for those games. We are the 13th highest scorers in the division, but only Charlton have conceded more.
It is defensively that we have real problems. That is the point I am trying to make.
I do take your general point that fans like to at least leave feeling that their team has at least had a go.
I tend to go with the individual performances on this one.
The evidence is slightly more towards that than formation although different teams do need different set-ups for maximum effect.
I think the most times we have been beat at home is due to a poor midfield leaving a poor back four exposed.
That has tended to come when we have left gaps due to very pacey forwards. We can sit back deeper but wont be much of a threat . Likewise, we can advance and get caught.
The midfield for me is always a gamble and its not only how many you play there but how you get the ball up to the forwards and then support them. In a 5 in midfield there is more chance of this and when teams play with width against you and pace its surely better. However, the 5 have to work very hard to get goals and also defend all over the park.
we have been either bypassed or over run in midfield. I think pace and strength are the two issues.
That being my view, we desperately need Becchio and Best to perform in those roles and the likes of frecklington to provide attack and thrust behind. In such a system the midfielders still need to work hard. There is no substitute for that and the last 2 home defeats seemed to be about lack of effort. I am certain thats what I saw. I know its not fashionable in the modern game to put things down to this as everyone is taught to believ modern footballers are consummate pros and rely on their technical ability with effort as a given. I think thats bull****. A players energy and attitude waxes and wanes as much as any other individuals.
The job of the manager and each player is to get up for each game,
I keep saying it and I know other opinions are valid but the 442 versus 451 debate is a distraction. We have both won and lost games playing both ways.
I suspect that NR prefers the comfort of the 451 because frankly he knows that if teams get at our defence we are in big trouble.
The problem is that whichever is your choice, you have to have two traditional central midfield players and at the moment we have Smallwood and Green. No disrespect to them (Smallwood has his qualities and Green has been a good player in his time), but neither is very good on the ball and as a pair in there they do not fill me with any confidence. To be honest, Frecklington for all he has been great for us is not the player he was even when he is fit (which isn't often). If I was NR I would be very worried about playing 442 and leaving any two of those three to protect our back four, which is shaky at the best of times.
In a nutshell, the problem isn't so much the formation but the personnel. We score goals but defensively we are a shambles. If you were managing a team against us what would you do? I would press Smallwood and Green hard to try and nick the ball and get straight at our back four on the counter, and every time I got a set piece I would load the six yard box and land it on top of our goalkeeper. How many more goals are going to go in our net from headers less than six yards out?
We are desperate for a commanding central midfielder (in my opinion to play alongside Smallwood), we need Camp (or someone else) to command his box more, and our defenders need to stop chasing the ball like the Keystone Cops.
We still aren't far away from being a good side, and I am looking forward to the rest of the season starting at Bolton. Win lose or draw, I am enjoying us being in this division and competing.
UTM.
I agree we should not play Smallwood and Green together as they are one and the same and it's a waste of a player. Main issue with 4-4-2 in my opinion is that we have no quality at all in our fullbacks, meaning 4-4-2, is more like 2-4-2, or 2-3-2 if we play both Smallwood and Green together, which is hardly a recipe for winning many games....
Ok that's a bit daft - but it makes the point that centrebacks are under terrible pressure because our fullbacks are so poor.
Before we buy/loan anyone else we need two better fullbacks and have all season. no-one we have brought in has been better than what we started with...
It won't be popular - but I would play Halford and Richardson at fullback rather than any of the existing choices.... either that or pick anyone from the crowd that is playing Sunday League at fullback...
Mattock has been good enough. Its right back, not been one since Hunt. If Halford is fit could be best option. Still hoping Facey with games will come good, but its got to start now.
Smallwood & Green never works. Should have gone back for Hyham. Belaid or Thorpe FOR Green.
Does NR know Belaid can play in midfield, he's probably better suited as a defensive midfielder.
Play Broadfoot and Rawson at back and Belaid just infront 👍🏼
