I thought McLean did well today. Just like Fryatt, he runs his bollocks off but when he's holding 5 massive TWS defenders off what is he expected to do? He usually does quite well in these situations, keeps the ball and moves it on but with so many men behind the ball there just aren't any gaps to exploit. It's an incredibly simple situation: the team is set up way too defensively to score a goal. People say NP was defensive but we never played anything like as timidly as we do at the moment under Barmby. You'll never see more than 2 players ahead of the ball.
Agreed. We really missed Robbie Brady tonight. Stewart seems to think that the only place he can play football is Leicester... watch him score a hat trick against them and then play sh** the week after. Mind you, the bloke 2 seats away from me typifies the depressing man syndrome of some City fans; if the lad does something wrong its "BLOODY 'ELL STEWART GET OFF THE PITCH" because everyone thinks their the bloody expert. He might have been crap but he's a Hull City player playing against TWS... give him encouragement to play better not get on his bloody back. If he wants to sod off to Leicester then fine; but whilst he's a Hull city player people should be getting behind him and not just hurling abuse (or this is just generalising about the idiot two seats away from me).
Maybe I'm overly optimistic but I don't think he wants to go to Leicester. He made that pretty clear in January. I think his problem is motivational and fitness based but most of all tactical. It isn't his ability it's how he uses it.
There's nowt wrong with Cam Stewart as far as City goes - the lad just needs a rest after a year out. Yes he is poor at the mom but no Brady and Josh King not a good enough replacement so Barmbs jsut goes with same guys. A point not the end of the world but desperately need 3 agst Tractor boys saturday.
After his 70 minutes against Doncaster at the end of January he's hardly been run off his feet. He had an 11 day recovery (less a few hours). He played 90 minutes against Bristol on the 11th 3 days later he played half an hour against Birmingham. He had 8 days recovery. He played 90 minutes against Brighton. He had 9 days recovery. He played an hour at Blackpool. He had 4 days recovery. He played 78 minutes tonight. Plus if he's tired then why take him off after taking McLean off?
It might not be so much that he's physically tired, the kind of injury he had some players never fully recover from, we won't see the best of him until next season, which is a good thing maybe as he will still be our player then if we don't make the play-offs.
We should have took the 1.5 million for him and bought Brady, Stewart is ****ing **** and lazy to a point it's not even funny anymore.
Anyway, I'd say we should scrap the use of wingers altogether, they're giving us absolutely nothing it's just a waste of 2 shirts. I would propose to bring Mr. Mclean in to partner Mr. Fryatt, Mr. Koren behind with Mr. Evans, Mr. McKenna and either Mr. Olofinjana or Mr. Cairney making up a 3 man centre midfield which can also switch to a sort of diamond 4-4-2. When Mr. Brady's fit we could drop Mr. Koren back into the midfield and play Mr. Brady behind the strikers, or play Mr. Brady upfront with a flat 3 strike force as in 3 strikers down the middle, with Mr. Koren sitting behind that and a 2 man midfield supporting in a 4-2-1-3.
This is what I think except play a 4-3-1-2 instead, we never utilise the wings, nor can we score headers (often enough). ----Evans--Mckenna---Cairney ------------Koren -------Fryatt-----King/Mclean
On the subject of Stewart I just don't think he is physical enough, backs away a lot of the time and in one instance last night Dawson hurtled down the pitch after the ball and someone near me said "That should be Stewart's job" and that sums it up really, he doesn't get as involved as he should. Time after time in the 2nd half Fryatt was trying to get near enough to shoot surrounded by Leeds players because no one was supporting him. Now as I am far from an expert on the game but just love supporting the team this might sound like a stupid question but all this talk of changing the formation, well the players on our there, they must feel the frustration, can't they just change the way they are playing, if they think there should be someone else supporting Fryatt then why can't it be changed on the pitch or would that make Nick jump up and down waving his fists on the touchine. Having a laugh in the office this morning just saying if someone said "right City you can't come off the pitch until you score" how many days do you reckon it could go on for?