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442

442

paddysr

paddysr

Bearded Beauty
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Ok genuine question.

This of you that are big advocates for playing the 442 can ask your reasons why?

The way I see it is that more teams now operate a variation of what we play and I feel that a 442 would leave us too exposed in the gaps between the banks and would leave us surrendering a lot of the possession.

I do believe there is still a place for the 442 potentially if we are behind in the last 10 minutes and we operate it as a way to throw extra bodies in the box but I feel as a primary formation it is not the way forward.
 
We are very short of players who can play the loan frontman role. Against Morecambe especially surely playing 4-4-2 would give two of our forwards chance to get on the score sheet and form some sort of partnership. Not saying 4-4-2 should be used all the time but reverting to it at times could give us another option if things aren’t working .
 
paddysr said:
Ok genuine question.

This of you that are big advocates for playing the 442 can ask your reasons why?

The way I see it is that more teams now operate a variation of what we play and I feel that a 442 would leave us too exposed in the gaps between the banks and would leave us surrendering a lot of the possession.

I do believe there is still a place for the 442 potentially if we are behind in the last 10 minutes and we operate it as a way to throw extra bodies in the box but I feel as a primary formation it is not the way forward.
Click to expand...

If it's any reference, and I'm not saying it is btw, during a televised tactical work-shop at the start of the World Cup, 442 was dismissed as a banal anachronism.
 
I had to look back at the post 3 times because I kept spelling that wrong in Google.

I’ve read numerous articles about why 442 has been abandoned, to be honest I still don’t fully understand why. I guess I’m just old school. I like the first team to wear numbers 1 to 11 and I like two strikers upfront versus one.

I’m not sure that it does have a place these days as tactics have evolved.
 
As you say, only for the last few minutes if chasing a goal.

No point having the extra man at the top end if you can’t get it up there.
 
Proper brexit football for proper brexit lads. Kick it to the big fucker up front and chase after it. Wonder why it died out?

Obviously I'm being facetious here but it died for a reason. Modern football is about possession, 3 flat banks don't cut it anymore. It's good for defending tight and compact à la Burnley, but shit at owt else against a modern team.
 
We don't need two strikers up front to create goals. But at times we are effectively playing with ten men, in terms of the no.10 role. Last season Browne could harry better than anyone but his goalscoring (other than worldlys) and assists were poor.

In the two games so far this season Harrop has been given the 10 role but hasn't harried the ball effectively nor has he offered anything in terms of making runs into the box or getting beyond Moult or Nmecha to offer a goal threat.

He's very neat and tidy, his free kick taking is decent - but is he really going to be the key player we need in that role? People moan about Moults pace, I have yet to see Harrop look much of a speed merchant either. He likes to do slow dribbles but by the time he beats one, he's got another defender on top of him.

But I am not just bashing Harrop. I think both Robinson and Barky have been poor so far. Barky in particular looks like he's just not enjoying his football of late. Dunno if he has personal issues or is just unexcited to play football.

But overall I don't really think it's a formation issue. Our whole mentality seems just a bit off. We don't seem willing to go for it - take the ball past a fullback, overload the box etc.

It's just all very timid. Very safe. Much like it was for large parts of last season. And we end up watching Robinson shoot from 25 yards when he just hasn't got that kinda skill in his locker.

Both Nmecha and Moult are the kind of players who will thrive inside the box. But in the two games so far they spent the majority of their time anywhere but inside the box.

If we concede first right now I don't see us scoring two goals. Something has to change. It won't be the formation. But hopefully it will be our mentality. We aren't gonna get promoted by making every scoreline 1-0 or 0-1.
 
Sutty said:
I had to look back at the post 3 times because I kept spelling that wrong in Google.

I’ve read numerous articles about why 442 has been abandoned, to be honest I still don’t fully understand why. I guess I’m just old school. I like the first team to wear numbers 1 to 11 and I like two strikers upfront versus one.

I’m not sure that it does have a place these days as tactics have evolved.
Click to expand...

If you highlight the words banal anachronism
and right-click you'll get an option to search google
for the words selected - it's a lot easier then typing

Tip for the day🙂
 
Barkys performance dropped off the second half of last season. It reminds me a little bit of Kevin Magee’s performance back in the day. He was eventually diagnosed with diabetes which affected his performances.

I’ve been reading back on a few articles from the main site (because I’m bored). Barky comments on his asthma quite a bit and he states in one that he wasn’t well over the Christmas period he struggled with his asthma for weeks.

I’ve got asthma myself and although I was never a professional athlete, it never really hindered me. Having said that professional athletes today have to be very fit and healthy (except for Jon Parkin).

Barky for me played better under Simon Grayson with a slower, defensive, more patient approach to play where we hit on the counter. Alex as we all know prefers a high tempo, pressing game. It’s been stated many times that these tactics don’t suit DJ and arguably Moult. Is Barky also an unlikely candidate not to be suited to our tactics? If his asthma is the issue and he doesn’t have an attitude problem, going through a bad run, carrying an injury, etc. He may well be struggling with the high tempo performance for a full 90 mins with his asthma, weather conditions, etc.

Barky is such a big player for us. I expect more from him than I do Robinson. We need him on form.
 
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BeteNoir said:
i'm still 2-3-5 🙂
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442 is dead. Any modern system relies on more than a 50/50 punt into the box and more than 4 attackers. In the modern game, full backs act as wingers meaning 6/7 attackers can score. No more 442. Ever.
 
It's served Burnley well in the Premier League, although I notice they now play a slightly modified 4-4-1-1.
 
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