First off, I hope this doesn't come across as too negative. Fully behind DM and know he'll be the man for the job but I feel like we're overreaching tactically atm. We've been trying to play this bastardized 4-3-3 formation for a while now and it's clear that we don't have the players for it. We've tried playing Wood, Pearson, Kilkenny, Pitman and Bolasie in forward, attacking midfield roles (whether on the wing or behind the strikers) and it's clear that whoever plays there, tends to become ineffectual. The service doesn't reach the "sole" striker because we play either 1 or two holding central midfielders leaving a MASSIVE gap in the middle of the park. As soon as we concede a goal, this gap becomes even larger as attacking minded players get even further forward and the CDM's drop back to assist a struggling defence. Half our team come out of play altogether letting the opposition boss possession and take as many pot shots on goal as they fancy. When we do have the ball, all the defence can do is play a long ball hoping that Wood/Stead will get on the end of it so we can maintain possession (completely bypassing midfield). My observation is that we need to go to a flat 4-4-2. It may not be original but we do have the players for it. If the defence has options for the pass, we can play some attractive football. Adomah can beat any man on his day, the same can be said of bolaise. Kilkenny/Cisse/Davis can pick a pass out to the wings and then we can start getting crosses into the box, something we haven't been doing since Doncaster 1st half. We have the strikers to get on the end of these balls and I'm confident that given the service, Wood, Stead and Pitman can bang the goals in, they are definitely good enough for this level. As soon as we start controlling the centre, we'll score AND we'll shield the defence far better. AKA we'll start winning games! Don't envy DM atm, but I hope we can be slightly more conservative in our approach and start being tough to beat! COYR!
4-3-3 isn't working because we don't pay 4-3-3 - we only play 1 up front. The ball just keeps coming back and we end up sitting deeper and deeper. Pressure builds and a goal is inevitable. Was watching Wolves yesterday - they are exactly like us but doing it in the Prem. They are bereft of confidence and as each goal went in they got worse. Just like us.
IMO 4-5-1 only works with the right players (of course I suppose thats true of any formation!). As Redprint rightly says, with only one striker you end up playing deeper which invites more pressure onto the defence - eventually they will make mistakes and goals will be conceded. I've noticed this with the team I play for on the weekends...and the team I coach. With a lone striker, they need to be good enough to hold the ball up, while two midfielders push on further (making it 4-3-3) - those attacking midfielders need to get there quickly and should be capable of scoring 15+ goals a season themselves. Therefore, we don't have the right lone striking, and we dont have the right midfielders. With 2 up front, we'll have more possession in the attacking third which is what we desperately need at the moment so the likes of Pitman + Stead/Wood can start scoring again.
Don't think DM is a man to change his mind. He's obviously decided on this formation and shows no signs of changing, despite results. I guess he feels the alternatives would be even worse - hard as that is to imagine. When the summer clearout comes I reckon Pitman will go too as it seems DM has little confidence in him playing at this level. He responded to his 2 goals against Palace by playing him up top on his own - which we all know he can't do. Just felt to me like he was being set up to fail and that DM wants rid. Maybe he's right - I just don't know any more. It's all too much.........
I noticed on the highlights for the Ipswich game that one of the goals came from Stead being beaten in the air in our box, then Tommy smith hit the bar after beating John Stead on the edge of our box again shortly after. The first goal was a free header for Chopra on the edge of the box as well. they had 22 shots during the game many coming close from long range, we just aren't tight enough and we dont close down in midfield, the problems are there for all to see, we need to get Kilkenny out of there and get an animal in..
I'd love to see kilkenny play a noble role that johnson used to play just behind a big man, wood or stead so out of the current crop ready for tomorrow ---------James Foster McManus Fonatiane Nyatanga Bolasie Cisse Davies Pearson ----------Kilkenny -----------Stead
Is Cisse fit? Is Mcmanus fit? Bolasie will get sent off in the first 10 minutes.. Kilkenny will keep dropping too deep behind our midfield and get on everyones tits moaning all the time. Nyatanga will get destroyed at left back, he always does. James is off it and suddenly looks past it.. Stead -- I just cant get excited! Fontaine will consistently lose his marker in the box. Apart from that all good.
cisse is, he played saturday, mcmanus just missed out, you dont know bolasie will get sent off, nyatangas better then mcgivern agree about james if not stead then pitman, and fontaine currently the best defender at the club
But you are correct regarding the whining Ausie who I'm surprised has not been decked in training, I'm sure he gets told to stay up high up the pitch but he thinks that he is the team so he insist on coming back so that every move goes through him to slow down! McGiven is ****e not quite **** which Nyatanga is at left back! Joe Edwards RB Foster LB for me drop Kilkenny and play Pitman in that role.
