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Quandary

Quandary

E

ernest

Joined
Jun 7, 2004
Messages
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It is probably the case that we haven't quite been ruthless enough in our finishing in recent matches so that the wins have been narrow and what could have been a win on Saturday was only a draw. But it seems Keane will be available again this coming Saturday and Stewart is now ready for action. So do we trim the central midfield down to just three players and start with a strike partnership up top? That raises questions about who the three should be - Browne probably selects himself but one of the others would probably need to either Ledson or Whiteman and for a home match the third either Frokjaer or Holmes with McCann coming into the equation where a more defensive formation was required. Hence something like this:

Woodman
Storey, Lindsay, Hughes
Ledson
Potts, Browne, Frokjaer, Millar
Keane, Osmajic

Nothing against Holmes by the way - he and Frokjaer present nice alternative options with Holmes full of running and Frokjaer more likely to look to make a killer pass. By the way I thought Stewart looked like a pretty serious footballer on Saturday - if he starts to deliver we might really have some serious firepower available - and then further ahead there is the prospect of Riis returning as well.
 
Our strength is our defending.

It'd be nice to have extra goals, but Storey, Lindsay, Hughes, and Ledson would get completely overrun without the extra protection of a McCann or Whiteman.

Getting Whiteman back in the side and having an extra 5-8% possession is the key to having more control at home.

We lose one of the '8's' before we lose a deep midfielder imo.
 
I'd love to play Osmajic and Keane but the shape we have now has been working so well. I agree with SF that you can't add a striker in place of one of the deeper midfielders, you'd ultimately have to sacrifice one of Brown and Holmes/Frokjaer, and right now I think having them both in the side is working really nicely.
 
If you want two up front there's no way on God's green Earth you can put Mads in central midfield.

Maybe as a 10, no chance as an 8.
 
Our problem isn't that we've been poor at finishing, we've been converting chances at a unsustainably high rate.

It's that we make comparatively few chances, and so when our conversion comes back down to normal levels, that's gonna stop us scoring many.

Selection wise, I don't expect to see Keane until after the next international break, but after that, maybe we can look at going 2 up top again.
 
ernest said:
It is probably the case that we haven't quite been ruthless enough in our finishing in recent matches so that the wins have been narrow and what could have been a win on Saturday was only a draw.
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I think we've been over-ruthless myself - more clinical than we had a right to expect, based on the chances we've created.

We don't look a team that is going to hammer anyone IMO, so I think all our wins will be narrow, and as @SF says, the defence is what we're built on, and that starts with the 2 DMCs.

I think having Keane back means we'll have a good sub option for Osmajić after 60-70 minutes, rather than it being a chance to go 2 up top, which would involve dismantling a midfield structure that has its limitations, but plays to the strengths of McCann, Ledson and Browne, who all work best with a "partner", as well as protecting our back 3.
 
Thracia said:
I think we've been over-ruthless myself - more clinical than we had a right to expect, based on the chances we've created.
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Fair enough - I have said the same myself previously. But at least we now have the option of toploading the side if need be. But absolutely no doubts that Millar should start on the left.
 
Same formation for me, with Browne, Holmes and Mads battling it out for the 2 8s, and Keane coming back in to replace Osmajic.
Gives us loads of options to change it from the bench, especially with Riis and Evans to return.
 
Seems to me we'll have to work out a way of getting two strikers into the side sooner or later. Well as we've played I do feel we could be even better with two of Osmajic, Riis, Keane in the side.

The great thing is we now have options. I think I'd keep the current formation for the next game but longer term I think our strongest midfield three is probably Whiteman, Browne and Frokjaer - though that does involve moving Browne deeper, which given his current form further forward doesn't seem wise.
 
Take the game to them.

A bit harsh on Holmes but his pace and tenacity in the 2nd half against tiring players, maybe already on a Yellow Card, would be an ace sub to make. Ditto with McCann if defending and Stewart if attacking for the win.

Woodman
Storey Lindsay Hughes
Potts Browne Whiteman/Ledson Millar
Frokjaer
Keane Osmajic​
 
A lot of people suggesting that we only go with one defensive midfielder. I get the idea, but, if we are trying to pass the ball, it just makes us far too easy to play against. All a side would do in the last couple of seasons is put a man on Whiteman and we were stuffed in most games, resulting in the turgid bilge that we put up with for what seemed like years at home.
 
Seems like, when we get two-up-front, one being a linkman to the other, we maybe go a sort-of
3 - 4 - 1 - 1/1
with the outside of the four dropping back as necessary.
 
For me, the back three need a shield and then a solid four across the middle and a two up top...

Woodman

Storey Lindsay Hughes

Ledson

Potts Browne Whiteman Millar

Keane Osmajic​
 
I don’t think that Mads has done enough to merit a place in the starting lineup. Holmes has been our best attacking player for me.
I wouldn’t change the formation that has served us so well this year either.
From a striking point of view, our real problem has been that we’ve had to operate all the season with only one striker and no realistic options from the bench. Hopefully, that’s about to change.
 
Idi Amin said:
I don’t think that Mads has done enough to merit a place in the starting lineup. Holmes has been our best attacking player for me.
I wouldn’t change the formation that has served us so well this year either.
From a striking point of view, our real problem has been that we’ve had to operate all the season with only one striker and no realistic options from the bench. Hopefully, that’s about to change.
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Agree, Mads hasn’t been very good off the bench last couple of games. See no reason to bring him into the starting line up unless Holmes has a knock.
 
I would love us to play two up front, especially at home.
Keane and Osmajic could scare the beejeebeez out of a lot of this league

Woodman
Storey, Lindsey, Hughes
Potts, Whiteman, Millar
Brown, Holmes or Mads
Keane
Osmajic

With subs of Mads or Holmes, Riis & Stewart.
McCann and Ledson. There are options for everything apart from defence where we are still light.
It would be nice to finally have some options.
 
Drunks said:
There are options for everything apart from defence where we are still light.
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We have Whatmough and Lindsay for the centre of the back three and even in an emergency we still have Bauer though I would be surprised to see him start a match again. But we only have Cunningham as a back-up for Hughes and frankly no-one at all as back-up for Storey. If we could finally offload Bauer in January - though he has been a decent enough player for us - and bring in a young mobile right-sided defender that would be good for everyone and would not involve paying an extra wage. Cunningham may or may not be worth an extension to the end of the season before a young left-sided defender will be required.
 
Idi Amin said:
I don’t think that Mads has done enough to merit a place in the starting lineup. Holmes has been our best attacking player for me.
I wouldn’t change the formation that has served us so well this year either.
From a striking point of view, our real problem has been that we’ve had to operate all the season with only one striker and no realistic options from the bench. Hopefully, that’s about to change.
Click to expand...
I thought the problem on Saturday was lack of creativity. When we are playing "weaker" teams, by which I mean teams we think we should be beating, i would like more creativity, so i would play Mads. I get it that we need one or even two defensive midfield cover against a Leicester, but not two against a Rotherham.
 
Alpine White said:
I thought the problem on Saturday was lack of creativity. When we are playing "weaker" teams, by which I mean teams we think we should be beating, i would like more creativity, so i would play Mads. I get it that we need one or even two defensive midfield cover against a Leicester, but not two against a Rotherham.
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I thought Frokjaer had a decent enough cameo.

He teed up Ledson for his shot that forced their keeper into a double save, threaded through Potts when their defender hit his own post, and he found space for another through-ball opportunity but unfortunately he messed it up. We'll definitely score more goals with him in the team.
 
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