Anybody who hasn't seen it have a look at the highlights on here.. and tell me what sort of marking is this? my kids side defend better than this. This is about a lack of desire. A situation that was allowed to develop with so many players out of contract at the end os the season and blatantly not about to be offered a further contract. no wonder they couldn't give a flying one. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17163078 I also notice on here that Bolasie got booked after coming on as a sub at 35 mins?
To be honest.. I know a lot of people said Macca wasn't any good, but in my opinion he is probably still our best left back which says it all about McGivern and Nyatanga etc. He puts his body on the line every time he plays and is one of the players who will always give 100%, plus he can take a set piece! Would like to see him back in the team.
As soon as I heard DM was a candidate I looked up every scrap of info I could find on him. It's obvious from his CV that he was well respected at all his clubs and as I lived in Scotland for a couple of years in the late 90's, I know how difficult it is to get a small town club like St Johnstone up to 4th/5th place in the SPL. Don't kid yourselves, it is a tough league mainly because clubs play each other so often in a 10 team league, they all know each other so well, that you need a good tactician at the helm. And also forget the idea that Perth is a tiny village. It's a small city compared with Glasgow, but so is IPSWICH with a population of 130,000 compared with BRISTOL! I still believe he will do well in the long term at City. But I am also wondering if he is aware of what City fans want. I hope someone from the club, maybe press liaison Adam Baker, looks at the websites like not606 and otib, and will pass this on for what it's worth. In the Danny Wilson era, City played Brighton at Millenium in Third Division play off final. Wilson played a lone striker, so did Brighton (managed by M McGhee) and we lost a dreadful match on a penalty in last 10 minutes. Coming out of the stadium, City fans were unanimously angry; not because we lost but by the manner of the defeat. Comments like "we should have attacked them - rather lose 5-4 in a good game than by trying not to lose". So please DM, stop this 4-3-3 nonsense that is actually turning out to be 4-5-1. It gives the opposition a message that we are trying not to lose too hard. We must play 2 up front to occupy opposition defenders who at present have only 1 attacker to mark. Only the very elite clubs like Barca and top international sides have the players with ability to play one up front. IF WE ARE GOING DOWN, LETS TRY TO DO IT BY TRYING TO WIN GAMES AND NOT BY TRYING NOT TO LOSE. DO IT THIS WAY AND YOU WILL BE RESPECTED MUCH MORE BY CITY FANS. IF WE CAN'T WIN IN STYLE, THEN LET'S LOSE WITH DIGNITY!
I have lost count the number of times i have gone on about city needing to buy a left winger as there is no BALANCE in the team so yes i miss McIndoe who was the last worth while left winger we have had at the club. I got fed up with GJ who bought JCR as a replacement who was a right winger to play on the left which didnt work as he comes in too central and cuts our width, same thing is happening playing pearson on the left now. It means that when we attack their right back comes in narrow and gives them another defender in the box and when they attack they have two players on the right against our left back as there is a big hole over on the left, sumed up in the last home game when pearson played the ball out to the left and it went out for a throw in. McIndoe currently a free agent at the moment, not the greatest but better than what we have and is free. 3 month contract would be ideal. As for the defence, If you watch most of the goals we have let in recently they are all crosses that are usually headed in as we cannot deal with crosses. The only defender i have seen at the club who consistantly can handle crosses is wilson as he gets good height and DM doesnt rate him even though plenty of prem club have an interest so someone must be wrong. From what we have, Id go (current fit players): ----------------James Edwards - Wilson - Fonts - McAllister Albert - Davis - Pearson - Foster -------- Stead - Jackson (if recalled) Subs Lewis Carey, Louis Carey, Boby Reid, Pitman, Wood Sorry no Pitman as he just doesnt look fully fit recently. Jackson from reserve games i have seen would give some pace and hunger and... would work well off of stead. Would also like to see Bobby Reid on the bench. Might as well let some of the more talented young players have a chance as the seniors arent doing any good.
Don't understand why so many people think Jackson will be any good.. Had numerous spells on loan in league 2 and hardly scored a goal? He's actually scored less in that league than Akinde when he went on loan there... Don't get me wrong I hope that he turns out to be a good player, it's just i'm pretty certain that Pitman is our best finisher by a long distance and should be on the pitch every minute.
